An adjective is a word that is used to describe nouns or pronouns. There are different types of adjectives, which we will learn about in English grammar.
In the speech, adjectives play an important role. They play a vital role in both writing and communication. But what exactly is an Adjective? ! We’ll start by defining adjectives and then explore the different types of adjectives. Finally, we’ll give examples of how adjectives can be used in sentences.
There are many topics in English grammar that are very important to learn and adjective is also one of them. But do you know what is an adjective, the definition of an adjective, types of adjectives? I know you don’t know about it that’s why you are here with me. Now the good news is that after reading this article your all doubts about adjectives will be clear and you will get all the answers that you want.
What Is An Adjective? – Definition of adjective
An adjective describes the quality of a noun or pronoun. This is called describing words. This gives us more information about the sentence’s object. In most cases, adjectives are placed before nouns.
Most adjectives can be used in positive and negative forms, with a few exceptions. For Example, we cannot say, “He is not real tall,” but we can say, “He is not very tall”.
Adjectives are words used to describe things. They may help us identify individuals or items and inform us about the amount of a certain thing. Adjectives generally appear before the noun or pronoun they modify. A sentence might contain several adjectives.
For Example,
The small, red car parked in front of the house.
Here, “small” and “red” are both adjectives that describe the noun “car.” Adjectives can also go after linking verbs, as long as the adjective is not a number. For Example:
The car is small and red.
In this sentence, “small” and “red” are adjectives that describe the subject, “car.” They come after the linking verb “is.” Numbers, on the other hand, always come before the noun they modify:
We saw three cars parked in front of the house.
Here, “three” is an adjective that modifies the noun “cars.” It comes before the noun, as do all numbers.
Types of Adjectives
There are different types of adjectives in English grammar with different functions. Here is a list of some of the most common types of adjectives:
Descriptive Adjectives:
There are the most common these types of adjectives. They describe things or people. The majority of adjectives are descriptive. Words like colorful, amiable, and comely illustrate typical descriptive adjectives.
For Example:
- The man is tall. (describes a man)
- The woman is beautiful. (describes a woman)
- I have a big house. (describes a house)
- There is a small table in the corner. (describes a table)
Proper Adjectives:
These are adjectives that are derived from proper nouns. They usually start with a capital letter. Proper adjectives are generally used to express a connection with a specific individual or location.
For Example:
He was reading a Russian newspaper. (an adjective derived from the proper noun “Russia”)
I am eating a Japanese meal. (an adjective derived from the proper noun “Japan”)
We went to see a French film. (an adjective derived from the proper noun “France”)
They are drinking German beer. (an adjective derived from the proper noun “Germany”)
Comparative adjectives:
These adjectives are used to make comparisons between two objects or people. They usually come before the word “then.” The comparison may be between equal things (as in taller and shorter) or unequal things (as in taller than a mountain).
For Example, Jimmy is taller than John.
This mountain is taller than that one.
How to form comparative adjectives?
Adding the suffix “-er” to a one-syllable adjective or some two-syllable adjectives forms the comparative.
For Example:
Tall – taller
Fast – faster
Slow – slower
Hard – harder, etc.
Superlative Adjectives:
These adjectives compare three or more people or things. They usually come before the word “the.” The comparison may be between equal things (as in the tallest building) or unequal things (as in the tallest building in the world).
For Example, Jimmy is the tallest boy in the class.
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
How to form superlative adjectives?
The superlative is formed by adding “-est” to the end of one-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives. For Example:
Tall – the tallest
Fast – the fastest
Slow – the slowest
Hard – the hardest, etc.
Possessive Adjectives:
These adjectives show possession or ownership. They usually come before a noun in a sentence and agree with the verb’s subject. Possessive adjectives are also known as possessive determiners.
For Example:
This is my book. (the possessive adjective “my” agrees with the subject “I”)
That is her car. (the possessive adjective “her” agrees with the subject “she”)
These are our toys. (the possessive adjective “our” agrees with the subject “we”)
Those are their dogs. (the possessive adjective “their” agrees with the subject “they”)
Indefinite Adjectives:
These adjectives refer to people or things in a general way. They don’t refer to anything in particular. Indefinite adjectives usually come before a noun in a sentence.
For Example:
- I have some books.
- We need any milk.
- Do you have fewer apples?
- She has less money.
Predicate Adjectives:
Predicate adjectives describe the subject of a sentence. They usually come after the verb, and they act as a complement to the subject. These adjectives come after a linking verb (be, become, seem, appear, look, feel, sound, etc.) and describe the subject of the sentence.
For Example:
The sky is blue. (“Blue” describes the subject “sky.”)
Jimmy seems happy. (“Happy” describes the subject “Jimmy.”)
That car looks expensive. (“Expensive” describes the subject as “car.”)
Compound adjectives:
These are adjectives that are made up of two or more words. The words may be joined together with a hyphen (-) or written as separate words.
For Example:
- a two-bedroom house
- a well-known actor
- a part-time job
- long-term goals
Demonstrative adjectives:
These words are used to identify people or things. They usually go before a noun in a sentence. Demonstrative adjectives such as “that,” “this,” “those,” and “these” can also be used as pronouns.
For Example:
This is my book. (the demonstrative adjective “this” points to the book)
That is her car. (the demonstrative adjective “that” points to the car)
These are our toys. (the demonstrative adjective “these” points to the toys)
Those are their dogs. (the demonstrative adjective “those” points to the dogs)
Participial adjectives:
Participial adjectives are verbs that act as adjectives. They usually come before a noun in a sentence, and they agree with the subject of the verb.
For Example:
Jimmy, crying, left the room. (The participial adjective “crying” describes Jimmy.)
The broken window needs to be fixed. (The participial adjective “broken” describes the window.)
The lost keys were found under the couch. (The participial adjective “lost” describes the keys.)
Limiting adjectives:
These adjectives are used to limit or restrict the meaning of a noun. They usually come before a noun in a sentence.
For Example:
We have two dogs. (The limiting adjective “two” limits the number of dogs.)
Tina is the tallest girl in the class. (The limiting adjective “tallest” limits the boys to those taller than Jimmy.)
That is the best movie I’ve seen all year. (The limiting adjective “best” limits the movies to those that are better than all other movies.)
Interrogative adjectives:
These are adjectives that ask questions that typically come before a noun in a sentence.
For Example:
What color is the sky? (The interrogative adjective “what” asks about the color of the sky.)
Which dog is yours? (The interrogative adjective “which” asks about which dog is yours.)
Whose books are these? (The interrogative adjective “whose” asks about the owner of the books.)
How many people are at the party? (The interrogative adjective “how many” asks about the number of people at the party.)
Attributive adjectives:
Adjectives that are linked to the thing they modify are called attributive adjectives. They generally follow the noun or pronoun they describe, although they can also precede it.
For Example:
Jimmy is a good boy. (The attributive adjective “good” describes Jimmy.)
That is a bad dog. (The attributive adjective “bad” describes the dog.)
This is a happy day. (The attributive adjective “happy” describes the day.)
I have a new car. (The attributive adjective “new” describes the car.)
Distributive adjectives:
Distributive adjectives describe a group of people or things by distributing them into separate parts. They usually come before the nouns that they modify and don’t have a plural form. The distributive adjectives “each,” “every,” and “either” can also be used as pronouns.
For Example:
Each student has a book. (The distributive adjective “each” distributes the books to the students.)
Every boy in the class is tall. (The distributive adjective “every” distributes the boys into tall and not-tall parts.)
Either dog is good. (The distributive adjective “either” distributes the dogs into two parts.)
How to Form Adjectives?
We may infer that adjectives are generally made by adding a suffix when we learn the various adjectives and their definitions. The following are the basic principles:
-Most adjectives are made by adding -er to the base word. For Example, slow becomes slower; cheap, cheaper; quick, quicker.
-If the base word ends in -e, we add -r. For Example, large becomes larger, brave, braver; true, and truer.
-If the base word ends in a consonant plus -y, we change the y to i and add -er. For Example, happy becomes happier; funny, funnier; salty, saltier.
-For words that end in a vowel plus -y, we add -er (as with nouns that end in a vowel plus -y). For Example, easy becomes easier.
-Certain words have irregular comparative and superlative forms. For Example, good becomes better and best; bad, worse and worst; far, farther/further, and farthest/furthest. A few adjectives have the same form for both the comparative and superlative. For Example, little, much, many, and some.
We use more words when we want to indicate a greater degree of difference. For Example, more beautiful; most intelligent. These are called the comparative forms of adjectives. The superlative forms are used when we want to indicate the highest degree of difference. They are made by adding -est (or, in the case of one-syllable words, by simply putting -st) to the base word. For Example, beautiful becomes the most beautiful; intelligent, the most intelligent.
As you can see, adjectives play an important role in communication. By understanding the different types of adjectives and how they are used, you can become a better writer and communicator.
Adjective in English grammar: Conclusion
Everyone wants to learn English. But to speak or write correct English, it is very important to have knowledge of grammar. Adjective is a very important topic in English Grammar. We also use many adjectives in our ordinary speech. But many people do not know according to the rules of grammar, what is an adjective? different types of adjectives? definition of the adjective with examples, the adjective in English grammar.
This article of ours today was about adjectives only. I tried to tell all the things about adjectives in this article. And I am sure that you must have understood all the points very well.
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