Meaning
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They provide additional information about the qualities, characteristics, or states of the nouns or pronouns they accompany. For example, in the phrase “a beautiful flower,” the adjective “beautiful” describes the appearance of the noun “flower.”
Usage
- Attributive Use: Adjectives are commonly used before the noun they modify. For instance, “a tall building,” “a red car,” and “an interesting story.”
- Predicative Use: They can also be used after a linking verb like “be,” “seem,” “look,” etc. For example, “The building is tall,” “The car looks red,” and “The story seems interesting.”
Categories
- Descriptive Adjectives: These describe the physical or sensory qualities of a noun. Examples include “big,” “small,” “soft,” “hard,” “sweet,” and “sour.”
- Quantitative Adjectives: They indicate the quantity or number of the noun. Some examples are “many,” “few,” “several,” “some,” and “all.”
- Demonstrative Adjectives: These point out specific nouns. The words “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those” are demonstrative adjectives. For example, “This book is mine.”
- Possessive Adjectives: They show ownership or possession. Examples are “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their.” For instance, “My house is big.”
- Interrogative Adjectives: These are used to ask questions about nouns. The words “which,” “what,” and “whose” are interrogative adjectives. For example, “Which book do you want?”
Notes
- Adjectives usually have comparative and superlative forms to show degrees of comparison. For example, the comparative form of “big” is “bigger,” and the superlative form is “biggest.”
- Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. For instance, the comparative form of “good” is “better,” and the superlative form is “best.”
- When using multiple adjectives to describe a noun, there is a general order: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose. For example, “a beautiful, large, old, round, red, Chinese, wooden box.”
Rules
- Agreement in Number: Adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in number. If the noun is singular, the adjective should be in the singular form, and if the noun is plural, the adjective should also be in the plural form (if applicable). For example, “a red apple” (singular) and “red apples” (plural).
- Agreement in Gender: In some languages, adjectives may change according to the gender of the noun. In English, this is not as common, but there are some cases like “masculine” and “feminine” used to describe gender-specific qualities.
Kinds
- Gradable Adjectives: These adjectives can show different degrees of intensity. They can be used in comparative and superlative forms. Examples include “hot,” “cold,” “tall,” and “short.”
- Non-gradable Adjectives: These adjectives do not have degrees of comparison. They represent absolute qualities. Examples are “dead,” “alive,” “unique,” and “perfect.”
Quantifiers
Quantifiers are words or phrases that indicate the quantity or amount of something. Some common quantifiers used with adjectives include “a lot of,” “many,” “much,” “few,” “little,” “several,” etc. For example, “There are a lot of beautiful flowers in the garden.”
Determiners
Determiners are words that come before nouns and help to specify or identify them. Adjectives can be used with determiners. Some common determiners are “a,” “an,” “the,” “this,” “that,” “my,” “your,” etc. For example, “The beautiful dress is mine.”
Word Examples
- Happy: Describes a state of being pleased or content.
- Brave: Refers to someone who shows courage.
- Intelligent: Means having a high level of mental ability.
- Friendly: Describes a person who is kind and amiable.
- Colorful: Used to describe something with many colors.
Example Sentences
- The happy child was playing in the park.
- The brave soldier fought bravely in the war.
- She is an intelligent student who always gets good grades.
- My friendly neighbor often helps me with my gardening.
- The colorful balloons added a festive atmosphere to the party.
Phrases
- “a piece of cake” (meaning something is very easy)
- “a heart of gold” (describing a very kind person)
- “a green thumb” (referring to someone who is good at gardening)
- “a heavy heart” (describing someone who is sad)
- “a wet blanket” (meaning someone who spoils the fun)
Error Uses
- Double Comparatives or Superlatives: Using “more” or “most” with adjectives that already have irregular comparative or superlative forms. For example, saying “more better” instead of “better” or “most best” instead of “best.”
- Incorrect Order of Adjectives: Placing adjectives in the wrong order. For example, saying “a red big box” instead of “a big red box.”
- Using Non-gradable Adjectives with “more” or “most”: For example, saying “more unique” or “most perfect.”
Simple Test
- Choose the correct adjective form: The ____ (big) elephant in the zoo is very friendly. A. big B. bigger C. biggest
- Which of the following is a non-gradable adjective? A. tall B. unique C. hot
- Fill in the blank with the appropriate adjective: She has a ____ (colorful) personality. A. colorfull B. colorful C. more colorful
- Identify the type of adjective in the sentence: “This is my book.” A. Demonstrative B. Possessive C. Descriptive
- Which is the correct order of adjectives? A. a red big car B. a big red car C. a car big red
Answers
- C. The superlative form “biggest” is used when comparing more than two things, and in this case, we are referring to the largest elephant in the zoo.
- B. “Unique” is a non-gradable adjective as it represents an absolute quality and cannot be compared in degrees.
- B. The correct spelling is “colorful.”
- B. “My” is a possessive adjective as it shows ownership.
- B. The correct order is “a big red car” following the general order of adjectives (size before color).
In conclusion, adjectives play a crucial role in enriching our language by providing detailed descriptions of nouns and pronouns. Understanding their various forms, uses, and rules helps us communicate more effectively and accurately.