Adjectives

 

 Adjectives

Read these sentences.

1. Rose has a pink dress.
2. It was an interesting movie.
3. Father bought four chocolates.

1. In sentences (1), the word ‘pink’ tells us about the colour of the ‘dress’
2. In sentences (2), the word ‘interesting’ tells us about the kind of ‘movie’
3. In sentences (3), the word ‘four’ tells us about the number of ‘chocolates’.

 These words ‘pink’, ‘interesting’ and ‘four’ tell us more about the nouns ‘dress’, ‘movie’, and ‘chocolates’.

Adjectives are describing words that tell us more about persons, animals, places, and things.

Positions of Adjectives

Adjectives are usually placed before the nouns they describe.

Example: He is an old man.

Old – Adjectives , Man – Noun

However, sometimes, the adjective can be placed after a noun.

Example : The man is old.

Types of Adjectives

1. Adjectives of Quality

Read  the following sentences.

• This is a story book.

Story – tells us about the kind of book.

• Alia is a good dancer

Good – tells us about the kind of dancer

Adjectives of quality is an adjective that tells us about the kind or nature of a person, thing or animal. Examples : small, big and large.

It answers the question : what kind of?

2. Adjectives of Quantity

Read the following sentences.

• The teacher gave me some homework for Sunday.

Some – tells us about the quantity of homework.

• I have enough time to complete the work.

Enough – tells us about quantity of time.

An adjective of quantity is an adjective that tells us about the quantity of a thing. Examples : some, enough and much

It answers the question:  how much?

3. Adjectives of Number

Read these sentences.

• All the students were present at the event.

All – tells us about the number of students.

• They will return after two weeks.

Two – tells us about the number of week.

An adjective of number is an adjective that tells us about the number of persons, things or animals. Examples : one, two and many.

It answers the question : how many

Difference between Adjectives of Number and Adjectives of Quantity

• An adjective like ‘second’, ‘fourth’, ‘fifth’ are adjectives of number. They are called ordinal adjectives and show the order in which a person or thing stands.

• Some adjectives maybe both adjectives of quantity and adjective of number depending upon their use.

Examples :

1. I have enough work for the day.
2. I have read enough stories over the weekend.

1. In sentence (1), ‘enough’ tells us ‘how much work?’ So, it is an adjective of quantity.
2. In sentence (2). ‘enough’ tells us ‘how may stories?’ So, it is an adjective of number.

Let see some more examples.

Adjective of Quantity	Adjective of Number
Jacky wanted some money.	Some people want to meet you.
He drank all the water in the jug.	All the cows belonged to the farmer.

Some more difference between adjective of quantity and number which convey the same idea.

Little, Few

Both little and few convey the same idea. But little is an adjective of quantity, whereas few is an adjective of number. Little is used with uncountable nouns, few is used with countable nouns.

Much, Many

Much and many also convey the same idea. But much is an adjective of quantity, whereas many is an adjective of number.

4. Demonstrative Adjectives

Read these sentences.

• This bike is Rahul’s.

This – tells us which bike.

• I can see that mango tree.

That – tells us which mango tree.

The words ‘this’ and ‘that’ are adjectives since they describe ‘bike’ and ‘tree’ respectively. Demonstrative means pointing out.

A demonstrative adjective is an adjective that is used to point out naming words.

Examples:  this, that, these, those and such

It answers the question: which one?

• This and These are used to point out persons or things which are near.
• That and Those are used to point out persons or things that are far away.
• That and This are used with singular nouns.
• Those and These are used with plural nouns.

5. Interrogative Adjectives

Read these sentences.

• What animal is that?

• Whose book are you reading?

• Which dress do you want?

The words ‘What’, ‘Whose’, and ‘Which’ are adjectives since they describe the animal, book and dress respectively. As they ask questions, these adjectives are called interrogative adjectives.

An interrogative adjective is an adjective which asks a question.

Examples: what, whose and which

6. Possessive Adjectives

Read these sentences

• My book is lying on the table.

My – tells us whose book.

• They sold their house.

Their – tells us whose house.

‘My’ tells us that the book belongs to me or is possessed by me. ‘Their’ house means the house possessed by them or belonging to them.

A possessive adjective is an adjective that shows possession or belonging.

Examples: his, her, our and your

It answers the question: whose?