Adjectives

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. 

​

Easy Examples of Adjectives

​

In each example, the adjective is highlighted.

      1. An adjective usually comes directly before the noun or pronoun it describes (or modifies, as they say).

• old man

• green coat

• cheerful one

(When adjectives are used like this, they're called attributive adjectives.)

​

      2. An adjective can come after the noun.

• Jack was old.

• It looks green.

• (Adjectives can describe – or modify – pronouns too.)

• He seems cheerful.

In the three examples above, the adjectives have followed linking verbs (was, looks, and seems) to describe the noun or pronoun. (When adjectives are used like this, they're called predicative adjectives.)

       3. Sometimes, an adjective comes immediately after a noun.

• the Princess Royal

• time immemorial

• body beautiful

• the best seats available

• the worst manners imaginable

​​

        4. When adjectives are used like this, they're called postpositive adjectives. Postpositive adjectives are most common with pronouns.

• someone interesting

• those present

• something evil

 

Below is a brief description of the main determiners. (There is a separate page on each one.)

Possessive Determiners. The possessive determiners (called "possessive adjectives" in traditional grammar) are my, your, his, her, its, our, their, and whose. A possessive determiner sits before a noun (or a pronoun) to show who (or what) owns it.

​

• When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife. (Prince Philip)

• The only time a wife listens to her husband is when he's asleep. (Cartoonist Chuck Jones)

Demonstrative Determiners. The demonstrative determiners (called "demonstrative adjectives" in traditional grammar) are this, that, these, and those. A demonstrative determiner makes a noun (or a pronoun) more specific by relating it to something previously mentioned or something being demonstrated.

​

• That man's silence is wonderful to listen to. (Novelist Thomas Hardy)

• Maybe this world is another planet's hell. (Writer Aldous Huxley)

Articles. The articles are the words a, an, and the. They are used to define whether something is specific or unspecific.

​

• The poets are only the interpreters of the gods. (Philosopher Socrates)

• I'm an optimist – but an optimist who carries a raincoat. (Prime Minister Harold Wilson)

Numbers (or Cardinal Numbers). The cardinal numbers are one, two, three, etc. (as opposed by first, second, third, etc., which are known as ordinal numbers). Cardinal numbers are used to specify quantity. They are part of the group of determiners known as "quantifiers."

​

• If two wrongs don't make a right, try three wrongs. (Canadian educator Laurence Peter)

• One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. (Greek Tragedian Euripides)

Indefinite Determiners. The most common indefinite determiners (called "indefinite adjectives" in traditional grammar) are no, any, many, few, several, and some. Indefinite determiners modify nouns in a non-specific way usually relating to quantity. Like numbers, they are part of the group of determiners known as "quantifiers."

​

• If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age. (Comedian George Burns)

• If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. (US President Abraham Lincoln)

Interrogative Determiners. The most common interrogative determiners (called "interrogative adjectives" in traditional grammar) are which, what, and whose. They are used to ask questions.

​

• If you decide that you're indecisive, which one are you?

• What hair colour do they put on bald person's driving licence?

​

Nouns Used as Adjectives

​

Many words that are usually nouns can function as adjectives. For example:

​

• autumn colours

• boat race

• computer shop

• Devon cream

• electricity board

• fruit fly

 

Here are some real-life examples:

​

• Not all face masks are created equal. (Entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman)

• You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves. (Premier Joseph Stalin)

 

When used like adjectives, nouns are known as attributive nouns.

​

Participles Used as Adjectives

​

Formed from a verb, a participle is a word that can be used as an adjective. There are two types of participle:

​

• The present participle (ending -ing)

• The past participle (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n)

 

​​

A participle is classified as a verbal  (a verb form that functions as a noun or an adjective).

 

Infinitives Used as Adjectives

​

An infinitive verb (e.g., to run, to jump) can also function as an adjective.

​

• No human creature can give orders to love. (French novelist George Sand) (Here, the infinitive to love describes the noun orders.)

• Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity. (Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl)

• (An infinitive will often head its own phrase. Here, the infinitive phrase to complicate simplicity describes the noun ability.)

​

Compound Adjectives

​

Not all adjectives are single words far from it. Often, a single adjective will comprise two or more words. A single adjective with more than one word is called a compound adjective .

 

For example:

​

• Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. (Comedian George Burns)

• Be a good-looking corpse. Leave a good-looking tattoo. (Actor Ed Westwick)

• I like the busted-nose look. (Actor Peter Dinklage)

 

Compound adjectives are usually grouped with hyphens  to show they are one adjective.
 

Adjective Phrases

​

In real-life sentences, adjectives are often accompanied by modifiers like adverbs and prepositional phrases. In other words, an adjective (shown in bold) will often feature in an adjective phrase (shaded).

​

• My bankers are very happy with me. (The popstar formerly known as Prince)

• (In this example, the adjective phrase describes bankers.)

​

​

​