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Proper Adjectives
A proper adjective is a word formed from a proper noun that modifies a noun or pronoun. Usually, they are formed using the names of people, or countries, or religions.
Reminder…a proper noun is a specific name for a person, place, or thing, and is ALWAYS capitalized.
Shakespearean sonnets
French baguette
Catholic uniform
How are they formed?
Sometimes, proper adjectives can be used in the same proper noun format to describe a word.
New York pizza
Philadelphia cheesesteak
Methodist church
What makes proper adjectives special is that sometimes you have to put a special ending on them in order to make them an adjective.
For example, the proper noun Europe can become a proper adjective with the addition of the suffix -an - European.
And there are loads of different endings to use!
What are some examples?
Countries/Locations
| -ian/-ean/-ern/-an/-n | -ic | -ese | -i | -ish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Arabic | Burmese | Iraqi | Danish |
| Australian | Greenlandic | Chinese | Israeli | English |
| European | Hispanic | Japanese | Pakistani | Finnish |
| Korean | Icelandic | Lebanese | Saudi | Irish |
| Martian | Islamic | Maltese | Somali | Polish |
| Middle Eastern | Nordic | Portuguese | Yemeni | Scottish |
| Parisian | Vietnamese | Spanish | ||
| Pennsylvanian | Turkish |
Names of People
| Proper Noun | Ending | Proper Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Darwin | -ian | Darwinian |
| Jesus Christ | -ian | Christian |
| Queen Elizabeth | -an | Elizabethan |
| Sigmund Freud | -ian | Freudian |
| Kafka | -esque | Kafkaesque |
| Immanuel Kant | -ian | Kantian |
| Niccolo Machiavelli | -an | Machiavellian |
| George Orwell | -ian | Orwellian |
| William Shakespeare | -an | Shakespearean |
Religions
| Religion | Proper Adjective |
|---|---|
| Humanist | Humanistic |
| Judaism | Jewish |
| Islam | Islamic |
QUICK TIP!
When attaching a prefix to a proper adjective, you DON’T capitalize the prefix, but DO capitalize the proper adjective.
Example:
• In pre-Shakespearean times, the art of drama still entertained the masses.
• Even though we love our country, anti-American sentiments are still alive.
