Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns (people, places, things, or ideas) by giving more information about them. They help to provide details, characteristics, or qualities about the noun they are referring to.

Here are some simple examples:

  1. Size: The big elephant trumpeted loudly.
  2. Color: She wore a red dress to the party.
  3. Shape: The round table was in the center of the room.
  4. Age: My old cat likes to nap in the sun.
  5. Emotion: He felt happy after winning the game.
  6. Quantity: She ate many cookies at the picnic.

In these sentences, words like “big,” “red,” “round,” “old,” “happy,” and “many” are adjectives because they describe or give more information about the nouns (elephant, dress, table, cat, feeling, cookies) they are connected to. Adjectives help paint a clearer picture by adding details to our descriptions.

Adjectives Modify Nouns

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns, providing more information about them. Here are examples demonstrating how adjectives modify nouns:

  1. The fluffy cat purred. (The adjective “fluffy” modifies the noun “cat,” describing its fur.)
  2. She found an interesting book at the library. (The adjective “interesting” modifies the noun “book,” describing its content.)
  3. He lives in a beautiful house by the beach. (The adjective “beautiful” modifies the noun “house,” describing its appearance.)
  4. The large elephant stomped through the jungle. (The adjective “large” modifies the noun “elephant,” describing its size.)
  5. They ordered three delicious pizzas for dinner. (The adjective “delicious” modifies the noun “pizzas,” describing their taste.)

In each of these sentences, the adjectives (“fluffy,” “interesting,” “beautiful,” “large,” “delicious”) modify the nouns (“cat,” “book,” “house,” “elephant,” “pizzas”) by adding descriptive details or qualities to the nouns they are connected to.

Adjectives typically modify nouns, but it’s less common for them to modify pronouns. However, there are certain cases where an adjective can modify a pronoun to add more detail or description:

  1. Which dress do you prefer? The blue one or the red one? (In this case, “blue” and “red” are adjectives modifying the pronoun “one,” providing more information about the dresses.)
  2. I met two talented singers; she is the best among them. (Here, “talented” is an adjective modifying the pronoun “she,” describing the skill or ability of the singer.)

Adjective before and after the Noun

Adjectives usually come before the noun they modify. However, there can be cases where adjectives come after the noun they describe, particularly in certain structures or expressions.

Here are examples of both scenarios:

  1. Before the noun:
    • The beautiful flower bloomed in the garden.
    • She bought a cozy sweater for the winter.
    • They live in a modern house.

    In these sentences, the adjectives (“beautiful,” “cozy,” “modern”) come before the nouns (“flower,” “sweater,” “house”) they describe.

  2. After the noun (with a linking verb like “be”):
    • The flower was beautiful.
    • The sweater seems cozy.
    • The house looks modern.

    Here, the adjectives follow the nouns and are connected using linking verbs like “was,” “seems,” or “looks.”

Remember, while adjectives typically come before the noun they modify, they can also appear after the noun in certain sentence structures, particularly when a linking verb is used.

Adjectives can be used without nouns

Adjectives can be used without nouns in certain contexts. They can stand alone or modify pronouns, giving more detail or description. Here are examples of adjectives used without nouns:

  1. After linking verbs:
    • She looks tired. (Here, “tired” is an adjective describing the subject “she.”)
    • The food smells delicious. (“Delicious” describes the quality of the food’s smell.)
  2. In responses or incomplete sentences:
    • “How was the movie?” “Great!” (In this dialogue, “great” stands alone as an adjective expressing the quality of the movie without explicitly mentioning it.)
  3. In exclamations:
    • Wonderful! (An adjective used alone to express a feeling or sentiment without a specific noun.)

While adjectives typically modify nouns or pronouns, they can also be used independently in sentences, especially in responses, exclamations, or when context implies the noun being described.

Can we use two adjectives together?

Yes, it’s common to use two or more adjectives together to provide more detailed or nuanced descriptions of nouns. When using multiple adjectives, they usually follow a specific order:

  1. Opinion: Adjectives expressing opinion or judgment (e.g., beautiful, nice, ugly)
  2. Size: Adjectives indicating size (e.g., small, large, tiny)
  3. Age: Adjectives denoting age (e.g., old, young, ancient)
  4. Shape: Adjectives describing shape (e.g., round, square, oval)
  5. Color: Adjectives indicating color (e.g., red, blue, yellow)
  6. Origin: Adjectives referring to origin or nationality (e.g., French, American, Chinese)
  7. Material: Adjectives specifying material (e.g., wooden, metallic, cotton)
  8. Purpose or Qualifier: Adjectives expressing purpose or other qualifiers (e.g., cooking, driving, sleeping)

Here are examples of multiple adjectives used together in a sentence following this order:

  • She bought a beautiful small round Italian pendant.
  • He lives in a large old red brick house.
  • I need to buy a comfortable new leather sofa.
  • They visited an ancient Egyptian temple.

These adjectives combine to provide more detailed descriptions, giving a clearer picture or a more vivid image of the noun they are describing. The order of adjectives might vary based on context, but this general sequence is commonly observed in English grammar.

Particpial Adjectives

Adjectives that end in “-ing” and “-ed” are called participial adjectives. They’re formed from verbs and used to describe the characteristics of a noun by expressing a person’s feelings, emotions, or the qualities associated with the noun.

  • Adjectives ending in “-ing” (present participle): These adjectives describe the characteristic of something that causes a feeling or emotion.
    • Examples: exciting (That movie was exciting.), refreshing (The cold drink was refreshing.), frightening (The horror story was frightening.)
  • Adjectives ending in “-ed” (past participle): These adjectives describe the feeling or emotion of a person or thing.
    • Examples: excited (She was excited about the news.), tired (He felt tired after a long day.), frightened (The child was frightened by the noise.)

Remember, adjectives ending in “-ing” typically describe the effect something has on someone or something else, while adjectives ending in “-ed” describe the state or feeling of the person or thing.

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives

adjectives can be classified into gradable and non-gradable (or strong/extreme) categories based on whether they can express different degrees of a quality.

1. Gradable Adjectives:

These adjectives can express different degrees or levels of a quality. They can be modified by adverbs like “very,” “quite,” “a bit,” etc., to indicate varying levels of the quality described.

  • Example of gradable adjectives:
    • Cold (This tea is very cold.)
    • Tall (He’s quite tall.)
    • Smart (She’s a bit smarter than her sister.)
    • Beautiful (The scenery is extremely beautiful.)
    • Noisy (The party was quite noisy.)

2. Non-gradable (Strong/Extreme) Adjectives:

These adjectives describe qualities that are already at an extreme or intense level. They don’t typically allow for different degrees of comparison or modification using adverbs like “very” or “extremely.”

  • Examples of non-gradable adjectives:
    • Perfect (The weather today is perfect.)
    • Utter (It’s utter chaos in the streets.)
    • Incredible (That performance was absolutely incredible.)
    • Complete (They had a complete misunderstanding.)
    • Impossible (It’s absolutely impossible to solve this puzzle.)

Non-gradable adjectives already imply the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality, so using adverbs like “very” or “extremely” with these adjectives might sound odd or redundant. Understanding the distinction between gradable and non-gradable adjectives is important for expressing degrees of qualities in English sentences.