What Is an Adjective? Explanation, Usage, and Examples

How Adjectives Modify Nouns

Adjectives are words that modify nouns. They can describe the physical characteristics of a noun, such as its colour, shape, size, or texture. They can also describe the emotions that a noun evokes, such as happy, sad, or angry. In some cases, adjectives can even describe a noun’s sounds, such as loud, soft, or squeaky.

Adjectives can be used to make a sentence more enjoyable and to provide more information about the word they modify. For example, instead of simply saying “I saw a dog,” you could say “I saw a small brown dog.” By adding the adjectival meaning “small,” you provide more information about the dog’s size. And by adding the adjective “brown,” you provide more information about its colour. In this way, adjectives can help to make the English language more descriptive and interesting.

Uses of Adjectives

Coordinate Adjectives

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that modify the same noun and are separated by a comma. In the sentence “She wore a green, silk dress,” both “green” and “silk” modify the noun “dress” and are separated by a comma. While most adjective phrases consist of only one adjective, it is not unusual for coordinate adjective phrases to include two or more adjectives. When this happens, each adjective must be separated by a comma.

If one of the simpler adjectives is joined to the noun by a conjunction (e.g., and, but, or), then no comma is used. For example, in the sentence “He bought a small, used car,” both “small” and “used” modify the noun “car.” However, in the sentence “He bought a small and used car,” only “used” modifies the noun “car.” The adjective “small” modifies the adjective “used.”

When using coordinate adjectives in phrases, it is important to use parallel structure. This means that all of the adjectives must be in the same form. For example, if an adjective is in the comparative form (e.g., smaller), all other adjectives must also be in the comparative form (e.g., smarter, faster).

Similarly, if an adjective is in the superlative form (e.g., smallest), then all of the other adjectives must also be in the superlative form (e.g., smartest, fastest). Failing to use parallel structure can result in confusion or ambiguity.

Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives are words that describe, identify or quantify people or objects and usually go in front of a noun. They don’t have to be just single words; they can be phrases, for example. Adjectives in phrases can be used in different ways, depending on what type of adjective it is. The main types are determiners, identifiers, quantifiers, qualifiers, and interrogatives.

The degree to which an adjective modifies a noun is known as its degree of comparison. There are three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative:

• The positive degree is the basic form of the adjective and is used to describe someone or something without comparing them to anybody or anything else, for example: “The view from my hotel room was breathtaking”.
• When we want to compare one person or thing with another person or thing, we use the comparative degree of the adjective: “I’ve had better holidays but it was still enjoyable”.
• If we want to compare one person or thing with everybody else or everything else in its class, we use the superlative degree, for example: “That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten”.

Most adjectival meanings have all three degrees, although some have only two degrees (e.g. perfect) or one degree (e.g. unique).

Adjectives vs. Adverbs

The distinction between Adjectives and adverbs is that they are both types of modifiers, which means they are used to describe or change other words in a sentence. Typically adjectives are words that describe a noun, while an adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

For example, in the sentence “She’s a slow runner,” the adjective “slow” is used to describe the noun “runner.” In contrast, in the sentence “She runs slowly,” the adverb “slowly” is used to describe the verb “runs.”

Adjectives and adverbs can also be used to compare two things. For example, the adjective meaning “faster” can be used to compare two runners, while the negative adverb “more slowly” can be used to compare two actions. This is not to be confused with link verbs, which would be “slowing”.

When comparing two things, it’s important to use the correct form of the adjective or adverb. For example, we would say “She’s faster than her sister” ( adjective form) but “She runs more slowly than her sister” (negative adverb form).

Adjective Usage Advice

Adjectives are a fundamental part of speech for English speakers, and their usage can significantly impact the meaning of what is being communicated. When used correctly, adjectives can add precision and clarity to writing. However, overusing adjectives can lead to wordiness and decreased readability. Adjectives should therefore be used sparingly and only when they add value to the sentence.

When choosing these forms of adjectives, it is important to select one that accurately describes the noun it is modifying. For example, typically adjectives like “large” being used to describe a cat would not be appropriate, as cats are small animals. It would be more accurate to use the adjective “fluffy.”

In general grammar rules, it is best to use simple, concrete words instead of complicated or abstract terms. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your adjective usage is precise and effective. To improve this even further, we have compiled an extensive list below of the type of adjectives found in the English language. 

Types of Adjectives

Absolute Adjectives

Absolute adjectives are types of adjectives in phrases that cannot be compared. For example, the adjective “dead” is absolute because you cannot compare one thing to another in terms of being dead. Similarly, the adjective “unique” is absolute because there is only one of something. Other examples of absolute adjectives include the words:

• Complete
• Perfect
• True
• Final
• Awful

While absolute adjectives cannot be comparative adjectives, they can still provide important information about the person or thing being described.

Proper Adjectives

This class of adjectives are adjective words that are derived from proper nouns. A proper noun is a specific name for a particular person, place, or thing. For example, the name “John” is a proper noun. The name “France” is a proper noun. The name “BMW” is a proper noun. When we use a proper adjective, we are using an adjective that specifically refers to a particular person, place, or thing. For example, the correct adjective “French” specifically refers to things from France. The correct adjective “BMW” specifically refers to things from BMW. Proper adjectives are always capitalized because they are derived from proper nouns. Examples of this include:

• Spanish
• Methodist
• Romanesque
• European
• Leftist

Material Adjectives 

Material adjectives are a type of adjective that describes the physical composition of something. Unlike other simpler adjectives, material adjectives don’t usually come before the noun they modify but after it instead. For example, “I drive a car” but “I have a wooden table.” You can usually tell if an adjective is a material adjective if it answers the question “What is it made of?” Material adjectives can be used to describe both countable and uncountable nouns. For example, “I have a new plastic toy” and “We need more steel for the bridge.” As you can see, they don’t have to answer the question with material adjectives; they can also describe things made of multiple things that don’t have a specific composition. 

• Woolen
• Metallic
• Cotton
• Stone
• Golden

While we often use more than one material adjective to describe something, beware of using too many as it can sound cluttered.

Observation Adjectives 

Observation adjectives help us to communicate our observations more effectively. There are five main types of observation adjectives: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory:

• Visual adjectives describe what we see
• Auditory adjectives describe what we hear
• Tactile adjectives describe what we touch
• Gustatory adjectives describe what we taste
• Olfactory adjectives describe what we smell

Some common examples of visual observation adjectives include “bright,” “colourful,” and “dark.” Some common examples of auditory observation adjectives include “loud,” “quiet,” and “noisy.” Some common examples of tactile observation adjectives include “smooth,” “rough,” and “soft.” Some common examples of gustatory observation adjectives include “bitter,” “delicious,” and “sour.” Some common examples of olfactory observation adjectives include “fragrant,” “stinky,” and “putrid.”

Gradable Adjectives 

Gradable adjectives can be used with degrees of comparison, such as “more” and “most.” For example, the adjective “happy” can be comparative (e.g., “He’s happier than his brother”) or superlative (e.g., “She’s the happiest person I know”). Some common gradable adjectives include:

• Expensive
• Funny
• Hot
• Cold
• Tired

Non-gradable adjectives, on the other hand, cannot be compared. For example, the adjective “unique” is non-gradable, so we cannot say “more unique” or “most unique.” Some common adjectives include:

• Enormous
• Exhausted
• Hysterical
• Nuclear
• Freezing

Other more simple examples of non-gradable adjectives include “perfect,” “dead,” and  “certain.” When using gradable and non-gradable adjectives, it is important to use the correct form of the adjective. Otherwise, you may accidentally change the meaning of what you are trying to say.

Attributive Adjectives and Predicative Adjectives

There are two main types of adjectives: attributive and predicative. Attributive adjectives appear before typically nouns or pronouns they modify, while predicative adjectives appear after the verb. For example, in the sentence “She is an intelligent student,” the adjective “intelligent” is predicative because it appears after the verb “is.” In contrast, in the sentence “The red car is fast,” the attributive adjective “red” is attributive because it appears before the noun “car.” More examples of attributes include:

• Happy
• Green
• Big
• Talented
• Quick

While attributive adjectives are usually essential to the meaning of a sentence, predicative adjectives are often unnecessary and can often be removed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. As a result, attributive adjectives are generally considered to be more important than predicative adjectives.

Appositive Adjectives

Appositive adjectives modify typically nouns and provide extra information about them. For example, in the sentence “The soft, fluffy cat slept soundly,” the word “fluffy” is an appositive adjective that provides more information about the cat. Other examples of appositive adjectives include “Noam Chomsky, famous linguist,” and “The Eiffel Tower, located in Paris.” Some common forms of this adjective include:

• Cooperative
• Competitive
• Curious
• Determined
• Resourceful

Opinion Adjectives

An opinion adjective expresses the speaker’s feelings or attitudes about the person or thing. For example, “I think the new restaurant is terrible.” In this sentence, “terrible” is an opinion adjective. It tells us that the speaker thinks the restaurant is bad. Other examples of opinion adjectives include:

• Great
• Amazing
• Wonderful
• Awful
• Painful

These opinion adjectives express positive feelings, while simpler adjectives like “awful,” “horrible,” and ” terrible” express negative feelings. Whether positive or negative, opinion adjectives are an important part of communication. They help to express our individual opinions and attitudes.

Privative Adjectives

In grammar, a privative adjective is an adjective that indicates the absence of a particular quality or state. The word “privative” comes from the Latin privatus, meaning “deprived.” Privative adjectives are often used to describe physical conditions, such as blindness or deafness. However, they can also be used to describe more abstract concepts, such as ignorance or incompetence.

For example, the simpler adjectives “blind,” “deaf,” and “dumb” all indicate the absence of a particular sense. Similarly, the adjectives “ignorant,” “stupid,” and “foolish” indicate the absence of knowledge or intelligence. While privative adjectives are typically negative in connotation, they can also be used in a neutral or even positive way. For example, the privative adjectives “childless” and “carefree” can describe someone who is not burdened by the responsibilities of parenthood or employment. In general, privative adjectives are used to describe a lack or deficiency of something. Some examples of this include:

• Quirky
• Wacky
• Insane
• Mute
• Hairless

Numbers Adjectives

This class of Adjectives can be used to describe the quantity of something, as in “I have five cars.” In addition, these simpler adjectives can be used to describe the quality of something, as in “That car is fast.” Adjectives are typically placed in front of the nouns they modify, as in “I have a red car.” However, they can also be placed after the verb, as in “That car looks red.” Correct adjectives can also be compounds, as in “red-hot” or “white-hot.” Some examples of numbers adjectives include:

• First
• Second
• Third
• Fourth
• Fifth

Limiter Adjectives

While there are many different types of adjectives, limiter adjectives are particularly effective in terms of precision and description. As the name suggests, limiter adjectives limit or modify the nouns that they precede. This can be helpful in providing more accurate information about a particular subject. For example, if you were to describe a car as “fast,” this could mean that the car is speedy or that it has a powerful engine. However, if you were to describe the car as “the fastest car on the market,” this would provide a more precise description of the car’s speed. In this way, limiter adjectives can be helpful in terms of providing more specific and accurate descriptions. Some examples include:

• Few
• Little
• Several
• Some
• Many

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

The comparative form is a class of adjectives in phrases used to compare two people or objects, and the superlative form is used to compare more than two people or objects. For example, the adjective “tall” can be used in the positive form to describe one person, in the comparative form to compare two people, and in the superlative form to compare more than two people. Comparative adjectives and superlative adjectives are usually formed by adding -er for the comparative form and -est for the superlative form. For example:

• The comparative form of “tall” is “taller”
• The superlative form is “tallest.”

Some irregular adjective forms must be memorized because they do not follow this pattern. For example, the comparative form of “good” is “better” and the superlative form is “best.” The comparative form of “bad” is “worse” and the superlative form is “worst.”

Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives are forms of adjectives that are used together to modify a noun or pronoun. For example, the phrase “red hot” is a compound adjective. The adjective “red” modifies the noun “hot.” Compound adjectives can be made up of adjective + adjective, adjective + adverb, or adverb + adjective. For example, the phrase “hard-working” is made up of adjective + adjective, “well-informed” is made up of adjective + adverb, and “high-speed” is made up of adverb + adjective. Correct adjective phrases are usually hyphenated. More common examples of this include:

• Heavy-handed
• Light-footed
• Slow-moving
• Sweet-talking
• Sugar-coated

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are a type of descriptive adjective that point out specific nouns or pronouns within a sentence. For example, the demonstrative adjective “this” can be used to point out a specific noun, as in the sentence “This book is very interesting.” Alternatively, the demonstrative adjective “that” can be used to point out a specific pronoun, as in the sentence “That was a great movie.” In each case, the demonstrative adjective helps to create a more specific meaning for the sentence. Common examples also include:

• Such
• Several
• This
• Some
• These

Denominal Adjectives

Denominal adjectives are examples of adjectives that are derived from nouns. They can be either regular adjective endings, such as “-able” or “-ous”, or they can be completely irregular, such as “green” or “wooden”. Denominal adjectives are often used to describe the physical properties of something, but they can also be used to describe more abstract concepts, such as “summery” or “wintery”. In general, denominal adjectives are very versatile, and they can be used in a wide range of contexts. Examples of these include:

• Foxy
• Catty
• Firey
• Furry
• Ashen

Nominal Adjectives

Nominal adjectives are types of adjectives used to modify nouns. They can be used to indicate size, shape, colour, material, nationality, or quantity. For example, the adjective “small” can modify the noun “dog.” The adjective “square” can modify the noun “box.” The adjective “red” can modify the noun “apple.” The adjective “wooden” can modify the noun “chair.” The adjective “American” can modify the noun “citizen.” And the adjective “many” can modify the noun “people.” Nominal adjectives are an important part of speech, and they can add a great deal of meaning to a sentence. More examples include:

• Canadian Bacon
• Black Molasses
• Leather Couch
• Metal Canoe
• Apple Tree

Participial Adjectives

A participial adjective is a descriptive adjective that is derived from a verb. The word “participial” comes from the Latin word “participium,” which means “sharing in.” Participial adjectives are sometimes also called verbal adjectives or gerundive adjectives. In English, participial adjectives are typically formed by adding the suffix “-ing” or “-ed” to a verb. For example, the adjective “bored” is derived from the verb “bore,” and the adjective “interesting” is derived from the verb “interest.” Grammar rules generally suggest that participial adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. More examples include:

• Sneezing
• Bleeding
• Snowed
• Sewing
• Voted

Collateral Adjective

Collateral adjectives are adjectives that come after the noun they modify. For example, in the sentence “She has a number of books best-selling at the moment”. The phrase “best-selling” is a collateral adjective. It comes after the noun “book” that it modifies and adds information about that noun.

Collateral adjectives are also known as postpositive or interrogative adjectives. Most adjectives in English are collateral adjectives. However, there are some exceptions, like demonstrative adjectives (e.g., “this book”), possessive adjectives (e.g., “my book”), and interrogative adjectives (e.g., “which book?”).

Callocating Adjectives

Collocating adjectives are adjectives that tend to go together. For example, “bittersweet” or “heartfelt.”  The word “collocate” comes from the Latin words for “together” and “place.” So, when we talk about collocating adjectives, we’re talking about adjectives that are often found together in a sentence. 

There are many different kinds of collocating adjectives. Some common examples include adjectives that describe emotions, such as “happy,” “sad,” or “angry.” Other common collocating adjectives describe physical sensations, such as “hot,” “cold,” or “spicy.” Additionally, people often use collocating adjectives without even realizing it. If you’ve ever described someone as being “stubborn” or “lazy,” then you’ve used a collocating adjective! More common collocates include:

• Heatwave
• Threadbare
• Hotwired
• Risktaking
• Heartbreak

Postpositive Adjectives

Postpositive adjectives are forms of adjectives that come after the noun or pronoun that it modifies. For example:

• In the postpositive sentence “The man is rich and famous,” the adjective “rich” modifies the noun “man,” and the adjective “famous” modifies the pronoun “he.”
• In contrast, in the sentence “The rich and famous man,” the adjective “rich” modifies the pronoun “he,” and the adjective “famous” modifies the noun “man.”

As this example shows, the meaning of a sentence can or cannot change depending on whether an adjective is placed before or after the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

Predicative Adjectives

Predicate adjectives are a type of descriptive adjective that is used to describe the subject of a sentence. They are usually placed after the verb, and they often describe the subject’s current state or how the subject is feeling. For example:

• In the sentence “The sky is blue,” the adjective “blue” is predicative because it describes the current state of the sky.
• In contrast, in the sentence “The sky was blue yesterday,” the adjective “blue” is not a predicate adjective because it does not describe the current state of the sky. Rather, it describes an event that happened in the past.

As a result, a predicative adjective in sentences is often used to describe temporary states or events, while non-predicate adjectives are used to describe permanent states or events.

Intersective Adjectives

Intersective adjectives are adjective phrases that intersect the verb phrase in a sentence. That is, they come between the subject and the verb. For example:

• In the sentence “The big black dog barked,” “big” and “black” are intersective adjectives because they come between the subject (“dog”) and the verb (“barked”).

Intersective adjectives can also come after the verb phrase, as in the sentence “The dog barked loudly.” In this sentence, “loudly” is an intersective adjective because it comes after the verb phrase (“barked loudly”). Although intersective adjectives are not as common as other types of adjectives, they can be used to add emphasis or style to a sentence.

Non-Subsective Adjectives

Non-subsective adjectives are a type of descriptive adjective. They don’t change if the noun is plural. For example:

• ‘I have two sisters who are tall’. The adjective ‘tall’ doesn’t change even though there are two sisters.

Other examples of non-subsective adjectives include adjectives like:

• Square
• Oval
• Straight
• Oblong
• Round

As you can see, these non-subsective adjectives describe the shape of something rather than how many there are of them. Non-subsective adjectives are adjectives that cannot be divided into smaller parts without changing their meaning. So, in summary, a non-subsective adjective is a type of adjective that doesn’t change if the noun is plural. 

Eponymous Adjectives

Eponymous adjectives are those that are derived from a person’s name. For example, the word ” Quixotic” comes from Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote. In the book, the main character, Don Quixote, is a nobleman who takes on ridiculous adventures in an effort to revive chivalry. As a result, the eponymous adjective “Quixotic” has come to describe someone who is idealistic and impractical.

Other eponymous adjectives include:

• Nike, which comes from the Greek goddess of victory
• Paschal, which refers to the Christian holiday of Easter
• Perhaps the most popular eponymous adjective of all – “Shakespearean”, is used to describe something that is characteristic of the works of William Shakespeare.

While these eponymous adjectives might seem like curious choices at first glance, they actually provide insight into the origins of our language.

Adjective Facts

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