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A Simple Guide on Adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. This article provides a detailed look at the concept of adjectives. We will also learn about different types of adjectives and will see some adjective examples.

Adjectives are used for describing the nature of nouns and pronouns. Therefore, they are often referred to as describing words. They are the words that give more information about an object’s composition, size, or colour. There are different types of adjectives. Each type describes qualities for different things. In this article, we will talk about the concept of adjectives.

Further, we will also read about the types of adjectives with their examples. 

Adjectives

As discussed above, adjectives are often referred to as describing words. It is because they describe the properties of an object. Adjectives usually precede nouns or pronouns. The work of adverbs is to describe verbs, but the work of adjectives is to describe nouns and pronouns. Adjectives are used to describe personality, size, colour, shape, conditions, and time.

Types of adjectives

  • Descriptive adjectives: The adjectives that describe the noun or pronoun’s quality are known as descriptive adjectives. So whenever we need to talk about the characteristics or qualities of a noun, we use these adjectives. Some examples of descriptive adjectives are tall man, long hair, cold water, etc. 
  • Proper adjectives: The adjectives formed from proper nouns are known as proper adjectives. An example of this adjective is: He is a German boy. 
  • Participle adjectives: The adjectives based on the concept of participles are known as participle adjectives. An example of this adjective is: She has left her drawing classes. 
  • Limiting adjectives: They are used for restricting nouns and pronouns. An example of this adjective is: I need some eggs. 
  • Interrogative adjectives: Adjectives used to ask questions are known as interrogative adjectives. An example of this adjective is: Which car is your favourite?
  • Coordinate adjectives: These types of adjectives are written in pairs. They can be written in any order. For example, if we write this box is huge and heavy, or we also write, this box is heavy and huge, both sentences are correct. We often use commas to separate these types of adjectives.
  • Cumulative adjectives: These types of adjectives are also written in pairs. The difference between coordinate and cumulative adjectives is that they are not separated by commas. An example of a cumulative adjective is: He is a young German boy. 
  • Compound adjectives: The type of adjective formed with the help of multiple adjectives is known as compound adjectives. They are connected by using hyphens in between them. An example of this type of adjective is: My happy-go-son is visiting today. 
  • Possessive adjectives: The adjectives used to show the owners are known to be possessive adjectives. An example of this adjective is: My favourite colour is red. 
  • Demonstrative adjectives: The adjectives used to point or refer to something are known to be demonstrative adjectives. An example of this type of adjective is: This car is mine. 
  • Comparative adjectives: These adjectives are used for making comparisons between two different things. An example of this adjective is: She is larger than Rohan. 
  • Superlative adjectives: These types of adjectives are used when we need to make a comparison between more than two things. An example of this type of adjective is: Riya is the best member of our team.
  • Predicate adjectives: These adjectives work as the predicates in the sentence. An example of this type of adjective is: He is smart. 

Order of an adjective

An adjective is placed in a sentence using the following manner:

Firstly, we see the places of determiners like a, an. After that, we refer to the size and quality of the object. If age is mentioned there, we take it as the next factor. After these, we go for the shape, colour, and pattern of the thing. This order is followed by the nationality or origin of the thing. 

Examples of an adjective

Some examples of adjectives that have a specific appearance are as follows:

  • attractive
  • beautiful
  • chubby
  • dazzling
  • gorgeous

A few examples of adjectives that specify colour:

  • lemon
  • mango
  • orange
  • purple
  • red

Some examples of adjectives that specify conditions:

  • gifted
  • hallowed
  • helpful
  • important
  • inexpensive

Some examples of adjectives that specify personality are as follows:

  • eager
  • faithful
  • gentle
  • happy
  • jolly

Some examples of adjectives that specify shapes:

  • broad
  • chubby
  • crooked
  • curved
  • deep

Some examples of adjectives that specify sizes:

  • big
  • colossal
  • fat
  • gigantic
  • great

Some examples of adjectives that specify time:

  • ancient
  • brief
  • early
  • fast
  • future

Some examples of adjectives that specify taste:

  • acidic
  • bitter
  • cool
  • creamy
  • delicious

Some examples of adjectives in sentences:

  • They live in a beautiful bungalow.
  • Priya is wearing a sleeveless top today.
  • She wore a beautiful dress.
  • He writes meaningless poems.
  • She is very beautiful.
  • A mathematical puzzle.
  • A mathematical experiment.

Conclusion

Hence, it is concluded that adjectives are the describing words. They serve a large part of the English vocabulary. They are widely used in sentence formation. They are also used in describing shapes. There are different types of adjectives. In this article, we discussed all the concepts related to adjectives. We also listed all types of adjective words according to their usage. Further, we also discussed their different types of adjectives and their examples. After reading this article, I hope all the concepts regarding adjectives will be clear.

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What are adjectives? Describe the order of adjectives too.

Ans. Adjectives are used for describing the nature of nouns and pronouns. Therefore, they are ofte...Read full

List different types of adjectives.

Ans. Different types of adjectives are as follows : ...Read full

What are descriptive adjectives and coordinate adjectives?

Ans. The adjectives that describe the noun or pronoun’s quality are described as descriptive adjectives. So whenever we need to...Read full

List down the adjectives that specify negative personality.

Ans. The adjectives that specify negative personality are as follows: ...Read full