ADJECTIVES Definition An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be used to describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to something else. Adjectives provide answers to questions such as “What kind?” “Which one?” and “Whose is it?” To demonstrate how adjectives work, let’s look at two example sentences. The first sentence has no adjectives, and the second sentence has two adjectives. Leslie bought shoes at the store. Leslie bought new shoes at the busy store. Both of these sentences are perfectly fine. However, the second sentence gives more information than the first one does. Importance of adjectives in communication Adjectives play a crucial role in communication as they help to describe and provide more detail about people, places, things, and ideas. They provide a way to express and convey emotions, feelings, and opinions, adding depth and color to language. Using adjectives can help to create a clearer mental image for the listener or reader, allowing them to better understand the message being conveyed. Adjectives can also help to highlight the differences between two or more similar things, allowing for more precise communication. Moreover, the use of adjectives can help to create a more engaging and interesting conversation or piece of writing, by adding variety and nuance to language. A skilled communicator knows how to use adjectives effectively to make their message more impactful and memorable. Types of Adjectives Proper adjective A proper adjective is an adjective that was derived from a proper noun and is therefore capitalized. Proper adjectives include words for nationalities, languages, and ethnicities. Examples: English, Indian tea, French wines, Turkish tobacco Descriptive, qualitative or attributive adjective A descriptive adjective is one that modifies a noun by describing it. Example: Large, beautiful, careful, hateful etc. Quantitative adjective A word that modifies a noun by indicating a number/quantity is called a quantitative adjective. Examples: Some, much, little, any, half, whole Numeral adjective Numeral Adjectives are those adjectives which are used to denote the number of nouns or the order in which they stand. Examples: Five, few, many, several, first etc. Demonstrative adjective Demonstrative adjectives are used in order to describe or specify an object. Examples: This, that, these, those, such. Distributive adjective A distributive adjective is an adjective that refers to members of a group individually. Examples: each, every, either, neither, and any Interrogative adjective An interrogative adjective, also known as interrogative determiner, is an adjective that modifies a noun by asking a question. Examples: Whose, which, what Possessive adjective A possessive adjective is an adjective that modifies a noun by identifying who has ownership or possession of it. Examples: Our, your, his, her, its, their Degrees of Adjectives Degrees of adjectives refer to how an adjective changes to match the grammatical gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies. Types of adjectives, on the other hand, refer to the different categories of adjectives based on their meaning and usage. Having said that, the adjectives come in three forms, known as degrees: absolute adjectives (also called positive adjectives), comparative adjectives, and superlative adjectives. Comparative Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify (larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared, in this pattern: Noun + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object) The second item of comparison can be omitted if it is clear from the context (like in the example below). Jim and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Jim" is understood) Superlative Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects. Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object). Just as in the comparative adjectives, the group that is being compared with can be omitted if it is clear from the context. Here is an example: We all threw our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. (It is understood that of all the rocks) Absolute Adjectives Previously, we covered two degrees of comparison: comparative adjectives and superlative adjectives. There are some adjectives, however, such as dead, that do not lend themselves to degrees. Known as absolute adjectives, these cannot be formed into comparatives or superlatives, and they also cannot be modified by intensifying adverbs such as very, extremely and rather. In the case of dead you are either 'dead' or not; you can not be 'dead-er' or 'more dead' than someone. Like in the sentence: " He's deader than me. " Order of Adjectives The English language gives its users the liberty to use multiple adjectives to describe everything they can perceive with their five senses. There is, however, a particular order in which these adjectives should be used in a sentence. Let us look at how it works. The first component that should be placed in a sentence according to the order of adjectives is the determiner. Determiners include possessive adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, demonstrative pronouns and articles. For example: my, his, your, her, their, its, this, that, these, those, a, an and the. Then comes the quantity of the particular object in the second place. For example: two, ten, a dozen, many, much, a few, several, etc. A person’s opinions about a particular noun is placed in the third position in a sentence with multiple adjectives. Just keep in mind that opinions can be general or specific. For example: beautiful, tasty, precious, horrible, pretty, elegant, lovely, etc. The size of the noun comes next. For example: huge, tiny, big, small, medium, long, etc. The fifth position can be occupied by the age of the noun. For example: new, old, ancient, young, etc. The shape of the noun is what takes the sixth position. For example: square, cubical, round, circular, spherical, cylindrical, triangular, etc. Colors of nouns take the next position after shapes in a sentence. For example: grey, purple, deep blue, black, etc. The origin of the noun comes in the eighth position. For example: Indian, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, English, Sri Lankan, etc. The ninth position is taken up by the material of the noun. For example: silk, cotton, jute, wooden, glass, acrylic, etc. In the last position, just before the noun, you can write the purpose or qualifier of the object. For example: sports (uniform), vending (machine), denim (shirt), jute (saree), painting (brush), etc. Interesting Facts about Adjectives The longest adjective has 45 letters and is: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (esa palabra no la mencionan pueden decir algo como: For my and your mental health I'm not gonna say it, but basically is a severe disease that affects lung function and can cause disability and even death. Shakespeare invented lots of adjectives. The adjective is right next to the noun/pronoun that it modifies. Most of the time, adjectives come before the nouns/pronouns they modify, but they can sometimes come after them: -The blue birds built a nest. (The adjective blue modifies the noun birds.) -I was looking for someone else. (The adjective else modifies the pronoun someone.). Adjectives come from the Latin word ‘adject’ which means added Adjectives have been used in language for thousands of years, and that ancient civilizations had their own unique ways of describing things with adjectives. In fact, some of the earliest known written records contain adjectives Certain adjectives are associated with certain cultures or regions. For example: "Zen" is a Japanese adjective often used to describe a state of calmness, simplicity, and inner peace.
