| Defininition : |
An adjective is a word for qualifying (or adding something to) the meaning of a noun or pronoun.
| Usage of Adjective : |
Ø The cow gives us much milk.
Ø Give me two glasses of water.
Ø He is an Indian.
Ø The elephant is a large animal.
In the above sentences , ‘much’ ‘two’ ‘Indian’ ‘large’ have modified milk, pens, he and animal respectively. So these are adjectives.
| Classification of Adjective : |
Mainly Adjectives are of two types.
1.Attributive Adjective.
2.Predicative Adjective.
1.Attributive adjective :
When an adjective sits before only noun and expresses its attribute then it is called Attributive Adjective.
Example:
Ø The intelligent girl stood first in the examination.
Adj. N.
Note: Attributive Adjective can not qualify pronoun.
2. Predicative Adjective:
When an adjective sits often noun or pronoun and modify a Noun or a Pronoun then it is called Predicative Adjective.
Example:
Ø The girl is very intelligent.
N. Adj.
Ø She is beautiful.
P. n. Adj.
However, there are eight kinds of adjectives in terms of nature. They are as follows ------
| 1. Proper Adjective: |
This type of adjective come form proper noun. Asian, Chinese, English etc. are proper Adjective.
Example:
Ø He likes Chinese dish.
Ø He is an Asian. Etc.
| 2. Adjective of quantity: |
It means the quantity/measurement of noun or pronoun.
Example:
Ø Much = He drinks much cock.
Ø A little = There is a little milk in the glass.
Ø Whole = The whole class laughed out.
Ø Some = Give me some salt.
Ø No = I have no pens.
Ø None =Do you have any books of poetry? No, I have none.(no one)
Ø Enough = There was not enough rain last year.
Ø Sufficient = babies need sufficient milk.
Ø All = The cat drank off all the milk.
Ø Half = Give me half of the loaf.
Ø Full = The pot was full of milk. Etc.
| 3. Adjective of quality: |
It expresses the virtue, fault, state/condition of noun or pronoun.
Example:
Virtue = She is a good girl.
Bina is a beautiful girl.
Fault = I am weak today.
The crow looks ugly.
State/condition = This is a horizontal line.
Bangladesh is a plain land.
| 4. Numeral Adjective: |
It expresses different number. There are three types of numeral adjective ------
a. Cardinal numeral adjectives.
b. Ordinal numeral adjective.
c. Multiplicative numeral adjective.
a. Cardinal numeral adjective:
one(1),two(2),three(3), eighty(80)
etc, are called cardinal number. When cardinal number are used as adjective then these are called cardinal numeral adjective.
Example:
Ø I have four geese.
Ø Mona bought seven pens.
b. Ordinal numeral Adjective :
First, second, third, etc are called ordinal number. These express the order of anything. When ordinal number are used as adjective then they are called ordinal numeral adjective.
Example:
Ø Keep it in the second box.
Ø I am my parents’ first child.
c.Multiplicative numeral adjective:
Single,double,twofold, triple, threefold, quadruple, fourfold, fivefold, etc are multiplicative numeral adjective.
Example:
Ø I have not a single girlfriend.
Note: Definite Numeral Adjective: Cardinal, ordinal, and Multiplicative numeral adjective are called Definite Numeral Adjective. Because they express a definite number or order.
Indefinite Numeral Adjective: several, few, many, sundry etc are called Indefinite Numeral Adjective. Because they don’t express any definite number.
| 5. Demonstrative Adjective: |
[Demonstrative Adjective + noun.]
If demonstrative pronouns are used according to the above structure then those pronoun work as adjective and those adjectives are called Demonstrative Adjective. It will be more clear studying the following table.
| Demonstrative Pronoun | Demonstrative Adjective | Short Example | Sentence |
| This + | This + noun | This man | I know this man. |
| That + | That + noun | That man | I saw that man. |
| These + | These+noun(pl) | TThese things | She bought these things. |
| Those + | Those+noun(pl) | Those frogs | Those frogs are croaking. |
As each of this, that, these, and those has sat individually before noun and qualified noun so they are Demonstrative Adjective.
| 6. Distributive Adjective: |
When Distributive pronoun work as adjective then they are called Distributive Adjective.
This type of adjective Identify every person/thing separately among some person/thing. Each, every, either, neither are Distributive Adjective.
Example:
Each of them there.
Either of the two brothers has told this.
Shuvo: There are a banana and a mango.
Arafat: Sorry, I like neither.
Neither of the two trees bear fruit.
Here, we can see that in each sentence of the above each, either, neither has been used according to this structure – Each/ Either/ Neither + of + noun (pl) or alone. But here either, each, neither are Distributive pronoun, Distributive adjective. If they are used before noun (Each/ either/ neither/ every + Noun) then they are called Distributive Adjective. It will be more clear studying the following chart:
| Distributive Pronoun | Distributive Adjective | Short Example | Sentence |
| Each (+of) | Each + noun | Each boy | Each boy was present there. |
Every * | Every+ noun | Every mother | Every mother loves her child. |
| Either (+of) | Either+noun | Either bank | There are trees on either bank of the river. |
| Neither(+of) | Neither+noun | Neither pen | There are two pens but neither pen will do. |
[ * = ‘Every’ can be used only as adjective, not as pronoun. Ex: Inc: Every of them was present.
Corr: Everyone of them was present. Or, Each of them was Present.]
| 7. Interrogative Adjective: |
When an Interrogative pronoun works as adjective then it called Interrogative adjective, that is if any wh word sits before noun and then it is called Interrogative Adjective. It will be more clear from the following chart:
| Interrogative pronoun | Interrogative Adjective | Short Example | Sentence |
| What + v | What + noun | What colour | What colour do you like most? |
| Which + v | Which + noun | Which man | Which man is your uncle? |
| Whose + v | Whose + noun | Whose pen | Whose pen is this? |
| 8. Possessive Adjective: |
It means one’s possession or claim. My, our, his, her etc are Possessive Adjective.
Example:
Ø This is my pen.
Ø We love our country.
Here, ‘my’ is modifying ‘pen’ and ‘our’ is modifying ‘country’. So they are adjective.
There are two more adjective:
1.Emphasizing Adjective.
2.Exclamatory Adjective.
3.Compound Adjective.
1. Emphasizing Adjective:
‘Own’ and ‘very’ are used as emphasizing adjective.
Example:
Ø He was beaten at his own game.
Ø Mind your own business.
Ø I saw it with my own eyes.
Ø He will come this very day.
Ø I want this very pen.
2.Exclamatory Adjective:
What nonsense is this!
What folly!
What an idea! Etc.
Here, ‘what’ is an Exclamatory adjective.
3. Compound Adjective:
Here are some compound words –
Out + of + data = out – of – data.
Two + month + long = two – month – long.
Five + year + old = five – year – old. Etc.
When these compound words used as adjective then they are called Compound Adjective.
Example:
Ø This is an out-of-data house.
Ø There will be a two-month-long meeting.
Ø I want an eighteen-year-old girl.
| Adjectives ending in “- ing” and “- ed”. |
There are many adjectives ending in – ing and – ed.
Example:
Ø Ria’s job is boring.
Ø Ria is bored (with her job).
Ø Ria is bored because her job is boring.
Uses of adjective ending in –ing and –ed.
| - ing | - ed |
| We can say:  Boring. Interesting.My job is Tiring. Satisfying. Depressing.Etc. The –ing adjective tells us about the job. | We can say: Ø I’m bored with my job. Ø I’m not interested in my job. Ø I’m always tired. Ø I’m not satisfied with my job. Ø My job makes me depressed. Etc. The –ed adjective tells us how somebody feels. |
| More Example | |
| Ø The news was shocking. Ø It was quite surprising that he passed the examination. Ø The film was disappoin- ting. | Ø We were very shocked. Ø Everybody was surprised that he passed the examination. Ø I was disappointed with the film. |
| Adjectives: Word order : |
A. Sometimes we use two or more adjectives together:
Ø My brother lives in a nice new house.
Ø There was a beautiful large round wooden label in the kitchen. (4 adjectives)
Adjectives like new/ large/ round/ wooden are fact adjectives. They give us factual information about age, size, colour etc. Adjectives like nice/ beautiful are opinion adjectives. They tell us what somebody thinks of something or somebody.
Opinion adjectives usually go before fact adjectives.
Example:
| Opinion fact | ||
| A nice | - long | - Summer holiday. |
| An interesting | - young | - man. |
Delicious | - hot | - vegetable soup. |
| A beautiful | - large round - wooden. | - table. |
B. Adjectives of size and length (big/ small/ tall/ short/ long etc.) usually go before adjectives of shape and width (round/ fat/ thin/ slim/ wide etc.)
Example:
Ø A large round table.
Ø A tall thin girl.
Ø A long narrow street.
C. When there are two or more colour adjectives, we use and:
Example:
Ø A black and white dress.
Ø A red, white and green flag.
But a long black dress (not ‘a long and black dress.’)
D. Sometimes we use two nouns together and the first noun works as an adjective:
A glass door A computer program
Adj. N. Adj. N.
Here we use glass and computer like adjective (though in general they are noun), to describe the door and the program respectively.
When we use another adjective as well (e.g. heavy), it comes before both the nouns.
Example:
Ø A heavy glass door.
Ø A useful computer program.
| Adjectives and Adverbs: |
A. Good/ well:
Good is an adjective and well Is an adverb.
Example:
Ø Your English is good. But you speak English well.
Ø Shuvo is a good pianist but shuvo plays the piano well.
But ‘well’ is also an adjective with the meaning ‘in good health’:
Example:
Ø How are you today?
- I’m very well. (not ‘I’m very good’)
B. Fast/ hard/ late:
These words are both adjectives and adverbs:
Example:
| Adjective | Adverb |
| Ø Arafat is a very fast runner. | Ø Arafat can run very fast. |
| Ø Shuvo is a hard worker. | Ø Shuvo works hard.(not works hardly.) |
| Ø Arif was late. | Ø Arif got up late this morning. |
| Adjective + enough: |
The word ‘enough’ always goes after adjective.
Example:
Ø Shamol can’t go to girls college. He is not old enough.
Adj.
Ø The radio isn’t loud enough.
Adj.
Ø The weather is warm enough.
Adj.
| Too + Adjective: |
‘Too’ always sits before adjective.
Example:
Ø Arafat can’t go to school. He is too young.
Adj.
Ø The coffee is too hot.
Adj.
Ø The box is too heavy.
Adj.
Here is a paragraph for identifying different type of adjective:
[Adjective of quantity = (a.), Adjective of quality = (b.), Distributive Adjective = (c.)]
We can not all(a.) be politicians or lead millions(a.) of people. We can not all(a.) be heroes and fight for the freedom of the oppressed(b.). But we can, each(c.) one of us, make life happier(b.) for those around us. We can all(a.) look after our neighbour when he is sick(b.), teach the ignorant(b.) comfort the unfortunate(b.) and keep around us fresh(b.), clean(b.) and tidy(b.). We can all(a.) be kind(b.), patient(b.) and loving(b.). We can all(a.) be truthful(b.), humble(b.) and obedient(b.). These are the greatest(b.) things in life, because without them the world will never be happier(b.).
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