What Is An Adjective?

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An

adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.
The Articles — a, an, and the — are adjectives.
the tall professor
the lugubrious lieutenant a solid commitment a month's pay a six-year-old child the
unhappiest, richest man

Adjectives are words which tell us something about nouns, which is about a person, an animal, a
thing or a place. They usually come before the nouns they describe. But sometimes they come
after the nouns.
His hands and legs are thin.
Everyone knows a giraffe has a long neck.
None of my tables is round.
My old car didn't have air conditioning.
The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops. Mrs. Morrison papered
her kitchen walls with hideous wall paper.

The small boat foundered on the wine dark ‘ . The coal mines are dark and dank.
Many stores have already begun toplay irritating Christmasmusic.
A battered music box sat on the mahogany sideboard.
The back room was filled with large, yellow rain boots
Some words can be both adjectives and adverbs as follow: early, fast, and late. It is important to
distinguish how they are used.
You are a fast driver these days. Computers work best. You’ve just ruined my best shirt.
The bikers drive too fast.
You drive fast these days. I am watching a late film. My brother loves fast cars. I
overslept and so I was late.
I overslept and so I got up late. My school service arrived late, as usual. I hope you’ll try
harder next time.

Adjectives describe nouns by answering one of these three questions: What kind is it? How many
are there? Which one is it? An adjective can be a single word, a phrase, or a clause. Check out these
examples:
What kind is it?
Dan decided that the fuzzy green bread would make an unappetizing sandwich. What kind of
bread? Fuzzy and green! What kind of sandwich? Unappetizing!
A friend with a fat wallet will never want for weekend shopping partners.
 What kind of friend? One with money to spend!
How many are there?
Seven hungry space aliens slithered into the diner and ordered two dozen vanilla milkshakes.
How many hungry space aliens? Seven!
The students, five freshmen and six sophomores, braved Dr. Ripley’s killer calculus exam. How
many students? Eleven!
Which one is it?

The cockroach eyeing your cookie has started to crawl this way.
Which cockroach? Not the one crawling up your leg but the one who wants your cookie!
The students who neglected to prepare for Mrs. Mauzy's English class hide in the cafeteria rather
than risk their instructor's wrath.
Kinds of Adjectives
An adjective that tells us about the quality of the noun. Known as Descriptive Adjective or Adjective
of Quality, it tells us about the colour, shape, size or condition of a noun.
Example: a white dog, the blue sky, a round table, a square box, a big house, a tall tree,
a cold morning, an old lorry.
An adjective that tells us about the quantity of the noun. This adjective is called an Adjective of
Quantity. An adjective of quantity tells us the quantity or amount, and that is 'how many' or 'how
much'.
Example: I have eaten three apples. / I don't have much money. / The pen has not much ink left. /
She has many friends. / The zoo has many animals.
An adjective that tells us about the ownership of the noun. This adjective is called a Possessive
Adjective. A possessive adjective shows ownership or possession. It tells us that something
belongs to a person or thing.
Example: That is your cat. / This is my dog. / Is that their house? / Those are our bicycles.
An adjective which poses questions in an 'interrogative' manner. It is called an Interrogative
Adjective. Like most adjectives, an interrogative adjective comes before a noun.
Example: Which monkey bit you? / Which school do you go to? / What colour is your new car?
/ Whose cap is this?
In the example, "which", "what" and "whose" come before the nouns "monkey", "school", "colour"
and "cap" respectively. They tell about the nouns and so "which", "what" and "whose"
are adjectives.
An adjective which specifies a noun. Called a Demonstrative Adjective, it is one that points out a
fact about a person or thing.
Example: This puppy is mine. / This boy is a member of the club. / Thatpiglet is yours./ That woman
is not my wife. / These spiders have long legs. /Those faces are beautiful.
In the example, "this", "that", "these" and "those" come before the nouns "puppy", "boy", "piglet",
"woman", "spiders" and "faces". They tell something about the nouns and so are adjectives.
A possessive adjective ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their") is similar or identical to
a possessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective and modifies a noun or a noun phrase,
as in the following sentences: Example: I can't complete my assignment because I don't have
the textbook.
Adjectives which end in '-ing', e.g. an interesting film, an amazing player, an annoying habit,
Adjectives which end in '-ed', e.g. the damaged goods, the escaped prisoners, improved version,
Comparison of Adjectives
We use the Positive degree to compare two equal nouns. Example: His head is as big as my head.
/We use the Comparative degree to compare two unequal nouns. Example:
His head is bigger than my head.
We use the Superlative degree to compare three or more Nouns. Example: His head is the biggest in
the family.
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
/Good better best/ /bad worse worst/ /little less least/ / far further
furthest/
/much more most/ /many more most/ /some more most/
ROYAL ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
1. Determiners — articles and other limiters. See Determiners
2. Observation — post determiners and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives
subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting)
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3. Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy, large, round)
4. Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)pre-[historic
5. Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
6. Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French, American, Canadian)
7. Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden)
8. Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger
car, book cover)
nouns used noun
Numeral Quality size/measure/shape condition age color
as adjective modified
ordinal cardinal opinion
Geographical

good Big broken new red Korean

First one bad Small cracked antique purple Chinese

2nd two beautiful High ripped old pink French

dark
3rd three ugly Low fresh young Italian
green
two-
navy
smart rotten year- American
blue
old*
dumb Round French

interesting Circular Mexican

fascinating Square mountain

beach

Material

iron

brass

cotton
 gold

wooden

vegetable

leather

technological

wireless

3d
high
definition