ADJECTIVE

An adjective describes or modifies noun/s and pronoun/s 3. Proper adjectives are the adjective form of proper
in a sentence. It normally indicates quality, size, shape, nouns. When proper nouns modify or describe other
duration, feelings, contents, and more about a noun or nouns/pronouns, they become proper adjectives. ‘Proper’
pronoun. Adjectives usually provide relevant information means ‘specific’ rather than ‘formal’ or ‘polite.’ A proper
about the nouns/pronouns they modify/describe by adjective allows us to summarize a concept in just one
answering the questions: What kind? How many? Which word. Instead of writing/saying ‘a food cooked in Chinese
one? How much? Adjectives enrich your writing by recipe’ you can write/say ‘Chinese food’. Proper
adding precision and originality to it. adjectives are usually capitalized as proper nouns are.
Example:
Example: • American cars are very strong.
• The team has a dangerous batsman. (What kind?) • Chinese people are hard workers.
• I have ten candies in my pocket. (How many?)
4. A demonstrative adjective directly refers to something
or someone. Demonstrative adjectives include the words:
TYPES OF ADJECTIVE this, that, these, those. A demonstrative pronoun works
alone and does not precede a noun, but a demonstrative
• Descriptive Adjectives adjective always comes before the word it modifies.
Examples:
• Quantitative Adjectives
• That building is so gorgeously decorated. (‘That’ refers
• Proper Adjectives
to a singular noun far from the speaker)
• Demonstrative Adjectives
• This car is mine. (‘This’ refers to a singular noun close
• Possessive Adjectives
to the speaker)
• Interrogative Adjectives
• Indefinite Adjectives 5. A possessive adjective indicates possession or
• Articles ownership. It suggests the belongingness of something to
• Compound Adjectives someone/something. Some of the most used possessive
adjectives are my, his, her, our, their, your. All these
1. A descriptive adjective is a word which describes adjectives always come before a noun. Unlike possessive
nouns and pronouns. Most of the adjectives belong in this pronouns, these words demand a noun after them.
type. These adjectives provide information and attribute to Examples:
the nouns/pronouns they modify or describe. Descriptive • My car is parked outside.
adjectives are also called qualitative adjectives. • His cat is very cute.
Participles are also included in this type of adjective
when they modify a noun. 6. An interrogative adjective asks a question. An
Examples: interrogative adjective must be followed by a noun or a
• I have a fast car. (The word ‘fast’ is describing an pronoun. The interrogative adjectives are: which, what,
attribute of the car) whose. These words will not be considered as adjectives if
• I am hungry. (The word ‘hungry’ is providing a noun does not follow right after them. ‘Whose’ also
information about the subject) belongs to the possessive adjective type. Examples:
• Which phone do you use?
2. A quantitative adjective provides information about • What game do you want to play?
the quantity of the nouns/pronouns. This type belongs to
the question category of ‘how much’ and ‘how many’. 7. An indefinite adjective describes or modifies a noun
Examples: non-specifically. They provide indefinite / unspecific
• I have 20 bucks in my wallet. (How much) information about the noun. The common indefinite
• They have three children. (How many) adjectives are few, many, much, most, all, any, each,
every, either, nobody, several, some, etc.
Examples:
• I gave some candy to her.
• I want a few moments alone.

8. Articles also modify the nouns. So, articles are also

adjectives. Articles determine the specification of nouns.
‘A’ and ‘an’ are used to refer to an un-specific noun, and
‘the’ is used to refer to a specific noun.
Examples:
• A cat is always afraid of water. (Here, the noun ‘cat’
refers to any cat, not specific.)
• The cat is afraid of me. (This cat is a specific cat.)
• An electronic product should always be handled with
care.

9. Compound Adjectives: When compound

nouns/combined words modify other nouns, they become
a compound adjective. This type of adjective usually
combines more than one word into a single lexical unit
and modifies a noun. They are often separated by a
hyphen or joined together by a quotation mark.
Example:
• I have a broken-down sofa.
• I saw a six-foot-long snake.

10. The Degree of Adjectives: There are three degrees of

adjectives: Positive, comparative, superlative. These
degrees are applicable only for the descriptive adjectives.
Examples:
• Positive degree: He is a good boy.
• Comparative degree: He is better than any other boy.
• Superlative: He is the best boy.