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[Mister Al]

I saw something similar to this question on TV recently and thought it interesting.
How many adjectives in the following sentence? (and include what type of adjectives they are, in grammatical terminology, if you can)

"Yesterday I ate a hot curry and washed it down with two glasses of cold beer".

[7969]

guess i'll try.

"Yesterday I ate a hot curry and washed it down with two glasses of cold beer".

1. a - article (some sources say an article can be an adjective)
2. hot - descriptive adj.
3. two - limiting adj.
4. cold - descriptive adj.

[kev7161]

yesterday, hot, curry (hot curry what? dish? rice? stew?), down(?), two, cold - - so 5 or 6?

[arioch36]

Is this Chinglish? Or English. If Chinglish, then curry (a spice, or I guess a combination of spices) is a noun used as an adjective (here we are splitting hairs, just like with "a". I prefer to say "a" is an article that modifies a noun, more often "a" is considered as an adjective; and I prefer saying "curry" is a noun modifying a noun).
Then of course, as in standard Chinglish, we are missing the final noun ...hot curry dish
But I think in England, and maybe in the states, curry can be the dish itself, thus hot is the adjective used an adjective, and curry is the dish itself.
Woefully, I know nothing about cooking, nor do I eat Indian food that often. So "hot curry dish of stew" sounds right to me.

I think the definition of "adjective" is not clearly defined. Is burning a noun verb or adjective? "I attended a burning" (sorry, burning popped in my mind, bad example. ing verb used as a gerund .. is what, a noun? a verb? a verb used as a noun? a gerund? different books have different answers). "Burning desire" , what is "burning"
A prepositional phrase used to modify a noun is classified as a ????

[AussieGuyInChina]

I say three; hot two and cold.

I don't agree that a can be considered as an adjective. A determiner - yes, but not an adjective.

Yesterday can be a noun or an adverb, but not an adjective.

Curry can be a verb or a noun. I know that people use 'curry' as an adjective, curry egg, but the correct adjective form is curried.

In the subject sentence, down is an adverb.

[arioch36]

[AussieGuyInChina]

I stand corrected on two, and I am surprised I made such a basic error. Two is, of course, a determiner.

Adjectival phrases - full of water, a blue and red sweater - but not two glasses of (cold) beer. Two of, or just of, does not modify the noun, beer.

[Lobster]

Adjectives have to be one of the most poorly-defined parts of speech. I agree that the determiner 'a' isn't one, but as mentioned; it is considered by some to be an adjective. Two is a Cardinal number but is acting the role of an adjective in some ways, but it would have to to be part of a hyphenated structure to be a true adjective. Of coure, we have the two "true" attributive adjectives 'hot' and 'cold'. That leaves the thorny issue of the partitive 'glasses of'. Some would actually consider this adjectival. Hmmm. I don't have the energy to dive into the grammar reference right now, but I can check later, or perhaps Mr. Al will supply the answer.

burning is easier

A witch burning (noun)
Burning the midnight oil (verb)
A burning bush (adj)

RED

[kev7161]

Here's a lot of stuff:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adjectives.htm

'cause lord knows I can't remember all this grammar stuff without a little guidance!

[arioch36]

Lobster

[Lobster]

A gerund is a noun using the present participle verb form.
(e.g. In September, they all gather for the annual witch burning. vs. They're burning those pesky witches again.)

The adjective shares the past participle form or the past participle form (I like burnt toast. vs. They've burnt the toast again.)

The form is not as important here as the function, that is, its use to modify the noun.

You're just pulling my swimmerettes, aren't you?

RED

[11:59]

Oh dear. 'Yesterday' an adjective ... really.

[Lobster]

Aussie Guy correctly identified 'yesterday' as an adverb. B- for Kev I guess. So what about that partitive 'glasses of'? Any inspirations?

RED

[arioch36]

Without any book to back me up, I'll make a lobsterback out of myself, I would certainly consider it an adjectival clause

[kev7161]

I'd remember yesterday as an adverb if I weren't so DRUNK! (isn't that the excuse most regular posters use here?)