Adjectives of Numbers

Adjectives, or describing words, are the words that provide more information on nouns. For example, this information may be about the size, color, shape, age, or other things about the nouns. To be precise, adjectives describe a noun. Hence, they are also named  as describing words. 

Adjectives are the words that enable a sentence to express our feelings and reactions about the nouns. Therefore, it would not be unfair to say that adjectives add colors to the life of language. They are a valuable tool as they turn an ordinary sentence into an extraordinary sentence. Eventually, these describing words such as the adjective of number make a conversation engaging and impactful. But, all this is possible only when they get used wisely and correctly. 

Common types of adjectives

Based on what information they provide about a noun, adjectives are of numerous types:

1. Qualitative adjectives.
2. Quantitative adjectives.
3. Adjective of number.
4. Proper adjectives.
5. Demonstrative adjectives.
6. Exclamatory adjectives.
7. Compound adjectives.
8. Emphasizing adjectives.
9. Interrogative adjectives.
10. Coordinate and Non-coordinate adjectives.
11. Possessive adjectives.
12. Articles.

Below is a detailed explanation of the adjective of number. 

Adjective of number

The adjectives of number are the describing words that answer- how many. In simpler words, these are the types of adjectives that express the number of a noun. Now, one may confuse it with the Quantitative adjectives. But, reading further will help you know how the two differ. 

Adjective of number examples in sentences

Below are some examples of how adjective of number gets used in sentences. 

1. The wisest one of you can be the team leader. 
2. Each of my hands has five fingers. 
3. One hour is equal to sixty minutes. 
4. Just one slice of cheese is left. 
5. I will sing five songs today. 
6. She ranked fifth in the race. 

Types of adjectives of numbers

Adjectives of number can be categorized into three types:

1.Definite adjectives of number.

As the name suggests, these are the adjectives that express the exact number or amount of nouns. Definite adjectives of number are a set of both cardinal and ordinal numbers. Definite adjective of number examples: 

1. There are eleven players on the team.
2. He stood first in the class. 

2. Indefinite adjectives of number.

Indefinite adjectives of number specify several subjects. However, unlike definite numeral adjectives, they do not precisely count a noun. These describing words only give information about the nouns and not a specific count. Here, the factor that makes these describing words different from the adjectives of quantity is that the indefinite numeral adjectives describe the nouns that can be counted. In contrast, the adjectives of quantity refer to the nouns that cannot be counted. Indefinite adjective of number examples: 

1. I ate a few chocolates yesterday. 
2. My school library has many story books.

3. Distributive adjectives of number.

 Distributive numeral adjectives refer to a distinctive individual (person, place, or thing) who is a part of a group. Distributive adjective of number examples in sentences:

1. Each of my books is interesting to read. 
2. Using it, either way is correct. 

What are adjectives of quantity?

An adjective of quantity is a describing word that shows the amount. It addresses the inquiry of how much. These descriptors of amount are, for the most part, utilized with uncountable nouns. These modifiers express the estimated measure of the things instead of the specific number. Some, much, around, a few, few, and enough are a few examples of this type of adjective. 

Some examples of the adjective of quantity are as follows:

1. Could I please get some water?
2. I am not left with enough time to complete the assignment. 

How do adjectives of number and quantity differ?

Describing words is one of the fundamental parts of speech that all are instructed from early on. Adjectives can be categorized into many kinds, and two among them are the quantitative adjectives and numeral adjectives. These are the two kinds of adjectives where people more often than not commit errors. Since both of these kinds talk about numbers, people regularly become befuddled between them.

In the English Language, adjectives play a significant role. Hence, it is fundamental to understand that quantitative and numeral adjectives are different. 

• Differentiation based on the type of nouns they describe

The adjective of number is the describing words for countable nouns. In contrast to this, the adjectives of quantity are the describing words that describe the uncountable nouns. 

• Differentiation based on their types

The adjectives of number are categorized into definite, indefinite, and distributive adjectives of number. At the same time, the adjectives of quantity are not categorized. They are similar to the indefinite adjective of number. The only difference is that the indefinite numeral adjectives describe countable nouns while the quantitative adjectives describe the uncountable nouns. 

Conclusion

Adjectives form a significant part of the English language. Hence, they are crup=cial to study and understand. For example, the adjective of number is one of the numerous types of adjectives which describes the number of a noun. To state in simpler words, these are the describing words answering the question- how many. Although they are often confused with quantitative adjectives, the two differ significantly.