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Quizzes > Literature & Language > English & Grammar

Adjectives & Adjectival Phrases Quiz - Test Your Knowledge

Underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences and choose which sentence contains an adjectival clause!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration with books notepad pencil cards on teal background for free adjectives and adjectival phrases quiz

This quiz helps you spot adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses in short, clear sentences. Practice picking the right phrase or clause and get instant feedback to fix gaps before a test or class. When you're done, try a quick clause check .

Which word in the following sentence is an adjective? 'The bright sun shone all morning.'
shone
morning
sun
bright
'Bright' modifies the noun 'sun,' describing its appearance, so it functions as an adjective. The other words are either nouns or verbs. Adjectives typically answer questions like 'which one?' or 'what kind?' about a noun. .
Identify the adjective phrase in the sentence: 'She wore a dress of silk to the party.'
a dress
to the party
wore a dress
of silk
'Of silk' is a prepositional phrase functioning adjectivally by modifying the noun 'dress.' It tells us what kind of dress she wore. The other options either act as adverbials or are not phrases modifying the noun. .
Which sentence contains an adjectival clause?
The book that you lent me is fascinating.
They arrived early.
She danced because she was happy.
When the sun set, we left.
'That you lent me' is a relative (adjectival) clause modifying 'book.' It contains a subject and verb and begins with the relative pronoun 'that.' The other sentences use adverbial clauses, temporal clauses, or no clause. .
In the sentence 'The incredibly tall building dominates the skyline,' which is the adjective phrase?
dominates
tall building
the skyline
incredibly tall
'Incredibly tall' is an adjective phrase headed by the adjective 'tall' and modified by the adverb 'incredibly.' It describes the noun 'building.' The other choices are either noun phrases or verbs. .
In the sentence 'Students who study diligently earn better grades,' what is the function of 'who study diligently'?
An adjectival clause modifying 'Students'
A noun phrase acting as subject
An adverbial clause modifying 'earn'
A prepositional phrase
The clause 'who study diligently' is a relative (adjectival) clause describing 'Students.' It contains a relative pronoun 'who,' a subject, and a verb. It answers 'which students?' rather than when or why. .
Which rewritten sentence uses an equivalent adjective phrase for the clause 'which was painted last year' in 'The house which was painted last year looks fresh.'?
The painted last year house looks fresh.
The house was painted last year looks fresh.
The house painted last year looks fresh.
The house which painted last year looks fresh.
'Painted last year' is a reduced adjective phrase (past participle) replacing the adjective clause 'which was painted last year.' It succinctly modifies 'house.' The other options are ungrammatical or fail to reduce correctly. .
Identify the head of the adjective phrase in the sentence: 'The very curious cat inspected the box.'
curious
cat
very
very curious
In the adjective phrase 'very curious,' 'curious' is the head adjective, and 'very' is an adverb modifying it. The head is the core word that carries the adjectival meaning. .
Which relative pronoun appropriately completes the adjective clause: 'The novel ___ I read yesterday was thrilling.'?
who
whose
that
where
In restrictive clauses modifying inanimate nouns like 'novel,' 'that' is the standard relative pronoun. 'Who' is used for people, 'whose' for possession, and 'where' for places. .
What is wrong with the adjective clause in this sentence? 'The car which I bought it is expensive.'
It is missing a relative pronoun.
It contains a redundant pronoun 'it'.
There is no error in the clause.
It uses the wrong relative pronoun.
The clause 'which I bought it' is incorrect because the pronoun 'it' is redundant. In English, the relative pronoun already serves as the object of 'bought,' so you remove the extra 'it.' .
Determine whether the underlined phrase in 'The report, detailed in the appendix, was submitted.' is an adjective phrase or clause.
Noun phrase
Adjective clause
Adverbial phrase
Adjective phrase
'Detailed in the appendix' is a past-participial phrase acting adjectivally to modify 'report.' It lacks a subject and finite verb, so it is a phrase, not a clause. .
In the sentence 'People eager to help volunteered for the cleanup,' 'eager to help' functions as:
A verb phrase
A noun phrase as object
An adjective phrase modifying 'People'
An adverb phrase modifying 'volunteered'
'Eager to help' is an adjective phrase (an adjective 'eager' plus the infinitive 'to help') that modifies the noun 'People.' It provides additional information about which people volunteered. Adjective phrase functions.
Choose the sentence where the adjective clause correctly uses 'whose'.
The man whose car was stolen reported it immediately.
The man who's car was stolen reported it immediately.
The man of whose car was stolen reported it immediately.
The man who car was stolen reported it immediately.
'Whose' is the correct relative pronoun to indicate possession (the car belonging to the man). The others misuse relative pronouns or add extra words. .
Transform the adjective clause to an adjective phrase: 'Workers who are skilled in carpentry are valuable.' Which option is correct?
Skilled in carpentry workers are valuable.
Workers skilled in carpentry are valuable.
Workers are skilled in carpentry are valuable.
Workers in carpentry skilled are valuable.
By removing the relative pronoun and verb 'are,' the clause becomes the reduced adjective phrase 'skilled in carpentry.' It still modifies 'Workers' correctly. Reduction of adjective clauses with linking verbs is standard. .
Which sentence contains an elliptical adjective clause?
Expecting the results was late.
The results were expecting to be late.
The results that were expected were late.
The results expected were late.
'Expected' in 'The results expected were late' is an adjective phrase with the clause 'that were' omitted (elliptical). This creates a reduced clause. The second sentence is the full clause, not elliptical. .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Adjective Phrases -

    Understand how adjectives and adjectival phrases function within sentences by recognizing descriptive words and their modifiers.

  2. Distinguish Adjectival Clauses -

    Analyze sentence structures to differentiate between adjective phrases and adjectival clauses for clearer grammatical insights.

  3. Underline Adjective Phrases in Context -

    Apply your knowledge to underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences, reinforcing your grasp of modifier placement.

  4. Determine Sentences with Adjectival Clauses -

    Choose which sentence contains an adjectival clause, sharpening your ability to spot complex descriptive constructions.

  5. Enhance Descriptive Writing -

    Use adjective phrase examples with answers to practice and improve your own writing style with more vivid details.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Understanding Adjectives vs. Adjectival Phrases -

    Adjectives modify nouns directly (e.g., "blue sky"), while adjectival phrases group words to add detail (e.g., "filled with clouds"). Notice how phrases extend descriptive power without extra adjectives. Building this clarity from Purdue OWL helps you confidently spot adjectives and adjectival phrases.

  2. Prepositional Phrases as Adjectives -

    Many adjectival phrases start with prepositions: "the book on the table" uses "on the table" to describe which book. Recognizing "on," "in," or "with" signals an adjective phrase. Harvard's Writing Center shows prepositional phrases enrich descriptions effortlessly.

  3. Spotting Adjectival Clauses -

    Adjectival clauses contain a subject and verb, introduced by relative pronouns like who, which, or that (e.g., "students who study diligently"). Listening for a mini-sentence inside helps you identify clauses. The University of Toronto's grammar guide offers clear examples to practice.

  4. Phrases vs. Clauses: Key Differences -

    Remember: phrases lack a subject-verb pair, while clauses include both (e.g., phrase: "wearing a red hat"; clause: "who is wearing a red hat"). A quick check: does it read as a complete thought? Michigan State's grammar site suggests this tip for precision.

  5. Mnemonic Tricks & Practice Strategies -

    Use the RAVEN mnemonic (Relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that) to spot adjectival clauses swiftly. To review, underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences and bracket the adjectival clauses. Cambridge Dictionary's exercises make this drill engaging and effective.

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