Adjective

Adjective is another important chapter of English language to understand the basic concepts of qualifying nouns or pronouns. Adjective is an important part of speech to describe nouns and pronouns in detail. For that students have to learn adjective in their syllabus of secondary education. For describing comparison in different sentences students also have to learn degree of adjectives. Students rely on their respective textbooks for getting basic concepts about adjective and applying its rules. For their deep subjective knowledge we have provided complete analysis about all rules to study adjective completely.

Adjective:

The words which are used for qualifying a noun or a pronoun with its quality, quantity, frequency and many other aspects are called adjectives.

Adjectives can be used as both premodifiers and postmodifiers in a sentence for qualifying noun or pronoun.

As premodifiers adjectives are used before noun in the form adjective+ noun.

Ex. Ram is a tall boy.

She is a happy person.

As postmodifiers adjectives are used after noun or pronoun for qualifying them with the structure verb-be+ adjective.

Ex. the girl is intelligent.

The sky is cloudy.

Adjective

Kinds of Adjective:

  1. Proper adjective
  2. Adjective of quality
  3. Adjective of quantity
  4. Adjective of number
  5. Demonstrative adjective
  6. Distributive adjective
  7. Possessive adjective
  8. Interrogative adjective

1.) Proper adjective:

The adjectives which are made from proper nouns are called proper adjectives.

Ex. British, Buddhist, American etc.

2.) Adjective of quality:

Those adjectives which qualify good quality, bad quality, colour, state and presence are called adjective of quality.

Ex. this is sweet potato.

Adjectives of quality can be used in both attributive and predicative cases.

Attributive use is when adjectives are used before noun or pronoun.

Predicative adjectives are when these words are used after verbs in a sentence.

3.) Adjective of quantity:

To mention the quantity for a specific noun or pronoun adjective quantity is used.

Ex. much, any, whole, enough, some, little etc.

4.) Adjective of number:

For referring the number of objects some adjectives are specifically used which are called adjective of number.

Cardinal adjectives: one, two, three, four, five etc. these cardinal numbers are used as cardinal adjectives.

Ordinal adjectives: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth etc. are ordinal adjectives which are used as ordinal adjectives.

Multiplicative: single, double, triple etc. are used as multiplicative adjectives.

5.) Demonstrative adjective:

Some adjectives are used for showing definite or specific persons, things, animals and other objects which are called demonstrative adjective.

Ex. this, that, these, those etc.

These mangoes are cheap.

Those clothes are dirty.

6.) Distributive adjective:

The adjectives which qualify every persons or things form the whole group are known as distributive adjectives.

Ex. each, every, either, neither etc.

Each student is present today.

Every person is honest here.

7.) Possessive adjective:

Adjectives related to persons or things which are used before noun or pronoun in a sentence are called possessive adjective.

Ex. this is my book.

We sit on our seats.

8.) Interrogative adjective:

The adjectives which are used for asking a question in a sentence are called interrogative adjective.

Ex. who, which, what, when etc.

Which book is hers?

What is his job?

Comparison of Adjectives:

Learning the part comparison of adjectives is another significant part of adjective which every student has to go through effectively. To understand comparison of adjectives students require to follow the rules for every degree in detail and remember it for applying in examples.

Comparison of adjectives is followed by three degrees- Positive, Comparative, Superlative.

Positive degree is used for referring single person, things, animal etc. there is no comparison present for showing in a sentence.

Ex. she is a beautiful girl.

She is a talented painter.

Comparative degree is used when two persons or things are compared with each other. Comparative degree of adjectives is used for qualifying nouns or pronouns. Than is used before the nouns or pronouns with which the person or ting is compared

Ex. Shimla is cooler than Darjeeling.

Mumbai is more populous city than Kolkata.

Superlative degree is used for showing the comparison for one person or things with the whole group or class. Adjectives of superlative degree is used for showing the comparison in sentences. The is used before the superlative degree of adjectives.

Ex. he is the best boy in the class.

He is greatest person by heart.

Rules for three degrees of adjectives:

1.) For making adjective of comparative degree er will be added at the end of the adjective. In superlative degree est will be added at the end of that particular adjective.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Cold Colder

Coldest

Hot

 Hotter Hottest
Strong Stronger

Strongest

Tall

 Taller Tallest
Weak Weaker

Weakest

Low

 Lower Lowest
Bright Brighter

Brightest

Thick

 Thicker Thickest
Funny Funnier

Funniest

2.) For the adjectives ending with e only r is added in comparative degree and st in superlative degree.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Brave Braver

Bravest

Wise

 Wiser Wisest
Fine Finer

Finest

Noble

 Nobler Noblest
Able Abler

Ablest

3.) When adjectives are end with consonant and before that vowels are present in positive degree then consonants will be double in comparative and superlative degree.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Big Bigger

biggest

Thin

 Thinner Thinnest
Sad Sadder

Saddest

Fit

 Fitter Fittest
Wet Wetter

Wettest

4.) In adjectives of positive degree ending with y will be ier and iest in comparative degree and superlative degree.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Dry Drier

Driest

Heavy

 Heavier Heaviest
Happy Happier

Happiest

Pretty

 Prettier Prettiest
Merry Merrier

Merriest

5.) Before some adjectives more will be added in comparative degree and most will be added in superlative degree.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Beautiful More beautiful

Most beautiful

Intelligent

 More intelligent Most intelligent
Pleasant More pleasant

Most pleasant

Courageous

 More courageous

Most courageous

6.) Some adjectives have no definite rules of changing into comparative degree and superlative degree which are completely changed in both forms.

Positive

 Comparative Superlative
Good Better

Best

Bad

 Worse Worst
Little Lesser

Least

Far

 Farther Farthest
Old Older

Oldest

Much/many

 More Most
Late Later

Latest

Rules of using Adjectives:

1.) Numerical adjectives are used for countable nouns.

2.) When cardinal and ordinal adjectives are used together then ordinal precedes the cardinal adjectives.

Ex. the first four girls will be given the chance.

3.) Each, every, either, neither are always followed by singular noun.

Ex. every students has a notebook.

4.) When the words like number, quantity, amount are used in the sentence small is preferred to little as a qualifying adjective.

Ex. he has invested a small amount of money.

5.) When two different qualities in the same person are compared more is used instead of adding er to make comparative degree.

Ex. he is more fat than tall.

6.) If two comparatives are used in the same sentence to lay stress on an idea both should be preceeded by the.

Ex. the higher you go, the cooler it is.

7.) Preferable is followed by to and used in comparative degree.

Ex. death is preferable to beg.

8.) Double comparative or superlative should not be used in the same sentence.

Ex. it is better for you.

9.) Unique, perfect, extreme, universal, entire, chief, full, square, round etc. are not used in comparative and superlative degree but used in positive degree.

10.) When an adjective in the superlative degree is preceeded by a possessive adjective or a noun in the possessive case the should not be used before it.

Ex. my eldest son lives in Kolkata.

11.) Definite numerical adjectives+ plural nouns are followed by less.

few+ a few+ the few- countable noun

little/less- uncountable noun

I have ten rupees less to pay.

12.) Possessive case comes after all and both not before them.

Ex. all my friends came to the party.

13.) When two adjectives require different preposition, appropriate prepositions should be used with both adjectives.

Ex. he is senior to and older than I.

His dress is different from and cheaper than mine.

14.) Place adjective after noun when the noun is followed by preposition.

Ex. he is a man suitable for the post.

15.) If both positive and comparative degree of an adjective are used in the same sentence, both as-as and than will be used.

Ex. he is as intelligent as if not more intelligent than his brother.

16.) Elder and eldest are used for only persons/ members of the same family.

Elder+ two+ objective case+ age.

Ex. he is elder to me by four years.

Older, oldest are used for other persons, animals or things.

Older+ than+ nominative case

Ex. he is older than I.

Little means negative which means not much or hardly any.

A little is positive which means some quantity.

The little denotes quantity which mean not much but all that is.

Ex. I read few books.

I read a few books.

I read the few books that I had.

Find the errors:

1.) A few word of a)/ self-explanation are enough b)/ to express your c)/ feelings here sincerely d)/ no error e).

2.) Everyone agrees that a)/ the Ganga is the longest b)/ of all other rivers of India c)/ no error d)

3.) The railways have included a)/ crossing the tracks b)/ as a punished offence in its instruction c)/ no error d)

4.) Two lakh of people a)/ attended the meeting that day b)/ held in parade ground c)/ no error d)

5.) As a novelist a)/ Surekha is superior than b)/ any other twentieth century writer c)/ no error d)

6.) While giving an amount as loan a)/ you must check b)/ if the borrower has sufficiently collateral to repay it c) / no error d)

7.) This book is a)/ undoubtedly preferable than b)/ that and its printing language c)/ is also comparatively good d)/ no error e)

8.) Ganesh felt happily a)/ to learn that I b)/ had got a job in the corporate sector c)/ no error d)

9.) I will buy a)/ the book for my brother when b)/ the revise edition will come c)/ no error d)

10.) The circulation of the telegraph a)/ is greater than b)/ that of any newspaper c)/ no error d)

Solution:

1.) a) words will be used in place of word because a few is used with plural countable noun.

2.) c) all other rivers will be replaced with all the rivers for being in superlative degree.

3.) c) the adjective form of punish punishable will be used.

4.) a) of is not used with definite numerical adjectives so of will not be used.

5.) b) to is used with superior not than.

6.) c) collateral will be qualified with sufficient in place of sufficiently.

7.) b) preferable will be used with to in place of than.

8.) a) adjective form happy will be used in place of adverb happily.

9.) c) revised will be used in place of revise.

10.) c) any other newspaper will be used in place of any newspaper.

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