Adjectives-English Grammar

S. CHAUHAN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH (98135-81301)

What is an adjective?

Adjective is a word that adds something to the meaning of a noun or a pronoun.

Such words are also called the qualifiers or the modifiers.

For example,

A beautiful scene, a hard working boy, an honest person, a foolish boy, a clever money lender, etc.

Usually the adjectives are placed in front of the nouns or the pronouns, but, sometimes, these are also placed after them.

1. The money-lender is very clever.
2. These boys are very hard-working.

Types of Adjectives

(A)                

1. ADJECTIVES OF QUALITY:

Such adjectives answer to the question ‘What kind?’

Dirty, bad, wise, clever, intelligent, interesting, witty, comfortable,  happy, sad,  blue, black, etc.

1. He has played a very bad shot.
2. I do not feel comfortable on this bed.
3. The old man was very wise person.
4. So he took a very right decision.
5. Do not behave like an idiot person.
6. She was looking very beautiful in her blue saree.
7. The rainbow was very colourful. 
8. The story was very interesting.
9. A thin person defeated a fat man in wrestling.

       2. Adjectives of Quantity  (How much?)

   These are placed in front of uncountable and some of them may be used in front of countable nouns. (These are also called determiners)

   Some, much, a little, enough, sufficient, less, in plenty, all

1.      I need some money from you.

2.      There was a little water in the jug.

3.      He caught a plenty of fish from the pond.

4.      Adjectives of number:

These adjectives answer to the question ‘how many’ and ‘what order’

• One, two, three, four,.......are called cardinal numbers.
• First, second, third, fourth........are called ordinal numbers.
• These are placed in front of the countable nouns only.

S. CHAUHAN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH (98135-81301)

Examples

1. I need one thousand rupees from you.
2. A few students were present in the class.
3. I saw many birds flying in the sky.
4. A great number of people were present in the meeting.

5.Demonstrative Adjectives ( which one?):

     Such types of adjectives indicate towards a person, animal, place or thing.

Examples

This, that, these, those

This boy is very intelligent

That boy is very naughty.

Take all of these toys with you.

Those trees are very long.

5. Adjectives showing possession

Please note that:

• If you put the question ‘whose’, the possessive pronoun is found out.
• Possessive pronouns become possessive adjectives when they are placed before nouns.
• Possessive pronouns are: my, our, your, its,  his, her, their,

Examples

This is not my pen. (possessive adjective)

This pen is not mine. (Possessive pronoun)

Your hair are black. (possessive adjective)

This book is yours. (possessive pronoun)

6.Distributive Adjectives

Each, every, neither ……nor, either……or, none, etc.

1. Each student was praised by the Principal.
2. I like either of these.
3. Every person was emotional at the death of Jagjit Singh.

7. Interrogative Adjectives

    With the help of such adjectives, questions are made.

For example,

1. In which city do you live?
2. How much money do you want?
3. Which book did you buy from the market yesterday?
4. Which song would you like to sing?

8. Adjectives Used for Placing Emphasis

1. This is the very boy who stole your purse.
2. I saw him from my own eyes, stealing your purse .

9.Adjectives Used for Exclamation

1.      What an idea, sir!

2.      What a beautiful sight it is!

3.      What a scene!

4.      What a folly!

5.      The following words are called determiners:

Some, any, much, many, many a..., several, few, a few, the few, little, a little, the little, no, etc.

(i)                             Use of some and any

Some is used in affirmative sentence while any is used in negative and interrogative ones.

1. I have some money to spend on you.
2. She has not any fiction book to read these days.
3. Have you got any spare pencil?

Please note the use of some and any in the following sentences.

·                                 Do you have any money? (Here the speaker does not expect positive reply)

·                                 Do you have some money? (Here the speaker expects positive reply)

(ii)                           Use of much and many

Much is used in front of uncountable noun while many is used in front of countable nouns.

1.      There is much water in this jug.

2.      He is very much busy these days.

3.      Many people in our country believe in superstitions.

4.      How many students are there in your school?

Pick out the Adjectives/determiners from the sentences given below:

1. There is a little milk in this pot.
2. The latest issue of this magazine is awaited.
3. The last train leaves from here at 5:00 a.m.
4. He reached school later than Rohit.
5. This place is very famous.
6. He is junior to you. I am not senior to you.
7. Give me this book.
8. Is this book yours?
9. I like blue colour.
10. This is not a nice way to deal with them.
11. All of your clothes have become wet.
12. Distribute all these toffees among the poor children.
13. Draw a straight line from here.
14. There were many students present in the meeting.
15. You have asked hard questions.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks  the appropriate words made from the given in the brackets.

1. These boys are not..............(dirt)
2. You are not a ..................(resposibility) person.
3. The situation is not..........................(favour)
4. The accident was ........................(horror).
5. He has a very.................(slave) nature.
6. Are you taking part in ...............(nation) games?
7. Many students are very..............................(care) these days.
8. I would like to meet some .......................(honesty) persons.
9. No one likes .............................................(jealousy) persons.
10. Amitab was called an..................... (anger) man.
11. The Taj Mahal is a very...................(fame) building.
12. He died in a very ...........................(mystery) condition.
13. Gold is a very.................................(price) metal.
14. These children are very...................(trouble).
15. You are a ...................... ..................(quarrel) boy.
16. This child is.................(love)
17. All the books in our library are ......................(value).
18. This is your house. Feel.....................(comfort) here.
19. There come many......................(decision) moments in our life.
20. When I received the gold medal in an award giving function it was a..............................(memory) day for me.
21. He has a .........................(slave) nature.
22. No one likes your .............(child) nature. Be mature.
23. His nature is always......................(enemy) towards me.
24. Is this business ......................(profit) to you.
25. It was really a .................(terror) accident.
26. He has a ................(girl) look, so boys laugh at him.
27. We should be ...............(courage) in facing the difficulties of life.
28. It was a .................(whole) experience for us.
29. Some boys are ...................(quarrel) by their nature.
30. It was a ..................(wind) day but suddenly it became....................(gloom) as the clouds overcast the whole sky.

Formation of Adjectives

We can form adjectives by adding suffixes able, ish, some, ive, ly, ous

Examples: by adding able

Love                              lovable Honour                      honourable Advise                          advisable Favour                          favorable Memory                    memorable

Comfort                  comfortable Value                      valuable Profit                      profitable Consider                 considerable Terror                      terrible

 By adding ish

Child                  childish Slave                  slavish   Fool                    foolish

Book                       bookish Boy                         boyish Girl                          girlish

By adding al

Crime                 criminal Nation                national Brute                  brutal Enemy                inimical Habit                   habitual

Industry                   industrial Nature                      natural Herb                         herbal Centre                      central Face                          facial

By adding less

Harm                  harmless Care                    careless Use                     useless     Mercy                 merciless Joy                      joyless Count                  countless Meaning             meaningless

Faith                         faithless Head                         headless Name                        nameless Home                        homeless   Hope                         hopeless Law                           lawless    Limit                         limitless

By  adding ly

Brother               brotherly Coward               cowardly Month                 monthly  Friend              friendly   Hour                   hourly World                  worldly

Scholar                       scholarly Love                        lovely Week                           weekly Brave                           bravely Home                           homely  kind                              kindly

By adding ous

Joy                   joyous Riot                  riotous Adventure        adventurous Danger             dangerous Mystery            mysterious

Courage                   courageous Ambition                  ambitious Glory                        glorious Fame                         famous Virtue                        virtuous

By adding some

Quarrel     quarrelsome Tire           tiresome

Whole      wholesome Trouble     troublesome

By adding y

Anger                            angry Ease                              easy Blood                            bloody Flower                          flowery Hunger                         hungry Wind                            windy Worth                        worthy Hand                             handy

Fault                          faulty Gloom                        gloomy Hill                             hilly Need                           needy Storm                          stormy Taste                           tasty   Sun                              sunny Stone                                stony

Comparision

Please note that:

An adjective has three degrees: positive, comparative and superlative.

1. Positive Degree

Positive degree of comparison is used when we do not want to make any comparison.

For example

This fruit is very sweet.

You are very intelligent.

We can also use ‘so.........as’ and ‘as.........as’

He is as wise as his father.

                     Or

He is not so wise as his father.

She is not so intelligent as her mother.

Note: We prefer to use ‘so........as’ only in negative sentences.

2. Comparative Degree

We use comparative degree of adjective when we want to make comparison between two persons or things of the same kind. The comparison may be between two teams or groups of persons or things.

‘Than’ is used as a conjunction.

Examples

• Rohit is wiser than his brother.
• The students of class VII-B are cleverer than those of the class VII-A.
• This pencil is sharper than that one.

3. Superlative Degree

We use superlative degree of comparison when we want to say that a person or a thing or a group of persons or things  has highest degree of some characteristic.

Examples

• Mohit is the most intelligent boy of the class.
• She is the wisest girl of her class.
• Can you tell me the name of the best boy of your class?

Use of ‘more’ and ‘most’

Some adjectives take ‘more’ to make comparative degree and ‘most’ to make superlative degree

Use comparative degree in the following sentences:

One is done for you.

Positive degree: Oranges are not so sweet as grapes.

Fill in the blanks the appropriate form of the adjectives given in the brackets.

1. Your father is the ..............(honest) person of his village.
2. Neelam is ............hard-working than her sister.
3. Sonali is the ...............(popular) girl of her class.
4. Your shoes are .............(costly) than these.
5. Mahatma Gandhi was ................(great) than many other leaders of his time.
6. Munish is ....................(intelligent) than some other boys of his class.
7. She is ........... wise...............her father.
8. You should work...................(hard) than before.
9. He is the......................(elder) of his brothers.
10. Helen was the ......................(beautiful) the woman of Troy.

The following adjectives are no more used in comparative form. So, they are now used in positive degree only.

These are: elder, former, latter, upper, inner, outer, utter,

Use of elder, eldest: old, older

Elder and  eldest are the comparative and the superlative degrees to describe age. These are used in family relations to tell as to who is elder or the eldest member of the family. We do not use elder and eldest for things.

(i)                             We do not use than with elder. But it is used with older.

1. Shruti (sister) is elder to me (brother).
2. Mohit is older than I. (both are friends.)
3. The head is usually the eldest member of the joint family.

(ii)                           Old, older and oldest are used both with persons and things.

·                                 I have an old shirt which is very costly.

·                                 Who is the oldest among you?

Use of late, later, latest, former, latter, last

(i)                             Late, later and latest refer to the time factor.

·         You are very late. I am sorry: I cannot help you at this time.

·         She spoke later than you in the meeting.

·         What is the latest detail of the results of the election? (latest refer to the fresh detail)

Use of former, latter and last:

Mr. Khanna told Mr. Rohit that he would not help him and then the former replied that he did not need the latter’s help any more.

Love     lovable           Crime        criminal     

 Nation     national

Brute     brutal       Enemy     inimical   Habit         habitual

Honour    honourable           Advise          advisable

 Favour    favorable               Memory        memorable

Comfort   comfortable         Value             valuable 

Crime        criminal                Nation –         national,

 Brute-      brutal,                  Enemy-           inimical,

Habit-       habitual,              Profit -             profitable,

Conside- considerable,       Terror-             terrible ,

Child-     Childish,                Slave-                slavish,

Fool-       foolish                  Book                 bookish,

Boy-        boyish,                  Girl –                 girlish,

Harm-     harmless,             Care-                 careless,

Use-        useless,                Mercy-              merciless

Joy-         joyless,                 Count-              countless,

Meaning- meaningless,     Faith-                faithless,

Head-  Headless,                Name                nameless-,

Home- homeless,               Hope-                hopeless,

Law-Lawless,                       Limit-                limitless,

Brother -             brotherly           Coward-         cowardly,

 Month –             monthly,           Friend -            friendly ,

Hour-                   hourly,              World -            worldly          ,

Exercise for practice

Make adjectives from:

Love                             Honour                      Advise                          Favour                          Memory	Comfort                  Value                      Profit                      Consider                 Terror
Child                  Slave                     Fool	Book                       Boy                         Girl
Crime                 Nation                Brute                  Enemy                Habit	Industry                  Nature                     Herb                      Centre                    Face
Harm                  Care                    Use                          Mercy                 Joy                      Count                  Meaning	Faith                         Head                         Name                        Home                           Hope                         Law                               Limit
Brother                Coward               Month                   Friendly                 Hour                   World	Scholar                      Lovely                       Week                         Brave                         Home                           kind
Joy                   Riot                  Adventure        Danger             Mystery	Courage                  Ambition                Glory                      Fame                      Virtue
Quarrel     Tire	Whole      Trouble

Anger                            Ease                              Blood                            Flower                           Hunger                         Wind                            Worth                      Hand

Fault                          Gloom                       Hill                            Need                          Storm                         Taste                             Sun                            Stone