Basic rules for adjective agreement
Basic rules for adjective agreement are that adjectives must match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun they modify. In many languages like French, adjectives change their endings accordingly.
Here are the core principles:
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Adjectives agree with the noun in gender:
- For masculine nouns, use the masculine form of the adjective.
- For feminine nouns, usually add an -e to the masculine adjective form to make it feminine, with exceptions where the adjective already ends in -e or has irregular feminine forms.
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Adjectives agree with the noun in number:
- For singular nouns, use the singular form of the adjective.
- For plural nouns, typically add an -s to the singular form for both masculine and feminine, with some exceptions (e.g., adjectives ending in -al change to -aux in plural).
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If an adjective describes multiple nouns of different genders, the masculine plural form is used.
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Placement of adjectives can affect their form and agreement in some languages (e.g., French adjectives of beauty, age, goodness, and size often precede the noun and have special forms).
For example, in French:
- Masculine singular: petit (small)
- Feminine singular: petite
- Masculine plural: petits
- Feminine plural: petites
When a noun is feminine and plural, the adjective takes the feminine plural form.
These rules ensure grammatical harmony between adjectives and the nouns they describe, contributing to clear and accurate communication. 1, 3, 4, 5