ADJECTIVE

Definition & Examples

Types of Adjective

Suffixes Adjective

DefinitionAdjective is word that describe or modify another a person, an animal, a thing or a place in the sentence. Adjective are a large class of words (for example, good, bad, new, accurate, careful) which define more precisely the reference of a noun or pronoun. An adjective gives more distinct meaning to a noun or a pronoun by describing or limiting it.

Examples of AdjectivesLooking at examples of adjectives can make it

easier to understand how these important parts of speech are used within the English language.

Bitter Tasty Spicy

Bland Minty Sweet

Delicious Sour Yummy

•To Describe Taste •To Describe Touch

Chilly Hard Slippery

Cold Hot Smooth

Cool Icy Soft

Cuddly Loose Solid

•To Describe a Person or PersonalityAggressive Famous Restless

Clever Fearless Rich

Helpful Fertile Righteous

Ambitious Fragile Stingy

•To Describe Size

Chubby Little Short

Fat Long Small

Giant Majestic Tall

Gigantic Mammoth Teeny

Types of Adjetive1. Adjective of Quality

Adjective showing the kind or quality of nouns or pronouns are called Adjective of Quality.Examples :•He is a nice boy.•Lucy has a white cow.•Sumi is an intelligent boy.•It is a heavy box.•Sneha is a smart girl.Bangalore is a garden city

2. Adjective of QuantityAdjective which shows the quantity of thing is called the Adjective of Quantity.Examples :•He spent all his money.•There was no milk in the jug.•All students are welcome.•There is enough water in the canal•He gave me five pencils.•There are hundred students.

3. Adjective of Numeral

Adjective which expresses the number of persons or things is called the Adjective of Number or Numeral Adjective.

Definite Numeral AdjectivesCardinals One Two ThreeOrdinals First Second ThirdMultiplicative Once Twice Thrice

Indefinite Numeral AdjectivesAll No ManyFew Some AnyCertain Several Sundry

Distributive Numeral Adjective

Each boy must take his turn

India expects every man to do his duty.

Every word of it is false.

Either pen will do

Adjectives of Numeral are of three kinds:Definite Numeral Adjective, which denote an exact number; as,Indefinite Numeral Adjective, which do not denote an exact number; as, Distributive Numeral Adjective, which refer to each one of a number; as.,

Examples:•He has little knowledge.•He spent all his money.•There was no milk in the jug.•All students are welcome.•There is enough water in the canal

4. Demonstrative AdjectiveThe four words this, that, these and those are called demonstratives. When they are followed by some other word (especially a noun) in a noun phrase, they are demonstrative determiners. We use this and these to point to people or things near us. You use that and those to point to people or things that are farther from us.

Singular PluralThis TheseThat Those

Examples :•I am ready to buy this house.•I want to look at that house.•These are the times that try men’s souls.•That boy is intelligent.

5. Interrogative AdjectiveInterrogative Adjective are used with nouns to ask questions.Examples :•What color is her hair?•Whose car is this?•Which road leads to the zoo?•Whome do you want to meet?•Whose shop is closed?

6. Possesive Adjective

This Adjective expresses the state of possession of nouns. Possessive adjectives show possession or ownership: my, her, his, its, our, their, your. Because they are used with nouns and do the work of Adjectives. When placed before nouns function like adjectives; they qualify the noun directly. Examples :•My aim in life is to become a doctor.•Is this your desk?•Mike crashed his bike into a wall.•Her sister sings in a sweet voice.

These possessive adjectives are used according to the number, gender, and person of the noun instead of which they are used and they can be classified as follows:Person Number

Singular PluralFirst Person my (Masculine or

Feminine)our (Masculine or Feminine)

Second Person your (Masculine or Feminine)

your (Masculine or Feminine)

Third Person his (Masculine)her (Feminine)its (Neuter or Common)

their (All genders)

7. Distributive Adjective

This Adjective expresses the distributive state of nouns.Examples :•On either side of the canal there were long fields of barley.•Every boy has one or the other pet.•Neither of the tow men is trustworthy.•Each girl in our class is well-versed in music.

8. Proper Adjective

Adjective that is formed from proper noun is called proper Adjective. Proper adjectives are derived from proper nouns and are almost always capitalized.Examples :•An Indonesian girl.•An Indian woman.•An American dollar.•They stole a priceless Elizabethan watch.

9. Degress of AdjectiveEvery adjective has three degrees of its own. They are : Positive, Comparative, Superlative degrees.

a) Positive Degree

Positive Degree is used to tell that something or someone has the same level.

Subject + be + as + Adjective + as + Object

Formula:

Examples :•I am as tall as you.•She is as beautiful as my girlfriend.Your book is as expensive as mine

b) Comparative Degree

Comparative Degree is used to compare a thing or person to another thing or person that shows the higher level of noun.

Subject + be + Adjective with er/ier + than + Object

Formula:

For adjective that has two or more syllables , but ending in “Y” it can be used with this formula as well.

Examples :•I am taller than you.•This cloth is blacker than mine.•My pen is smaller than yours.

NOTE: For adjective that has two or more syllables , but ending in “Y” it can be used with this formula as well.

Examples :•She is happier than us.•Toilet is dirtier than living room.•Bopha is friendlier than Chenda.

Subject + be + more + Adjective + than + Object

Formula:

Examples :•He is more handsome than us.•She is more beautiful than you.•You are more industrious than me.

c) Superlative DegreeSuperlative Degree is used to compare a thing or person to another thing or person which shows the top level of noun.

There are two formulas as follow:•For one syllable Adjective.

Subject + be + the + Adjective with est/iest + Object

Formula:

Examples :•I am the tallest girl.•This is the blackest cloth.•That is the smallest car.

•For two or more syllable AdjectiveFormula:

Subject + be + the + most + Adjective + Object

Examples :•He is the most handsome man.•She is the most beautiful girl.•I’m the most industrious student.

Adjective suffixesHere are the most common adjective suffixes in English:•-able / -ible → adjective (meaning = capable of)Example: portable, edible•-acious / -icious → adjective (meaning = full of; characterised by)Example: audacious, avaricious•-al → adjective (meaning = pertaining to; related to)Example: regional, musical •-an / -ian → adjective (meaning = related to; characterised by; nationality)Example: republican, Iranian•-ant / -ent → adjective (meaning = full of)Example: reluctant, fluent•-ary → adjective (meaning = related to; concerned with)Example: budgetary, military•-ed → adjective (meaning = having; affected by; as past participle of verbs)Example: talented, excited•-en → adjective (meaning = resembling; as past participle of verbs)Example: golden, mistaken•-ern → adjective (meaning = related to; coming from; characterised by)Example: northern, eastern•-escent → adjective (meaning = becoming)Example: pubescent, evanescent•-ful → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of)Example: colourful, restful•-ic / -ical → adjective (meaning = pertaining to; related to)

•Example: mythic, historical•-ing → adjective (meaning = having the quality of; as present participle of verbs)Example: interesting, moving•-ish → adjective (meaning = like; having the quality of; nationality)Example: childish, Swedish•-ive → adjective (meaning = concerned with; having the nature of)Example: attractive, quantitative•-less → adjective (meaning = without; not having)Example: careless, endless•-ly → adjective (meaning = having the quality of; recurring at intervals of)Example: brotherly, hourly•-oid → adjective (meaning = like; resembling)Example: anthropoid, ovoid•-ose → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of)Example: verbose, bellicose•-ous → adjective (meaning = full of; characterised by)Example: courageous, mountainous

•-some → adjective (meaning = having the nature of; characterised by)Example: tiresome, loathsome•-worthy → adjective (meaning = deserving; suitable)Example: trustworthy, noteworthy•-y → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of)Example: cloudy, sleepy