An adjective is a fundamental part of speech that enriches our language by adding detail and description to nouns and pronouns. They are the words we use to paint a clearer picture, providing essential information about the qualities, characteristics, and quantities of the things we talk about. From describing the color of a car to the feeling of a cold breeze, adjectives are indispensable for effective communication.
In essence, adjectives answer questions like “What kind?”, “Which one?”, “How many?”, and “How much?” about nouns. Words such as beautiful, tall, red, few, and interesting are all examples of adjectives. They bring nouns to life, making our writing and speech more vivid and informative.
Adjective Definition
At its core, an adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. This modification provides extra context, specifying attributes, qualities, or characteristics. Think of adjectives as descriptive tags that you attach to nouns to give your audience a more complete understanding.
For example, consider the word “house.” While “house” names a place to live, it’s quite general. By adding adjectives, we can be much more specific:
- Big house
- Red house
- Old house
- Beautiful house
Each adjective (big, red, old, beautiful) provides different information, creating a clearer mental image of the house. Adjectives enable us to move beyond simple naming and delve into detailed descriptions.
How Adjectives Work
Adjectives primarily function to modify nouns and pronouns. They can specify a wide range of attributes, including:
- Quality: beautiful, ugly, delicious, terrible
- Size: big, small, enormous, tiny
- Color: red, blue, green, yellow
- Shape: round, square, triangular, oval
- Age: old, young, ancient, modern
- Origin: French, American, Italian, Japanese
- Material: wooden, metallic, plastic, paper
- Quantity: many, few, several, one, twelve
Adjectives typically appear in sentences in two main positions relative to the nouns they modify:
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Attributive Position: Directly before the noun. This is the most common placement.
- Example: “She wore a bright yellow dress.” (bright and yellow describe dress)
- Example: “He is a talented musician.” (talented describes musician)
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Predicate Position: After a linking verb, describing the subject of the sentence.
- Example: “The sky is blue.” (blue describes sky and follows the linking verb is)
- Example: “She seems happy.” (happy describes she and follows the linking verb seems)
Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a descriptive word. Common linking verbs include be (is, are, was, were, been), seem, become, feel, look, smell, taste, and sound.
Types of Adjectives (Degrees of Adjectives)
Adjectives have different forms to express varying degrees of the quality they describe. These forms are known as the degrees of adjectives: absolute, comparative, and superlative.
Absolute Adjectives
Absolute adjectives (also known as positive adjectives) describe a quality without comparison to anything else. They simply state a fact about the noun. This is the base form of the adjective.
- Examples:
- A tall building
- A delicious cake
- A funny movie
- Heavy rain
- Quiet room
Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things and indicate which one possesses a quality to a greater degree. They are typically formed by adding “-er” to the end of short adjectives or by using “more” before longer adjectives.
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Forming comparatives:
- Add “-er” for most one-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives: taller, smaller, faster, happier.
- Use “more” for longer adjectives (usually two or more syllables): more beautiful, more interesting, more intelligent.
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Examples:
- “This building is taller than that one.”
- “This cake is more delicious than the last one we had.”
- “He is a funnier comedian than her.”
- “The rain is getting heavier.”
- “This room is quieter than the lobby.”
Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives express the highest degree of a quality. They indicate that something possesses a quality to the greatest extent compared to all other things of its kind. Superlatives are usually formed by adding “-est” to short adjectives or using “most” before longer ones. They are almost always preceded by the definite article “the.”
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Forming superlatives:
- Add “-est” for most one-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives: tallest, smallest, fastest, happiest.
- Use “most” for longer adjectives (usually two or more syllables): most beautiful, most interesting, most intelligent.
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Examples:
- “That is the tallest building in the city.”
- “This is the most delicious cake I’ve ever tasted.”
- “He is the funniest person I know.”
- “This was the heaviest rain we’ve had all year.”
- “This is the quietest room in the house.”
Coordinate vs. Non-coordinate Adjectives
When using multiple adjectives to describe a single noun, it’s important to understand the difference between coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives. This distinction determines whether you should separate the adjectives with a comma or not.
Coordinate Adjectives: These adjectives equally modify the noun and can be joined by “and” without changing the meaning. They should be separated by commas.
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Characteristics of coordinate adjectives:
- They describe separate qualities of the noun.
- Their order can be reversed without sounding unnatural.
- “And” can be inserted between them.
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Examples:
- “It was a cold, dark night.” (cold and dark are separate qualities; “cold and dark night” sounds natural)
- “She is a smart, talented student.” (smart and talented are separate qualities; “smart and talented student” sounds natural)
Non-coordinate Adjectives: These adjectives work together as a unit to modify the noun. They are not separated by commas and their order is usually fixed.
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Characteristics of non-coordinate adjectives:
- The adjective closer to the noun is often more closely related to the noun’s core meaning.
- Their order cannot be reversed without sounding unnatural.
- “And” cannot be naturally inserted between them.
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Examples:
- “He wore a thick woolen coat.” (woolen coat is a unit; “thick and woolen coat” sounds less natural, and “woolen thick coat” sounds wrong)
- “They lived in a charming little cottage.” (little cottage is a unit; “charming and little cottage” sounds less natural, and “little charming cottage” sounds wrong)
The key to identifying coordinate adjectives is to test if you can insert “and” between them or reverse their order. If both work, they are likely coordinate and require a comma.
Adjective Order in Sentences
In English, when using multiple adjectives before a noun, there is a generally accepted order. While not a strict rule, following this order makes your sentences sound more natural and fluent. The typical order of adjectives is:
- Quantity or Number
- Quality or Opinion
- Size
- Age
- Shape
- Color
- Origin
- Material
- Type
- Purpose
- Examples following the order:
- “She has two beautiful large old round brown German leather suitcases.”
- “They bought a few delicious small young square red Italian ceramic tiles.”
While you might not often use so many adjectives at once, understanding this order is helpful for constructing natural-sounding phrases when you do use multiple descriptors.
Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives are formed when two or more words are joined together to act as a single adjective before a noun. These words are often hyphenated to show they function as one unit of description.
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Purpose of hyphens in compound adjectives:
- To clarify that the words work together as a single modifier.
- To prevent misreading or ambiguity.
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Examples:
- A well-known author (well-known describes author)
- A fast-moving train (fast-moving describes train)
- A state-of-the-art facility (state-of-the-art describes facility)
When a compound adjective follows the noun it modifies, the hyphen is often dropped.
- Example: “The author is well known.”
However, some compound adjectives are always hyphenated, regardless of their position.
- Example: self-esteem, ill-advised
Common forms of compound adjectives include combinations of:
Adjectives vs. Adverbs: Avoiding Common Mistakes
It’s crucial to distinguish between adjectives and adverbs to avoid grammatical errors. The primary difference is that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
A common mistake is using an adverb when a predicate adjective is needed, especially after linking verbs.
- Incorrect: “I feel badly.”
- Correct: “I feel bad.”
In the incorrect sentence, “badly” is an adverb, suggesting you are poor at feeling. However, “feel” here is a linking verb describing a state of being. The correct sentence uses the adjective “bad” to describe the subject’s feeling (state of emotion).
- Another example:
- “He smells terribly.” (Incorrect – suggests his sense of smell is poor)
- “He smells terrible.” (Correct – suggests he has an unpleasant odor)
Remember: If you are describing the state of being or quality of the subject after a linking verb, use an adjective, not an adverb.
When Nouns Act Like Adjectives and Vice Versa
Sometimes, words typically used as nouns can function as adjectives, and adjectives can act as nouns. This depends on their role in the sentence.
Nouns as Adjectives: Nouns can modify other nouns, acting as adjectives to specify type or purpose.
- Examples:
- “Guide dog” (guide – noun, modifying dog)
- “School bus” (school – noun, modifying bus)
- “Computer program” (computer – noun, modifying program)
In these cases, the noun is used to describe a characteristic or category of the following noun.
Adjectives as Nouns: Adjectives can function as nouns, particularly when referring to groups of people or abstract concepts. This often happens when preceded by the definite article “the.”
- Examples:
- “The rich and the poor” (rich and poor – adjectives acting as nouns representing groups of people)
- “The French are known for…” (French – adjective acting as a noun representing French people)
- “Focus on the intangibles.” (intangibles – adjective acting as a noun representing intangible qualities)
In these instances, the adjective takes on the role of a noun, often representing a broader category or concept.
Tips for Effective Adjective Usage
While adjectives are crucial for descriptive language, effective writing involves using them judiciously.
- Be precise: Choose adjectives that accurately convey your intended meaning.
- Be concise: Avoid unnecessary adjectives. Sometimes, a stronger noun can eliminate the need for an adjective.
- Instead of “a big house,” consider “a mansion.”
- Instead of “a large crowd,” consider “a throng.”
- Use sparingly: Overuse of adjectives can make writing verbose and weaken its impact. Use them when they add significant value and detail.
- Prioritize strong nouns and verbs: Sometimes, selecting more descriptive nouns and verbs can reduce the need for adjectives and create more impactful writing.
Ultimately, the goal is to use adjectives effectively to enhance clarity, detail, and interest without making your writing cluttered or redundant.
FAQs About Adjectives
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, providing information about its qualities, characteristics, or number.
What are examples of adjectives?
Examples include descriptive words like happy, loud, shiny, and delicious, as well as words indicating quantity such as few, many, and several.
What is the difference between adjectives and adverbs?
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. For example, in “a very interesting book,” interesting is an adjective describing book, and very is an adverb modifying the adjective interesting.
Can adjectives modify adverbs?
No, adjectives cannot modify adverbs. Only adverbs can modify other adverbs.
