Adjectives are Noun Modifiers, as they generally describe some aspect of nouns.
- beautiful
- good
- happy
- cool
- distant
Kinds of Adjectives
Adjectives of Quality
They describe the quality of the nouns to which they relate. Hence they may also be called Descriptive Adjectives.
- cruel man
- clever boy
- heavy box
- narrow road
Proper Adjectives
These are derived from Proper Nouns.
- the French language
- Herculean task
- Victorian building
Participal Adjectives
These have the form of the -ing participle or the -ed/-en participle of Verbs.
- deserted street
- setting sun
- burning issue
- forsaken child
- fallen leaves
Possessive Adjectives
These are the possessive case forms of Personal Pronouns.
- my pen
- our duty
- your responsibility
- its tail
- his fame
Demonstrative Adjectives
These include Definite Demonstratives and Indefinite Demonstratives.
Definite Demonstratives
- this
- that
- such
- same
- these
- those
Indefinite Demonstratives
- some
- any
- a certain
Adjectives of Quantity
They describe the number/ quantity of a noun. They answer the questions, how much or how many?
- much
- little
- enough
- half
- whole
Numeral Adjectives
These adjectives tell us how many or how much or in what order the noun is in. These include Definite, Indefinite and Distributive Numerals.
Definite Numerals tell us the exact number of people or things
- one
- two
- first
- second
Indefinite Numerals only give a tentative numeral idea of nouns.
- few
- all
- several
- many
Distributive Numerals are the same as Distributive Adjectives. They denote a singular number of noun among many.
- each
- every
- either
- neither
Distributive Adjectives
They refer to each one of a group of two or more persons or things.
- each
- every
- either
- neither
The same word can be used as a quantitative adjective or a numeral adjective based on whether the object following the adjective is countable or not.
Interrogative Adjectives
These are adjectives used to suggest a selection from a given number or quantity.
- which
- whose
- how
- what
Exclamatory Adjectives
A word used to show strong emotion is an Exclamatory Adjective.
- what nonsense!
- what a good idea!
- how strange!
- what nonsense!
Epithet Adjectives
These are nouns functioning as adjectives.
- lady doctor
- blood bank
- radio station
- biscuit company
Compound Participial Adjectives
They are formed when two or more adjectives are joined together to modify the same noun.
- ill-mannered
- old-fashioned
- good-hearted
- time-bound
Position of Adjectives
When a number of adjectives are used to modify a noun, they generally follow this order: number or quantity; quality; size or weight; colour.
- long, thick, dark hair
- two, strong, heavy, black boxes
- three, nice, long, blue ribbons