The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin or material.

It’s a big table. (size)
It’s a round table. (shape)
It’s an old table. (age)
It’s a brown table. (color)
It’s an English table. (origin)
It’s a wooden table. (material)
It’s a lovely table. (opinion)
It’s a broken table. (observation)
It’s a coffee table. (purpose)

When an item is defined by its purpose, that word is usually not an adjective, but it acts as one in that situation.

coffee table
pool hall
hunting cabin
baseball player

What Do Adjectives Look Like?

English grammar can be tricky, there are often exceptions to the rules, so you need to be careful. You'll find that English adjectives often end with these suffixes:

-able/-ible – adorable, invisible, responsible, uncomfortable
-al – educational, gradual, illegal, nocturnal, viral
-an – American, Mexican, urban
-ar – cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar
-ent – intelligent, potent, silent, violent
-ful – harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful
-ic/-ical – athletic, energetic, magical, scientific
-ine – bovine, canine, equine, feminine, masculine
-ile – agile, docile, fertile, virile
-ive – informative, native, talkative
-less – careless, endless, homeless, timeless
-ous – cautious, dangerous, enormous, malodorous
-some – awesome, handsome, lonesome, wholesome

Many adjectives also end with -y, -ary, -ate, -ed, and -ing. However, nouns and adverbs can end with -y, lots of nouns end with -ary, nouns and verbs also end with -ate, and verbs also end in -ed and -ing. Remember we said you need to be careful! To work out if a word is an adjective or not, look at it's location in the sentence.

Where Do Adjectives Go in a Sentence?

If you come across a word that ends in -y, -ary or -ate (or any other suffix for that matter), and you want to know if it’s an adjective, just look at where it is and what it’s doing in the sentence. If it comes immediately before a noun, and especially if it comes between an article (a, an, the), a possessive adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), a demonstrative (this, that, these, those) or an amount (some, most, all, a few) and a noun, then it’s an adjective.

The grassy field was wet with dew. – “Grassy” comes between an article (the) and a noun (field), so you know it’s an adjective.
These are my old trophies. – “Old” comes between a possessive adjective (my) and a noun (trophies), making it an adjective.
We had a few ordinary days. – “Ordinary” comes between an amount (a few) and a noun (days), so it’s definitely an adjective.
Did you see that immaculate kitchen? – “Immaculate” comes between a demonstrative (that) and a noun (kitchen), so it must be an adjective.

Adjectives also act as complements. Complements are words that complete the predicate of a sentence when the verb is “be.”

He is tall.
We’ve been teachers for five years.
You were my best friend.
He was smart, handsome and rich.

As you can see, not all complements are adjectives. In these examples, “tall” and “smart, handsome and rich” are adjectives, but “teachers for five years” and “my best friend” are both noun phrases. If the complement is only one word, there’s a good chance it’s an adjective. Also if the complement is a list of words, those are probably also adjectives. If an article (a, an, the) or a possessive (my, his, her, its, your, our, their, mine, his, hers, its, yours, ours, theirs) is involved, it’s a noun phrase.

What’s the Correct Order for Multiple Adjectives?

When you list several adjectives in a row, there’s a specific order they need to be written or spoken in. Native speakers of English tend to put them in the correct order naturally, but if you’re learning English, you’ll have to memorize the order. It goes like this:

Determiner – This means an article (a, an, the), a number or amount, a possessive adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), or a demonstrative (this, that, these, those).
Observation/Opinion – Beautiful, expensive, gorgeous, broken, delicious, ugly
Size – Huge, tiny, 4-foot-tall
Shape – Square, circular, oblong
Age – 10-year-old, new, antique
Color – Black, red, blue-green
Origin – Roman, English, Mongolian
Material – Silk, silver, plastic, wooden
Qualifier – A noun or verb acting as adjective

This is the correct order for adjectives that come directly before a noun, and they are separated by commas.

My beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English, wooden coffee table was broken in the move.

If the adjectives come after the verb “be” as the complement, then the qualifier (the defining word) will stay with the noun at the beginning of the sentence. The adjectives in the complement are separated by commas with the final two being separated by “and.”

My coffee table is beautiful, big, circular, antique, brown, English and wooden.

What is the difference between attributive and predicative adjectives?
Adjectives in the first position - before the noun - are called ATTRIBUTIVE adjectives. Those in the second position - after the noun - are called PREDICATIVE adjectives. Notice that predicative adjectives do not occur immediately after the noun. Instead, they follow a verb.

What is an example of a predicate adjective?
A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies (i.e., refers back to) the subject of the linking verb. A predicate adjective contrasts with an attributive adjective, which typically sits immediately before the noun it modifies.

What are the questions that adjectives answer?
When they describe nouns or pronouns, adjectives typically answer the following questions: What kind? Which one?

What are the four questions that are answered by an adjective?
Things to remember:
•An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. (not a conjunction, verb, adverb, preposition etc..) •Adjectives answer one of 4 questions; 1. What Kind? Which one? How many? How much? about the word they are modifying.
•What's in the prepositional phrase, stays in the prepositional phrase.

What do adjectives tell?
The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object's size, shape, age, color, origin or material.

Adjective Order

There are 2 basic positions for adjectives: 1.Adjective Before Noun 2.Adjective After Verb 1.Adjective Before Noun I have a big dog. 2.Adjective After Verb Snow is white.

What is the correct order for two or more adjectives?

1. First of all, the general order is:

opinion, fact

"Opinion" is what you think about something. "Fact" is what is definitely true about something.

a lovely new dress (not ~~a new lovely dress~~)
a boring French film (not ~~a French boring film~~)

2. The "normal" order for fact adjectives is

size, shape, age, colour / origin / material / purpose

a small 18th-century French coffee table
a rectangular black wooden box

3. Determiners usually come first, even though some grammarians regard them as fact adjectives:

articles (a, the)
possessives (my, your...)
demonstratives (this, that...)
quantifiers (some, any, few, many...)
numbers (one, two, three)

Note that when we want to use two colour adjectives, we join them with "and":

Many newspapers are black and white.
She was wearing a long, blue and yellow dress.

Here are some examples of adjective order:

	adjectives						head noun
determiner	opinion adjectives	fact adjectives
determiner	opinion adjectives	other	size, shape, age, colour	origin	material	purpose*
two	ugly		black			guard	dogs
a		well-known		Chinese			artist
a			small, 18th-century	French		coffee	table
your	fabulous		new			sports	car
a	lovely		pink and green	Thai	silk		dress
some			black	Spanish	leather	riding	boots
a			big black and white				dog
this		cheap			plastic	rain	coat
an			old		wooden	fishing	boat
my			new			tennis	racket
a	wonderful		15th-century	Arabic			poem

*often a noun used as an adjective

Not all grammarians agree about the exact order of adjectives, and the detailed rules are complicated. The rules on this page are for the normal, "natural" order of adjectives. These rules are not rigid, and you may sometimes wish to change the order for emphasis.

Where do determiners go?
Determiners come first in noun phrases, before adjectives and noun modifiers.

Adjective phrases: position

Adjective phrases Adjective phrases: position

When an adjective is used with a noun, the usual order in English is adjective + noun:

a yellow balloon
Not: a balloon yellow

Adjective Phrase & Adjectival Phrase

In a noun phrase, dependent words before the head are either determiners (e.g. the, my, some) or premodifiers (e.g. adjectives). Dependent words after the head are either complements or postmodifiers.

Adjectives vs. Adverbs

In the following sentences, see if you can decide whether you need an adjective or an adverb. Work carefully!
1. Don't drive ___. You may hurt someone.
Dangerous
Dangerously

2. Your house is very ___ to mine.
Close
Closely

3. The ballerina dances ___.
Beautifully
Beautiful

4. The monkey moved ___ from branch to branch.
Quickly
Quick

5. Your ______ is being very ___. Please ignore her.
Bad
Badly

6. Listen ___ to what I am about to say.
Careful
Carefully

7. You can learn English ___if you practise every day!
Easily
Easy

8. The dictionary you gave me was very ___in class today.
Helpfully
Helpful

9. I don't know what you want from me, ___.!
Honestly
Honestly

10. Go and tidy your room, don't be so ___!
Lazy
Lazily

Correct Answer

1.Dangerously
2.Close
3.Beautifully
4.Quickly
5.Bad
6.Carefully
7.Easily
8.Helpful
9.Honestly
10.Lazy

Questions that need to be answered.

What is an adjective?

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
An adjective can indicate what kind of, how many, whose, or which.

Articles are special kinds of adjectives.

Adjectives describe nouns. Often, writers use only one adjective to describe a noun either by placing the adjective in front of the noun or by using a stative verb and placing the adjective at the end of the sentence. For example:

He's an excellent teacher.
She seems very shy.

Many adjectives in English are formed by adding suffixes to nouns and verbs. For example, adding the suffix -ful to the noun beauty makes the adjective beautiful, and adding the suffix -able to the verb read makes the adjective readable. Other suffixes often used to create adjectives include -al, -ary, -able and -ible, -ish, -ic, -less, -like, -ous, -some, and -y.

What are adjectives?

Adjectives are words used to describe or modify nouns—for example, red, quick, happy, obnoxious.
Adjectives can be one word or a group of words.
Adjectives are sometimes used with certain verbs (such as the verb "to be").
Adjectives are used to clarify the subject that is doing the action.
Adjectives are used to describe color, material, shape, size, amount, price, quality, origin, personality, weight, temperature, age, direction, etc.
Adjectives are placed before the noun.
Adjectives can be used with all forms of nouns (see nouns).

What are the different types of adjectives?
Determiners
the, a/an, this, some, any

Descriptive Adjectives (Adjective Order)
beautiful, long, dark brown

Comparative Adjectives
richer, more exciting

Superlative Adjectives
the richest, the most exciting

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives

Determiners

Articles: a, an, the
Demonstratives: this, that, these, those, which etc.
Possessives: my, your, our, their, his, hers, whose, my friend's, our friends', etc.
Quantifiers:few, a few, many, much, each, every, some, any etc.
Numbers: one, two, three, twenty, forty
Ordinals: first, second, 1st 2nd, 3rd, last, next, etc. Other determiners:
either, neither
some, any, no
little, less, least
both, half, all
several
enough

What are various examples of adjectives?

adjectives-list.html

What are the different types of adjectives?

Where should an adjective be placed in s simple declarative sentence?

Can two or more adjectives be placed together in a simple declarative sentence?

Kinds

What is the difference between types and forms of adjectives?

Function of Adjectives

What are the different types of determiners?
There are eight classes of determiners

Definite and Indefinite articles: the, a, an
Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
Possessives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Quantifiers: a few, a little, much, many, a lot of, most, some, any, enough, etc.
Numbers: one, ten, thirty, etc.
Distributives: all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
Difference words: other, another
Interrogatives: which, what, whose

Descriptive Adjectives

Adjective Quiz

Descriptive Adjectives

Adjective Quiz

How many types of pronouns, verbs, nouns, prepositions, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, and interjections are there?

What is the correct order for two or more adjectives?

Attributive adjectives
Predicative adjectives

What are adjectives?

What are the different types of determiners?
How are they used in a sentence?
Can determiners be used as pronouns as well?
Are determiners one of the classifications of adjectives?
How many kinds of articles are there in English?
What do comparisons of adjectives (positive / comparative / superlative degrees) look like in English?
What kind is it?
How many are there?
Which one is it?
What verb should you use with singular nouns?
Singular nouns and pronouns go with singular verbs.

What verb should you use with a plural noun?
Plural nouns and pronouns go with plural verbs.

What is the specific combination of noun and verb called in English grammar?
Subject verb agreement.

Are there any exceptions?
What are the exceptions?
What is subject and verb agreement?
What are the guidelines for subject and verb agreement?
Where do you use the word is?
Where do you use the word are?
What are the words similar to this word?

Adjective Order (with Quiz)
beautiful, long, dark brown

Comparative Adjectives
richer, more exciting

Superlative Adjectives
the richest, the most exciting

Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives | Quiz

Noun as Adjective
coffee cup, bus station, research centre

What are the different types of determiners?
How are they used in a sentence?
Can determiners be used as pronouns as well?
Are determiners one of the classifications of adjectives?

Determiners

The words a and an are called indefinite articles. The word the is a definite article. They are adjectives too.

A, An or The?

When do we say "the dog" and when do we say "a dog"? (On this page we talk only about singular, countable nouns.)

The and a/an are called "articles". We divide them into "definite" and "indefinite" like this:

Articles
Definite	Indefinite
the	a, an

We use "definite" to mean sure, certain. "Definite" is particular.

We use "indefinite" to mean not sure, not certain. "Indefinite" is general.

When we are talking about one thing in particular, we use the. When we are talking about one thing in general, we use a or an.

Think of the sky at night. In the sky we see 1 moon and millions of stars. So normally we would say:

I saw the moon last night.
I saw a star last night.

Look at these examples:

the	a, an
The capital of France is Paris. I have found the book that I lost. Have you cleaned the car? There are six eggs in the fridge. Please switch off the TV when you finish.	I was born in a town. John had an omelette for lunch. James Bond ordered a drink. We want to buy an umbrella. Have you got a pen?

Of course, often we can use the or a/an for the same word. It depends on the situation, not the word. Look at these examples:

We want to buy an umbrella. (Any umbrella, not a particular umbrella.)
Where is the umbrella? (We already have an umbrella. We are looking for our umbrella, a particular umbrella.)

This little story should help you understand the difference between the and a, an:

A man and a woman were walking in Oxford Street. The woman saw a dress that she liked in a shop. She asked the man if he could buy the dress for her. He said: "Do you think the shop will accept a cheque? I don't have a credit card."

Determiners with countable and uncountable nouns (SOME, ANY, NO, MANY, MUCH, FEW, LITTLE etc.)
Determiners modify nouns and are always placed before the noun which they modify. Countable and uncountable nouns may take different determiners. (SING: singular noun; PL: plural noun)

with countable nouns	with uncountable nouns (singular only)
a, an, the, zero article	the, zero article
this, that + SING	this, that
these, those + PL	-
some, any, no + PL	some, any, no every + SING -
few, a few, many, fewer, fewest, more, most + PL, most of the + PL	little, a little, much, less, least, more, most, most of the
a lot of, lots of, plenty of etc. + PL	a lot of, lots of, plenty of etc.
a number of + PL	an amount of
other + PL, another + SING, the other + SING	(the) other
enough + PL	enough
all + PL, all the + PL	all, all the
both + PL	-
neither, either + SING	-
none of the + PL	none of the
each + SING, each of the + PL	-
Example sentences	-
countable nouns	uncountable nouns
This film is good.	This juice is good.
Those apples are delicious. -
I've got some problems.	I need some time to fix this.
I don't have any problems with that.	I don't have any time for you now.
That boy has no friends at all.	I have no time for you now.
Every cloud has a silver lining.	-
There were few people at the concert. (= not many)	There's little hope that he will survive. (= not much)
There were a few people at the concert. (= some)	There's a little hope that he will survive. (= some)
There were not many people at the concert. (= few)	There's not much hope that he will survive. (= little)
Most mammals live on land.	Most furniture is made of wood.
Most of the patrons were art students.	Most of the time I'm not at home.
This medicine has the fewest side effects.	This medicine does the least harm.
There were a lot of people at the concert.	-
There were lots of people at the concert.	-
A number of questions arose at the meeting.	-
Other boys would have done the same.	I have other advice for you.
Give me another example.	-
Here's the other example.	His other advice is to take up swimming.
Have you got enough pens for everyone?	Is there enough milk in the fridge?
All students are to take the Academic English Exam.	-
I don't like either cup.	-
Neither side won.	-
None of them were interested but him.	None of the music they played attracted me.
Each question carries one mark.	-
Each of the questions carries one mark.	-

Possessive Adjectives

What are examples of possessive adjectives?
What are possessive adjectives?
What is the Difference between Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns?
English Exercises: Possessive adjectives

What are examples of possessive adjectives?
1.My
2.Your •Your(Singular) •Your(Plural)
3.His
4.Her
5.Its
6.Our
7.Their
8.Whose

Whose bag is this?

In this interrogative sentence, the italicized word “whose” is used to express ownership for the noun “bag.”

Possessive Pronouns List:
•mine
•yours (singular, plural)
•his
•hers
•its
•ours
•yours (plural)
•theirs
•whose

English Exercises: Possessive adjectives

Q1: True or False? A possessive adjective is used to indicate who (or what) owns something.
A: True
B: False
Correct
A: True

Q2: Select the possessive adjective.
The An My Little Any Much
Correct
My

Q3: Select the sentence with a possessive adjective.
A: You're really tough.

B: My friend went shark diving.
Correct
B: My friend went shark diving.

Q4: Select the possessive adjective.
A: It is
B: Its
C: It's
Correct
B: Its

Q5: True or False? You're is a possessive adjective.
Correct
False

Q6: Select the possessive adjective.
A celebrity is a person who works hard all of their life to become well-known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. (Fred Allen)

Correct
their
Possessive Adjective Exercises for you

1.My pen is on the table.
2.I think you forgot your lunch.
3.The dog buried its bone.
4.The girl missed her bus.
5.Joey left his pen in the class.
6.That’s our school.
7.My car is very new.
8.My mother is very kind.
9.How old is your father?
10.He’s broken his bat.
11.She’s washing her car.
12.I need to clean my shoes.
13.I want to go to my class.
14.I want to marry with my friend.
15.Your bat is there.
16.Your house is very far from school.
17.Who are your mother and father?
18.Who is my class teacher?
19.I finished my lunch.
20.I missed my class today.

Answers: 1 – my, 2 – your, 3 – its, 4 – her, 5 – his, 6 – our, 7 – My, 8 – My, 9 – your, 10 – his, 11 – her, 12 – my, 13 – my, 14 – my, 15 – your, 16 – your, 17 – your, 18 – my, 19 – my, 20 – my

http://www.qureshiuniversity.org/possessive-adjectives.html

This is my book.
my

I like your hair.
your

His name is "John".
his

Her name is "Mary".
her

The dog is licking its paw.
its

We have _____ our house.
our

Your children are lovely.
your

The students thanked their teacher.
their

Whose phone did you use?
whose

Each, Every

He was carrying a suitcase in each hand.
each

The bus leaves every hour.
every

Adjective

What kind is it?
How many are there?
Which one is it?

Adjectives can be classified into many categories. In English, adjectives are generally used in the order: quantity-->opinion-->size-->age-->shape-->color-->origin-->material-->purpose. Some of these categories are (roughly in the order in which adjectives are used in English):

quantity - few, no, one, two, three, four, several, many, all, some, every, each, ...
opinion - good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, valuable, worthless, important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, ...
personality/emotion - happy, sad, excited, scared, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, ...
sound - loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispered, hushed, ...
taste - sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable, yummy, luscious, appetising, tasteless, spicy, watery, ...
touch - hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ...
size, weight - heavy, light, big, small, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny, skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ...
smell - sweaty, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty, sweet-smelling, perfumed, ...
speed - quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, ...
temperature - hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ...
age - young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ...
distance - short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, ...
shape - round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, ...
miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ...
brightness - light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous, gleaming, ...
color - pink, red, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, ...
time - early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed, punctual, ...
origin/location - lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Asian, English, Australian, ...
material - glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, metal, steel, ...
purpose - folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...

The Basic Rules: Adjectives

A countable noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat--cats," "season--seasons," "student--students."

An uncountable noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "food."

Most of the time, this doesn't matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as the following:

* some/any
* much/many
* little/few
* a lot of/lots of
* a little bit of
* plenty of
* enough
* no

Some/Any:

Both "some" and "any" can modify countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is some water on the floor."
* "There are some Mexicans here."
* "Do you have any food?"
* "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many:

"Much" modifies only uncountable nouns.

* "They have so much money in the bank."
* "The horse drinks so much water."

"Many" modifies only countable nouns.

* "Many Americans travel to Europe."
* "I collected many sources for my paper."

Little/Few:

"Little" modifies only uncountable nouns.

* "He had little food in the house."
* "When I was in college, there was little money to spare."

"Few" modifies only countable nouns.

* "There are a few doctors in town."
* "He had few reasons for his opinion."

A lot of/lots of:

"A lot of" and "lots of" are informal substitutes for much and many. They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean "much" and with countable nouns when they mean "many."

* "They have lots of (much) money in the bank."
* "A lot of (many) Americans travel to Europe."
* "We got lots of (many) mosquitoes last summer."
* "We got lots of (much) rain last summer."

A little bit of:

"A little bit of" is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

* "There is a little bit of pepper in the soup."
* "There is a little bit of snow on the ground."

Plenty of:

"Plenty of" modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "They have plenty of money in the bank."
* "There are plenty of millionaires in Switzerland."

Enough:

Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is enough money to buy a car."
* "I have enough books to read."

No

No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is no time to finish now."
* "There are no squirrels in the park."

Proper Adjectives
Articles
There are only three of these special types of adjectives: a, an , and the.
Regular Comparatives and Superlatives
Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives
Adjectives That Cannot Be Comparative or Superlative

List of Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives can be divided into different categories such as colors, sizes, sound, taste, touch, shapes, qualities, time, personality and ages. The following lists provide a few examples of descriptive adjectives in each of their categories:

Colors are adjectives
Colors - examples: black, blue, white, green, red

Sizes
Sizes - examples: big, small, large, thin, thick

Shapes
Shapes- examples: triangular, round, square, circular

Qualities
Qualities- examples: good, bad, mediocre

Personality Traits
Personality - examples: happy, sad, angry, depressed

Time related
Time - examples: Yearly , monthly, annually

Age related
Ages - examples: new, young, old, brand-new, second-hand

Sound related
Sound related - examples: loud, noisy, quiet, silent

Touch related
Touch related - examples: slippery, sticky

Taste related
Taste related - examples: juicy, sweet

Positive Adjectives
The positive adjective is the simple form of the adjective without expressing increase or diminution of the original quality: nice. Adjectives expressive of properties or circumstances which cannot be increased have only the positive form; a circular road; the chief end; an extreme measure.

Comparative Adjectives
The comparative adjective is that form of the adjective which expresses increase or diminution of the quality: nicer. Examples are older than or more expensive than or bigger than or faster than or taller than etc. Adjectives are compared in two ways, either by adding er to the positive to form the comparative and est to the positive to form the superlative. The following adjectives are exceptions to this rule ( irregular ):

bad becomes worse or worst

good becomes better or best.

Comparative adjectives are also formed by prefixing more to the positive for the comparative and most to the positive for the superlative; handsome, handsomer, handsomest or handsome, more handsome, most handsome

Superlative Adjectives

The superlative adjective is that form which expresses the greatest increase or diminution of the quality: nicest. An adjective is in the superlative form when it expresses a comparison between one and a number of individuals taken separately; "John is the richest man in Boston.".

An adjective is also in the positive form when it does not express comparison; as, "A rich man." Adjectives of two or more syllables are generally compared by prefixing more and most. Example: Paris is the most romantic city in the world.

Predicate Adjective

A Predicate Adjective is an adjective that functions as a predicate, such as "John is handsome", handsome being the Predicate Adjective.

Overview

An adjective is in the superlative form when it expresses a comparison between one and a number of individuals taken separately; "John is the richest man in Boston."

Adjectives expressive of properties or circumstances which cannot be increased have only the positive form; a circular road; the chief end; an extreme measure.

Adjectives are compared in two ways, either by adding er to the positive to form the comparative and est to the positive to form the superlative, or by prefixing more to the positive for the comparative and most to the positive for the superlative; handsome, handsomer, handsomest or handsome, more handsome, most handsome

Adjectives of two or more syllables are generally compared by prefixing more and most

Many adjectives are irregular in comparison; bad, worse, worst or good, better, best.

Examples Help - Understanding the Different Adjectives! Understanding the different types of Adjectives is a basic requirement of the English language. We hope the above information will be of some assistance.

Proper Adjectives

Just like proper nouns, proper adjectives start with a capital letter. In fact, proper adjectives are made from proper nouns. They normally answer the adjective question, "What kind?"

Comparatives and Superlatives

Many adjectives can have different degrees. By this I mean that something can have more or less of an adjective's quality.

For instance, you may find the weather in California to be hot, Tahiti's weather to be hotter, and the Sahara Desert's to be the hottest.

See how there are different degrees of the adjective hot? We've just used the comparative and superlative forms of the word hot to show this adjective's different degrees.

Positive Comparative Superlative hot hotter hottest

Comparative Adjectives

Use the comparative form when you are comparing two things.

In the examples below, we are comparing Talia and her neighbor.

Examples

: Talia is richer than her neighbor.

Talia is more beautiful than her neighbor.

Okay, now that we'd all like to meet the rich and beautiful Talia, let's look at the patterns of comparative adjectives.

Most comparative adjectives end in -er (richer, happier, taller...) or begin with more (more beautiful, more peaceful, more spontaneous). There are also irregular comparatives which do not follow this -er or more pattern (better, less, worse...).

Superlative Adjectives

Use the superlative form when you are comparing three or more things.

In the examples below, we are comparing Talia with her neighbor AND her librarian.

Examples
: Out of Talia, her neighbor, and her librarian, Talia is the richest.

Out of Talia, her neighbor, and her librarian, Talia is the most beautiful.

Most superlative adjectives end in -est (richest, happiest, tallest...) or begin with most (most beautiful, most peaceful, most spontaneous). But, just like comparative adjectives, there are some irregularities (best, least, worst...).

Examples

In the chart below, positive simply means the form of the adjective before it is in its comparative or superlative form.

Regular Comparatives and Superlatives
Positive Comparative Superlative
happy happier happiest
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives
Positive Comparative Superlative good better best
little less least
bad worse worst

Neither Comparative Nor Superlative!
There are adjectives, however that cannot change degrees.

For example, a woman is either pregnant or she isn't. There is no "pregnanter" or "pregnantest."

Your best buddy might be your main man, but you don't have a "mainer" or "mainest" man.

Feeling overwhelmed? Just remember the answer to the question, "What is an adjective?" (It's a word that describes a noun or pronoun, remember?) That's the most important thing to remember.

Want to see more examples of adjectives? Click here.

Adjective or Pronoun?

Some words can be either adjectives or pronouns depending on how they are acting in the sentence.

How are you going to tell the difference?

Well, what is an adjective? It's a word that describes a noun or pronoun, right?

So, if a word describes a noun or pronoun, it's an adjective. If a word takes the place of a noun instead of describing it, then it is a pronoun. Confused? Here are a few examples:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
rich	richer	richest
lovely	lovelier	loveliest
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful
Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees:
Irregular	Comparative	and Superlative Forms
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
little	less	least
much many some	more	most
far	further	furthest

Possessive Adjectives We use possessive adjectives to show who owns or "possesses" something. The possessive adjectives are:

my, your, his, her, its, our, their
whose (interrogative)

number	person	gender	possessive adjective	example sentence
singular	1st	male/female	my	This is my book.
	2nd	male/female	your	I like your hair.
	3rd	male	his	His name is "John".
		female	her	Her name is "Mary".
		neuter	its	The dog is licking its paw.
plural	1st	male/female	our	We have sold our house.
	2nd	male/female	your	Your children are lovely.
	3rd	male/female/neuter	their	The students thanked their teacher.

singular/plural	1st/2nd/3rd	male/female (not neuter)	whose	Whose phone did you use?

Compare:

your = possessive adjective
you're = you are

its = possessive adjective
it's = it is OR it has

their = possessive adjective
they're = they are
there = adverb (I'm not going there / look over there / there is a car outside)

whose = possessive adjective
who's = who is OR who has

Compare:

your = possessive adjective
you're = you are

its = possessive adjective
it's = it is OR it has

their = possessive adjective
they're = they are
there = adverb (I'm not going there / look over there / there is a car outside)

whose = possessive adjective
who's = who is OR who has

Be careful! There is no apostrophe (') in the possessive adjective "its". We use an apostrophe to write the short form of "it is" or "it has". For example:
it's raining = it is raining
it's finished = it has finished

I'm taking my dog to the vet. It's broken its leg.

The Basic Rules: Adjectives

A countable noun is one that can be expressed in plural form, usually with an "s." For example, "cat--cats," "season--seasons," "student--students."

An uncountable noun is one that usually cannot be expressed in a plural form. For example, "milk," "water," "air," "money," "food." Usually, you can't say, "He had many moneys."

Most of the time, this doesn't matter with adjectives. For example, you can say, "The cat was gray" or "The air was gray." However, the difference between a countable and uncountable noun does matter with certain adjectives, such as the following:

* some/any
* much/many
* little/few
* a lot of/lots of
* a little bit of
* plenty of
* enough
* no

Some/Any:

Both "some" and "any" can modify countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is some water on the floor."
* "There are some Mexicans here."
* "Do you have any food?"
* "Do you have any apples?"

Much/Many:

"Much" modifies only uncountable nouns.

* "They have so much money in the bank."
* "The horse drinks so much water."

"Many" modifies only countable nouns.

* "Many Americans travel to Europe."
* "I collected many sources for my paper."

Little/Few:

"Little" modifies only uncountable nouns.

* "He had little food in the house."
* "When I was in college, there was little ______ to spare."

"Few" modifies only countable nouns.

* "There are a few doctors in town."
* "He had few reasons for his opinion."

A lot of/lots of:

"A lot of" and "lots of" are informal substitutes for much and many. They are used with uncountable nouns when they mean "much" and with countable nouns when they mean "many."

* "They have lots of (much) ______ in the ______."
* "A lot of (many) Americans travel to ______."
* "We got lots of (many) mosquitoes last summer."
* "We got lots of (much) rain last summer."

A little bit of:

"A little bit of" is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

* "There is a little bit of pepper in the soup."
* "There is a little bit of snow on the ground."

Plenty of:

"Plenty of" modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "They have plenty of ______ in the ______."
* "There are plenty of ______ in ______."

Enough:

Enough modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is enough money to buy a car."
* "I have enough books to read."

No

No modifies both countable and uncountable nouns.

* "There is no time to finish now."
* "There are no squirrels in the park."

ADJECTIVES: POSITION IN A SENTENCE
1. Proper adjectives
2. Attributive adjectives
3. Predicate adjectives
4. Interpolated adjectives
5. Adjectival phrases and clauses
6. Participles used as adjectives

Examples of Adjectives

Adjective placement

Examples of Adjective Clauses

Adjective Quiz

Noun and adjective forms

Adjective Order

•Adjective before noun •Adjective after certain verbs •Adjective order quiz

Adjective Before Noun

Adjective After Certain Verbs

Adjective Order Quiz

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADJECTIVES

TYPES OF ADJECTIVE

Adjective Order

Types Of Adjectives

List of Descriptive Adjectives

Tips for using adjectives

English Adjectives, Determiners and Order of Adjectives in a Sentence

Forming Comparatives and Superlatives from Adjectives The table below shows the rules for forming comparatives and superlatives from adjectives:

Type of Adjective	Example of Type of Adjective	How to Form the Comparative	How to Form the Superlative
One Syllable	strong	add er stronger	add est strongest
One Syllable Ending Vowel Consonant	big thin	double consonant and add er bigger thinner	double consonant and add est biggest thinnest
More Than One Syllable	famous	add less or more more famous	add most or least least famous
More Than One Syllable Ending y	silly	remove y add ier sillier for less less silly	remove y add iest silliest for least least silly
Irregular	bad good many	no rules worse better more	no rules worst best most

Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

One-syllable adjectives.

Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.

One-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
tall	taller	tallest
old	older	oldest
long	longer	longest

Mary is taller than Max.
Mary is the tallest of all the students.
Max is older than John.
Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
My hair is longer than your hair.
Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
large	larger	largest
wise	wiser	wisest

Mary's car is larger than Max's car.
Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
Max is wiser than his brother.
Max is the wisest person I know.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
big	bigger	biggest
thin	thinner	thinnest
fat	fatter	fattest

My dog is bigger than your dog.
My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
Max is thinner than John.
Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
My mother is fatter than your mother.
Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives.

With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
peaceful	more peaceful	most peaceful
pleasant	more pleasant	most pleasant
careful	more careful	most careful
thoughtful	more thoughtful	most thoughtful

This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
Max is more careful than Mike.
Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.

If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
happy	happier	happiest
angry	angrier	angriest
busy	busier	busiest

John is happier today than he was yesterday.
John is the happiest boy in the world.
Max is angrier than Mary.
Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest.
Mary is busier than Max.
Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
narrow	narrower	narrowest
gentle	gentler	gentlest

The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.
This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectives with three or more syllables.

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Adjective with Three or More Syllables	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
generous	more generous	most generous
important	more important	most important
intelligent	more intelligent	most intelligent

John is more generous than Jack.
John is the most generous of all the people I know.
Health is more important than money.
Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
Women are more intelligent than men.
Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

Exceptions.

Irregular adjectives.

Irregular Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
far	farther	farthest
little	less	least
many	more	most

Italian food is better than American food.
My dog is the best dog in the world.
My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.
Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
clever	cleverer	cleverest
clever	more clever	most clever
gentle	gentler	gentlest
gentle	more gentle	most gentle
friendly	friendlier	friendliest
friendly	more friendly	most friendly
quiet	quieter	quietest
quiet	more quiet	most quiet
simple	simpler	simplest
simple	more simple	most simple

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.

Degrees of Comparison

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
rich	richer	richest
lovely	lovelier	loveliest
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful

Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees:

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
little	less	least
much many some	more	most
far	further	furthest

Lists of adjectives

Common adjectives

Good

First

Last

Long

great

little

other

right

high

different

small

large

early

young

important

public

same

able

Appearance adjectives

adorable

beautiful

clean

drab

elegant

fancy

glamorous

handsome

long

magnificent

old-fashioned

plain

quaint

sparkling

ugliest

unsightly

wide-eyed

Color adjectives

orange

yellow

green

blue

purple

gray

black

white

Condition adjectives

alive

better

careful

clever

dead

easy

famous

gifted

helpful

important

inexpensive

mushy

powerful

rich

tender

uninterested

vast

wrong

Personality adjectives – Positive

agreeable

brave

calm

delightful

eager

faithful

gentle

happy

jolly

kind

lively

nice

obedient

proud

relieved

silly

thankful

victorious

witty

zealous

Personality adjectives – Negative

angry

bewildered

clumsy

defeated

embarrassed

fierce

grumpy

helpless

itchy

jealous

lazy

mysterious

nervous

obnoxious

panicky

repulsive

scary

thoughtless

uptight

worried

Shape adjectives

broad

chubby

crooked

curved

deep

flat

high

hollow

narrow

round

shallow

skinny

square

steep

straight

wide

Size adjectives

colossal

gigantic

great

huge

immense

large

little

mammoth

massive

miniature

petite

puny

scrawny

short

small

tall

teeny

teeny-tiny

tiny

Sound adjectives

cooing

deafening

faint

hissing

loud

melodic

noisy

purring

quiet

raspy

screeching

thundering

voiceless

whispering

Time adjectives

ancient

brief

early

fast

late

long

modern

old-fashioned

quick

rapid

short

slow

swift

young

Taste/touch adjectives

bitter

delicious

fresh

greasy

juicy

loose

melted

nutritious

prickly

rainy

rotten

salty

sticky

strong

sweet

tart

tasteless

uneven

weak

wooden

yummy

Touch adjectives

boiling

breeze

broken

bumpy

chilly

cold

cool

creepy

crooked

cuddly

curly

damaged

damp

dirty

dusty

filthy

flaky

fluffy

freezing

warm

wet

Quantity adjectives

abundant

empty

full

heavy

light

many

numerous

sparse

substantial

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
aback

abaft

abandoned

abashed

aberrant

abhorrent

abiding

abject

ablaze

able

abnormal

aboard

aboriginal

abortive

abounding

abrasive

abrupt

absent

absorbed

absorbing

abstracted

absurd

abundant

abusive

acceptable

accessible

accidental

accurate

acid

acidic

acoustic

acrid

actually

ad hoc

adamant

adaptable

addicted

adhesive

adjoining

adorable

adventurous

afraid

aggressive

agonizing

agreeable

ahead

ajar

alcoholic

alert

alike

alive

alleged

alluring

aloof

amazing

ambiguous

ambitious

amuck

amused

amusing

ancient

angry

animated

annoyed

annoying

anxious

apathetic

aquatic

aromatic

arrogant

ashamed

aspiring

assorted

astonishing

attractive

auspicious

automatic

available

average

awake

aware

awesome

awful

axiomatic

barbarous

bashful

bawdy

beautiful

befitting

belligerent

beneficial

bent

berserk

best

better

bewildered

billowy

bite-sized

bitter

bizarre

black

black-and-white

bloody

blue

blue-eyed

blushing

boiling

boorish

bored

boring

bouncy

boundless

brainy

brash

brave

brawny

breakable

breezy

brief

bright

bright

broad

broken

brown

bumpy

burly

bustling

busy

cagey

calculating

callous

calm

capable

capricious

careful

careless

caring

cautious

ceaseless

certain

changeable

charming

cheap

cheerful

chemical

chief

childlike

chilly

chivalrous

chubby

chunky

clammy

classy

clean

clear

clever

cloistered

cloudy

closed

clumsy

cluttered

coherent

cold

colorful

colossal

combative

comfortable

common

complete

complex

concerned

condemned

confused

conscious

cooing

cool

cooperative

coordinated

courageous

cowardly

crabby

craven

crazy

creepy

crooked

crowded

cruel

cuddly

cultured

cumbersome

curious

curly

curved

curvy

cute

cute

cynical

daffy

daily

damaged

damaging

damp

dangerous

dapper

dark

dashing

dazzling

dead

deadpan

deafening

dear

debonair

decisive

decorous

deep

deeply

defeated

defective

defiant

delicate

delicious

delightful

demonic

delirious

dependent

depressed

deranged

descriptive

deserted

detailed

determined

devilish

didactic

different

difficult

diligent

direful

dirty

disagreeable

disastrous

discreet

disgusted

disgusting

disillusioned

dispensable

distinct

disturbed

divergent

dizzy

domineering

doubtful

drab

draconian

dramatic

dreary

drunk

dull

dusty

dusty

dynamic

dysfunctional

E
eager early earsplitting earthy easy eatable economic educated efficacious efficient eight elastic elated elderly electric elegant elfin elite embarrassed eminent empty enchanted enchanting encouraging endurable energetic enormous entertaining enthusiastic envious equable equal erect erratic ethereal evanescent evasive even excellent excited exciting exclusive exotic expensive extra- large extra-small exuberant exultant

F
fabulous faded faint fair faithful fallacious false familiar famous fanatical fancy fantastic far far-flung fascinated fast fat faulty fearful fearless feeble feigned female fertile festive few fierce filthy fine finicky first five fixed flagrant flaky flashy flat flawless flimsy flippant flowery fluffy fluttering foamy foolish foregoing forgetful fortunate four frail fragile frantic free freezing frequent fresh fretful friendly frightened frightening full fumbling functional funny furry furtive future futuristic fuzzy

G
gabby gainful gamy gaping garrulous gaudy general gentle giant giddy gifted gigantic glamorous gleaming glib glistening glorious glossy godly good goofy gorgeous graceful grandiose grateful gratis gray greasy great greedy green grey grieving groovy grotesque grouchy grubby gruesome grumpy guarded guiltless gullible gusty guttural

H
habitual half hallowed halting handsome handsomely handy hanging hapless happy hard hard-to-find harmonious harsh hateful heady healthy heartbreaking heavenly heavy hellish helpful helpless hesitant hideous high highfalutin high-pitched hilarious hissing historical holistic hollow homeless homely honorable horrible hospitable hot huge hulking humdrum humorous hungry hurried hurt hushed husky hypnotic hysterical

I
icky icy idiotic ignorant ill illegal ill-fated ill-informed illustrious imaginary immense imminent impartial imperfect impolite important imported impossible incandescent incompetent inconclusive industrious incredible inexpensive infamous innate innocent inquisitive insidious instinctive intelligent interesting internal invincible irate irritating itchy

J
jaded jagged jazzy jealous jittery jobless jolly joyous judicious juicy jumbled jumpy juvenile

K
kaput keen kind kindhearted kindly knotty knowing knowledgeable known

L
labored lackadaisical lacking lame lamentable languid large last late laughable lavish lazy lean learned left legal lethal level lewd light like likeable limping literate little lively lively living lonely long longing long-term loose lopsided loud loutish lovely loving low lowly lucky ludicrous lumpy lush luxuriant lying lyrical

M
macabre macho maddening madly magenta magical magnificent majestic makeshift male malicious mammoth maniacal many marked massive married marvelous material materialistic mature mean measly meaty medical meek mellow melodic melted merciful mere messy mighty military milky mindless miniature minor miscreant misty mixed moaning modern moldy momentous motionless mountainous muddled mundane murky mushy mute mysterious

N
naive nappy narrow nasty natural naughty nauseating near neat nebulous necessary needless needy neighborly nervous new next nice nifty nimble nine nippy noiseless noisy nonchalant nondescript nonstop normal nostalgic nosy noxious null numberless numerous nutritious nutty

O
oafish obedient obeisant obese obnoxious obscene obsequious observant obsolete obtainable oceanic odd offbeat old old-fashioned omniscient one onerous open opposite optimal orange ordinary organic ossified outgoing outrageous outstanding oval overconfident overjoyed overrated overt overwrought

P
painful painstaking pale paltry panicky panoramic parallel parched parsimonious past pastoral pathetic peaceful penitent perfect periodic permissible perpetual petite petite phobic physical picayune pink piquant placid plain plant plastic plausible pleasant plucky pointless poised polite political poor possessive possible powerful precious premium present pretty previous pricey prickly private probable productive profuse protective proud psychedelic psychotic public puffy pumped puny purple purring pushy puzzled puzzling

Q
quack quaint quarrelsome questionable quick quickest quiet quirky quixotic quizzical

R
rabid racial ragged rainy rambunctious rampant rapid rare raspy ratty ready real rebel receptive recondite red redundant reflective regular relieved remarkable reminiscent repulsive resolute resonant responsible rhetorical rich right righteous rightful rigid ripe ritzy roasted robust romantic roomy rotten rough round royal ruddy rude rural rustic ruthless

S
sable sad safe salty same sassy satisfying savory scandalous scarce scared scary scattered scientific scintillating scrawny screeching second second-hand secret secretive sedate seemly selective selfish separate serious shaggy shaky shallow sharp shiny shivering shocking short shrill shut shy sick silent silent silky silly simple simplistic sincere six skillful skinny sleepy slim slimy slippery sloppy slow small smart smelly smiling smoggy smooth sneaky snobbish snotty soft soggy solid somber sophisticated sordid sore sore sour sparkling special spectacular spicy spiffy spiky spiritual spiteful splendid spooky spotless spotted spotty spurious squalid square squealing squeamish staking stale standing statuesque steadfast steady steep stereotyped sticky stiff stimulating stingy stormy straight strange striped strong stupendous stupid sturdy subdued subsequent substantial successful succinct sudden sulky super superb superficial supreme swanky sweet sweltering swift symptomatic synonymous

T
taboo tacit tacky talented tall tame tan tangible tangy tart tasteful tasteless tasty tawdry tearful tedious teeny teeny-tiny telling temporary ten tender tense tense tenuous terrible terrific tested testy thankful therapeutic thick thin thinkable third thirsty thirsty thoughtful thoughtless threatening three thundering tidy tight tightfisted tiny tired tiresome toothsome torpid tough towering tranquil trashy tremendous tricky trite troubled truculent true truthful two typical

U
ubiquitous ugliest ugly ultra unable unaccountable unadvised unarmed unbecoming unbiased uncovered understood undesirable unequal unequaled uneven unhealthy uninterested unique unkempt unknown unnatural unruly unsightly unsuitable untidy unused unusual unwieldy unwritten upbeat uppity upset uptight used useful useless utopian utter uttermost

V
vacuous vagabond vague valuable various vast vengeful venomous verdant versed victorious vigorous violent violet vivacious voiceless volatile voracious vulgar

W
wacky waggish waiting wakeful wandering wanting warlike warm wary wasteful watery weak wealthy weary well-groomed well-made well-off well-to-do wet whimsical whispering white whole wholesale wicked wide wide-eyed wiggly wild willing windy wiry wise wistful witty woebegone womanly wonderful wooden woozy workable worried worthless wrathful wretched wrong wry

Example Sentences List

In this list the bold words in orange color are adjectives.
1.The colorful balloon floated over the treetop.
2.The big dog chased the car.
3.A yellow butterfly is sitting on the red rose.
4.The tall giraffe is eating green leaves.
5.A small rat is beside the brown cabinet.
6.The beautiful princess is wearing a purple gown.

Adding Adjectives and Modifiers to the Basic Sentence Unit

A common way of expanding a simple sentence is with modifiers--words that add to the meanings of other words. The simplest modifiers are adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. For instance, in the sentence below, the adjective sad modifies the noun smile (the subject of the sentence).

The clown's sad smile touched us deeply.

In this same sentence, the adverb deeply modifies the verb touched.

Adjectives most often appear just in front of the nouns that they modify:

The old, cranky caretaker refused to answer our questions.

Notice that when two (or more) adjectives precede a noun, they are usually separated by commas. But occasionally adjectives follow the nouns they modify:

The caretaker, old and cranky, refused to answer our questions.

Here the commas appear outside the pair of adjectives, which are joined by the conjunction and. Placing the adjectives after the noun is a way of giving them added emphasis in a sentence.

Adjectives sometimes appear in a third position in a sentence: after a linking verb such as am, are, is, was, or were. As their name implies, these verbs link adjectives with the subjects they modify. See if you can identify the adjectives in the sentences below:

His voice was rough.
Your children are cruel.
This seat is wet.

In each of these sentences, the adjective (rough, cruel, wet) modifies the subject but follows the linking verb (was, are, is).

Types of Adjectives

At least 7.
What are the types of adjective?

Article Adjectives

Attributive and predicative adjectives

Coordinate Adjectives

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Descriptive Adjectives / Qualitative and Quantitative / Cumulative adjectives / Attributive Adjectives

Distributive Adjectives

Demonstrative Adjectives

Exclamatory Adjective

Emphasizing Adjective

Indefinite Adjectives

Interrogative Adjectives

Modifiers

Numbers Adjectives/Adjective of Quantity

Possessive Adjectives

Proper Adjectives

Articles

How do I know which one to use?
That's a very good question. Fortunately, the answer is quite simple. It's about listening to the words you're using. The rule for indefinite article usage is as follows:

Use a before nouns (or adjectives) that start with a consonant sound.

Use an before nouns (or adjectives) that start with a vowel sound.

Here are some examples from our English editing professionals:
Please give the dog a cookie.
(The noun cookie starts with a consonant sound, so a must be used.)

Please give the dog a delicious cookie.
(Our editing professionals have put the adjective delicious in front of cookie, but as you can see, delicious still starts with a consonant sound, so a must still used.)

That's an old car. (In this case, the word after the article is old, which starts with a vowel sound. Consequently, our English editors must use an.)

There are only three articles, and all of them are adjectives: a, an, and the.
Here are further guidelines.

C Coordinate Adjectives

What are coordinate adjectives?
Coordinate adjectives, or paired adjectives, are two or more adjectives that precede and describe the same noun and are equal in their application to the noun. In other words, neither adjective carries more weight in describing the noun.

In contrast to cumulative adjectives, coordinate adjectives can be joined by and, and the order of the adjectives can be reversed. Likewise, coordinate adjectives (unlike cumulative adjectives) are traditionally separated by commas.

Cumulative adjectives are two or more adjectives that build on one another and together modify a noun. Also called unit modifiers.

Unlike coordinate adjectives (which can be joined by and and whose order can be reversed), cumulative adjectives are generally not separated by commas.

Modifiers

In English grammar, a modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that functions as an adjective or adverb to provide additional information about another word or word group (called the head). Also known as an adjunct.

Distributive Adjectives

Distributive Adjectives

Distributive Adjectives are:
•Each
•every
•either
•neither
•any
•one

Adjectives which are used to refer people or things individually among many are called Distributive Adjectives. Distributive Adjectives are always followed by a singular noun and a verb. But, we should keep in mind that after using Distributive Adjectives we should use plural noun and singular verb.

Distributive Adjectives are:

Each
every
either
neither
any
one

Adjective	Examples	Explanation
Each	Each student is responsible for littering classroom. Each cheerleader is given props along with dress. Drink a few sips of water after taking each medicine. Each of his friends is helpful. In my family each member earns more than $3000 a month. Each of our countrymen should fight for the country. Each time you complain, you become pessimistic.	Literally, Each is a singular noun. It is used to show that certain condition is applied to everyone in a group/mass. If the noun that represents the group is plural, we use "each of" instead.
Every	Every employee was given bonus. Every student in the class was encouraged to take part in the competition. Every laptop comes with a free bag. I drink wine every day. Every citizen is proud to be a British. Every movie made by him has been successful to earn name and fame. We go to gym every morning.	Every means all those which can be counted without an exception. "Every" and "each" are similar and interchangeable on most occasions. However, there is a subtle difference. "Each" emphasizes all the individuals of the group. "Every" puts a bit more focus on the group. Both convey the same meaning i.e. "all members"
Either	Either of you can do laundry. I cannot tell you secret either. My brother doesn’t recognize either of them. The teacher did not listen to me, either. Either of these books would be a proper gift to him. Meet me at office or at home. Either is okay. Either of my dogs is able to entertain guests. Either you or he should go to church.	Either means one or another among two available options.
Neither	Neither my son nor my husband could lock the door. I like neither of my bosses. My father doesn’t work anymore, and neither does my mother. Neither of delicacies you love is cooked for dinner. My sister cannot lie, neither can my brother. We could neither wait nor go. Neither question is easy.	Neither means non of the two options available.
Any	Is there any coffee in the pot? Did anyone fail the exam? They don’t have anything to eat. Does your brother have any money left? Did you put any sugar in the tea? We don’t want to go anywhere. Did anyone complain?	Any means at least one type or no matter what type is available.
One	Can you buy this one? Each one knows the secret. We will sell that one soon. No one enjoys fight. Select one more student for the play. Can I eat one more cookie? Don’t buy only one purse.	One means a numerical value and denotes a single being/thing.

Demonstrative Adjectives

These, those, this and that are demonstrative adjectives.

Coordinate Adjectives

Coordinate adjectives are separated with commas or the word and, and appear one after another to modify the same noun. The adjectives in the phrase bright, sunny day and long and dark night are coordinate adjectives.

Interrogative Adjectives

Unlike other Adjectives, there are only few interrogative Adjectives. They are as follows:

What
Why
Whose
How
Where

Now, let us understand Interrogative Adjectives more clearly with help of examples:

Adjective	Use	Examples
What	used to ask questions about animals and non-living things. We use it to get some specific answer.	What did you buy for yourself? What gift will he give me? What kind of behavior is that? What a disgusting attitude he has. What a beautiful color this leaf has. What are you complaining about? What reward will they give us? What song is your sister listening to? What are we going to watch?
Whose	used to ask questions about people	Whose house are you planning to rob? Whose plan was that? Whose shoes are these? Whose performance is tomorrow? Whose house is this? Whose accident were you talking about? Whose bag will I carry? Whose texts are we referring to? Whose dress is the best?
How	used to ask questions to know the manner of how actions take place	How many students played football? How come you never heard about this singer? How many people were airlifted? How many people went to the concert? How on earth this riot took place? How come you never remembered me? How many types of mushrooms are available here? How many protesters are there? How many children are there in school?
Where	used to ask questions about place.	Where are you going? Where is he living? Where can she find them? Where do we start? Where are all the books? Where is she learning dance? Where are we supposed to finish it? Where did the dog disappear? Where did the spider go?
Why	used to ask reason behind occurrence of actions	Why did you lie? Why are they crying? Why did she laugh? Why did the teacher scold me? Why did we not think of this before? Why did they select us? Why did she quickly? Why did my mother give you the necklace? Why did he kill himself?

Always Remember

Interrogative Adjectives and Interrogative Pronouns have almost same set of words so we should understand their use properly. Both are similar but unlike Interrogative Pronouns Interrogative Adjectives cannot stand independently.

Interrogative Adjectives are used to support nouns/pronouns whereas Interrogative Pronouns are used to replace nouns.
We can differentiate between Interrogative Adjectives and Interrogative Pronouns by seeing what follows them. Interrogative Adjectives are followed by nouns while verbs are seen to be following Interrogative Pronouns.
For Example
What are you cleaning? (used as Interrogative Pronoun, followed by verb)
What thing are you cleaning? (used as Interrogative Adjective, followed by noun)
Two Interrogative Adjectives What and Which are very similar. However, there is a difference. What is used when we are not aware of the available options whereas Which is used when we have options available to select from.

For example
What movie did you go to see? (We don't know the options)
Which movie did you watch - Terminator or Snow White?

Adjectives of number are the adjectives that are used to depict either the number of nouns or their position or place in a certain order. Adjective which states the number of persons or things is called the Adjective of Number or Numeral Adjective.
Example:

There are five mangoes in the refrigerator.
I came third in class.
Sunday is the first day of the week.

There are a number of adjectives of number which are further classified in three categories:

Definite numeral adjectives.
Indefinite numeral adjectives.
Distributive numeral adjectives.

Definite Numeral Adjectives

As the name implies definite numeral adjectives are the ones that denote exact number of subjects or their exact position. Like one, four, second, third etc. Both cardinals and ordinals together form the set of definite numeral adjectives.

The clear numbers like one, three, seven, eighty five etc. are known as cardinals.
The words like first, seventh, third etc are known as ordinals.

Example:

There are nine persons in a group.
He is first to join sports in the class.

Also the list of words that denotes part of a whole like one third, double, triple two fifths, half etc. also are types of definite numeral adjectives.

Indefinite Numeral Adjectives

These are the numeral adjectives that specify numerous subjects but do not give any specific count value. Such adjectives are few, some, all, many, several etc. The indefinite numeral adjectives only give an idea of the amount and do not tell the exact amount.

Example:

There are many people standing at your door.
I have bought all the tickets available.

It can be seen many a times that indefinite numeral adjectives are also been used as adjectives of quantity. But there is a difference that can be cleared by the following sentences

I have taken some eggs from the refrigerator.
I have taken some milk.

Here, “some” is an adjective of number of indefinite type in the first sentence while it serves as adjective of quantity in the second one. It can be seen that when we are using ‘some’ as an indefinite numeral adjective it is followed by a countable noun while when we are using ‘some’ as an adjective of quantity it is followed by a singular uncountable noun.

Distributive Numeral Adjectives

These are the adjectives that are used to refer to nouns as individual in the whole amount. Such adjectives are neither, every, another, each. They are similar to distributive adjectives.

Example:

Each one of you will get a separate set of questions in the test.
Every child needs love.

Distributive Numeral Adjectives should be followed by a singular noun and a singular verb.

Example: Neither method is incorrect.

But in case of each of, either of, every one of, neither of we use a plural noun and a singular verb.

Example: Either of the given methods is appropriate.

List of Adjectives of Number

We will classify the list of adjectives of number according to their categories that are definite, indefinite and distributive.

1. Definite Numeral Adjectives: These are the ones that denote specific amount or position or a part of something.

One	Sixth	Fifth	Double
Two	Fifty five	Second	Triple
Seven	Eleven	Seventy fifth	Quadruple
Fifteen	First	One third	Five seventh
Twenty	Third	Ninth	First

We can write as many ordinal and cardinal adjectives as we want since the list of numbers is infinite. Subsequently finding parts and multiplying a number can also be infinitely done so the definite adjectives of number other than ordinals and cardinals are also endless.

2. Indefinite Numeral Adjectives: These are the ones that do not tell the specific amount but gives an idea of the amount.

Some	Few	Any	Many
All	No	Several	Sundry
Certain	Most	More	Too much
None			Too many

3. Distributive Numeral Adjectives:

These are the ones that refer to subjects as individual from the bulk. These are similar to distributive adjectives.

Each - Specifies that a given condition is applicable to all in the group been mentioned.
Every - This also specifies a certain condition being levied to all in the group. ‘Every’ and ‘each’ are interchangeable with just a little construction in the sentence to fit them in. But ‘every’ is only used with singular nouns.

Example:

Each of the participants (correct)
Each participant (correct)
Every participant (correct)
Every of the participants (incorrect)

Either - Used to tell one of two options. When we use either, then even if the conditions are mutually exclusive or not, only one of them can be selected.
Neither- Used to negate both of the given options. When we use neither, then it negates the viable status of both the options and hence none is chosen.

When we write “either of the method is appropriate” it is an incorrect statement. We should write “either of the methods is appropriate”.

Examples of Adjectives of Number

Examples:

Who was the first person to win the Nobel Prize in Mathematics?
I have bought some chocolates.
Each of the participants received a consolation prize.
Neither answer seems appropriate.
Every one of us must attend the seminar.
The teacher informed the students that they can opt either of the topics from the list for doing project work.
There are only a few lions left.
He stood first in the class.
The fifth girl from the back is genius.
There is only one solution to every problem written on the board.
Are there any cherries left in the refrigerator?
No theorems are to be done from this chapter.
This is the last day of my work before retirement.
Most of the students have completed their homework.
Anthony swung his five-pound hammer.

Exercise:

Choose the correct Adjective of Quality from the below sentences:

More funds are needed to complete the project.
Several of the children left for playing finishing their lunch early.
The first child to reach the goal will be awarded with a bicycle.
One of the birds escaped from the cage.
I ate two third of the pizza.
If I deposit my savings in the bank for five years they will be doubled.
In addition it does make a difference to write either of two numbers at first.
Joan is considering four top schools for admission of his child.
My name is third in the list of performers today.
He ate half of the pie already.
Have you read the whole book?
We already have too many entries for the competition.
The glass is half full half empty.
Nine out of fifteen mangoes are ripe.
Each of the members of the group was given brochure in the beginning of the tour.

•The stagecoach was pulled by a team of six
•He ate 23 hotdogs during the contest, and was sick afterwards.

Possessive Adjectives

•My
•Your
•His
•Her
•Its
•Our
•Their

What are proper adjectives?
They are adjectives that are derived from proper nouns.

Proper Noun Proper Adjective

America American
Germany German
Mexico Mexican
George Georgian
Victoria Victorian

Many proper adjectives end with an or ian. However, other endings are also used, as indicated below.

Proper Noun Proper Adjective

England English
France French

Proper Adjective Examples? •American
•German
•Italian
•French
•Spanish
•Colombian
•Norwegian
•Polish
•Korean
•Japanese

Common Adjectives vs. Proper Adjectives

Proper adjective worksheets A common adjective is any adjective that is not a proper adjective. Most adjectives used in writing and speech are common adjectives.

Adjective of Quality

An Adjective of Quality answers the question, “what kind of?” when referring to a noun or pronoun. For example:

What is the shape of the ball? It is a round ball.
What is the size of the box? It is a small box.
What is the color of the car? It is a red car.
What are the feelings of the boy? He is an angry boy.
What is the tone of the play? It is a sarcastic play.
What is the origin of the myth? It is a Roman myth.
What is the age of the sword? It is an ancient sword.
What are the qualities of the girl? She is a nice, beautiful girl.
What is the timing of the storms? They are daily storms.
What is your opinion of the weather? It is a hot, humid day.
Of what material is this bike fabricated? Is is an aluminum bicycle.

Adjective of Quantity

An Adjective of Quantity indicates an approximate quantity of the noun or pronoun. For example:

She is very beautiful.
She has many cats in her apartment.
The boy has enough food.
I have complete faith in my wife.
We have much time.
I have enough problems already.
He knows little about starting business.
There is enough money in the account.
He cannot spend all his money buying you gifts.
The workers have completed some of the tasks.
She ate the whole peach.
He has little knowledge about this topic.
She drank little water.

Adjective of Number

An Adjective of Number indicates the exact number of the noun or pronoun. For example:

There are nine students in his class.
He was first to join the team.
His hand has four fingers.
She has only one leg.
She was the last student to leave.
The board was fourteen inches long.
The car was twelve feet long.
The truck motor had 520 horsepower.
We were fifty miles from home.

Words which indicate the part of a whole are also considered to be an Adjective of Number. For example: one-third, one-half, three-fifths, double, triple, etc.

Demonstrative Adjective

We use demonstrative adjectives to indicate which specific person, place, or thing is mentioned. The words this and that are demonstrative adjectives which are used with singular nouns. The words these and those are used for plural nouns. This is used to point out something that is close to the speaker:

This vase I'm holding is very old.

That is used to point out something that is farther away from the speaker:

That giant volcano looks small because it is so far away.

These pens all have red ink, but I need blue ink.

Those beaches we visited in Hawaii had dangerous currents.

Distributive Adjective

A Distributive Adjective is generally used with a singular noun. Some Distributive Adjectives are: each, every, either, and neither. Each Distributive Adjective is used to refer to members of a group as individuals. Let’s take a look at the sentence below:

The children received comic books before they were dismissed.

The sentence above does NOT specify whether all the children received comic books. Now, let’s look at the sentence:

Each child received a comic book before the children were dismissed.

This sentence states clearly that each child received a comic book. The Distributive Adjective, each is used to specify that a condition applies to all of the individual members of the group. Let’s review a few more examples:

Each book in the series was richly illustrated.
Each participant was asked to submit to a drug test.
Each of the contestants received a new microwave oven.

The Distributive Adjective, every is used in much the same way, however the sentence construction may vary.

Every book in the series was richly illustrated.
Every participant was asked to submit to a drug test.
Every contestant received a new microwave oven.

The Distributive Adjective, either implies one or the other of two options, as in:

I would be thrilled to receive either of these gifts.
Either movie is entertaining, but I recommend the latter.

The Distributive Adjective, neither indicates that not one of two options is acceptable.

Neither car will do, as I need to rent a truck.
Neither person in the relationship is willing to compromise.

Interrogative Adjective

The Interrogative Adjectives are whose, what, and which. Interrogative adjectives can’t stand on their own, they are used to modify a noun. Let’s look at a few examples:

Whose coat will they lend to us?
What CD is Sarah listening to?
Which team will win the game today?

You should note that there is a slight difference between the meaning of what and which.

What song is Sarah listening to?

This sentence implies that the speaker does not know the choice of songs available. We can use what when the options are unknown.

Which team will win the game today?

This sentence implies that the speaker does know the two teams competing today.

Possessive Adjective

A Possessive Adjective is used to show ownership. It comes before a noun in the sentence and lets us know to whom the noun belongs. The possessive adjectives are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, and whose. Below are some example sentences:

My iphone is on the table.
You forgot your car keys.
Ron left his coat at school.
Maria left her hat on the boat.
The dog hid its toy.
Our truck is parked in the garage.
The elderly couple missed their tour bus.
Whose dog is this?

Emphasizing Adjective

An Emphasizing Adjective is one that emphasizes a noun. The words very and own are the most commonly used Emphasizing Adjectives. Walden University Grammar Handbook Let’s review a few example sentences:

I saw him hit her with my own eyes.
That is the very man who was instigating the protest.
This is the very car my boyfriend wants to buy.
That’s the very one I was telling you about!
Mind your own business.
Eat your own desert!
He is his own master.

Many other words can also be used as Emphasizing Adjectives.

Rumpelstiltskin? Is that your actual name?
That’s the perfect gift for my wife!
OK, now tell me the whole story?

Exclamatory Adjective

The words what and how are usually used as interrogative words or question words. They can also be used as Exclamatory Adjectives. Let’s look at a few examples of proper sentences:

What an idea!
What a blessing!
What large eyes you have!
What a wonderful feeling!
What a concept!
What a beautiful flower!
What a fool he is!
What a charming child!
How foolish!
How tasteless!
How magnificent!
How goosh!
How absurd!
How stupid!
How brilliant!
How small it is!

Proper Adjective

A Proper Adjective is formed from a proper noun. Proper adjectives are used to modify nouns and pronouns. Some examples of use are:

He usually ordered French toast.

Although you may have never heard of them, proper adjectives are used extensively in everyday life.

German cars are renowned for luxury.
Japanese cars are renowned for quality and value.
African drums are the best in the world.

Rules of Ordering Adjectives

What are the correct order of adjectives?
Generally, the adjective order in English is:
1.Quantity or number
2.Quality or opinion
3.Size
4.Age
5.Shape
6.Color
7.Proper adjective (other place of origin, or material)
8.Purpose or qualifier

Types of Adjectives

Before the adjectives you will normally have the Determiner.

Determiner: The determiner tells us if the noun is singular or plural, definite or indefinite

a, an, the, my, your, four, those, some etc

And then we have the adjectives that refer to…

Opinion: Explains what we think about something. This is usually our opinion, attitude or observations. These adjectives almost always come before all other adjectives.

beautiful, boring, stupid, delicious, useful, lovely, comfortable

Size: Tells us how big or small something is.

big, small, tall, huge, tiny

Shape / Weight / Length: Tells about the shape of something or how long or short it is. It can also refer to the weight of someone or something.

round, square, circular, skinny, fat, heavy, straight, long, short,

Condition: Tells us the general condition or state of something

broken, cold, hot, wet, hungry, rich, easy, difficult, dirty

Age: Tells us how old someone or something is.

old, young, new, ancient, antique

Color: The color or approximate color of something.

green, white, blue, reddish, purple

Pattern: The pattern or design of something.

striped, spotted, checked, flowery

Origin: Tells us where something is from.

American, British, Italian, eastern, Australian, Chilean

Material: What is the thing made of or constructed of?

gold, wooden, silk, paper, synthetic, cotton, woollen

Purpose/Qualifier/Use: What is it for? These adjectives often end in –ing.

sleeping (bag), gardening (gloves), shopping (bag), wedding (dress)

If you look at the examples above, you can ask… what are the gloves used for? (gardening) What is the bag used for? (shopping)

And after these we adjectives we have the…

Noun: The person or thing that is being described

Examples of the order of adjectives before a noun

Something to have in mind is that it does not sound natural using three or more adjectives in the same sentence and it is very rare to hear four adjectives together before a noun.

A big fat dog.
An interesting old Indian rug.
A striped silk shirt
Some comfortable black sleeping bags
Four small round wooden tables
Those funny little old men

Attributive Adjectives

What is an attributive adjective?
In English grammar, an attributive adjective is an adjective that usually comes before the noun it modifies without a linking verb. Contrast with a predicative adjective.

Attributive vs. Predicative Adjectives

Attributive adjectives are usually considered in opposition to predicative adjectives, which follow the noun they modify and are connected to it by a linking verb.

Quiz

1. Which of the following is an example of an attributive adjective?
a) A black dog.
b) The dog is black.
c) The dog black.
d) The dog.

2. Which of the following is not an attributive adjective?
a) Sarah is short.
b) The blond girl went to the party.
c) My dear friend James is here.
d) Have you called your ____ __________?

3. Attributive adjectives never ____.
a) come after the noun.
b) precede the noun.
c) follow a linking verb.
d) appear in the postpositive position.

4. Most adjectives that are never attributive begin with the letter “____.”
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

5. Which sentence is traditionally considered to be more correct?
a) The secretary-generals of the three __________ are meeting today.
b) The secretaries-general of the three __________ are meeting today.

Correct Answer

1.A black dog.
2.Sarah is short.
3.follow a linking verb. (correct answer)
4.A
5.The secretaries-general of the three _________ are meeting today. (correct answer)

Comparing adjective examples
List of comparative superlative and adjectives from A to Z

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
angry	angrier	angriest
bad	worse	worst
big	bigger	biggest
bitter	bitterer	bitterest
black	blacker	blackest
bland	blander	blandest
bloody	bloodier	bloodiest
blue	bluer	bluest
bold	bolder	boldest
bossy	bossier	bossiest
brave	braver	bravest
brief	briefer	briefest
bright	brighter	brightest
broad	broader	broadest
busy	busier	busiest
calm	calmer	calmest
cheap	cheaper	cheapest
chewy	chewier	chewiest
chubby	chubbier	chubbiest
classy	classier	classiest
clean	cleaner	cleanest
clear	clear	clearest
clever	cleverer	cleverest
close	closer	closest
cloudy	cloudier	cloudiest
clumsy	clumsier	clumsiest
coarse	coarser	coarsest
cold	colder	coldest
cool	cooler	coolest
crazy	crazier	craziest
creamy	creamier	creamiest
creepy	creepier	creepiest
crispy	crispier	crispiest
cruel	crueller	cruellest
crunchy	crunchier	crunchiest
curly	curly	curliest
curvy	curvier	curviest
cute	cuter	cutest
damp	damper	dampest
dark	darker	darkest
deadly	deadlier	deadliest
deep	deeper	deepest
dense	denser	densest
dirty	dirtier	dirtiest
dry	drier	driest
dull	duller	dullest
dumb	dumber	dumbest
dusty	dustier	dustiest
early	earlier	earliest
easy	easier	easiest
faint	fainter	faintest
fair	fairer	fairest
fancy	fancier	fanciest
far	further/farther	furthest/farthest
fast	faster	fastest
fat	fatter	fattest
few	fewer	fewest
fierce	fiercer	fiercest
filthy	filthier	filthiest
fine	finer	finest
firm	firmer	firmest
fit	fitter	fittest
flaky	flakier	flakiest
flat	flatter	flattest
fresh	fresher	freshest
friendly	friendlier	friendliest
full	fuller	fullest
funny	funnier	funniest
gentle	gentler	gentlest
gloomy	gloomier	gloomiest
good	better	best
grand	grander	grandest
grave	graver	gravest
greasy	greasier	greasiest
great	greater	greatest
greedy	greedier	greediest
gross	grosser	grossest
guilty	guilter	guiltiest
hairy	hairier	hairiest
handy	handier	handiest
happy	happier	happiest
hard	harder	hardest
harsh	harsher	harshest
healthy	healthier	healthiest
heavy	heavier	heaviest
high	higher	highest
hip	hipper	hippest
hot	hotter	hottest
humble	humbler	humblest
hungry	hungrier	hungriest
icy	icier	iciest
itchy	itchier	itchiest
juicy	juicier	juiciest
kind	kinder	kindest
large	larger	largest
late	later	latest
lazy	lazier	laziest
light	lighter	lightest
likely	likelier	likeliest
little	littler	littlest
lively	livelier	liveliest
lonely	lonlier	loneliest
long	longer	longest
loud	louder	loudest
lovely	lovelier	loveliest
low	lower	lowest
mad	madder	maddest
mean	meaner	meanest
messy	messier	messiest
mild	milder	mildest
moist	moister	moistest
narrow	narrower	narrowest
nasty	nastier	nastiest
naughty	naughtier	naughtiest
near	nearer	nearest
neat	neater	neatest
needy	needier	neediest
new	newer	newest
nice	nicer	nicest
noisy	noisier	noisiest
odd	odder	oddest
oily	oilier	oiliest
old	older/elder	oldest/eldest
plain	plainer	plainest
polite	politer	politest
poor	poorer	poorest
pretty	prettier	prettiest
proud	prouder	proudest
pure	purer	purest
quick	quicker	quickest
quiet	quieter	quietest
rare	rarer	rarest
raw	rawer	rawest
rich	richer	richest
ripe	riper	ripest
risky	riskier	riskiest
roomy	roomier	roomiest
rough	rougher	roughest
rude	ruder	rudest
rusty	rustier	rustiest
sad	sadder	saddest
safe	safer	safest
salty	saltier	saltiest
sane	saner	sanest
scary	scarier	scariest
shallow	shallower	shallowest
sharp	sharper	sharpest
shiny	shinier	shiniest
short	shorter	shortest
shy	shyer	shyest
silly	sillier	silliest
simple	simpler	simplest
sincere	sincerer	sincerest
skinny	skinnier	skinniest
sleepy	sleepier	sleepiest
slim	slimmer	slimmest
slimy	slimier	slimiest
slow	slower	slowest
small	smaller	smallest
smart	smarter	smartest
smelly	smellier	smelliest
smoky	smokier	smokiest
smooth	smoother	smoothest
soft	softer	softest
soon	sooner	soonest
sore	sorer	sorest
sorry	sorrier	sorriest
sour	sourer	sourest
spicy	spicier	spiciest
steep	steeper	steepest
stingy	stingier	stingiest
strange	stranger	strangest
strict	stricter	strictest
strong	stronger	strongest
sunny	sunnier	sunniest
sweaty	sweatier	sweatiest
sweet	sweeter	sweetest
tall	taller	tallest
tan	tanner	tannest
tasty	tastier	tastiest
thick	thicker	thickest
thin	thinner	thinnest
thirsty	thirstier	thirstiest
tiny	tinier	tiniest
tough	tougher	toughest
true	truer	truest
ugly	uglier	ugliest
warm	warmer	warmest
weak	weaker	weakest
wealthy	wealthier	wealthiest
weird	weirder	weirdest
wet	wetter	wettest
wide	wider	widest
wild	wilder	wildest
windy	windier	windiest
wise	wiser	wisest
worldly	worldlier	worldliest
worthy	worthier	worthiest
young	younger	youngest

Quiz on Adjectives

Adjectives Sheet 1: Taste
Adjectives Sheet 2: Colors
Adjectives Sheet 3: Person, personality, attitude, behavior
Adjectives Sheet 4: Feelings and Emotions
Adjectives Sheet 5: Related to Time

Adjectives Sheet 1: Taste

•Bitter
•Spicy
•Bland
•Minty
•Sweet
•Delicious
•Pickled
•Tangy
•Fruity
•Salty
•Tasty
•Gingery
•Sour
•Yummy
•Vanilla-flavoured

Practice. Insert the correct adjective:

1.Lemons are ________________
2.I don't mind having a desert as long as it's not too ________________
3.I like Mexican and Thai cuisine the most, since both of them can be very ________________
4.I prefer ________________ snacks, like crackers, tex mex and peanuts.
5.That food was so ________________! We have should go to that restaurant again.

Answer Key
1.Sour
2.Sweet
3.Spicy
4.Salty
5.Yummy/tasty/delicious

Adjectives Sheet 2: Colors

•Azure
•Gray
•Pinkish
•Black
•Green
•Purple
•Blue
•Indigo
•Red
•Teal
•Bright
•Mauve
•Lavender
•Lilac
•Cream
•Beige
•Rosy
•Brown
•Light
•Scarlet
•Crimson
•Magenta
•Silver
•Dark
•Multicolored
•Turquoise
•Drab
•Mustard
•Violet
•Dull
•Orange
•White
•Gold
•Pink
•Yellow
•Ivory

Practice

1.In the fall, leaves turn ________________, ________________ and ________________.
2.The sky is ________________ and the clouds are ________________ - what a beautiful day.
3.Little ________________ dress is an eternal fashion classic.
4.I like subtle colors, like beige, ________________ and ________________.
5.At Mardi Gras, it's all about ________________, ________________ and ________________.

Show Answers
Answer Key
1.Yellow, orange, gold
2.Blue, white
3.Black
4.Cream, ivory
5.Yellow, purple, green

Adjectives Sheet 3: Person, personality, attitude, behavior

•Kind
•Breathless
•Generous
•Sassy
•Busy
•Gifted
•Secretive
•Calm
•Helpful
•Capable
•Hesitant
•Shy
•Careless
•Innocent
•Sleepy
•Cautious
•Inquisitive
•Cheerful
•Insane
•Stingy
•Clever
•Jaunty
•Stupid
•Queer
•Common
•Super
•Complete
•Macho
•Swanky
•Concerned
•Manly
•Tame
•Crazy
•Modern
•Curious
•Terrific
•Dead
•Naughty
•Testy
•Deep
•Odd
•Uninterested
•Delightful
•Old
•Vague
•Determined
•Open
•Different
•Outstanding
•Vivacious
•Diligent
•Perky
•Wacky
•Energetic
•Poor
•Wandering
•Erratic
•Powerful
•Wild
•Evil
•Puzzled
•Exuberant
•Tacky
•Real
•Wrong

Adjectives Sheet 4: Feelings and Emotions

•Rundown
•Defeated
•Glorious
•Sad
•Confused
•Good
•Scary
•Cooperative
•Grateful
•Selfish
•Courageous
•Grieving
•Silly
•Cowardly
•Gusty
•Splendid
•Crabby
•Gutless
•Successful
•Creepy
•Happy
•Tedious
•Cross
•Healthy
•Tense
•Cruel
•Heinous
•Terrible
•Dangerous
•Helpful
•Thankful
•Defeated
•Helpless
•Thoughtful
•Defiant
•Hilarious
•Thoughtless
•Delightful
•Homeless
•Tired
•Depressed
•Hungry
•Troubled
•Determined
•Hurt
•Upset
•Disgusted
•Immoral
•Weak
•Disturbed
•Indignant
•Weary
•Eager
•Irate
•Wicked
•Elated
•Itchy
•Worried
•Embarrassed
•Jealous
•Zany
•Enchanting
•Jolly
•Zealous

Adjectives Sheet 5: Related to Time

•Annual
•Futuristic
•Rapid
•Historical
•Regular
•Daily
•Irregular
•Short
•Early
•Late
•Slow
•Eternal
•Fast
•Ancient
•Modern
•Speedy
•First
•Last
•Old
•Swift
•Fleet
•Old-fashioned
•Future
•Quick
•Young
•Recent
•New

Practice:
1.My grandparents lived in a charming ________________ house in the suburbs.
2.This ________________ building is all glass, steel and concrete.
3.Get well soon! We're wishing you a ________________ recovery!
4.We were ________________ to the party because of having been stuck in traffic for nearly an hour.
5.We met ________________ week, but it feels like we've known each other for ages.

Answer Key
1.Old
2.Modern
3.Speedy
4.Late
5.Last

Attributive and Predicative Adjectives

Most adjectives can occur both before and after a noun:

the blue sea	~ the sea is blue
the old man	~ the man is old
happy children	~ the children are happy

Adjectives in the first position - before the noun - are called ATTRIBUTIVE adjectives. Those in the second position - after the noun - are called PREDICATIVE adjectives. Notice that predicative adjectives do not occur immediately after the noun. Instead, they follow a verb.

Sometimes an adjective does occur immediately after a noun, especially in certain institutionalised expressions:

the Governor General

the Princess Royal

times past

We refer to these as POSTPOSITIVE adjectives. Postposition is obligatory when the adjective modifies a pronoun:

something useful

everyone present

those responsible

Postpositive adjectives are commonly found together with superlative, attributive adjectives:

the shortest route possible

the worst conditions imaginable

the best hotel available

Most adjectives can freely occur in both the attributive and the predicative positions. However, a small number of adjectives are restricted to one position only. For example, the adjective main (the main reason) can only occur in the attributive position (predicative: *the reason is main). Conversely, the adjective afraid (the child was afraid) can only occur predicatively (attributive: *an afraid child).

Assign the highlighted adjectives in each of the following examples to one of the three positions.

Adjectives of quantity

An adjective of quantity answers the question how much. Examples are: some, little, much, enough, sufficient, insufficient, all, whole, great, any etc.

Examples are:
I have bought (some bacon.)
We have got (enough time.)

Adjectives in English that Function Only Predicatively

Predicative Only Adjectives

. For example, a small number of English adjectives can function only predicatively. Some of the more common predicative only adjectives in English are:

•ablaze
•abreast
•afire
•afloat
•afraid
•aghast
•aglow
•alert
•alike
•alive
•alone
•aloof
•ashamed
•asleep
•awake
•aware
•fond
•unaware

Note that many of the predicative only adjectives begin with the letter a, which resembles other adjectival prefixes.

Examples of Predicative Only Adjectives

Unlike most adjectives in English, predicative only adjectives can only appear in the predicate of sentences. For example:

• My ____ is abreast of the problem. (correct)
• I am keeping my ____ abreast of the problem. (correct)
• *My abreast of the problem ____ found a solution. (incorrect)
• *My ____ abreast of the problem found a solution. (incorrect)

Descriptive Adjectives

The descriptive adjectives can be simply defined as the type of adjectives that are used to express the size, color, or shape of a person, a thing, an animal, or a place. They are used to provide more information to a noun by describing or modifying it.

You should kow that descriptive adjectives usually express things that are observable through the five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound).

If you find it hard to spot the descriptive adjectives in the sentence, you can ask the question: “Which one?” or more appropriately, “What does it look like?” in reference to a noun.

Descriptive adjectives can be divided into different categories such as colors, sizes, sound, taste, touch, shapes, qualities, time, personality and ages. The following lists provide a few examples of descriptive adjectives in each of their categories:

Descriptive Adjectives

Brightness

Color

Distance

Material

Miscellaneous Qualities

Opinion

Origin/Location

Personality/Emotion

Purpose

Quantity

Shape

Size, Weight

Smell

Sound

Speed

Taste

Temperature

Time

Touch

•age - young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ...

•brightness - light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous, gleaming, ...

•color - pink, DeepPink, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, ...

•distance - short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, ...

•material - glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, metal, steel, ...

•miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ...

•opinion - good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, valuable, worthless, important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, ...

•origin/location - lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Mexican, French, Irish, English, Australian, ...

•personality/emotion - happy, sad, excited, scaDeepPink, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, ...

•purpose - folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...

•quantity - few, no, one, two, three, four, several, many, all, some, every, each, ...

•shape - round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, ...

•size, weight - heavy, light, big, small, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny, skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ...

•smell - sweaty, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty, sweet-smelling, perfumed, ...

•sound - loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispeDeepPink, hushed, ...

•speed - quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, ...

•taste - sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable, yummy, luscious, appetising, tasteless, spicy, watery, ...

•temperature - hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ...

•time - early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed, punctual, ...

•touch - hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ...

Adjectives can be classified into many categories. In English, adjectives are generally used in the order: quantity-->opinion-->size-->age-->shape-->color-->origin-->material-->purpose. Some of these categories are (roughly in the order in which adjectives are used in English):

quantity - few, no, one, two, three, four, several, many, all, some, every, each, ...
opinion - good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, valuable, worthless, important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, ...
personality/emotion - happy, sad, excited, scaDeepPink, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, ...
sound - loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispeDeepPink, hushed, ...
taste - sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable, yummy, luscious, appetising, tasteless, spicy, watery, ...
touch - hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ...
size, weight - heavy, light, big, small, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny, skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ...
smell - sweaty, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty, sweet-smelling, perfumed, ...
speed - quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, ...
temperature - hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ...
age - young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ...
distance - short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, ...
shape - round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, ...
miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ...
brightness - light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous, gleaming, ...
color - pink, DeepPink, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, ...
time - early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed, punctual, ...
origin/location - lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Mexican, French, Irish, English, Australian, ...
material - glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, metal, steel, ...
purpose - folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...

Common Descriptive Adjectives

Ages: new, old, young, ancient, latest, up-to-date, brand-new, second-hand

Colors: blue, black, yellow, orange, white, green, red

Personality: happy, cheerful, unhappy, excited, sad, delighted, angry

Qualities: great, good, fantastic, worthless, good, mediocre

Shapes: circular, rectangular, triangular, spherical, round, square

Sizes: small, tiny, large, thin, tall, long, short, thick, big

Sound: noisy, calm, silent, loud, quiet

Taste: sweet, salty, spicy, alkaline, juicy, sour

Time: annually, quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly

Touch: hard, soft, smooth, sticky, rough, slippery

Adorable

Attractive

Alluring

Beautiful

Bewildered

Boorish

Bright

Confident

Cheerful

Cultured

Clumsy

Drab

Dull

Dynamic

Disillusioned

Elegant

Energetic

Fair

Fancy

Filthy

Gentle

Glamorous

Handsome

Homely

Hurt

Ill-mannered

Jolly

Lovely

Magnificent

Neat

Nervous

Pleasant

Perfect

Plucky

Prim

Smiling

Splendid

Self-assured

Snobbish

Thoughtful

Tense

Timid

Upset

Vivacious

Wonderful

Worried

Wild

Zaftig

Aggressive

Ambitious

Amused

Brave

Barbarous

Cruel

Combative

Cooperative

Cowardly

Dangerous

Diligent

Determined

Disagreeable

Evil

Erratic

Frank

Fearless

Friendly

Generous

Gifted

Helpful

Harmonious

Hesitant

Instinctive

Jealous

Knowing

Kind-hearted

Loner

Mysterious

Naughty

Pleasing

Placid

Punctual

Quiet

Rigid

Successful

Sedate

Sincere

Selfish

Talented

Thrifty

Truculent

Unbiased

Voracious

Witty

Wise

Warm

Zany

Afraid

Angry

Anxious

BadBored

Berserk

Calm

Confused

Comfortable

Creepy

Depressed

Disturbed

Dominating

Deceitful

Envious

Elated

Faithful

Fine

Frustrated

Good

Gloomy

Grieving

Horrible

Happy

Hungry

Jovial

Kind

Lively

Mature

Nice

Proud

Peaceful

Protective

Sorrowful

Silly

Somber

SoreTired

Troubled

Testy

Unwell

Unhappy

Vengeful

Wicked

Weary

Wrong

Zestful

Broad

Crooked

Circular

Distorted

Flat

Hollow

Narrow

Round

Square

Skinny

Steep

Wide

Colossal

Great

Gigantic

Huge

Large

Miniature

Mammoth

Petite

Tall

Thin

Tiny

Ancient

Annual

Brief

Early

Fast

Late

Modern

Rapid

Swift

Slow

Young

Abundant

Bountiful

Considerable

Empty

Extra

Heavy

Myriad

Many

Multiple

Numerous

Substantial

Blaring

Cooing

Deafening

Loud

Melancholic

Noisy

Soft

Shrill

Squeaking

Silent

Thundering

Whispering

Bitter

Delicious

Fresh

Juicy

Spicy

Sweet

Sour

Salty

Tasty

Tasteless

Hard

Loose

Rough

Smooth

Slippery

Sticky

Sharp

Scattered

Soft

Tender

Uneven

Azure

Aqua

Blue

Black

Crimson

Cyan

Gold

Green

Magenta

Orange

Pink

Turquoise

Usage of Descriptive Adjectives

If you wish to use more than one descriptive adjective, you need to follow certain rules of usage. The descriptive adjective follows the opinion adjective. To understand this, consider the following example.? e.g. A beautiful, green emerald.In the above example, both 'beautiful' and 'green' are descriptive adjectives. But, the adjective 'beautiful' is an opinion or a general adjective that may differ from person to person. On the other hand, 'green' is a specific adjective that defines an emerald. Therefore, when more descriptive adjectives have to be used, they should follow the manner illustrated below.? e.g. A black, wooden door.? e.g. A magnificent, huge bungalow.
Adjectives for odor

acrid, agreeable, ammoniacal, animal, appetizing, aromatic, awful, bad, balsamic, bitter, body, certain, characteristic, chemical, dank, delicate, delicious

delightful, different, disagreeable, disgusting, distinct, distinctive, earthy, ethereal, evil, exquisite, faint, familiar, fecal, fetid, fine, fishy, foul, fragrant

fresh, fruity, garlic, good, grateful, heavy, horrible, human, ill, indescribable, irritating, like, lingering, little, medicinal, metallic, musky, musty

natural, nauseating, nauseous, new, noxious, objectionable, obnoxious, odd, offensive, other, overpowering, own, particular, peculiar, penetrating, perceptible, pervasive, pleasant

pleasing, powerful, pungent, putrid, rancid, rank, repulsive, resinous, rich, same, savory, sharp, sickening, sickly, slight, smoky, sour, specific

spicy, stale, strange, strong, subtle, suffocating, sulfurous, sulphurous, sweet, sweetish, terrible, unique, unmistakable, unpleasant, unusual, very, vile

What is the adjective of number?
An adjective of number is an adjective that shows the exact number of persons or things denoted by a noun or pronoun. ... Adjectives of number are used with countable nouns. Adjective showing the number of nouns or pronouns or states the number of persons or things is called Adjective of Number.

An adjective of number is an adjective that shows the exact number of persons or things denoted by a noun or pronoun. Adjectives of number are the adjectives that are used to depict either the number of nouns or their position or place in a certain order. An adjective of number can also demonstrate a noun’s position or place in a certain order. This is also known as a numeral adjective. Adjectives of number are used with countable nouns. Adjective showing the number of nouns or pronouns or states the number of persons or things is called Adjective of Number.

Example: There are five mangoes in the refrigerator.

Differences between Adjective of Number and Adjective of Quantity

Adjective of Number portrays the number of nouns or their position or place in a certain order.
Adjective of Quantity states an approximate amount rather than the exact number.

Adjective of Number is used with countable nouns.
Adjective of Quantity is used with uncountable nouns.

Adjective of Numbers can be classified into definite numeral adjectives, indefinite numeral adjectives, and distributive numeral adjectives.
Adjective of Quantity are identical to indefinite numeral adjectives, but there is a difference in their usage.

Examples of Adjective of Number:

There are not enough spoons
There are no pictures in this book.
Some boys are clever.
He did not eat any chocolates.

Examples of Adjective of Quantity:

I ate some rice.
You have no sense.
I have enough sugar.
He did not drink any milk.

Adjectives of Number Examples

Mentioned below are the examples of Adjectives of Number

One student came forward to become a leader of this class.
Neither answer seems appropriate.
There are eight oranges in the bowl.
Two children make a perfect family.
Every one of us must attend the seminar.
Four subjects of Management Studies are very difficult.
Ten employees have resigned their jobs.
Anthony swung his five-pound hammer.
I wrote two letters.
The hand has five fingers.
Michelle is the second girl in our class
Most of the students have completed their homework.
There are seven days in a week.
Few cats look well.
He is going two sell his two cars.
I have learnt many languages.
There is only one solution to every problem written on the board.
Are there any cherries left in the refrigerator?
Most boys like cricket.
This shop will remain open twenty four hours a day.
Each of the participants received a consolation prize.

List of Adjectives of Number

Adjectives of Number (or Numeral Adjectives) are of three kinds:

Definite numeral Adjectives
Indefinite numeral Adjectives and
Distributive numeral Adjectives

Definite Numeral Adjectives:

They denote the exact number of nouns or their exact position. Both cardinal (e.g. one, two, three, four etc.) and ordinal numbers (e.g. first, second, third, forth etc.) form definite numeral adjectives.

Examples:

I have bought ten eggs.
Who was the first lady to win the Nobel Prize for Physics?
There are fifty students in her class.
I ate three mangoes.
She was the first to join the dance class.

Indefinite Numeral Adjectives

They indicate an approximate or imprecise amount instead of the exact number. Some, any, certain, all, many, as, few, no and several are some examples.

Examples:

Several students refused to be silent.
Many people attended the meeting.
I have bought some mangoes.
There were few children in the class.
I have bought all the tickets available.
There are no birds on the tree.

Note: that indefinite numeral adjectives can also be used as adjectives of quantity. When they are used as adjectives of quantity, they are followed by singular uncountable nouns.

I have bought some chocolates. (Indefinite numeral adjective)
I have bought some milk. (Adjective of quantity)

Distributive Numeral Adjectives:

They refer to individual nouns within the whole amount. Every, each, either, and neither are some examples of distributive numeral adjectives.

Examples:

Each hand has five fingers.
Every student in the class stood up.
Either pen will do
Neither method is wrong.
Each boy must take his turn. Every child needs love.
Every word of it is false.
Each one of you will get an improved project.

Distributive numeral adjectives must be followed by a singular noun and a singular verb. Nonetheless, we use a plural noun and a singular verb after each of, every one of, either of and neither of.

Adjectives of Number Exercises

Numeral adjective exercises given below will help in analyzing your knowledge about numeral adjective. Identify numeral adjectives in each sentence by doing the following exercises.

The brilliant one of you can be the leader of this group.
Two children make a family perfect.
Few dogs are unhealthy.
My legs have eight fingers and two
Some women are upset.
There is only one solution to this problem.
Is there any cherry left in the basket?
Most of the boys are selected for cricket.
Four books of the Management Studies are very tough.
I wrote many letters to you.
Ten out of twenty guavas are left.
I ate only one fourth of the watermelon.
I have learnt three languages.
I wrote some letters to you but you did not replied.
There are only nine class rooms in our school.
One hour has sixty
Several students have left the college this year.
I already have filled many application forms for the medical entrance.
My milk glass is half full half empty.
You can get twenty four hours service here.
Five of the employees have resigned today.
A week has seven
You can choose either of two numbers at one time.
In the entrance exams each of the students get a separate set of questions.
There are many patients standing at the door of hospital.

Uses of Adjectives

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can also describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.

Adjectives Modify Nouns.

Most students learn that adjectives are words which modify (describe) a noun. Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other adjectives.

Margot wore a beautiful hat to the pie-eating contest.

Furry dogs may overheat in the summertime.

My cake should have sixteen candles.

The scariest villain of all time is Darth Vader.

In the sentences above, the adjectives are easy to spot because they come immediately before the nouns they modify.

But adjectives can do more than just modify nouns. They can also act as a complement to linking verbs or the verb to be. A linking verb is a verb like to feel, to seem, or to taste that describes a state of being or a sensory experience.

That cow sure is happy.

It smells gross in the locker room.

Driving is faster than walking.

The technical term for an adjective used this way is predicate adjective.

Uses of Adjectives

Adjectives tell the reader how much—or how many—of something you’re talking about, which thing you want passed to you, or which kind of something you want.

Please use three white flowers in the arrangement.

Three and white are modifying flowers.

Often, when adjectives are used together, you should separate them with a comma or conjunction. See “Coordinate Adjectives” below for more detail.

I’m looking for a small, good-tempered dog to keep as a pet.

My new dog is small and good-tempered.

Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives come in three forms: absolute, comparative, and superlative. Absolute adjectives describe something in its own right.

A cool guy

A messy desk

A mischievous cat

Garrulous squirrels

Comparative adjectives, unsurprisingly, make a comparison between two or more things. For most one-syllable adjectives, the comparative is formed by adding the suffix -er (or just -r if the adjective already ends with an e). For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, replace -y with -ier. For multi-syllable adjectives, add the word more.

A cooler guy

A messier desk

A more mischievous cat

More garrulous squirrels

Superlative adjectives indicate that something has the highest degree of the quality in question. One-syllable adjectives become superlatives by adding the suffix -est (or just -st for adjectives that already end in e). Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y replace -y with -iest. Multi-syllable adjectives add the word most. When you use an article with a superlative adjective, it will almost always be the definite article (the) rather than a or an. Using a superlative inherently indicates that you are talking about a specific item or items.

The coolest guy

The messiest desk

The most mischievous cat

The most garrulous squirrels

Coordinate Adjectives

Coordinate adjectives should be separated by a comma or the word and. Adjectives are said to be coordinate if they modify the same noun in a sentence.

This is going to be a long, cold winter.

Isobel’s dedicated and tireless efforts made all the difference.

But just the fact that two adjectives appear next to each other doesn’t automatically mean they are coordinate. Sometimes, an adjective and a noun form a single semantic unit, which is then modified by another adjective. In this case, the adjectives are not coordinate and should not be separated by a comma.

My cat, Goober, loves sleeping on this tattered woolen sweater.

No one could open the old silver locket.

In some cases, it’s pretty hard to decide whether two adjectives are coordinate or not. But there are a couple of ways you can test them. Try inserting the word and between the adjectives to see if the phrase still seems natural. In the first sentence, “this tattered and woolen sweater” doesn’t sound right because you really aren’t talking about a sweater that is both tattered and woolen. It’s a woolen sweater that is tattered. Woolen sweater forms a unit of meaning that is modified by tattered.

Another way to test for coordinate adjectives is to try switching the order of the adjectives and seeing if the phrase still works. In the second sentence, you wouldn’t say “No one could open the silver old locket.” You can’t reverse the order of the adjectives because silver locket is a unit that is modified by old.

When Nouns Become Adjectives and Adjectives Become Nouns

How do you turn a noun into an adjective?
Rule 1 - Some nouns are made by adding -ness to an adjective. If the adjective ends in 'y,' be sure to turn that y into an i before adding -ness. Rule 2 - Some nouns are made by adding -ity to an adjective. Usually the spelling of the word changes slightly, so look out!

When adjectives become verbs