Adjective - Meaning, Types, Uses, Examples & Exercises | Parts of Speech

Adjective - Meaning, Types, Uses, Examples & Exercises | Parts of Speech

Adjectives are words which tell more about a noun. They are used in giving more information about the object signified or Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence.

KINDS OF ADJECTIVES

1. Adjective of quality
2. Adjective of quantity
3. Demonstrative adjectives
4. Adjective of interrogative

1. Adjectives of quality

This is the type of adjectives which give the quality of a noun. Those are words showing the kind or quality of nouns or pronouns. 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’.   These include nice, white, blue, red, intelligent, heavy, smart, beautiful, good, honest, big, old, large, long, excellent, better etc.   E.g.

• He is a nice
• Lucy has a white
• James is an intelligent
• It is a heavy

2. Adjectives of quantity

These adjectives help to show the amount or the approximate amount of the noun or pronoun. It is the type of adjectives which give the number or quantity of the noun.

These adjectives do not provide exact numbers; rather they tell us the amount of the noun in relative or whole terms. These include all, half, many, few, little, no, enough, great, Some, Any, Several, One, Two, Twenty, Thirty-Three,

E.g.

• They have finished most of the rice.
• Many people came to visit the fair.
• Most of the people did not attend the meeting.
• A little milk has remained in the bottle.

3. Demonstrative Adjectives

These adjectives are used to point out or indicate a particular noun or pronoun. These include this, that, these and those. E.g.

• That bag belongs to Neil.
• Try using this paintbrush in art class.
• I really like those
• These flowers are lovely.

4. Interrogative Adjectives

These adjectives are used to ask questions about nouns or in relation to nouns.  These are where, what, which and whose. E.g.

- Where did he say he was going?

- What assignment did I miss out on?

- Which is your favorite author?

- Whose pen is this?

DEGREES OF ADJECTIVES

The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. (Actually, only the comparative and superlative show degrees). We use the comparative for comparing two things and the superlative for comparing three or more things.

The inflected suffixes -er and -est used to form most comparatives and superlatives, although we need -ier and -iest when a two-syllable adjective ends in “y”(happier and happiest); otherwise we use more and most when an adjective has more than one syllable. E.g.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Rich	Richer	Richest
Strong	Stronger	Strongest
Beautiful	More beautiful	Most beautiful
Handsome	More handsome	Most handsome

NB:

Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees. Examples:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Good	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst
Little	Less	Least
Much/ many/ some	More	Most
Far	Further	Furthest
Big	Bigger	Biggest
Bright	Brighter	Brightest
Heavy	Heavier	Heaviest
Hard	Harder	Hardest
Greater	Greater	Greatest
Large	Larger	Largest
Fast	Faster	Fastest

Exercise 1: Spot the Adjectives

Read the sentences below carefully and identify the adjectives.

1. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
2. The beautiful princess lived in a large castle.
3. John has a new red car.
4. The old man lives in a small wooden house.
5. The fierce tiger roared loudly in the jungle.
6. He is an excellent player.
7. The tall girl won the race.
8. The little child loves the colourful balloons.
9. The rich man donated a large amount of money.
10. The cold weather is making me shiver.

Solutions –

1. Quick, brown, lazy
2. Beautiful, large
3. New, red
4. Old, small, wooden
5. Fierce, loudly
6. Excellent
7. Tall
8. Little, colourful
9. Rich, large
10. Cold

Exercise 2: Identify the Adjective and Its Type

Read the following sentences and identify the adjective and its type.

1. Tom is a good runner.
2. She bought some Italian shoes.
3. The woman spent all her money.
4. We have enough food for the trip.
5. Reading books is an interesting activity.
6. The cat didn't drink any milk.
7. There is no sugar left in the jar.
8. Both girls were present at the meeting.
9. This book is more interesting than the other one.
10. The black cat is very fluffy.
11. The cake was delicious.
12. Which book is yours?
13. These mangoes are very sweet.
14. He came first in the race.
15. I saw the incident with my own eyes.

Solutions –

1. Good – Adjective of Quality
2. Italian – Proper Adjective
3. All – Adjective of Quantity
4. Enough – Adjective of Quantity
5. Interesting – Adjective of Quality
6. Any – Adjective of Quantity
7. No – Adjective of Quantity
8. Both – Distributive Adjective
9. This – Demonstrative Adjective
10. Fluffy – Adjective of Quality
11. Delicious – Adjective of Quality
12. Which – Interrogative Adjective
13. Sweet – Adjective of Quality
14. First – Numeral Adjective
15. Own – Emphasising Adjective

Adjectives Exercises with Answers

Try out the following practice exercises to find out how good you are with adjectives.

Identify the Adjectives

Read the given sentences below and circle the adjectives.

1. The homeless beggar hasn’t eaten in days.
2. The fox is a sly animal.
3. Mary had a little lamb.
4. The selfish giant didn’t allow the children to enter his garden.
5. The foolish dog barked at its reflection and lost its food.
6. The family didn’t have enough food for the winter.
7. The girl is a state-level boxer.
8. The brave army marched through the streets.
9. I had no idea such a fantastic place existed.
10. Some oranges are pretty sour.
11. The ship sustained heavy damage.
12. I have called Sam several times.
13. The teacher called your name twice.
14. Naomi won the second prize.
15. I haven’t seen Mr Thomas for several days.
16. The soldier died a glorious death.
17. I had an eventful day.
18. King Solomon was a wise king.
19. Penny saw the accident with her own eyes.
20. What colour shirt do you like?

Answers –

1. Homeless
2. Sly
3. Little
4. Selfish
5. Foolish
6. Enough
7. State-level
8. Brave
9. Fantastic
10. Some
11. Heavy
12. Several
13. Twice
14. Second
15. Several
16. Glorious
17. Eventful
18. Wise
19. Own
20. What

Identify the Adjective and Mention Their Type

Go through the following sentences and identify the type of adjective used in them.

1. Sharon will clean her messy room today.
2. My sister brought some French pastries.
3. The miser lost all his money.
4. There haven’t been sufficient crops to sell this year.
5. Collecting coins is an interesting hobby.
6. The boy did not have any soup.
7. There’s no milk left in the bowl.
8. Either boy was present there.
9. This bag is heavier than the suitcase.
10. The white pomeranian is very fluffy.
11. The food was delicious.
12. Whose pencil box is this?
13. These apples are pretty sweet.
14. Shiv came second in the marathon.
15. I saw it with my own eyes.
16. What a splendid piece of art!
17. Emily Bronte was a Victorian novelist.
18. The Atlantic Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.
19. Most children are playing.
20. I did not find those books.

Answers –

1. Messy – Adjective of Quality
2. French – Proper Adjective
3. All – Adjective of Quantity
4. Sufficient – Adjective of Quantity
5. Interesting – Adjective of Quality.
6. Any – Adjective of Quantity
7. No – Adjective of Quantity
8. Either – Distributive Adjective
9. This – Demonstrative Adjective
10. Fluffy – Adjective of Quality
11. Delicious – Adjective of Quality
12. Whose – Interrogative Adjective
13. Sweet – Adjective of Quality
14. Second – Numeral Adjective
15. Own – Emphasising Adjective
16. Splendid – Adjective of Quality
17. Victorian – Proper Adjective
18. Largest – Adjective of Quality
19. Most – Numeral Adjective
20. Those – Demonstrative Adjective