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English Grammar - Adjective
Adjective – Complete Explanation
An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It gives more information about quality, quantity, number, size, color, shape, ownership, or condition.
Examples:
a beautiful flower
a red car
three books
my bag
The adjectives are beautiful, red, three, my.
Functions of Adjectives
Adjectives answer questions such as:
What kind? → a smart student
Which one? → this book
How many? → five pens
How much? → some water
Whose? → my phone
Position of Adjectives
1. Before a noun (Attributive adjective)
Examples:
a small house
a happy child
Sentence:
She bought a new dress.
2. After a linking verb (Predicative adjective)
Common linking verbs:
is
am
are
was
were
seem
become
look
Examples:
The sky is blue.
She looks tired.
Types of Adjectives
1. Descriptive (Qualitative) Adjective
Describes quality or characteristics.
Examples:
beautiful
tall
intelligent
honest
Sentences:
She is an intelligent student.
We saw a beautiful bird.
2. Quantitative Adjective
Shows quantity.
Examples:
some
much
little
enough
Sentences:
I need some rice.
There is little milk left.
3. Numeral Adjective
Shows number or order.
Cardinal numbers
one
two
five
Example:
I have three books.
Ordinal numbers
first
second
third
Example:
She won first prize.
4. Demonstrative Adjective
Points out specific nouns.
Examples:
this
that
these
those
Sentences:
This pen is mine.
Those flowers are beautiful.
Difference:
Demonstrative adjective:
This book is interesting.
Demonstrative pronoun:
This is interesting.
5. Possessive Adjective
Shows ownership.
Examples:
my
your
his
her
our
their
Sentences:
My bag is blue.
Their house is large.
6. Interrogative Adjective
Used with nouns in questions.
Examples:
which
what
whose
Sentences:
Which book do you want?
Whose pen is this?
7. Distributive Adjective
Refers to individuals separately.
Examples:
each
every
either
neither
Sentences:
Each student received a certificate.
Every child participated.
8. Proper Adjective
Formed from proper nouns.
Examples:
Myanmar food
Chinese culture
English language
Sentences:
I enjoy Chinese food.
She studies English literature.
Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives have three degrees.
1. Positive Degree
Basic form.
Examples:
tall
fast
beautiful
Sentence:
John is tall.
2. Comparative Degree
Compares two things.
Rules:
Add -er
tall → taller
fast → faster
Use more for longer adjectives
beautiful → more beautiful
Sentence:
John is taller than Tom.
3. Superlative Degree
Compares more than two things.
Rules:
Add -est
tall → tallest
fast → fastest
Use most for longer adjectives
beautiful → most beautiful
Sentence:
John is the tallest student.
Irregular Comparisons
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| many/much | more | most |
| little | less | least |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
Order of Multiple Adjectives
When several adjectives come before a noun, a common order is:
Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun
Example:
a beautiful small old round red Myanmar wooden tea table
Usually:
a beautiful small red wooden table
Adjective vs Adverb
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Describes a noun/pronoun | Describes a verb/adjective/adverb |
| beautiful girl | sings beautifully |
Examples:
She is a careful driver. (adjective)
She drives carefully. (adverb)
Common Errors
❌ She is more taller than me.
✅ She is taller than me.
❌ He is a smartly student.
✅ He is a smart student.
❌ This flower smells beautifully.
✅ This flower smells beautiful.
Quick Summary Table
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Descriptive | tall, beautiful |
| Quantitative | some, much |
| Numeral | three, first |
| Demonstrative | this, those |
| Possessive | my, our |
| Interrogative | which, whose |
| Distributive | each, every |
| Proper | English, Chinese |
Easy definition to remember:
Adjective = a word that describes a noun or pronoun.
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