Grades 6, 7 and 8 - English Language - Middle School - Adjectives - Coordinate — Flashcards

A coordinate adjective is when two or more adjectives are used in a sequence to describe the same noun.

Let’s look at the following sentence: “The water is cold.” In this sentence we know that the “water” is a common noun. What can we learn about the water in this sentence? We learn that it is “cold”. “Cold” is an adjective as it describes the water.

Let’s once again look at the sentence “The water is cold.” Only now we will say, “The water is cold and blue.” The two adjectives that describe the water are that it is “cold” and it is “blue.”

Now let’s rework that sentence in another way. “The cold, blue water was everywhere.” This time the two adjectives came before the noun. Generally, when the adjectives come before the noun a comma is used between them (cold, blue). When they come after the noun, the word “and” is used between them (cold and blue).