ADJECTIVES– Definition

Adjectives are words that describe, modify, or give more information about a noun or pronoun. They provide details about size, shape, color, quality, quantity, or other characteristics of a noun. Understanding adjectives is essential for improving sentence structure and communication clarity.

Types of Adjectives

1. Descriptive Adjectives

These describe the quality, state, or characteristic of a noun.

Examples: beautiful, large, intelligent, happy, old

• Sentence: She wore a beautiful dress.

2. Quantitative Adjectives

These indicate the quantity of a noun (how much or how many).

Examples: some, many, few, several, little, enough

• Sentence: He ate some rice.

3. Numeral Adjectives

These express numbers or the order of things.

Subcategories:

• Cardinal: one, two, three (show count)

• Sentence: She has two dogs.

• Ordinal: first, second, third (show order)

• Sentence: He came first in the race.

• Multiplicative: single, double, triple (show multiplication)

• Sentence: They built a double-layered fence.

4. Demonstrative Adjectives

These point out specific nouns.

Examples: this, that, these, those

• Sentence: This book is mine.

5. Possessive Adjectives

These indicate possession or ownership.

Examples: my, your, his, her, its, our, their

• Sentence: Their house is very big.

6. Interrogative Adjectives

These are used to ask questions and are followed by a noun.

Examples: which, what, whose

• Sentence: Whose bag is this?

7. Distributive Adjectives

These refer to individual elements of a group.

Examples: each, every, either, neither

• Sentence: Each student must bring their own book.

8. Proper Adjectives

These are derived from proper nouns and are always capitalized.

Examples: Indian, American, Shakespearean

• Sentence: I love Italian cuisine.

9. Compound Adjectives

These are formed by combining two or more words, often joined by a hyphen.

Examples: well-known, three-day, high-quality

• Sentence: She is a well-known author.

10. Emphasizing Adjectives

These emphasize the importance of a noun.

Examples: own, very

• Sentence: This is my own house.

11. Exclamatory Adjectives

These are used to express strong emotions or exclamations.

Examples: what, such

• Sentence: What a beautiful painting!

12. Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

These are used to compare two or more nouns.

• Positive: Describes a single noun (e.g., tall)

• Comparative: Compares two nouns (e.g., taller)

• Superlative: Compares three or more nouns (e.g., tallest)

• Sentence: He is taller than his brother.

Order of Adjectives

When multiple adjectives are used, they follow this order:

Opinion > Size > Age > Shape > Color > Origin > Material > Purpose

Example: A beautiful large old round red Italian wooden dining table.

Understanding and using adjectives effectively enhances both writing and speaking, making communication clearer and more engaging.