Classification of Adjective
Classification of Adjective
Classification of Adjective
Mind the Italicized words in the following sentences:
1. Ramanan is a good boy.
2. Sabina is a clever girl.
3. He gave me five mangoes.
In sentences No.1 and 2, the italicized words describe the nouns ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ or the words tell about the quality of the nouns. In sentence No.3, the word ‘five’ denotes the number of the noun ‘mangoes’. Such words which tell something about the noun are called Adjectives.
An adjective is a word that is generally used before a noun to add something to the meaning of the noun by indicating its quality, kind, quantity, number etc. In brief, to say, Adjectives are words that qualify the nouns.
This chapter is almost all about adjectives as- (A) The Kinds of Adjectives. (B) Position of Adjectives. (C) Formation of Adjectives. (D) Comparison of Adjectives etc. are going to be discussed one by one in detail.
Classification of Adjective
A. THE KINDS OF ADJECTIVE
There are many words in English that are used as Adjectives. They may be divided into five classes, as-
1. Adjectives of Quality. (or Descriptive Adjectives)
2. Adjectives of Quantity.
3. Adjectives of Numbers. (or Numerical Adjectives)
4. Demonstrative Adjectives.
5. Interrogative Adjectives.
Let us discuss them as below:
1. Adjectives of Quality or Descriptive Adjectives
This kind of Adjectives qualify or describe a noun by telling us of their quality, kind or condition. For example-
Ramesh is a good student.
Hari is an honest boy.
Ramisha is a foolish girl.
Ronaldo is an English man.
The italicized words of the above sentences tell us of the quality, kind or condition of the nouns after them. The word ‘good’ in the first sentence tells about Ramesh as a student. Thus the words ‘honest’, ‘foolish’, ‘English’, and ‘blue’ are Adjectives, as they tell something about the nouns after them.
2. Adjectives of Quantity
The Adjectives of Quantity show how much of a thing (noun) is meant. For example-
Give me some sugar.
He drank the little milk of the cup.
He needed enough exercise.
You have no sense at all.
He regained all his fortunes.
We get the Adjective of Quantity if we question the noun: how much.
3. Adjectives of Number or Numerical Adjectives
This kind of Adjectives denotes the number of persons or things or show in what order they stand. For example-
We have twenty fingers.
There are several mistakes in that book.
Many members were present there.
Adjectives of Number or Numerical Adjectives are of three kinds, as-
(i) Definite Numerical Adjectives: This kind of Adjectives denote an exact number, as- one, two, three, four, five etc. (cardinals) and first, second, third, fourth (ordinals).
Note: A Cardinal denotes how many and an Ordinal denotes the order of things in a series. For example-
I have one and a thousand books.
Ram is the first boy of our class.
(ii) Indefinite Numerical Adjectives: This kind of Adjectives denotes the number of some kind but don’t indicate the exact number. All, many, few, any, several are some of the Indefinite Numerical Adjectives.
(iii) Distributive Numerical Adjectives: They refer to each one of a number, as-
Every boy will get a book.
Either book will do.
Each labour must get his due.
4. Demonstrative Adjectives
This kind of Adjectives point out which person or thing is meant, as-
This is my book.
That book is yours.
Such men are industrious.
These are my pens.
Those pens are yours.
Demonstrative Adjectives answer the question: ‘which’.
5. Interrogative Adjectives
What, which, whose and how many are called Interrogative Adjectives when they are used with nouns to ask questions. For example-
What kind of man is he?
Which books are yours?
Whose pen is this?
How many books have you?
Note: The words ‘own’ and ‘very’ are used as Adjectives to put emphasis on an object, such as-
I have seen him with my own eyes.
This is the very book I need.
These two words are called Emphasizing Adjectives.
Sometimes the word ‘what’ is used as an Exclamatory Adjectives, as-
What a plan!
What an idea!
What a genious!
Classification of Adjective
B. POSITION OF ADJECTIVES
Generally, Adjectives are placed before the nouns they qualify. But sometimes they are used after the nouns they qualify. For example-
The honest boy was rewarded. (Placed before noun)
The boy was honest. (Placed after noun)
In the first sentence, the Adjective honest is used along with the noun boy as an epithet or attribute. It is said to be used attributively.
In the second sentence, the Adjective honest is used along with the verb was and forms a part of the predicate. It is, therefore, said to be used predicatively.
So, the Adjectives used attributively are placed just before the Nouns they qualify and the Adjectives used predicatively are placed after the verb which becomes a part of the predicate.
When several Adjectives are attached to one noun they are generally placed after for emphasis as-
William Shakespeare had a great genius: original, sagacious and inventive.
Here stays my friend bold and strong.
In some phrases, the Adjective always comes after the noun it qualifies, as-
Time immemorial, Heir apparent, Notary public, God Almighty, Body politic.
When some words or phrases are joined to the Adjective to explain its meaning, then the Adjective is placed after noun, as-
Vivekananda was a man wise in argument.
The girl, better than her fellow maids, came to invite me.
In poetry, sometimes, though not often, the Adjective is placed after the noun, as-
“Oh! come on darling dear
Look at the sky, look how the moon
Makes sports with clouds.”
Classification of Adjective
C. THE FORMATION OF ADJECTIVES
In the English language the number of Adjectives is many because in English, Adjectives may be formed from Nouns, Verbs, Past Participles and from other Adjectives. Some specimens of the Formation of Adjectives are shown below:
1. Some Adjectives formed from Nouns
Noun ………… Adjectives
Aborigine ………… aboriginal.
Boy ………… boyish
Care ………… careful
Dirt ………… dirty
Fool ………… foolish
Hope ………… hopeful
Envy ………… envious
Play ………… playful
Shame ………… shameless
Sense ………… senseless
Storm ………… stormy
Silk ………… silken
Gift ………… gifted
Gold ………… golden
Glory ………… glorious
Pardon ………… pardonable
Courage ………… courageous
Man ………… manly
King ………… kingly
Queen ………… queenly
2. Some Adjectives formed from Verbs
Verb ………… Adjectives
Cease ………… ceaseless
Create ………… creative
Tire ………… tiresome
Talk ………… talkative
Move ………… moveable.
3. Some Past Participles of verbs used as Adjectives, as
broken, given, departed, closed etc.
4. Some Adjectives are formed from other Adjectives
Adjective ………… Adjective
Tragic ………… tragical
Two ………… twofold
Black ………… blackish
White ………… whitish
Whole ………… wholesome
Sick ………… sickly. etc.
Classification of Adjective
D. COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
Notice the following sentences:
1. Nilima is a lazy girl.
2. Sabita is lazier than Nilima.
3. Kabita is the laziest of all.
In sentence 1, the adjective lazy tells us the quality of Nilima without saying how much of this quality Nilima has.
In sentence 2, the adjective lazier tells us that Sabita has more of the quality of laziness than Nilima has. Here Sabita’s ‘laziness’ is compared with that of Nilima.
In sentence 3, the adjective laziest tells us that of all these girls Kabita has the greatest amount or highest degree of the quality of laziness.
From the above three sentences, we have known that Adjectives change in form to show comparison. Thus Adjectives have three Degrees of Comparison.
The Adjective lazy is said to be in the Positive Degree. The Positive Degree of an Adjective is the Adjective in its simple form. It is used when no comparison is made.
The Adjective lazier is said to be in the Comparative Degree. The Comparative Degree of an Adjective denotes a higher degree of quality than the positive. The comparative form of an adjective is used when two things of the same kind are compared.
The Adjective laziest is said to be in the Superlative Degree. The Superlative Degree of an Adjective denotes the highest degree of quality. It is used when more than two things are compared.
There are two general ways of forming Degrees of Comparison by adding -er and -est to the Adjectives or by using more and most before the Adjectives.
The Rules for the Formation of Comparative and Superlative Degrees are shown below:
1. Most Adjectives of one syllable and a few Adjectives of two syllables form the comparative by adding ‘-er’ and the superlative by adding ‘-est’ to the Adjectives in the Positive Degree, as-
Positive…Comparative…Superlative
Bold … bolder … boldest
Clever … cleverer … cleverest
High … higher … highest
Short … shorter … shortest
Tall … taller … tallest
Young … younger … youngest
2. When the positive ends in ‘-e’ only ‘-r’ and ‘-st’ are added to form comparative and superlative, as-
Positive…Comparative…Superlative
Able … abler … ablest
Brave … braver … bravest
Dense … denser … densest
Large … larger … largest
Noble … nobler … noblest
Fine … finer … finest
Wise … wiser … wisest.
3. When the Positive is a word of one syllable and ends in a single consonant (d, t, m or w) preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant become double before adding ‘-er’ or ‘-est’, e.g.
Positive…Comparative…Superlative
Fat … fatter … fattest
Hot … hotter … hottest
Sad … sadder … saddest
Red … redder … reddest
Slim … slimmer … slimmest
Wet … wetter … wettest
4. If the Adjectives end in ‘y’ and the ‘y’ is preceded by a consonant, then the ‘y’ is changed into ‘i’ and then ‘-er’ and ‘-est’ are added to form comparative and superlative successively, as-
Positive … Com … Sup
Dry … drier … driest
Happy … happier … happiest
Heavy … heavier … heaviest
Holy … holier … holiest
Merry … merrier … merriest
Wealthy … wealthier … wealthiest
Note: If the ‘y’ is preceded by a vowel then, it is not changed into ‘i’, as- Gay- gayer- gayest; Grey- greyer- gayest.
5. Most Adjectives of two syllables and all Adjectives of more than two syllables take more and most before them to form the Comparative Degree and the Superlative Degree successively e.g.
Pos … Com … Sup
Beautiful … more beautiful … most beautiful
Courageous … more courageous … most courageous
Difficult … more difficult … most difficult
Faithful … more faithful … most faithful
Splendid … more splendid … most splendid
Intelligent … more intelligent … most intelligent
Industrious … more industrious … most industrious
Useful … more useful … most useful
6. There are some Adjectives that form their Comparative and Superlative in an irregular way, as-
Pos … Com … Sup
Good … better … best
Bad … worse … worst
Evil … worse … worst
Illworseworst
Little … less … lest
Late … later … latest
Much … more … most
Many … more … most
Old … older … oldest
elder … eldest
Fur … further … furtherest
Far … farther … fartherest
Near … nearer … nearest
Note: (i) ‘Than’ is used after the Comparative and ‘the’ is used before the Superlative.
(ii) There are some Latin Comparatives as- Interior, Superior, Junior, Senior, Prior etc. which are followed by ‘to’ and not by ‘than’.
(iii) Many of the irregular Comparatives and Superlatives have different meanings.
(iv) Sometimes the Superlatives with most is used where there is no idea of comparison but implies the possession of quality in a very high degree, as-
It was a most beautiful scenery.
He was a most fortunate.
Such usage of Superlative without having an idea of comparison is called The Superlative of Eminence or Absolute Superlative.
Classification of Adjective
E. USE OF COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE OF SOME ADJECTIVES
The use of Comparative and Superlative of some Adjectives are discussed below-
1. The Use of ‘Elder’ and ‘Older’
‘Elder’ is used to indicate a person of the same family. It is never followed by ‘than’, as-
Shahin is my elder brother.
Gobind is Arabinda’s elder son.
‘Older’ is applied to person and thing in general and is followed by ‘than’. as-
Rahim is older than Shah Alam.
Your house is older than that of mine.
2. The Use of ‘Eldest’ and ‘Oldest’
‘Eldest’ refers to the firstborn child, as-
Hari’s eldest son is an engineer.
Jarifa is the eldest daughter of her parents.
‘Oldest’ is applied to persons and things in general, e.g.
This is the oldest building of the town.
That was the oldest chair of the library.
Ramanna was the oldest man of the village.
3. The Use of ‘Farther’ and ‘Further’
‘Farther’ is applied to mean greater distance, as-
He travelled farther than his brother.
I wish not to go farther.
‘Further’ denotes something additional, e.g.
Rahim studied further.
We require further guidance.
4. The Use of ‘First’ & ‘Foremost’
‘First’ denotes order or position, as-
Peter was the first boy to attend the meeting.
He is the first of this class.
‘Foremost’ denotes most eminent, e.g.
Shakespeare was the foremost dramatist of England.
5. The Use of ‘Later’ and ‘Latter’
‘Later’ denotes time (opposite to ‘earlier’), e.g.
Ramel arrived later than Rani.
‘Latter’ dentes ‘order’ (opposite to ‘former’), e.g.
The latter chapters of the novel are very interesting.
6. The Use of ‘Latest’ and ‘Last’
‘Latest’ denotes time, e.g.
What is the latest news of the war?
‘Last’ denotes order or position, e.g.
He is the last boy of the school.
I went there last.
7. The Use of ‘Less’ and ‘Lesser’
‘Less’ is used as both an Adjective and an Adverb. It is the opposite to ‘more’. as-
They are less industrious than you.
He earns less, eats more.
‘Lesser’ is used before an Adjective. It is a double comparative and is the opposite of ‘greater’. When it is used before an Adjective of the Comparative Degree, it is preceded by ‘the ’and followed by ‘of’, e.g.
Everybody likes to choose the lesser of the two evils.
8. The Use of ‘Less’ and ‘Fewer’
‘Less’ denotes quantity (in uncountable noun), as-
Oliver refused to lake less sum than he desired.
He earns less money than his friend.
‘Fewer’ denotes number (in countable noun), as-
Fewer boys were present that day.
9. The Use of ‘Outer’ & ‘Utter’
‘Outer’ refers to order or position, as-
The outer part of the porch needs painting.
‘Utter’ is used to mean the sense of ‘extreme’, e.g.
The villagers are in utter darkness.
10. The Use of ‘Nearest’ & ‘Next’
‘Nearest’ denotes distance, e.g.
Our school is nearest to the post office.
‘Next’ denotes order or position, e.g.
The next boy was Ram to attend the class. 0 0 0.
Classification of Adjective
EXERCISE
Classification of Adjective
1. Insert appropriate adjectives in the blanks of the following sentences selecting one from the list given in brackets along with the sentences.
(a) Krishna is my ____ sister. (elder/older)
(b) Rajen is ____ than Lalita. (older/elder)
(c) Ahmed Newas is the ____ man of this village. (eldest/oldest)
(d) Ramanna’s ____ son is a doctor. (eldest/oldest)
(e) Kalam needs ____ help. (further/farther)
(f) Raghubir is the ____ politician of the state. (first/foremost)
(g) He runs ____ distance. (further/ farther)
Q.2. Insert appropriate adjectives in the blanks of the following sentences choosing from the list given within brackets along with the sentences.
(a) Shahriar is my ____ child. (foremost/first)
(b) He came here ____ than Ram. (latter/later)
(c) Let me know the ____ news. (latest/last)
(d) They spend ____ money. (less/lesser)
(e) ____ boys were absent. (less/lesser)
(f) Bhudhu is in ____ darkness. (outer/utter)
(g) Who is your ____ friend either Ram or Rahim. (next/nearest)
Q.3. Insert appropriate adjectives in the blanks of the following sentences.
(a) Shachin is the ____ brother of Renin. (elder/older)
(b) Harish’s ____ son is a teacher. (oldest/eldest)
(c) I travelled ____ than my friend. (further/farther)
(d) Hari was the ____ boy of our class. (foremost/first)
(e) He arrived ____ than his brother. (latter/later)
(f) What is the ____ information from him? (last/latest)
(g) Don’t you like to choose the ____ of two evils? (less/lesser)
Q.4. Insert appropriate adjectives from the list given along with the following sentences and fill in the blanks.
(a) Rahim earns ____ money than his friend. (fewer/less)
(b) The ____ part of your building needs repairing. (utter/outer)
(c) My house is ____ to that of Ram. (next/nearest)
(d) He is ____ than his brother. (elder/older)
(e) Karim is the ____ member of the party. (eldest/oldest)
(f) You may have ____ guidance from your teacher. (farther/further)
(g) The ____ chapters of the novel are amusing. (later/latter)
Q.5. Fill in the blanks of the following sentences choosing the correct word from those given in the brackets.
(a) I cannot proceed ____ without a little rest. (further/farther)
(b) Rama’s ____ brother is a Post Master General. (older/elder)
(c) They arrived ____ than we expected. (later/latter)
(d) The ____ part of his lecture was very amusing. (later/latter)
(e) She is ____ than her cousin. (older/elder)
(f) He is ____ than Samsun. (older/elder)
(g) Invite Rajesh without ____ delay. (farther/further)
(h) Nilima went to Delhi for ____ study in Biology. (further/farther)
(i) Nehru was the ____ statesman of his time. (first/foremost)
(j) She stood ____ in the examination. (first/foremost)
(k) We can’t proceed _____ without a little rest. (further/ farther)
(l) His _____ brother is a doctor. (Older/ elder)
(m) You are ____ than Shankar. (older? elder)
(n) He arrived _____ than we expected. (latter/later)
Q.6. Fill in the blanks of the following sentences.
(a) Ahmed bowls faster ____ Shastri.
(b) Forgiveness is nobler ____ revenge.
(c) That was the ____ joyous moment.
(d) He is older ____ the two sisters.
(e) Ramesh is inferior ____ Shyam in intelligence.
(f) The Unification of Germany took place prior to ___ the world wars.
(g) Lead is heavier ____ any other metal.
(h) Kapildev bowls faster ______ HarBhajan.
(i) Generosity is nobler ______ misery.
(j) It was the ____ glorious moment of my life.
(k) This meeting took place prior ________ the World War II.
(l) You are senior _____ me by four years.
(m) This piece of cloth is ________ costlier ______ that.
(n) You are superior _______ Yadav in intelligence.
Q.7. Rewrite the following sentences by using the correct degree of comparison of the words given in brackets against each.
(i) Even the ____ worker can make a mistake. (careful)
(ii) Sita is the ____ of the three daughters. (old)
(iii) Her condition is ____ than before. (bad)
(iv) Prevention is ____ than cure. (good)
(v) Which is ____ gold or silver? (costly)
(vi) Which is the ____ day of the year? (long)
(vii) Is Ram the ____ of the three sons? (young)
(viii) Shirin is the ____ person in our village. (richer)
(ix) Your grandmother is the ____ member of your family. (old)
(x) Everest is ____ peak in the world. (high)
(xi) A fox is ____ than a crow. (clever)
(xii) I would prefer to buy the ____ edition of this book. (late)
(xiii) He made ____ mistakes in his essays than you. (many)
(xiv) The Red Fort is one of the ____ buildings in the world. (beautiful)
(xv) This bundle of books is ____ than that. (heavy)
Q.8. Pick out the Adjectives and name the Degree of Comparison of each of them in the following sentences:
(i) The pen is mightier than the sword.
(ii) He was as wise as Solomon.
(iii) He is as beautiful as Shakuntala.
(iv) Example is better than precept.
(v) Jufika is the most intelligent girl in the class.
(vi) Iron is the most useful metal.
(vii) The longest day has the shortest night.
(viii) Hunger is the best sauce.
(ix) Misery is the greatest mystery.
(x) Lata Mangeshkar is the greatest singer of India.
(xi) Ram is better than his friend Kanak. 0 0 0
Classification of Adjective
N.B. The article ‘Classification of Adjective’ originally belongs to the book ‘School English Grammar Part- I‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Classification of Adjective
Books of Composition by M. Menonimus:
- Advertisement Writing
- Amplification Writing
- Note Making
- Paragraph Writing
- Notice Writing
- Passage Comprehension
- The Art of Poster Writing
- The Art of Letter Writing
- Report Writing
- Story Writing
- Substance Writing
- School Essays Part-I
- School Essays Part-II
- School English Grammar Part-I
- School English Grammar Part-II..
Books of S. Story by M. Menonimus:
Books of Biography by M. Menonimus:
- The World Writers-Brief Biographies
- Introduction to World Writers
- Introduction to World Personalities
- Love of Reputed Persons ..
Books on Linguistics by M. Menonimus:
- A Brief History of the English Language
- Essays on Linguistics
- My Imageries
- Felicitous Expression: Some Examples
- Learners’ English Dictionary
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- A Beginner’s Guide to Basic English Grammar …
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- Classification of Sentence According to Purpose
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- Types of Clauses
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- Subordinate Clause: Examples and Definition
- Analysis of Compound Sentence
- Complex Sentences and Compound Sentences
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