LoginAdjectives
Explore advanced uses of adjectives in different contexts. For example: "He gave a detailed explanation." Comprehensive explanations, exercises, and a quiz provided.
What Are Adjectives?
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide additional information about the qualities, characteristics, or attributes of the noun or pronoun they are describing.
Adjectives: Types
We can categorize adjectives based on different properties:
Based on Placement
Based on their position in a sentence, i.e. where they appear in a sentence, adjectives can be categorized into two main groups:
Attributive adjectives: come before nouns
Predicative adjectives: come after linking verbs
This is the happiest dog in the world.
before a noun
She looks breathtaking in that dress.
after a linking verb
Based on Capitalization
Based on whether their first letter is capitalized or not, adjectives can be categorized as:
He is a famous actor.
common adjective
He is an American actor.
proper adjective
Based on Gradability
Gradability in adjectives refers to their ability to express different degrees or levels of the quality they describe. Some adjectives are more gradable than others, meaning that they can be used to express a wider range of degrees or levels of the quality they describe. With this regard, adjectives can be categorized as:
I was finally free to do what I want.
ungradable adjective
I was so tired I could barely walk.
Based on Comparability
Comparability in adjectives refers to the ability of an adjective to be used to compare two nouns or pronouns in terms of the degree or level of the quality it describes. Based on comparability, adjectives can be categorized into two main groups:
I'm taller than my brother.
comparable adjective
He made some impossible claims.
non-comparable adjective
Based on Formation
Formation in adjectives refers to the process of creating adjectives from other words, such as nouns, verbs, or other adjectives. Based on how they are formed, we can categorize adjectives into two types:
I was angry at him.
It was such a far-fetched dream that no one believed it would come true.
Based on Degree
Comparative degree is a feature of some adjectives, which allows for the comparison of two or more nouns or pronouns in terms of the quality described by the adjective. For example, a person may be 'nice,' but another person may be 'nicer,' and a third person may be the 'nicest' of the three. Based on this criterion, adjectives can be:
My brother is tall.
My brother is taller than me.
My brother is the tallest member of our family.
Nominal Adjectives
Nominal adjectives, also known as substantive adjectives, function similarly to nouns in that they can act as the head of a noun phrase. They are often used in contexts where a noun is implied but not explicitly stated, and can be easily understood from the context in which they are used. Check out the examples:
A shelter has been set up to help the homeless.
The charity dedicated $100 to the poor.
In this example, by 'the poor' we mean the 'the poor people.'
Determiners vs. Adjectives
One key difference between 'determiners' and adjectives is that determiners can only be used before nouns, while adjectives can also be used after linking verbs or after the object of complex transitive verbs.
I am supposed to submit an essay by 10:00 pm.
He was happy to see me.
Moreover, the number of determiners used before a noun is typically limited, while there is no limit to the number of adjectives that can be used before a noun.
Additionally, determiners are essential to clarify the noun they precede, and cannot be omitted without changing the meaning or grammatical structure of the sentence. In contrast, in many cases omitting adjectives does not significantly affect the sentence's meaning.
She had a small beautiful dog.
'She had a dog' ✓ But 'She had small beautiful dog' ✗
The following table summarizes the differences between determiners and adjectives.
determiner + determiner | ✓ | adjective + adjective | ✓ |
determiner + adjective | ✓ | adjective + determiner | ✗ |
determiner + noun | ✓ | adjective + noun | ✓ |
noun + determiner | ✗ | noun + adjective | ✗ |
verb + determiner | ✗ | verb + adjective | ✓ |
can be ommitted | ✗ | can be ommitted | ✓ |
What Is an Adjective Phrase?
An adjective phrase is a group of words that functions as an adjective and modifies a noun or pronoun in a sentence. A phrase does not have a subject or verb.
The exceptionally bright student answered the question
A very big game is on Sunday.
What is an Adjective Clause?
The term 'adjective clause' is often used interchangeably with 'relative clause', as they typically consist of a relative pronoun followed by a clause that modifies a noun. These clauses provide additional information that helps to define or identify the noun they modify. Here are some examples of adjective clauses:
The man who was standing over there, made the girl cry.
The door which was opened by the teacher, was brown and yellow.
Agreement
In some languages, such as French, adjectives change their form to reflect the gender, case, and number of the noun they describe. This is called agreement. In English, adjectives never agree with the noun they modify.
Review
Adjectives are used to modify or describe nouns and provide additional information. They can be categorized as:
Attributive and predicative
Common and proper
Gradable and non-gradable
Comparable and non-comparable
Simple and compound
Basic, comparative, and superlative
Quiz:
Which adjective is non-gradable?
happy
freezing
tall
interesting
Sort the words to form a sentence with a comparative adjective.
Match each adjective to its correct category.
Which element can be deleted from the sentence without affecting its meaning or structure?
"An excited fan was waiting for the band."
an
excited
the
band
Fill the table by choosing whether an adjective phrase or an adjective clause is used.
The very expensive car | |
The book that won the award | |
An extremely disappointed teacher | |
The artist who painted this | |
The best birthday cake |
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