Adjectives Part I

Adjectives are words that are used to describe (what kind of?) nouns and pronouns and to quantify (how much of?) and identify (which one?) them. In a nutshell, Adjectives are what define nouns and give them characteristics to differentiate them from other nouns. For example:

He was wearing a blue shirt.

Here ‘blue’ is an adjective as it is describing the noun ‘shirt’ by answering the question ‘what kind of shirt?’

There are seven rooms in the house.

Here ‘Seven’ is also an adjective as it’s telling the quantity/the number of the noun ‘rooms’, answering the question ‘how many rooms?’. 

There are different types of adjectives based upon their effect on a noun and what do they tell about the noun. There are five categories of adjectives

1. Adjectives of Quality - These adjectives are used to describe the nature of a noun. They give an idea about the characteristics of the noun by answering the question ‘what kind’. 

o   Honest, Kind, Large, Bulky, Beautiful, Ugly etc.

New Delhi is a large city with many historical monuments. 

Sheila is a beautiful woman.

2. Adjectives of Quantity - These adjectives help to show the amount or the approximate amount of the noun or pronoun. These adjectives do not provide exact numbers; rather they tell us the amount of the noun in relative or whole terms.

o   All, Half, Many, Few, Little, No, Enough, Great etc.

They have finished most of the rice.

Many people came to visit the fair. 

3. Adjectives of Number - These adjectives are used to show the number of nouns and their place in an order.  There are three different sections within adjectives of number;  they are -

o   Definite Numeral Adjective - Those which clearly denote an exact number of nouns or the order of the noun.

One, Two, Twenty, Thirty-Three etc. also known as Cardinals.

First, Second, Third, Seventh etc. also known as Ordinals.

o   Indefinite Numeral Adjective - Those adjectives that do not give an exact numerical amount but just give a general idea of the amount.

Some, Many, Few, Any, Several, All etc.

E.g.: There were many people present at the meeting. 

o   Distributive Numeral Adjective -Those adjectives that are used to refer to individual nouns within the whole amount. 

Either, Neither, Each, Another, Other etc.

Taxes have to be paid by every employed citizen.