AdjectivePhrase.com

By Ted Guarnero

“Charming cottage-like home with gorgeous views of the nearby majestic mountains. Three beautiful bedrooms, one of which is a palatial master suite with its own private bathroom and spacious walk-in closet! Capacious living room, with crystalline detailing! Cozy kitchen with the very latest in appliances. Stunning huge fenced yard carpeted with emerald-green grass and featuring two imposing maple trees. Close to all amenities! Motivated seller is eager to sell this hidden gem to the discriminating buyer!”

Okay, maybe the above is a wee bit exaggerated, but not by much. Anyone who has done even a cursory search for a home can attest that the use of so-called “descriptive language” is rife in real estate listings. Sometimes it seems that the person writing these descriptions is under the impression that the more adjectives, the more impressive the listings sound.

Home seekers want to know as much as possible about the home they are considering contacting you for more information on. In these times where home values have plummeted and many agents are trying to convince disbelieving homeowners that their home isn’t worth anywhere near as much as they think they’re going to sell it for, flowery language can be seen as a way of masking drawbacks and make buyers suspicious before they even set foot in the place.

So, let’s take the above ad and work some magic on it:
“Investigate this mid-sized 3 bedroom home on a half acre lot. Master bedroom has a walk-in closet and own bathroom. Kitchen has recently been renovated and has an ENERGY-STAR rated fridge and stove. Open-concept living room opens up onto the patio with new shatterproof sliding glass doors. The fully fenced yard has two mature maple trees that shade the patio area. 3 blocks away from corner store and within 5 blocks of Realtor’s Elementary and Broker’s Middle School. On bus route.”

So many more facts, combined into an easily-understood informational paragraph. While there are few frills in this ad, it points out the features of the home and implies many benefits (near schools, conveniences and transportation). Defining precisely what the home has to offer instead of hiding it under perfumed phrases makes it seem more reasonable and attractive.

The rampant adjectives and overused superlatives in real estate advertising have become so common that they are often mocked as clichés. While an adjective thrown in with useful facts can be a charming accent, home buyers are more impressed by facts that help them decide whether the home is right for them. By paring down listings to sentences that impart needed facts while still being readable, you will make it more likely that home buyers will not ignore your listing by assuming that the flowery sentences hide faults and flaws.

Illustrated Properties is a Jupiter FL real estate company with professional, effective services to help you succeed in the local market. Visit TedSoldIt.com for information on local neighborhoods like Juno Beach real estate, and to see listings of homes for sale.

By Julie Thomas

The Definition of an Adjective

Adjectives are a part of speech. These words are used to modify other words for example nouns, by specifying, limiting, or qualifying these words. In the English language, they are also distinguished from other areas of speech by form, with suffixes such as “-ous”, “-er”, “-est”, and “-able.” Adjectives are also set apart in terms of syntax or arrangement of words in a sentence, as adjectives precede a nominal phrase or a noun directly.

Simply, adjectives are words which are used to describe a noun. There are many types of adjectives, these include common, proper, demonstrative, and possessive adjectives. These are the kinds of adjectives that will be discussed in this article.

Common Adjectives

Common adjectives are utilized for the description of a noun. Common adjectives do not need capitalization, unless they occur at the start of a sentence.

Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives come from proper nouns. Proper adjectives are very specific, and are also used in description of a noun. Capitalization is required for all proper nouns.

Examples:

The German accent was still noticeable even after her many years out of the country. (“German” modifies the noun “accent.”)

The Freudian school of thought still pervades modern psychiatry. (“Freudian” modifies the noun “school.”)

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives change and provide information about the nouns they accompany, and often point to the noun and emphasize it.

Examples:

This telephone seems outdated. (“This” modifies the noun “telephone.”)

That option seems good. (“That” modifies the noun “option.”)

These requirements look feasible. (“These” modifies the noun “requirements.”)

Those flights are usually delayed. (“Those” modifies the noun “flights.”)

Demonstrative adjectives can be identified easily, as there are only four of them, and each is almost always succeeded by a noun. However, these adjectives are not the same as demonstrative pronouns, which are identical words not succeeded by a noun.

Possessive Adjectives

These adjectives modify a noun stating ownership or accountability. There are many possessive adjectives, these include words such as your, their, my, his, her, its, and our. Possessive adjectives can also be based on proper nouns.

Examples:

My daughter got an A+.

His wife just gave birth.

Her son is so cute.

They saw its claws.

Our car broke down.

Their passion is boundless.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Adjectives are significant to the written and spoken language, as they add descriptions to subjects in a sentence. Adjectives can describe people, colors, events, or moods, among many things.

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