The adjective is a word used to describe a noun or a pronoun, or give more information about them. E.g. black shoe, only him

Kinds of Adjectives

• Adjective of Quality: This describes the kind, state, or quality of a person, animal, place, or thing. E.g. big, white, bitter, ugly, pretty, etc.
• Adjective of Quantity: This describes quantity and degree. E.g. several, some, a little, a lot of, one, twenty, first, second, tenth, etc.
• Possessive Adjective: This denotes ownership/possession, extent/duration. For example:
  • A day’s work (extent/duration)
  • John’s bicycle (ownership)
• Demonstrative Adjective: It points in a definite manner to nouns. E.g. this book, these books, that book, such book, etc.
• Interrogative Adjectives: It seeks to ask questions using which, what, whosoever, etc. E.g. What plans do you have?
• Distributive Adjective: This means references that are taken singly or separately. E.g. each, every, neither, either, etc.
• Comparative Adjective: It is of three degrees, positive, comparative, and superlative.
  • Comparatives compare two things while superlative compares more than two things.
  • E.g. tall, taller, tallest; good, better, best; intelligent, more intelligent, most intelligent

Order of Adjectives

• This establishes the right position of words when more than one adjective is used to modify a noun.

1. Noun used as a modifier. E.g. flower pots
2. Nationality. E.g. African flower pots
3. Color. E.g. Red, African flower pots
4. Shape. E.g. Round, red, African flower pots
5. Size. E.g. Big, round, red, African flower pots
6. Quality. E.g. New, big, round, red, African flower pots

Formation of Adjectives

• Adjectives from Nouns: The following adjectives are formed from nouns with the suffix ‘less’, ‘full’, ‘y’, and ‘al’
  • -less: childless, motionless, powerless, senseless, speechless, etc.
  • -ful: spoonful, powerful, mindful, wasteful, careful, etc.
  • -y: handy, crowdy, rainy, moody, watery, etc.
  • -al: national, rational, emotional, sensational, sentimental, etc.
• Adjectives from Verbs: With the suffix ‘able’, ‘ible’, ‘ant’, ‘ed’, ‘some’, ‘worthy
  • -able: workable, manageable, readable, understandable, agreeable, etc.
  • -ible: divisible, convertible, negligible, responsible, discernible, etc.
  • -ant: repellant, expectant, malignant, etc.
  • -ed: ragged, crooked, blessed, dogged, legged
  • -some: loathsome, burdensome, troublesome, irksome, quarrelsome, etc.
  • -worthy: trustworthy, creditworthy, noteworthy, praiseworthy, etc.
• Adjectives from Traditional Adjectives:
  • kind – kindly,
  • small – smallish,
  • black – blackish,
  • hard – hardy,
  • dead – deadly, etc.