Tips from the Writing Center: Coordinated adjectives
In May, I was speaking to a College of Pharmacy student about comma rules, specifically, using commas to separate two or more coordinated adjectives that describe the same noun.
Just like many readers, this student looked at me with a blank stare because learning English grammar rules requires a solid foundation of terms and definitions. In this case, coordinated adjectives and nouns must be understood.
A noun is a person, place or thing. Coordinated adjectives are words that apply to and describe some attribute of the same noun or subject.
Examples:
- The cold, gray hammer was used to build the frame.
- My mother asked the waitress for an aged, rare steak.
- To be successful at NEOMED, you should be a timely, professional student.
Finally, be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun.
This is a common usage of commas in English and will make your writing more sophisticated.
- submitted by Brian Harrell, Writing Center specialist