Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns and modify nouns and pronouns.
I love Italian culture
A proper noun is the specific name used for any person, place, or thing. Proper adjectives typically look like their original proper noun but have some sort of alternative ending in order to make them adjectives.
He lives in America (proper noun)
He likes American holidays (proper adjective)
Proper adjective are derived from proper nouns. For this reason, they are capitalized.
When she lived in China, Liz ate a lot of Chinese food
When a proper adjective has a prefix, the prefix itself is never capitalized (unless it is the first word of a sentence). However, the proper adjective itself is still capitalized.
In pre-Columbian America corn was the only cultivated cereal
The most common endings for nationalities are -ian/-ean/-an, -ic, -ese, -i, -ish. The reason that English has so many endings for different nationalities is that they were borrowed from other languages.
| -ian/-ean/-an | -ic | -ese | -i | -ish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | Icelandic | Chinese | Iraqi | Danish |
| Korean | Nordic | Japanese | Israeli | Finnish |
| Italian | Hispanic | Portuguese | Pakistani | Irish |
-Do you know that Kelly works at a Mexican restaurant?
-Yeah? But I know that she doesn't even like Mexican food!
-That's true, but we don't have any European or Asian restaurants here.
-Actually, I heard that some French place is going to open in a month or two.
-Really? I think she would love to work here. Her cooking skills are excellent!
Decide whether the adjectives should be capitalized in the following sentences.
She's been reading buddhist/Buddhist teachings.
Painting originated in prehistoric/Prehistoric times.
An anti-theft/anti-Theft backpack holds just about anything you need while keeping it all safe with enhanced safety features.
He was described as a real renaissance/Renaissance man.
Form proper adjectives.
(France) .................... toasts may be eaten as a dessert in France.
Billy likes reading (Greece) .................... myths.
Have you ever tried traditional (Ireland) .................... stew?
The band plays (Christ) .................... music.
I'd like to try (Belgium) .................... waffles.
The (Edward) .................... era of British history covers the brief reign of King Edward VII.