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What Are Adjectives? Definition, Types, and Examples

The adjectives are those words that are used to describe the characteristics of something or someone or may give additional information about them. Moreover, these words make the sentence more accurate. So, in this blog, you will read about the adjective definition and examples. Also, learn about the forms and types of adjectives. Therefore, read till the end for all necessary details.

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Table of Contents

What is an Adjective

Many scholars still have confusion about what is adjective. So, an adjective is a part of speech in the form of words that can be used to describe or provide more information about a noun or pronoun that acts as the subject of a sentence. Adjectives are found after the verb or before the noun that it modifies.

Examples of the adjectives are:

Size: Big, small, tall, short, long

Wealth: Rich, expensive

Feelings: Happy, sad, angry, calm, lonely, sick

Quality: Good, difficult, easy

Other: Clever, polite, witty, wicked, confusing, strange, rocky

Forms of Adjectives

There are 3 forms or degrees of adjectives. They are:

  1. Absolute Form
  2. Comparative Form
  3. Superlative Form

Let us discuss every adjective definition and example below.

Absolute form of adjectives

The absolute form of an adjective refers to the adjective in its base, simple, or unmodified state, neither comparative nor superlative. It describes a quality or characteristic without indicating any comparison or degree. Examples of this form are:

  • It was a horrible movie.
  • This is a huge temple
  • He is an excellent student
  • That is an awful thing to say.
  • We would like the entire to attend the session.
  • This is an enormous fort

Comparative form of adjectives

The comparative form of an adjective is used to compare two people, places, things, or ideas. It shows that one has a higher or lower degree of a certain quality compared to the other. Examples of this form are:

  • He was bigger than other competitors.
  • She was happier than before.
  • He is faster than me.
  • I am taller than him.
  • This is smaller than what I wanted.
  • This is more expensive than I thought it would be.

Superlative form of adjectives

The superlative form of an adjective is used to compare three or more people, places, things, or ideas. It expresses the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality. Examples of this form are:

  • This is the coolest thing
  • It was my biggest mistake
  • This is the smallest book I could get.
  • He is the tallest in the class.
  • I am the smartest among you all.
  • He is the most rigid person I know.

These are the three forms of the adjectives. Use them with the examples of adjectives to get perfection.

9 Types of Adjectives

There are a total of 9 types of adjectives. They are discussed in the table below with their meaning, use, and examples for better understanding.

Type of AdjectiveDefinitionExamples
Descriptive AdjectivesAlso known as qualitative adjectives. They are words that describe nouns and pronouns and are used to describe something or someone.

A lovely environment.

A rude person.

A strict teacher.

Miserable feeling.

Quantitative AdjectivesThese words describe the quantity of the object being described. Also, they can be both numbers or terms describing the quantity.

A complete sentence.

There were seven cars.

You have to work more.

I have three friends.

Demonstrative AdjectivesThese helps in identifying a particular noun or pronoun within a sentence and can confer a special importance on the object. They are also known as determiners.

This dress is for my friend.

That dog plays with me.

These sunglasses were there with me.

Those rings are with my mother.

Proper AdjectivesThese words are simply the adjectival form of a proper noun.

Victorian Era

Chinese Food

Indian Tradition

King’s army

Possessive AdjectivesThese terms denote the person to whom an object belongs.

My car

His pen

Their mobile phone

Our parents

Interrogative AdjectivesThese adjectives are used to ask questions.

Which day is the best?

Where were you?

Whose pen is this?

What is your name?

Distributive AdjectivesAdjectives that describe individual people or objects within a group.

Each person

Every member

Neither them nor you.

Every student

Compound AdjectivesThese adjectives are used for more than 1 word. They are usually joined with the help of a hyphen.

He is absent-minded.

That is a crystal clear glass.

This is a time-saving activity.

He is a part-time worker.

Indefinite AdjectivesTerms to describe non-specific things or persons. They can be particularly useful if you don’t have all the information regarding the noun.

Few books.

Several people

Many colleges

Multiple examples

These are the 9 types of adjectives. Read their definitions and learn the proper usage of them for grammatical perfection.

Expert Tips to Use Adjectives Perfectly

The use of adjective words is not very complicated but still, it is beneficial if you follow some tips for perfectly using these words in sentences.

Choose the most suitable ones

Choose the accurate words that perfectly describe what you want to express by using that particular word.

Use them in moderation

Avoid using too many adjectives in your writing to make a clear and more effective explanation of the sentence.

Capture the reader’s imagination

Choose a word or adjective in your sentence keeping in mind the thinking of the readers and match their expectations.

Experiment with adjectives to see what works

Experiment with different options to find an adjective that makes your writing stronger and that clearly expresses what you want to say.

Remember that context is key

Think about the specific situation or thing you’re describing and choose adjectives that fit well. Prioritize the context for a better approach.

Consider the type

As discussed above, there are several types of adjectives. So, use the best type of adjective that suits best what you want to describe.

These are the tips that you can apply to the examples of adjectives for a better understanding.

Check Your Knowledge of Adjectives

Below, there are 20 sentences mentioned for your practice. There, you have to identify the adjectives in the sentences and also their types. Thus, solve this adjectives worksheet for practice.

  1. He writes meaningless letters.
  2. This shop is much nicer.
  3. She wore a beautiful dress.
  4. Ben is an adorable baby.
  5. Linda's hair is gorgeous.
  6. A wooden boat.
  7. I married an American woman.
  8. The Jewish community in NY is very big.
  9. He is taller than Mr. Hulas.
  10. He is more intelligent than this boy.
  11. Jonathan is the most handsome man on campus.
  12. This is the prettiest dress in the window.
  13. This is an all-too-common error.
  14. Beware of the green-eyed monster.
  15. He is a cold-blooded man.
  16. The doctor is very late.
  17. My sister is fond of animals.
  18. I am happy to meet you.
  19. The kids are ready to go.
  20. You have to be open-minded about things.

In these sentences, you will get adjective words in each sentence. Identify them and also the type of adjectives used there. This will help you with flourishing your knowledge of the same and also become a perfectionist in this topic.

Answers of the Worksheet

These are the answers to the adjectives worksheet above. Solve it yourself, and then look at the solution to check your status.

Here’s the analysis of the adjectives in the given sentences, along with their types:

  1. Meaningless- Descriptive adjective
  2. Nice - Comparative adjective
  3. Beautiful - Descriptive adjective
  4. Adorable - Descriptive adjective
  5. Gorgeous - Descriptive adjective
  6. Wooden - Descriptive adjective
  7. American - Proper adjective
  8. Jewish - Proper adjective; big - Descriptive adjective
  9. Taller - Comparative adjective
  10.  More intelligent - Comparative adjective
  11.  Most handsome - Superlative adjective
  12.  Prettiest - Superlative adjective
  13.  All-too-common - Compound descriptive adjective
  14.  Green-eyed - Compound descriptive adjective
  15.  Cold-blooded - Compound descriptive adjective
  16.  Very late - "Very" is an intensifier, and late is a descriptive adjective.
  17.  Fond - Descriptive adjective
  18.  Happy - Descriptive adjective
  19.  Ready - Descriptive adjective
  20.  Open-minded - Compound descriptive adjective

These are the answers to the above worksheet. Understanding the concept of every sentence and also meaning will help you identify the types of adjectives further.

Also Read:

Conclusion

Hopefully, it is now clear what is an adjective. Use them in your sentences for a better description of what you want to convey in that sentence. Using and learning these adjectives is not very tough and also the tips mentioned above will make it easier for you. Moreover, learning adjectives is also important for those who are planning to study abroad. Candidates comfortable with them will be able to prove their proficiency in the English language with proper grammatical usage and knowledge. So, learn them and use them in sentences for a better approach to your ideas.

FAQs

What Are 10 Examples of Adjectives?

The 10 examples of adjectives are beautiful, sleeveless, edible, adorable, homeless, bigger, more beautiful, worse, green-eyed, and dark brown.

How Many Types of Adjectives Are There?

There are several types of adjectives out of which 7 are main that are:

  1. Comparative adjectives
  2. Superlative adjectives
  3. Predicate adjectives
  4. Compound adjectives
  5. Possessive adjectives
  6. Demonstrative adjectives
  7. Proper adjectives

What Is the Difference Between Adjective and Adverb?

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

What Is a Proper Adjective?

A proper adjective is an adjective that was derived from a proper noun and is therefore capitalized. Example: Japanese, Indian, etc.

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