Adjectives in English

Introduction

Adjectives are an important part of English grammar. They make our sentences more descriptive, colorful, and interesting. Without adjectives, our language would be dull and unclear.

For example:

She has a house. (This sentence is correct but does not give many details.)
She has a beautiful, big house. (Now we know more about the house!)

What is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It gives more information about size, shape, color, number, and quality of something.

Examples of Adjectives in Sentences:

Tall trees grow in the forest. (Tall describes trees.)
She wore a red dress. (Red describes dress.)
He is a kind person. (Kind describes person.)
We had three apples. (Three describes apples.)

Types of Adjectives

Adjectives can be divided into different types based on their function in a sentence.

Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns and always begin with a capital letter.

Examples in Sentences:

We love Indian food. (Derived from India)
She bought a French perfume. (Derived from France)
He is reading a Shakespearean play. (Derived from Shakespeare)

Descriptive Adjectives (Qualitative Adjectives)

Descriptive adjectives tell us about the quality of a noun or pronoun.

Examples in Sentences:

The beautiful painting is in the museum.
He has a strong voice.
We had a delicious meal.

Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives tell us how much or how many of something there is.

Examples in Sentences:

I have some water. (How much? Some)
There are five students in the class. (How many? Five)
He ate half the cake. (How much? Half)

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives point out specific nouns and help us understand which one we are talking about.

Common Demonstrative Adjectives:

This, That, These, Those

Examples in Sentences:

This book is interesting. (Specific book near the speaker)
That house is big. (Specific house far from the speaker)
These flowers are fresh. (Plural and near)
Those mountains are high. (Plural and far)

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives show ownership or possession.

Common Possessive Adjectives:

My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, Their

Examples in Sentences:

My car is new.
Her dress is beautiful.
Our teacher is kind.

Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are used to ask questions.

Common Interrogative Adjectives:

Which, What, Whose

Examples in Sentences:

Which book do you like?
What color is your bag?
Whose pencil is this?

Distributive Adjectives

Distributive adjectives refer to individual members of a group separately.

Common Distributive Adjectives:

Each, Every, Either, Neither

Examples in Sentences:

Each student must bring a notebook.
Every house on this street is decorated.
You can take either pen.
Neither answer is correct.

Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives can be used to compare two or more things. There are three degrees of comparison:

Degree	Usage	Examples
Positive	Describes one noun	This house is big.
Comparative	Compares two nouns	This house is bigger than that one.
Superlative	Compares three or more nouns	This is the biggest house in the street.