Shortcut and Usage of Adjectives in English Grammar
What Is an Adjective?
The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin or material.
Examples: Black book, Lazy boy
An adjective can be used in two ways:
(1) Attributively : She is good teacher (Adjective is before noun)
(2) Predicatively : Bimala is intelligent. (Adjective is immediately after verb)
Examples: Black book, Lazy boy
An adjective can be used in two ways:
(1) Attributively : She is good teacher (Adjective is before noun)
(2) Predicatively : Bimala is intelligent. (Adjective is immediately after verb)
Types of adjectives:
1. Adjectives of Quality ( answer the question : Of what kind?) : Delhi is a large city, He is an honest man
2. Adjectives of Quantity ( answer the question : how much?) :I ate some rice, you have no sense
3. Adjectives of Number ( answer the question : how many?) : The hand has five fingers, All men must die
Adjectives of number are of three kinds:
- a. Definite numeral adjectives: One, two , three etc. These are called cardinals. First, second, third etc these are called ordinals
- b. Indefinite numeral adjectives : Which do not denote an exact number. Eg: all, no, many , few, any, certain, several, sundry
- c. Distributive numeral adjectives: Which refer to each one of a number. Eg: Each, every, Neither, Either.
Examples:
1. Each boy must take his turn
2. India expects every man to do his duty
3. Either pen will do
4. Neither accusation is true
D. Demonstrative Adjective: (answers the questions Which?)
Examples:
1. This boy is stronger than gopal
2. That boy is diligent
3. These mangoes are sour
4. I hate such things
E. Interrogative adjectives : used to ask questions when there are used with nouns
Examples:
1. what manner of man is he?
2. which way shall we go?
3. whose book is this?
F. Emphasizing adjectives: the words own and very act as emphasizing adjectives
Examples:
1. I saw it with my own eyes
2. I met him in this very room
G. Exclamatory adjectives: What is sometimes used as an exclamatory adjectives
Examples:
1. what an Idea!
2. What a blessing!
1. Each boy must take his turn
2. India expects every man to do his duty
3. Either pen will do
4. Neither accusation is true
D. Demonstrative Adjective: (answers the questions Which?)
Examples:
1. This boy is stronger than gopal
2. That boy is diligent
3. These mangoes are sour
4. I hate such things
E. Interrogative adjectives : used to ask questions when there are used with nouns
Examples:
1. what manner of man is he?
2. which way shall we go?
3. whose book is this?
F. Emphasizing adjectives: the words own and very act as emphasizing adjectives
Examples:
1. I saw it with my own eyes
2. I met him in this very room
G. Exclamatory adjectives: What is sometimes used as an exclamatory adjectives
Examples:
1. what an Idea!
2. What a blessing!
What Do Adjectives Look Like?
English can be very tricky, so you have to be careful, but a lot of English adjectives end with these suffixes:
- -able/-ible – adorable, invisible, responsible, uncomfortable
- -al – educational, gradual, illegal, nocturnal, viral
- -an – American, Mexican, urban
- -ar – cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar
- -ent – intelligent, potent, silent, violent
- -ful – harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful
- -ic/-ical – athletic, energetic, magical, scientific
- -ine – bovine, canine, equine, feminine, masculine
- -ile – agile, docile, fertile, virile
- -ive – informative, native, talkative
- -less – careless, endless, homeless, timeless
- -ous – cautious, dangerous, enormous, malodorous
- -some – awesome, handsome, lonesome, wholesome
