English Grammar: Adjectives

Adjectives or describing words are words that modify a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. It normally indicates quality, size, shape, duration, feelings,
contents, and more about a noun or pronoun.

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by providing descriptive or specific detail. Unlike adverbs, adjectives do not modify verbs, other adjectives, or adverbs. Adjectives usually precede the noun or pronoun they modify. Adjectives do not have to agree in number or gender with the nouns they describe. Adjectives answer the following questions: What kind?, How many?, or Which ones?

Example:

My mom is a pretty lady.
The drawing is very beautiful.
The green tree is full of flowers.
Today I will eat three burgers.
The elephant is very big in size.
She was wearing a red shirt.
The flowers smell good.
There are eleven players in football team.
He is a lazy man.
I enjoy sleeping on my comfortable bed.
Tom bought a used car. (used describes what kind of car Tom bought.)
Sally baked ten pies for the school bake sale. (ten tells how many pies Sally baked.)
Bob climbed that tree in the backyard. (that specifies which tree Bob climbed.)

Types of Adjectives

Descriptive Adjectives
A descriptive adjective names a quality of the noun or pronoun that it modifies.
Example: brown dog bigger house fluffy cat

Monica is very tired today.
Mohan’s drawing is amazing.
The car is moving very fast.
The children are hungry.
The flowers have a nice smell.
Rita is such a pretty girl.
Sohan is a brave boy.
We had a fantastic trip last year.
She handed me a blue book.
The big fat cat rolled over in the mud.

Quantitative Adjective

It describes the number or quantity of noun or pronoun.

Some examples include all, no, few, many, any, some, each, either, every ,whole, sufficient, most, none and little.

Example:

I have only few balloons to decorate the room.
There are ten pencils in my box.
Ron has many clothes in his almirahs.
I have got a little money for new dress.
Most of the people i know are good in nature.
Can you please lend me some money?
Four girls are participating in school function.
I do not have any chocolates in my bag.
There is enough juice for my breakfast.
That sentence just doesn’t make any sense.

Numeral adjective

A numeral adjective is an adjective that tells us about how many or how much or in what order the noun is in.

There are three kinds of numeral adjectives: Definite numeral adjectives, indefinite numeral adjectives and distributive numeral adjectives.

(a) Definite numeral adjectives use cardinal (numbers used in an amount) and ordinals (numbers used as an order).

(b) Indefinite numeral adjectives : They indicate an indefinite number. Examples are: some, many, few, all, no, several etc.

(c) Distributive numeral adjectives: In a sentence when the words such as each, every, neither, either are used to describe then it is known as a distributive numeral adjective.

Example:

The third man was sitting over there.
He bought ten pencils from market.
There are few children in the class.
There is no garbage in the bin.
I wrote many letters to you.
Every child is special.
I have bought some mangoes from the market.
Most of the students are intelligent.
Either of the method is wrong.
My hand has five fingers.

Demonstrative Adjective

Demonstrative adjective are used to identify or express the relative position of a noun.Some common demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, those .

The demonstrative adjective in a sentence will come just before a noun or pronoun and tell you which one it is specifically modifying.

Example:

Can you please give me that red colour pen.
That flower is very beautiful.
This is my favourite dress.
This is my watch.
Those apples are rotten.
These people are new in our area.
These shoes are more comfortable.
Those are your books.
He lives in this house.
That is a kite.

Distributive Adjective

An Adjective which is used to refer each and every person or things
separately or describe specific member out of a group is called
Distributive Adjective.

They include each, either, neither, every, any ,one, both etc.

Examples:

Each boy was gives a book.
Either you will go to the market or i will.
We should wash our hands after every meal.
There are beautiful flowers on either side of road.
Can any one please switch off the fan.
Every one should take care of their parents.
She watch that cartoon every day.
Each hand has five fingers.
Neither answer was correct.
Neither of you are allowed in this class.

Interrogative Adjective

Interrogative Adjective modifies noun or pronoun and ask questions too. They are used with nouns to ask questions such as what, whose, where, why, how and which.

Examples:

Which dresses are you buying today?
Whose car will they give us?
What dessert would you like?
What is your question?
When did he get married?
Which is the largest river in India?
Whose books shall I borrow?
What a beautiful place is this?
What ingredient did you choose to make this dish?
What show are you watching?

Possessive Adjective

A word that indicates the possession of the noun to a person/a few people. The possessive adjectives are my, our, your, his, their, her, and its.

Examples:

I am looking after her baby.
My mother is a very intelligent and kind.
I do not want to talk to your brother.
Our father told us to do all the work.
It is his bicycle.
Why didn’t you clean your room?
The students of class seven submitted their assignment.
The blue car is my brother’s; the red car is mine.
The chameleon can change its color.
How old is your sister.

Proper Adjectives
A proper adjective is derived from a proper noun.
Example: French class Spanish food European car

Limiting Adjectives
A limiting adjective restricts the meaning of the word it modifies.
Example: that car this room the tree

Interrogative Adjectives
An interrogative adjective is used to ask a question.
Example: Whose book is this?

Coordinate Adjectives
A coordinate adjective consists of two or more adjectives separated by a comma instead of by a coordinating conjunction.
Example: a cold, rainy day

To determine if you can replace the coordinating conjunction with a comma, see if the adjectives can be reversed or if and can be added between the adjectives without changing the meaning. If the adjectives can be reversed, they are coordinate and a comma can be used.

Example:

The clowns arrived in a bright, shiny car.
The clowns arrived in a shiny, bright car. (Reversing bright and shiny does not change the meaning.)
The clowns arrived in a bright and shiny car. (Adding and between bright and shiny does not change the meaning.)

However, if the adjectives cannot be reversed or if and cannot be used, a comma cannot be used.

Example:

The clowns arrived in two colorful cars.
The clowns arrived in colorful two cars. (Reversing two and colorful changes the meaning.)
The clowns arrived in two and colorful cars. (Adding and between two and colorful changes the meaning.)

Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives consist of two or more words that function as a unit. Depending on its position within the sentence, the compound adjective is punctuated with or without a hyphen. When a compound adjective comes before the noun it modifies, use a hyphen to join the adjectives. When a compound adjective follows the noun it modifies, do not use a hyphen to join the adjectives.
Example:

She is taking a class on nineteenth-century literature. (The adjective nineteenth-century precedes the noun literature so a hyphen is used.)
She is studying literature from the nineteenth century. (The adjective nineteenth century comes after the noun literature so no hyphen is used.)

Determiners as Adjectives
Determiners, such as articles, pronouns, and numbers, can function as adjectives. When a determiner is used as an adjective, it restricts the noun it modifies, like a limiting adjective. Determiners functioning as adjectives tell Which one?, How many?, and Whose?

Articles (a, an, the)
Possessive pronouns (my, our, your, his, her, its, their)
Relative pronouns (whose, which, whichever, what, whatever)
Demonstratives (this, these, that, those)
Indefinite pronouns (any, each, other, some, etc.)
Cardinal Numbers (one, two, three, etc.)
Ordinal Numbers (last, first, second, etc.)
Possessive proper nouns (Bob’s, Sarah’s)

Example:

Bob’s house is only three blocks from that house. (Bob’s answers the question: Whose house? Three answers the question: How many blocks? That answers the question: Which house is three blocks from Bob’s house?)

Placement and Order of Adjectives

A single noun can be described as a list of adjectives. When more then one adjective is used to modify a noun, it is important to consider the order in which the adjectives appear. Generally, the adjectives most important in completing the meaning of the noun are placed closest to the noun. Following is the usual order of adjectives in a series:

Determiners: articles (a, the), demonstratives (this, those), and possessives (his, our, Mary’s, everybody’s), amounts (one, five, many, few), order (first, next last)
Coordinate adjectives (subjective evaluations or personal opinions): nice, nasty, packed, pitiful
Adjectives describing size: big, huge, little, tiny
Adjectives describing shape: long, short, round, square
Adjectives describing age: young, old, modern, ancient
Adjectives describing color: blue, green, red, white
Adjectives describing nationality: Italian, French, Japanese
Adjectives describing architectural style or religion: Greek, Gothic, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim
Adjectives describing material: cardboard, plastic, silver, gold
Nouns functioning as adjectives: soccer ball, cardboard box, history class

Example:

a big brick house (article, size, and material)
these old brown cardboard boxes (demonstrative, age, color, material)
a beautiful young Italian woman (article, personal opinion, age, nationality)

Using Adjectives

Adjectives as Subject Complements
The subject complement is a word that follows a linking verb and modifies the sentence’s subject, not its verb. Linking verbs: appear, become, believe, feel, grow, smell, seem, sound, remain, turn, prove, look, taste, and the forms of the verb to be.

Example: The crowd appeared calm. (The linking verb appeared links the noun the subject crowd with the adjective calm)

Adjectives as Object Complements
The object complement is a word that follows a sentence’s direct object and modifies that object and not the verb. An object complement answers the question what? after the direct object.

Example: Bob considered the experiment a success. (Success is the object compliment that modifies the sentences direct object experiment.)

Adjectives with Past and Present Participle Verbs
Adjectives are frequently formed by using the past participle (-ed, -t, or -en) and the present participle (-ing) verb forms.

Example: The group of children scared the sleeping dog. (Sleeping describes the baby.)
The students refused to eat the dried fruit. (Dried describes the cookies.)