Definition: An adjective is a word which qualifies a noun and adds something to its meaning by acting as a pre modifier or post modifier. (Adjective means added to.)

E.g. It is a red book.

The book is red.

 Types of adjectives:

1) Adjectives of Quality:  shows the kind or quality of a person or thing. E.g.   red, big, heavy, tall.

2) Adjectives of Quantity:  shows how much of a thing is meant.  some, much, enough, all.

3) Adjectives of Number: shows how many persons or things are meant.  eight, many, all, first.

a) Definite numeral adjectives: i)Cardinals: one, two three.

                                                       ii) Ordinals: first, second, third.

b) Indefinite numeral adjectives: E.g.  some, all, few, many, several.

c) Distributive numeral adjectives: E.g. each, every, either, neither. 

Demonstrative adjectives: E.g. This, That, These, Those, Such.

Interrogative Adjectives: E.g. Which, What, whose (followed by noun)

Possessive Adjectives:  E.g. my, your, her, his.

Emphasizing adjectives: E.g. own, very.

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES BEFORE NOUN.

Common Rules:

i)Number is usually placed before other adjectives. E.g. Eleven cricket players. Third highest mountain.

ii) Adjectives denoting size, length, height comes first.  E.g. A square glass table.  A big blue house.

iii) Adjectives denoting judgments and attitudes comes first. E.g. A wise, handsome, young man.

iv) We place colour, origin, material, purpose before noun. E.g. A white, Chinese, porcelain, Ming vase.

v) Commas are placed between sequences of similar adjectives. Often before the last adjective and is used. E.g. She is a tall, fair, and beautiful girl.

Some adjectives can act as noun and are used with ‘The’

The rich, The poor etc.

Form: Adjectives can be simple or derivative. Derivative adjectives can be formed by adding adjective suffixes like, -ible, -able, -ful, -ic, -ish, ive, -ous, -y etc.

Most common adjectives have three forms in three degrees:

   POSITIVE               |                                  COMPARATIVE              |                      SUPERLATIVE

   Good                                                            better                                                   best

    Bad                                                             worse                                                   worst

    Tall                                                              taller                                                     tallest

    Pretty                                                         prettier                                                 prettiest     

    Intelligent                                                  more intelligent                                  most intelligent

    Common                                                    commoner                                           commonest        

    Silly                                                             sillier                                                     silliest              

    Grey                                                            greyer                                                   greyest

   Well known                    better known/more well known                   best known/most well known

SENTENCES with DEGREE ADJECTIVES

POSITIVE DEGREE

Positive degree of adjectives simply tells us about the quality of a person or thing.

E.g. Ron is tall.

 If his friend Mark is also of the same height and there is no comparison, we may say:

Ron is as tall as Mark.  In positive degree we use ‘   as _____ as,’ to show similarity in quality.

COMPARATIVE DEGREE

Comparative degree compares the quality between two things or people.

E.g. Ron is taller than Anna.

Comparative degree denotes a higher degree of quality than the positive. Usually ‘er’, ‘more’ along with ‘than’ is used in comparison.

SUPERLATIVE DEGREE

Hannah is the tallest among the friends; she is also the most beautiful.

Superlative degree denotes the highest of the quality and is used when more than two things are compared. Usually ‘est’,’most’ along with ‘the’ is used in superlative sentences.