Adjectives

Words that describe or modify nouns, giving more information about their qualities, attributes, or characteristics are Adjectives.

They can be used in two different ways: attributive and predicative.

• When an adjective is used before a noun to directly describe it, it is called Attributive

use of adjective.

Example: The red car is fast.

• When an adjective is used after a linking verb to describe the subject of a sentence, it is called Predicative use of adjective.

Example: The car is red.

Kinds of Adjectives

Adjectives are divided into the following kinds:

Type of Adjective

Characteristic

Example

Adjective of Quality

describes a quality or characteristic of a noun

beautiful flower, intelligent student

Adjective of Quantity

indicates how much

enough money, little sugar

Demonstrative Adjective

points to a specific noun

this car, those cookies

Possessive Adjective

shows ownership or possession

my cat, their house

Interrogative Adjective

used to ask questions

which book, what time

Numeral Adjective

represents a number

five cars, first place

Distributive Adjective

refers to individual members of a group

each student, every day

Indefinite Adjective

not specific or definite derived from proper nouns

some people, many options

Proper Adjective

French cuisine, American culture

Exercise A

Read the following sentences and identify the type of adjective used in each sentence:

1. The green leaves rustled in the gentle breeze.

2. How much time do we have left before the final exam? 3. This book belongs to my little sister. 4. Whose shiny bicycle is parked near the huge tree?

5. There are three cookies left on the oval plate. 6. Each student in the class presented their unique project

7. She needs some advice on how to solve this complex problem.

8. London Bridge is one of the famous landmarks in the world.

9. Which book are you planning to read during the upcoming vacation?

10. Seven swans were swimming in the clear lake.

Exercise B

Fill in the blanks in each sentence with the appropriate kind of adjective as

indicated in brackets:

1. She bought a 2. roses for her mother on her birthday. (Adjective of Quantity) shirt you're wearing looks great on you. (Demonstrative Adjective)

3. It was such a movie that everyone clapped at the end. (Adjective of Quality)

4. 5. There are cat seemed content in its cosy bed. (Possessive Adjective) students waiting for the bus. (Adjective of Number)

6. The performance by the actors received a standing ovation. (Adjective of Quality) 7. ........student must complete the assignment individually. (Distributive Adjective)

7

8 ..............dress is the prettiest one. (Possessive Adjective)



Degrees of companson, also known as the degrees of adjectives, refer to the different forms of an adjective that indicate the level or degree of a quality possessed by a noun. There are three degrees of comparison:

Degrees of Comparison

Positive Degree: It is the basic form of an adjective. It is used to describe one thing or person.

Example: She is a good singer.

• Comparative Degree: It is used to compare two things or people. It is typically formed by adding er to the adjective or using more before it. Example: She is a better singer than her sister.

• Superlative Degree: It is used to compare more than two things or people and to show the

highest degree. It is typically formed by adding est to the adjective or using most before it. Example: She is the best singer in the choir.

• Irregular Forms: Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Example: good, better, best