Table of Contents

p General Idea.
p Types of Adjectives.
p Descriptive Adjectives
p Possessive Adjectives
p Demonstrative Adjectives
p Interrogative Adjectives
p Indefinite Adjectives
p Collective Adjectives
p A- Adjectives.
p Superlative Adjectives.
p Comparative Adjectives

p Identifying Adjectives.
p Position of Adjectives.
p Degree of Adjectives.
 ?
 
 
  
p {odifies a noun or a pronoun by describing,
identifying, or quantifying words.
p Usually precedes the noun or the pronoun
which it modifies
p Can be modified by an adverb, or by a phrase
or clause functioning as an adverb.
p Some nouns, many pronouns, and many
participle phrases can also act as adjectives.
p Articles (the, a, and an) are also considered as
adjectives in certain circumstances.
 
 
  
p There are 9 types of adjective that are
commonly used in the English Language.
p Descriptive Adjectives
Simple, Compound & Proper Adjectives.
p Possessive Adjectives
p Demonstrative Adjectives
p Interrogative Adjectives
p Indefinite Adjectives
p Collective Adjectives
p A- Adjectives
p Superlative Adjectives
p Comparative Adjectives



   
 
 

 

Three happy children played at the park.

The donkey stepped on my large hat.

The child was brave.

 O


 

O 
 
 R R
p Simple adjectives, as their name suggests, are
the most basic type of descriptive adjectives.
p They function to express quality.
p Aspects such as feelings, time, sound,
quantity, taste, appearance, size, age, color,
shape, and material are expressed through
simple adjectives.
p SWIFT p { DERN p ANCIENT p SWEET

p ALERT p BEIGE p FUZZY p GIANT

p TEENY p {ASSIVE p {ELL W p DI{

p DULL p CRAZY p SANE p HUNGRY

p RED p YELL W p BLUE p S FT

  R
p Compound adjectives are created when two
words are combined to create a descriptive
adjective.
p The two words are typically connected with a
hyphen.
p self
self--centered p ice
ice--cold p next
next--door

p life
life--giving p bow
bow--legged p long
long--legged

p four
four--sided p three
three--headed p pigeon
pigeon--toed

p high
high--heeled p candy
candy--stripped p left
left--handed

p freckle
freckle--faced p short-
short- p heavy
heavy--handed
tempered
p red
red--blooded p tight
tight--fisted p hard
hard--nosed

p baby
baby--faced p sure
sure--footed p hard
hard--hearted
  R
p Nations, regions, and religions are common
qualities described by proper adjectives.
p Because they are derived from proper nouns,
proper adjectives are always capitalized.
For example:

p Italian p French p English p {ayan

p {exican p Peruvian p Chinese p Canadian

p Antarctic p Pacific p Atlantic p Roman

p Cuban p American p Turkish p Christian

p Hindu p Greek p Spanish p Buddhist

 R?R R

p When using multiple descriptive adjectives in

a sentence, there is an order in which they
should be arranged.
p Adjectives that describe opinion typically
preceded adjectives that describe color, size,
shape, etc.
p For example, the sentence

The ugly red chair sat in the corner

is preferable to
The red ugly chair sat in the corner.
p In addition, adjectives are usually arranged in
a sentence from those that are more general
in scope to those that are more specific.
p For example,
The big Egyptian mask hanging on the wall.
is preferable to
The Egyptian big mask hanging on the wall.

The blue silken curtains hanging in the bedroom.

is preferable to
The silken blue curtains hanging in the bedroom.
     
  
p Explanation:
p Possessive pronouns that are used as adjectives and
modifies a noun or a noun phrase.
phrase.
p Examples :
2






or  
2

 
or

I can͛t complete ` 

 `

because I don͛t have the textbook.
textbook. ( bject)
What is    `
 (Subject Complement)
After many years, she returned to   ` .. ( bject of Preposition ͚to͛)
  
   
  
p Explanation :
Demonstrative pronouns that are used to modify nouns or
noun phrases.
phrases.
p Examples :
O`





or  
2

 
or

When the librarian tripped over


,, she dropped a pile of books. ( bject of
Preposition ͚over͛)


`
needs to be fumigated.
fumigated. (Subject of The Sentence)
Even though my friend preferred

 

,, I bought these.* ( bject of Verb
͚preferred͛)
 
 !   
  
p Explanation :
Interrogative pronoun, it modifies a noun or noun
phrase rather than standing on its own.
own.
p Examples :
m
 



 
or  
2


G  

should be watered twice a week ( bject of Compound Verb ͚
should be watered͛)
G

 are you reading (Direct bject of Compound Verb ͚are reading͛)
 
 
  
  
p Explanation :
Indefinite pronoun, except that it modifies a noun,
pronoun, or noun phrase.
p Examples :
m  



or  
2

 
or

{   believe that corporations are under-

under-taxed
taxed.. (Subject of The Sentence)
I will send you  ` that arrives after you have moved to Sudbury.
Sudbury. (Direct
bject of The Compound Verb ͚will send͛)
They found   
 floating belly up in the swan pound.
pound. (Direct bject of
Verb ͚found͛)
     
  
p When the definite article, the, is combined with an
adjective describing a class or group of people, the
resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the
oppressed, the homeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the
unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed.
p The difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually
regarded as singular but which can be plural in certain
contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is
always plural and requires a plural verb:
The rural poor have been ignored by the media.
The rich of Connecticut are responsible.
The elderly are beginning to demand their rights.
The young at heart are always a joy to be around.
 " 
  
p The most common of the so- so-called aa-- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid,
aghast, alert, alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake,
aware. These adjectives will primarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e.,
they come after a linking verb).
The children were ashamed.
The professor remained aloof.
The trees were ablaze.

p ccasionally, however, you will find a-

a- adjectives before the word they
modify: the alert patient, the aloof physician. {ost of them, when found
before the word they modify, are themselves modified:
the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar.

p And a-
a- adjectives are sometimes modified by "very much": very much
afraid, very much alone, very much ashamed, etc.
 R R R

p The form of an adjective indicating the

greatest degree of the quality that the
adjective describes.
 ^  
 R
   
  

p As with comparative adjectives, there are

two ways to form a superlative adjective:
p short adjectives: add "-
"-est
est""
p long adjectives: use "most͞
p We also usually add 'the' at the
beginning.


O 

p  -syllable adjectives old, fast

p 2-syllable adjectives ending in -y happy, easy

p Normal rule: add "-

"-est
est"" old > the oldest

p Variation: if the adjective ends in -e, just late > the latest
p add -st
p Variation: if the adjective ends in consonant, big > the biggest
p vowel, consonant, double the last consonant

p Variation: if the adjective ends in -y, happy > the happiest

p change the y to i
 2-syllable adjectives not modern, pleasant
ending in -y

all adjectives of 3 or more expensive, intellectual

syllables

Normal rule: use "most" modern > the most modern

expensive > the most
expensive
With some 2- 2-syllable adjectives, we can use ''--
est'' or 'most':
est
-quiet > the quietest/most quiet
-clever > the cleverest/most clever
-narrow > the narrowest/most
narrow
-simple > the simplest/most simple
p Exception
The following adjectives have irregular forms:
~ good > the best
~ bad > the worst
~ far > the furthest
When we compare one thing with itself, we do
not use "the":

ͻEngland is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)

ͻ{y boss is most generous when we get a big

order. (not the most generous)
 ^
! !
  

p How these forms are created depends on how

many syllables there are in the adjective.
Syllables are like "sound beats". For instance,
"sing" contains one syllable, but "singing"
contains two -- sing and ing
ing..
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oWe use a superlative adjective to describe one thing in a
group of three or more things.

Look at these examples:

ͻJohn is  
cm. David is  cm. Chris is  
cm. Chris is the tallest.

ͻCanada, China and Russia are big countries. But Russia is the
biggest.

ͻ{ount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

 oSuperlatives are used to compare more than
two things. Superlative sentences usually use
THE, because there is only one superlative.

Examples:

p {asami is the tallest in the class.

p Yukio is tall, and Jiro is taller, but {asami is the
tallest.
 {2m

Om

G R   R

ͻWhen we talk about two things, we can

"compare" them. We can see if they are
the same or different. Perhaps they are the
same in some ways and different in other
ways. We can use comparative adjectives
to describe the differences.

ͻ We can use comparative adjectives when

talking about two things (not three or
more things).
 ^  

   
  

pThere are two ways to make or form a comparative

adjective:

pshort adjectives: add "-

"-er
er͞͞

plong adjectives: use "more͞

 R  R
p -syllable adjectives
e.g old, fast

p2-syllable adjectives ending in -y

e.g happy, easy

Normal rule:
padd "-
"-er
er͞͞
e.g old > older
fat-- fatter
fat
hot -hotter

pVariation: if the adjective ends in -e, just add ʹr

e.g late > later
nice -nicer
safe -safer
pVariation: if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel,
consonant, double the last consonant
e.g big > bigger
fat-- fatter
fat
hot -hotter

pVariation: if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to i

e.g happy > happier
early - earlier
crazy - crazier
 ? R
p2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y
e.g modern, pleasant

pall adjectives of 3 or more syllables

e.g expensive, intellectual

pNormal rule:
Use "more͞
modern > more modern
expensive > more expensive
honest > more honest
difficult > more difficult

pWith some 2-
2-syllable adjectives, we can use ''--er
er'' or 'more':
quiet > quieter/more quiet
clever > cleverer/more clever
narrow > narrower/more narrow
simple > simpler/more simple
  
   
  
pWe use comparative adjectives when talking about 2 things (not 3 or   or
 ,, things, only 2 things).
p ften, the comparative adjective is followed by "than".
pLook at these examples:
- John is  cm. He is tall. But Chris is  
cm. He is taller than John.
- Is French more difficult than English

pAlthough we use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not
three or more things), in fact one or both of the things may be a group of
things.

Example :
- {t Everest is higher than all other mountains.
Here, we are talking about hundreds of mountains, but we are still
comparing one thing ({t Everest) to one other thing (all other mountains).
 #
  G$?  

pComparative + than as a conjunction

-when than is used as a conjunction it
introduces a clause, called a
comparative clause

Example :
pSamantha is slimmer than her mother.
pHarry says his sister is heavier than he is.
Comparative + than as a preposition
- in normal everyday English, people
often used the object form of personal
pronouns when omitting the verb after
than; so than is then operating like a
preposition.

Example :
Hazel has neater handwriting than me.
She is keener on dancing than them.
Comparative + than clauses of other kinds
-the comparison need not be between the relative
qualities of different individuals or things; it can be
between states or performances of the same thing or
person at different times,

Example :
I͛m fatter now than I was two years ago.
We͛ve had better weather than is usual for the time of year.

- or it can be between expectation and reality

Example :
{y holiday was more enjoyable than I expected.
Sales were lower than was anticipated.
p Comparative with the than clause omitted
- very often it is unnecessary to include a than
clause

Example :
p {y headache was getting worse.
[than it had been]
p It͛s cooler today, isn͛t it
p Comparative + and + repeated comparative
- you can use the forms such as angrier and
angrier to express the idea of a situation
intensifying.

Example :
p The sky grew lighter and lighter in the east.
p She keeps accepting more and more work-
work- no
wonder she͛s exhausted
p Comparative + than + amount
- than act as a preposition in expressions

Example :
p Choose any number greater than zero.
p We had fewer than 2 volunteers helping with the
search.
p Comparative + to
- there are some adjectives with the ending
ʹior in English that come from Latin, and can
be used in a comparative or non-
non-
comparative way. When they are used
comparatively, they are followed by to, not
than.

Example :
p The junior pupils finish school at 3.3pm.
p The senior pupils finish school at 4.3pm.
p Comparative + of
- the + comparative can be followed by
of + the two people or things being compared.

Example :
p The taller of the two girls was called {innie.
p Travelling by train is the more convenient of the two
options.
{uch, far, a lot, a little, etc + comparative
- the usual intensifiers used with comparatives
are much (also very much), far and a lot. You
can also use a little, a bit, and slightly to
indicate that there isn͛t much difference.

Example :
I͛m feeling much better, thank you.
This route is slightly quicker than the other one.
Any and no + comparative
- you use no + comparative, or not any +
comparative to indicate that there is no
difference

Example :
I felt no better after taking the pills.
It isn͛t any cheaper to travel by bus than by train.
 
 
! 
  
p There are a few ways in identifying adjectives,
including of knowing the forms and the
characteristics of adjectives.
p Adjectives can be identified using a number of
formal criteria. However, we may begin by saying
that they typically describe an attribute of a
noun::
noun
cold weather
large windows
violent storms
p Some adjectives can be identified by their
endings. Typical adjective endings include:
include:
  
`

-able/-ible achievable, capable, illegible, remarkable

-al biographical, functional, internal, logical

-ful beautiful, careful, grateful, harmful

-ic cubic, manic, rustic, terrific

-ive attractive, dismissive, inventive, persuasive

-less breathless, careless, groundless, restless

-ous courageous, dangerous, disastrous, fabulous

p However, a large number of very common
adjectives cannot be identified in this way.
They do not have typical adjectival form:
bad elementary red
bright good silent
clever great simple
cold honest strange
common hot wicked
complete main wide
dark morose young
Deep old
difficult quiet
distant real
     
  
p Adjectives can take a modifying word, such as
very, extremely, or less, before them:
very cold weather
extremely large windows
less violent storms
p Here, the modifying word locates the
adjective on a scale of comparison, at a
position higher or lower than the one
indicated by the adjective alone.
 

p This characteristic is known as GRADABILITY. {ost adjectives
are gradable, though if the adjective already denotes the
highest position on a scale, then it is non-
non-gradable
gradable::
my main reason for coming ~*my very main reason for coming
the principal role in the play ~*the very principal role in the play

p As well as taking modifying words like ͚very͛ and ͚extremely͛,

adjectives also take different forms to indicate their position
on a scale of comparison:
comparison:
Big ї bigger ї biggest.
 

p The lowest point on the scale is known as the ABS LUTE form,
the middle point is known as the C {PARATIVE form, and the
highest point is known as the SUPERLATIVE form. Here are
some more examples:
examples:
Absolute Comparative Superlative

Dark Darker Darkest

New Newer Newest

ld lder ldest

Young Younger Youngest

 

p In most cases, the comparative is formed by adding -er , and
the superlative is formed by adding -est
est,, to the absolute form.
However, a number of very common adjectives are irregular
in this respect:
respect:
 

p Some adjectives form the comparative and superlative using
more and most respectively:




  `
 


Important {ore important {ost important

{iserable {ore miserable {ost miserable

Recent {ore recent {ost recent

   
 
  
p Unlike Adverbs
Adverbs,, which often seem capable of popping up almost anywhere
in a sentence, adjectives nearly always appear immediately
 the
the
noun or noun phrase that they modify.

p Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they
appear in a

   
 
  .

p When indefinite pronouns Ͷ such as something, someone, anybody Ͷ

are modified by an adjective, the adjective comes 
 the pronoun:
Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be
punished.

p Something wicked this way comes. And there are certain adjectives that,
in combination with certain words, are always "postpositive" (coming 



 
 `  ):
The president elect, heir apparent to the Glitzy fortune, lives in New York
proper.
    
  
R  
p It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say "little brown
house" and not "brown little house" or why we say "red Italian sports car"
and not "Italian red sports car."
p The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing
for people learning English as a second language. {ost other languages
dictate a similar order, but not necessarily the same order.
p It takes a lot of practice with a language before this order becomes
instinctive, because the order often seems quite arbitrary (if not
downright capricious). There is, however, a pattern.
p You will find many exceptions to the pattern in the table below, but it is
definitely important to learn the pattern of adjective order if it is not part
of what you naturally bring to the language.
 

p The categories in the following table can be described as follows:
p Determiners Ͷ articles and other limiters. See Determiners
p bservation Ͷ postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a
perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful,
interesting)
p Size and Shape Ͷ adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy,
large, round)
p Age Ͷ adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)
p Color Ͷ adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
p rigin Ͷ denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French,
American, Canadian)
p {aterial Ͷ denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of
(e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden)
p Qualifier Ͷ final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking
chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)