Adjectives are the most essential building blocks of english grammar. Its core function is to describe noun and pronouns. It modifies nouns and pronouns by describing how does it look like? What are?etc.Adjective describes nature, qualities and characteristics of given things. By using various adjectives, we can enrich content, by making more vivid and clear. Proper, collective, demonstrative, attributive, predictive, interrogative, compound, quality and number are the major types of adjectives I’m going to explain in this piece of writing.
Order of adjectives in English grammar
When you use more than one adjectives in a single sentence, certain order is followed. Following is the proper order of adjectives I’m going to provide here.
- Opinion (good, bad, lovely)
- Measurements (big, small, tiny, huge)
- Shape (curved, straight, round)
- Condition (wet, dry, clean, sad, happy)
- Age (,old, young, new, ancient)
- Color (Red, blue, transparent,)
- Pattern (,checked, stripped, plaid)
- Origin (American, British, eastern,)
- Material (Wooden, plastic, steel)
- Purpose (sleeping, shoping, work, gardening)
This is the order of adjectives you should use if there are more than one adjectives in a single sentence are used. If you use more than one adjectives in the above mentioned order, it would be more useful in forming proper meaning.
Adjective: meaning, types, role, use, and examples
When a word describes the quality, nature, and characteristics of given noun like animal, person, or anything is called adjective.
Adjective answers basic question as like how does the tiger look like? What is the nature of person? How does it function? etc.
Simply, adjective adds meanings or describes noun or pronoun as per its nature, features, qualities and characteristics.
Grammatically, adjective is used to qualify or add information to “Nouns, pronouns and Adjectives” but it cannot do so in terms of adverb and verb. Here are some examples for clarity.
- Himalaya is a lofty mountain.
- London is a capital city.
- He is a famous cricketer.
- I have gifted two footballs.
- Every student has applied for picnic.
- That park is far away.
In the above examples, lofty, capital, famous, two, every, that are used to describe, add meaning or qualify given nouns.
Except quality adjective, all other types of adjectives are derived from types of pronouns. So, it is highly recommended to study pronouns before to move on to adjective.
Position of adjective while describing noun, pronouns, and other adjectives
Usually, adjectives are placed before noun or adjectives it qualify. The Poor person, the rich man, a clever boy, the ruling party etc.(poor, rich, clever, ruling are adjectives used to describe nouns)
A systematic explanation of types of adjectives
Adjectives are classified on the basis of role they play while describing or modifying other adjectives, nouns and pronouns in the sentences or communication.
- Proper adjective
- Collective adjective
- Demonstrative adjective
- Attributive adjective
- Predictive adjective
- Interrogative adjective
- Compound adjective
- Quality adjective
- Number adjective, etc.
These are major types of adjectives classified on the basis of roles they play. Most of them are derived from the types of pronouns. A systematic explanation of these types is highly necessary to master theirs correct usages in writing.
1. Proper adjective: meaning, types, role, use, and examples
Indian, Pakistani, American, Italian, Nordic, Gandhian, Arabian are the examples and types of proper adjectives. Proper adjectives are formed on the basis of proper nouns. It may be proper nouns of person, regions, countries, or things.
Categories of proper adjectives
In English grammar, proper adjectives are classified on the basis of origin and name of the person. For example, on the basis of origin of nationality, language, religion, brand name, geography, famous people, specific time period in history etc.
- Nationality: Indian, Russian, Japanese
- Language: Spanish, Chinese, English
- Religion: Buddhist, Christian,
- Brand name: Toyota, Mitsubishi, Samsung
- Geography: Andean, Himalayan, Gangetic
- Famous people: Gandhian, Leninism
- Specific time period in history : Vedic, Roman, Egyptian, etc.
Examples of proper adjectives
- Himalayan mountain is tall and lofty.
- Gangetic plain is one the most fertile plans in the world.
- Indian spices are well known for quality and test.
- People prefer Samsung electronic gadgets.
- Gandhian principles are still relevant.
- Vedic period was well known for cultural development.
- Buddhist monk are so peaceful and disciplined
- English language is so popular in the world.
2. Collective adjectives: meaning, types, role, use, and examples
We describe proper adjectives based on the qualities, nature, and characteristics of noun, pronouns and other adjectives. But, in case of collective adjectives, they describe the shared characteristics of nouns or things.
Most importantly, contrarily to collective noun, collective adjectives are always treated plural. Further, these adjectives focus on group instead of individual. In short, proper adjectives are derived from proper noun, while collective adjectives focus on group without naming that group.
How to use collective adjectives?
As I mentioned earlier that collective adjectives are treated as plural and always take” The” definite article before.
- For example, the homeless, the unemployed, the younger, the poor etc.
While using “collective adjectives” in sentence, the noun it modifies omitted. Grammatically, they play the role of subject of the sentence. It is like:
- The unemployed should demand financial aid. (People, men, worker are left out)
Next, collective adjectives are used to speak about to people of any nation by its nationality. It is like:
- The Chinese, The American, The Russian, The African etc.
3. Attributive and predicative adjectives: meaning, use, role and examples
Attributive adjectives follow nouns they describe. Like a dark cloud, a blue shirt etc. On the other hand, predicative adjectives follow linking verbs. For example, a beautiful fort, an agile snake etc.
For clarity, attributive adjectives are used before nouns; whereas, predicative adjectives are used after linking verbs.
Attributive adjective describes the qualities, nature, characteristics of persons, things, and animals that it qualify. It helps to make noun in question more specific and understandable.
- Honda launches a sporty, stylish bike. (sporty and stylish attributes describe the bike that Honda is planning to launch)
- Tiger is a ferocious, solitary, and carnivorous animal. (ferocious, solitary, carnivorous are the specific attributes of tiger)
Predicative adjective is a word that qualify noun and is linked by linking verb. It is also called subject complement as it is used in the predicative part connected with linking verb. Unlike, other forms of adjectives that appear anywhere, predicative adjectives only used in the predicate.
- He is alone.
- They are alike.
- Child is afraid.
- John is upset.
- Now, Maria is well.
- We are quite aware now.
(Alone, alike, afraid, upset, well, aware, asleep) are the common examples of predicative adjectives.
4. The compound adjectives: meaning, use, role and examples
As the name suggests that compound adjective is a combination of two words with hypen. Usually, such form of adjectives are used to describe more than one qualities or characteristics of noun they modify.
Top-right, last-minute, sugar-free, record-breaking, bottom-left, blue-green, Stress-free, are the examples and types of adjectives, especially, compound.
- India is going to launch high-speed railways soon.
- Really, he is highly-qualified person.
- “Sugar-free food items are beneficial for diabetic patients”.
- Blue-green alage are autotrophic organisms”
Structure of compound adjectives
There are three form of structure used to form compound adjectives in English grammar.
- Adverb + Adjective/Past Participle: highly-educated, Deeply-impressed,
- Noun + Adjective/Past Participle: world-class, hand-made,
- Adjective + Adjective/Noun: high-tech, part-time, full-speed,
5. The adjectives of quality and quantity
As the name suggest that adjectives of quality used to describe the quality aspects of noun they modify. Quality adjectives describe characteristics and merits of noun.
- Einstein was a great scientist.
- She is a smart and intelligent girl.
- Indonesia is a tropical country.
- Kenya has a Savannah grassland.
- Tom is a creative artist.
“Great, smart, tropical, Savannah, and creative, all are the descriptions of given nouns — scientist, girl, country, grassland, artist etc.”
On the other hand, adjectives of quantity describe number of noun. The numbers may be definite or indefinite.
- Some colour is required to finish this building.
- Enough food is left for them.
- All people are excited.
- The place receives sufficient amount of sunshine.
- Some, enough, all sufficient are used to describe the indefinite quantity of given nouns.
Examples of adjectives of number: definite, indefinite, cardinal, ordinal etc.
- We have two mobile phones. (Countable number)
- My brother is the first student who got masters degree. (Ordinal number)
- Several people are waiting for tickets. ( Indefinite numerical number)
- Every student is well prepared. (Distributive adjective)
Two, first, several, every, each are adjectives describing numbers
6. Demonstrative adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used to refer things or person. They are used to describe distance and number of noun they modify.
- This, these, that, those are the types of adjectives especially demonstrative.
- This attempt is my last chance to win the trophy”.
- These boys are my friends who were present in my marriage ceremony”.
- That bird is peacock I found in India”.
7. Interrogative adjectives
An interrogative adjectives are used to ask question by modifing noun.
What, which, whose, are we use as interrogative adjectives. They are used before noun about they ask question.
Examples of interrogative adjectives
- Whose cell phone is this?
- Which bike is yours?
- Which bird is this?
- Whose luggage is this?
- What book do you like?
- What project are you working on?
- Whose helmet is on the sofa?
- Which bat will you use in the final?
Apart from these, there are other adjectives like superlative adjectives, comparative adjectives that I’m going explain in “types of degrees.”
Really, this is an exhaustive explanation of types of adjectives. I tried everything to make it more inclusive. Considering the many types of adjectives, it is not so easy to cover every minute.