UNIT TWO

An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It gives

more information about the noun, such as its size, color, shape, amount,
condition, or other characteristics. For example, "a beautiful flower," the
adjective "beautiful" describes the noun "flower."

Classification of Adjectives:

Descriptive Adjectives:

These adjectives describe the quality or characteristic of a noun. They

provide a clearer picture.

Examples: big, tall, happy, blue, delicious.

Quantitative Adjectives:

These adjectives indicate the quantity or amount of something.

Examples: some, many, few, several, all.

Demonstrative Adjectives:

These adjectives point out specific nouns.

Examples: this, that, these, those.

Possessive Adjectives:

These adjectives show ownership or possession.

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

Interrogative Adjectives:

These adjectives are used to ask questions about nouns.

Examples: which, what, whose.

Distributive Adjectives:
These adjectives refer to individual members of a group.

Examples: each, every, either, neither.

Comparative Adjectives:

These adjectives are used to compare two things or people. They often end in
"-er" or use "more" or "less."

Examples: smarter, taller, more beautiful, less expensive.

Superlative Adjectives:

These adjectives are used to compare three or more things or people,

indicating the highest degree. They often end in "-est" or use "most" or
"least."

Examples: smartest, tallest, most beautiful, least expensive.

Adjectives of Quantity:

These adjectives express the amount or number of something.

Examples: much, little, enough, complete.

CHARACTERISTICS

The characteristics of adjectives refer to the key features that define how
adjectives function and are used in sentences. Here are the main
characteristics:

1. They have a descriptive Function:

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by providing additional details or

information, such as size, shape, colour, quality, etc.

Example: The green tree is tall.

2.They have Agreement with Nouns:

In some languages (e.g., Spanish, French), adjectives must agree in gender
(masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they
describe.

Example (in Spanish): El coche rojo (masculine singular) vs. La casa roja
(feminine singular).

In English, the adjective does not agree with nouns. It remains the same for
singular or plural nouns. The big house The big houses

3. Position:

In English, adjectives typically precede the noun they modify (e.g., a beautiful
garden), but can also follow certain verbs like "be" or "seem" when used as
predicative adjectives (e.g., The garden is beautiful).

Example (attributive): The old man walked slowly.

Example (predicative): The man is old.

4. Comparability:

Many adjectives can be used in comparative and superlative forms to show

differences in degree .

Comparative adjectives: They are used to compare two things or people (e.g.,
smarter, taller,more modern)

Superlative adjectives: They are used to show the highest degree (e.g., the
smartest, the tallest, the most modern).

5. Gradability:

Adjectives can be gradable or non-gradable:

Gradable adjectives can be modified by adverbs like very, more, or less to

show varying degrees (e.g., very tall, more beautiful, less expensive).

Non-gradable adjectives express extremes or absolutes and generally don’t

take modifiers like very (e.g., dead, perfect, unique).
6. Attributive vs. Predicative:

Attributive adjectives come before the noun (e.g., a tall building).

Predicative adjectives come after the verb (typically forms of "be") (e.g., The
building is tall).

7. Degree of Comparison:

Adjectives are used in different degrees of comparison:

Positive degree: No comparison, simply describing something (e.g., She is

tall).

Comparative degree: Comparing two things (e.g., She is taller than him).

Superlative degree: Showing the highest degree of comparison (e.g., She is

the tallest of all).

8. Limiting Function:

Some adjectives (especially determiners) limit or specify a noun in terms of

quantity, possession, or definiteness.

Examples include possessive adjectives (e.g., my, your), demonstrative

adjectives (e.g., this, those), and quantitative adjectives (e.g., some, few).

9. Intensifying Role:

Adjectives can be used to intensify a noun’s meaning. These intensifying

adjectives can modify the strength or degree of the adjective they describe.

Example: A really fast car, a slightly confused expression.

These characteristics help us understand how adjectives work and their

important role in adding detail, precision, and nuance to our language.
Formation of adjectives

Many adjectives related to verbs or nouns have a characteristic ending (or

suffix):

We enjoyed the party. The party was very enjoyable.

-able (capable of being): manageable

-ful (full of): beautifull

-ic: energetic

-ive (capable of being): attractive

-ant. hesitant

-ible(like -able): permissible

-(i)an (historical period, etc.): Victorian

-ish (have the quality of): foolish, reddish

-ly (have this quality): friendly

-ous: humorous

And note -ing forms used as adjectives: running water

-A prefix added to an adjective generally has a negative effect:

I think it's impossible to solve the problem.

un-: uncooked, unimaginable

im-: immoral, impractical

in-: incapable, inhuman

dis-: dishonest, disagreeable

il-: illegal, illegible

ir-: irresponsible, irregular

pre- premodification and hyper- (hyperactive), which do not create opposites

but modify the meaning of the word in some way.

COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

We combine numbers with nouns in the singular to form compound

adjectives with hyphens:

a twenty-year-old man

2 Compound adjectives of this kind can refer to:

- age: a three-year-old building

- volume: a two-litre car

- length: a twelve-inch ruler

- price: a $50 dress (a fifty-dollar dress)

- weight: a five-kilo bag

- area: a fifty-acre farm

- duration: a four-hour meeting

- depth: a six-foot hole

-time/distance: a ten-minute walk

-Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing': 'interested/interesting'

[> LEG 6.15, App 10]

1 We use some past participles ending in -ed (e.g. excited) and some present
participles ending

in -ing (e.g. exciting) as adjectives. Common pairs of -ed/-ing adjectives are:

amazed/amazing, annoyed/annoying, bored/boring, enchanted/enchanting,
excited/exciting,

interested/interesting, pleased/pleasing, tired/tiring.

Similar pairs are: delighted/delightful, impressed/impressive,

upset/upsetting.

2 We often use -ed endings to describe people:

The story interested John. -> John was interested in the story.

We often use -ing endings to describe things, events, etc.: The story was
interesting.

3 We can also use -ing endings to describe people: Isn't John interesting!
Compare:

Gloria was interesting to be with. (= that was the effect she had on others)

Gloria was interested. (= that was the effect someone or something had on
her)

-Most adjectives are used in two ways in English:

- before a noun: He is an old man. This is an old ticket.

- after be, seem, etc. the adjective stands on its own: The man is old. The
ticket is old.

Adjectives go before nouns in English but there are a few adjectives which go

before or after nouns and they change In meaning according to their

position:

This elect body meets once a year, (before the noun = 'specially chosen')

The president elect takes over in May. (after the noun = 'who has been
elected')
Attributive and predicative Function

1. Attributive Adjectives:

Position: Attributive adjectives appear before the noun they describe.

Function: They directly modify or give more information about the noun in
the sentence.

Examples:

A red apple (The adjective red comes before the noun apple).

A beautiful painting (The adjective beautiful comes before the noun

painting).

She has a small house (The adjective small describes house directly).

Note: Attributive adjectives are often used in lists or descriptive phrases

where the adjectives come before the noun they modify.

Example: A bright, sunny day.

2. Predicative Adjectives:

Position: Predicative adjectives come after a linking verb (usually forms of the
verb be) and describe the subject.

Function: They provide more information about the subject of the sentence,
often showing the subject’s state or condition.

Examples:

The apple is red (Here, red is a predicative adjective that describes the
subject apple, following the linking verb is).

The painting looks beautiful (The adjective beautiful follows the linking verb
looks and describes the subject painting).
Her house is small (The adjective small follows the linking verb is and
describes house).

Predicative adjectives are often used to express a state of being or condition

of the subject.

Adjectival phrase

An adjectival phrase is a group of words that work together to modify a noun

or pronoun, functioning like a single adjective. These phrases are built by
combining an adjective with other words (like nouns, adverbs, or
prepositions) that add more detail to the description.

Structure of Adjectival Phrases:

An adjectival phrase can be structured in different ways, depending on what

kind of additional words it includes. Here are some common structures:

1. Adjective + Noun (often with an article or determiner)

This type of adjectival phrase consists of an adjective followed by a noun

(often preceded by an article or another determiner).

Example: A beautiful flower.

"Beautiful" is the adjective modifying the noun "flower."

2. Adjective + Prepositional Phrase

Sometimes, adjectives are combined with a prepositional phrase to give

more information about the noun.

Example: The book is full of surprises.

"Full" is the adjective, and "of surprises" is the prepositional phrase that
modifies "book."

3. Adjective + Adverb
An adverb can modify the adjective to give a stronger or more specific
description.

Example: The task was incredibly difficult.

"Incredibly" is the adverb modifying the adjective "difficult."

4. Adjective + Infinitive Verb

Some adjectives are followed by an infinitive verb (to + base form of the
verb).

Example: She is ready to go.

"Ready" is the adjective, and "to go" is the infinitive verb phrase describing
her readiness.

5. Adjective + Clause

Adjective phrases can also include a clause, typically a relative or noun

clause, to provide more detail about the noun.

Example: He is proud that he won the prize.

"Proud" is the adjective, and the clause "that he won the prize" provides
additional information about what he’s proud of.

Examples of Adjectival Phrases in Sentences:

Adjective + Noun: The red apple is delicious.

"Red" modifies the noun "apple," forming an adjectival phrase.

Adjective + Prepositional Phrase: She is afraid of the dark.

"Afraid" is the adjective, and "of the dark" is the prepositional phrase giving
more information about what she is afraid of.

Adjective + Adverb: The movie was extremely interesting.

"Extremely" modifies the adjective "interesting," forming an adjectival phrase
that intensifies the description.

Adjective + Infinitive Verb: The team is excited to play.

"Excited" is the adjective, and "to play" is the infinitive verb phrase that adds
further meaning to the excitement.

Adjective + Clause: She was happy that the project was finished.

"Happy" is the adjective, and the clause "that the project was finished" gives
more context to her happiness.

Types of Adjectival Phrases:

Pre-modified Adjectival Phrases: The adjective comes first, followed by its

modifiers (usually an adverb or prepositional phrase).

Example: The very tall building.

Post-modified Adjectival Phrases: The adjective is followed by modifiers such

as prepositional phrases, infinitive verbs, or clauses.

Example: The incredibly interesting book about history.

Word order

The order of adjectives in front of a noun is as follows

opinion -size -age -shape -colour –origin- past part- noun

a valuable - - - - brown Victorian handmade wooden cupboard