An adjective is a word used to describe the quality, position, quantity, number of a noun or pronoun.
Example: Rahim is a good boy.
In the above sentence, the word good tells the quality of the noun, Rahim. So, good is an adjective in the sentence.
More examples:
Canada is a big country.
He has much money.
I gave him five oranges. ' *
An adjective has two uses:
(a) Attributive use
(b) Predicative use
When an adjective sits before a noun and qualifies it, this use of Adjective is called attributive use of Adjective.
Example: He is a wise man.
In the above sentence, the adjective wise sits before the noun man and qualifies it. So, the Adjective
wise is used attributively in the sentence.
Predicative Use of Adjective
When an adjective sits after a predicative verb and qualifies the subject, this use of Adjective is called predicative use of Adjective.
The man is wise.
In the above sentence, the adjective wise sits after the verb and qualifies the subject as the man. So, the adjective wise is used predicatively in the sentence.
Note: Predicative verb means the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were)
Classification of Adjectives
There are mainly four kinds of adjectives:
They are (i) Descriptive Adjective or Adjective of quality, (ii) Quantitative Adjective or Adjective of quantity, (iii) Numeral adjective or Adjective of number, and (iv) Pronominal Adjective.
Adjective
Descriptive
Quantitative
Numeral Adjective
Pronominal Adjective
Descriptive Adjectives or Adjectives of Quality
The Adjective quality describes the quality, kind, size, shape and colour of a person or a thing. Example: He is an intelligent man.
In the above sentence, the word intelligent describes his kind of man. So, the word intelligent is a descriptive adjective or Adjective of quality. Examples: Dhaka is an old city. He is a rich man. The boys are clever.
Adjective of Quantity
Adjective of a quantity indicates quantity of a noun. The main Adjective of quantity are: much, little, some, any, no, none, enough, sufficient, adequate, all, above, half etc.
Example: The man has much money.
In the above sentence, the Adjective much shows the amount of money he has. So much is the Adjective of quantity in the sentence.
Give me a little water.
I want some rice.
Note: Generally adjective of quantity sits before material and abstract nouns.
Numeral Adjective
A numeral adjective shows the number, order and position of a noun.
Example: She has five dolls.
In the above sentence, the word five indicates how many dolls he has. So, the word five is a numeral adjective.
Rasel is the first boy in the class.
There are a few mistakes in the book.
There are three kinds of numeral adjectives. They are :
(1) Cardinal
(2) Ordinal
(3) Multiplicative
Numeral Adjective
Ordinal | | Multiplicative
Cardinal Numeral Adjective
A Cardinal numeral adjective shows the exact number of a noun. Main cardinal numeral adjectives are one, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, etc. Example: He has three pens.
Ordinal Numeral Adjective
Ordinal numeral adjective shows the order/position of a noun.
The ordinal numeral adjectives: first, second, third, fourth, fifth etc.
Example: He is the first boy in the class.
In the above sentence, the word first tells the order and position of the noun boy in the class. So the word first is an ordinal numeral adjective.
Multiplicate Numeral Adjective
Multiplicative numeral indicates how many times they are: single, double, triple etc. Example: He hired a single room.
Cardinal
Ordinal
Multiplicative
One
first
single
Two
second
double/twofold
Three
third
triple/threefold
Four
fourth
Fourfold/quadruple
Five
fifth
fivefold
Cardinal, ordinal and multiplicative-numeral adjectives are called definite numeral adjectives because they indicate a definite number.
But when a numeral adjective does not indicate a definite number but only gives hints about the number, it is called an indefinite numeral adjective.
Indefinite numeral adjectives: all, some, enough, no or more, many, few, several etc.
Example: Some students left the class.
Many students went to school.
Few people are happy in the world.
In the above three sentences, some, many and few do not indicate a definite number but only give hints about the number. So, they are indefinite numeral adjectives.
Pronominal Adjective
When a pronoun sits before a noun and does the work of an adjective, it is called a pronominal Adjective.
This is his toy.
Every man should respect the learned.
Which pen have you bought?
This boy is brilliant.
In the above sentences, the pronouns his and every, which qualify the nouns, toy, man, pen and boy, respectively and do the work of Adjective. So, they are pronominal adjectives in the above sentences.
There are mainly four kinds of pronominal adjectives. They are :
(i) Demonstrative Adjective
(ii) Interrogative Adjective
(iii) Distributive Adjective
(iv) Possessive Adjective
Pronominal Adjective
Demonstrative
Interrogative
Distributive
Possessive
(a) Demonstrative Adjective: When a demonstrative pronoun sits before a noun and does the work of an adjective, it is called a demonstrative adjective. Example: This pen is new.
In the above sentence, the demonstrative pronoun this sits before the noun pen and qualifies it. So, it is a demonstrative adjective.
(b) Interrogative Adjective: When an interrogative pronoun sits before a noun and does the work of an adjective, it is called an interrogative adjective. Example: Which pen did you buy?
In the above sentence, the interrogative pronoun sits before the noun pen and does the work of an adjective. So, which is an interrogative adjective in the sentence? What fruit do you like? Whose pen have you taken? Note: Who and whom are not interrogative adjectives because no noun sits after them.
Distributive Adjective
When a distributive pronoun sits before a noun and does the work of an adjective, it is called a distributive Adjective.
Example: Each boy has a toy.
In the above sentence, the distributive pronoun each is used before the noun toy. So, the pronoun each is a distributive Adjective in the sentence.
Every man must die.
Distributive pronoun
Distributive adjective
Each of the boys got a pen. Either of the two pens will do. Neither of the boys was present. Each of the books will do.
Each boy got a pen. Either pen will do. Neither boy was present. Every book will do.
Possessive Adjective
When a possessive pronoun (my, our, your, their, his, her, its) sits before a noun and works as an adjective, it is called a possessive adjective. Example: This is your school.
In the above sentence, the possessive pronoun your sits before the noun school and does the work of an adjective. So, the possessive pronoun your is an adjective in the sentence.
That is my pen.
This is our school.
Their house is very big.
His brother is a doctor.
A possessive Adjective comes before a noun and qualifies it, and a possessive pronoun comes after the noun.
Possessive adjectives
Possessive pronouns
This is my book. This is your pen. Their garden is beautiful. This is our school. Their house looks fine.
This book is mine. This pen is yours. This garden is his/hers. Ours is a big school. That house is theirs.
Some other Adjectives
Proper adjectives: The adjectives which are formed from proper nouns are called proper adjectives.
Proper noun
Proper adjectives
Bangladesh, India, America, China, Italy Milton
Bangladeshi Indian American Chinese Italian Miltonic
Examples :
Proper noun
Proper adjectives
Bangladesh is our homeland. He went to India. He visited America.
I like Bangladeshi food. He bought an Indian car. He likes American goods.
Relative adjectives: When relative pronouns which, what, whose etc., do the work of Adjective, they are called relative adjectives.
Relative pronoun
Relative Adjective
This is the book which he likes. What he said is true.
Ask him which book he likes. What statement he gave was true.
Noun as Adjective: When we use a noun before another noun, the first noun is treated as an adjective.
Example: He bought a gold ring.
In the above sentence, there are two nouns-gold and ring. Since the first noun gold is used before the second noun ring, gold is adjective in the sentence.
I paid the bus fare.
Kamal bought a wristwatch.
This is a diamond necklace.
That is a paper mill.
That is a school bus.
Verb To Adjective Formation of an adjective by adding "able" suffix after the verb
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Root / Base word
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suffix
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New word
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believe
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believable
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imagine
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imaginable
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move
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movable
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solve
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+ able
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solvable
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argue
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arguable
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forgive
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forgivable
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observe
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observable
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remove
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removable
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Formation of an adjective by adding "able" suffix
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after verb
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Root / Base word
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suffix
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New word
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punish
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punishable
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answer
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answerable
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avail
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available
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bear
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bearable
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consider
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considerable
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control
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controllable
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enjoy
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enjoyable
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laugh
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laughable
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prefer
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+ able
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prelerable
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repay
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repayable
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comfort
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comfortable
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eat
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eatable
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honor
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honorable
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renew
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renewable
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repair
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repairable
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Formation of an adjective by adding "ful" suffix
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help
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helpful
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use
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useful
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play
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playful
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wonder
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wonderful
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joy
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joyful
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color
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+ ful
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colorful
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doubt
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doubtful
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fear
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fearful
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law
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lawful
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respect
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respectful
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hope-
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hopeful
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power
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powerful
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harm
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harmful
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faith
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faithful
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beauty
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beautiful
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Formation of an adjective by adding "y" suffix
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greed
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greedy
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sun
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+y
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sunny
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health
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healthy
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need
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needy
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