Adjectives

Topic - 6

ADJECTIVES

INTRODUCTION

Adjectives perform an important function in the formation of a sentence.

Adjectives are mainly words which tell us more about nouns or pronouns. 

Their function is to tell us what kind, which ones, how many, what position or what colour. To accompanying a noun to describe or point out, the person, animal, place or thing which the noun names, or to tell the number or quantity is called an adjective.

In the following examples, note the functions indicated in the parentheses:

a. We heard loud noised in the night. (what kind?) 

b. Did you see those boys? (whom) 

c. He was fifth in the race. (what position) 

d. My father has a grey suit. (what colour)

e. He is lazy boy. (what kind?) 

Kinds of Adjectives 

1. Adjectives of Quality or Descriptive Adjectives

They denote some quality or attribute. They describe a person or a thing, such as: 

a. He is a good boy 

b. Sita is a clever girl. 

c. The ship sustained heavy damage.

Adjectives of quality answer the question- 'of what kind?' 

2. Adjectives of Quantity

These indicate how much a think is meant, such as:

a. I ate some sugar.

b. We have had enough exercise.

c. There is a little water in the glass.

Adjectives of quantity answers the question-'how much?' 

3. Adjectives of Number

They denote the number or order of the things, such as: 

a. There are two books in my bag. 

b. The third chapter of this book is very interesting. 

c. My son is nine years old.

Adjectives of number answer the question- 'how many?' 

Adjectives of number are of three kinds: 

a. Definite Numeral Adjectives : Denote an exact number

(i) one, two three, etc. - These are called cardinals. 

(ii) First, second, third, etc. - These are called ordinals.

b. Indefinite Numeral Adjectives : Do not denote an exact number.

(i) I have called several times.

(ii) Some dreams are like reality.

c. Distributive Numeral Adjectives: Refer to each one of a number.

(i) Each girl must take her turn. 

(ii) Every man has his duties.

4. Demonstrative Adjectives - this, that, these, those, such:

These show which or what thing is meant, such as:

a. This lady came here today. 

b. These rabbits belong to him. 

c. That book is torn. 

d. Those people, in the boat, are trapped in a whirlpool. 

e. Such a man as that is to be honoured and respected.

5. Distributive Adjectives - each, every, either, neither:

These show that persons or things are taken separately or in separate lots, such as: 

a. The two girls had each (girl) a bag. 

b. Every mortal being suffers from a particular disease. 

c. Take either one, whichever you prefer. 

d. Neither of them could speak on the stage.

6. Interrogative Adjectives - which, what, whose:

They ask which or what thing is meant, such as: 

a. Which pen do you want? 

b. What colour do you like?

c. Whose book is that? 

7. Possessive Adjectives- my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their:

They used before nouns 

a. This is my book. 

b. Cut your coat according to your cloth. 

c. His car is stolen. 

d. Her hair is beautiful. 

e. The baby is crying: its mother is not seen nearby. 

f. Our house is located at the heart of the town.

g. Your friend has arrived.

h. Their wedding took place in a hall.

There are some participles which are used as adjectives. Both present participle with -ing and past participle with -ed, -en can be used as adjectives. But these forms of adjectives are prone to confusion, e.g., present participle adjectives like-confusing, boring, tiring, etc. are active and mean having this effect, whereas past participle adjectives like confused, horrified, tired, etc. are passive and mean affected in this way..

A few examples of this type are given below:

a. The burning train was a horrifying sight to see. 

b. The work was tiring.

c. The infuriated woman slammed the door.

d. The woman who is your mother is an educated woman.

There are some adjectives which are formed from proper nouns. They are called Proper Adjectives, as : Indian plains, French wine, Russian novelist, Georgian calendar, African girl, Iranian carpet, etc.

a. The Gangetic plain is a fertile area.

b. A Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang came to India to study at the Nalanda. 

c. Iranian carpets are known for their quality all over the world.

d. An African girl was selected the leader of the team.

e. The English Language has become a common medium of interaction.

f. French wine is served in the party.

Some examples of nouns used as adjectives are given below:

A school teacher, a college girl, a radio programme, a bus stand, an assembly hall, an express train, etc.

a. She is a school teacher.

b. A radio programme on AIDS will be broadcast today.

c. A journey in an express train is comfortable.

d. The members gathered at the assembly hall for the meeting.

e. This is a bus-stand, not a parking place. 

In some cases, adverbs are used as adjectives as:

backward classes, upward trend, outside help, inside story, etc.

a. The backward classes are given a lot of opportunities by the government. 

b. He is relying on outside help for his recovery. 

c. This upward trend in fashion will never reverse. 

d. The inside story of the incident is pitiable.

Compound phrases used as adjectives:

On-the-spot checking, long-distance runner, eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, door-todoor canvassing, take-home salary, up-to-date information, holier-than-thou attitude, happy-golucky fellow, the ocean-going ship, country-home, the snow-capped mountains, the grey-haired man, etc. 

Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives have three degrees of comparison 

a. The Positive expresses simple quality.

Sweet, dark, heavy 

b. The Comparative expresses a higher degree of the quality than denoted by the simple adjective.

Sweeter, darker, heavier

c. The Superlative expresses the highest degree of the quality.

Sweetest, darkest, heaviest 

Remember 

1. The comparative degree is used when the comparison is between two things or persons. It is

generally followed by than.

a. Honey is sweeter than milk. 

2. But in the case of some Latin comparatives, ‘to' instead of 'than' is used.

a. He is junior to me.

3. The superlative degree is used when the comparison involves more than two persons or things.

a. Mohan is the tallest boy in the class.

4. But when selection is meant between two things, comparative is preceded by othe’ and followed by 'of’.

a. Mohan is the taller of the two.

5. When two qualities of same person are compared, the comparative is always formed by adding more.

a. He is more intelligent than industrious. 

6. Avoid the use of double comparative.

a. Mohan is more taller than Hari. (wrong)

7. The superlative is usually preceded by ‘the’ and followed by ‘of’

a. He is the tallest of all the boys in the class.

8. The following adjectives, being superlative in meaning, do not admit comparison.

a. ideal, extreme, excellent, unique, perfect, universal 

9. The adjective is used before the noun.

a. I like the new book.

List of some Important Adjectives:

1. Some, Any

2. Older, Elder

3. Few, a few, the few

4. Farther, Further

5. Less, Lesser

6. Mutual, Common

7. Little, a little, the little

8. First, Former

9. First, Foremost

10. Much, Many

11. All, Whole

12. Less, Fewer

13. Each, Every

14. Oral, Verbal

15. Either, Neither

16. Many, a many, great many

17. Whole, the whole, the whole of, a whole 

18. Sick, ill 

19. Enough

20. Only, Nearest, Next 

21. Later, Latter, Latest, Last

22. Each other, One another. 

Note 

These adjectives are generally studied in groups. So, instead of mentioning them separately, the author writes them according to the groups in which they exist. 

The Correct Use of Some Adjectives

1. Some, any:

“Some’ and ‘any’ are used to express quantity or degree. “Some' is normally used in affirmative sentences; any' is used in negative or interrogative sentences.

a. I will buy some books.

b. He will not buy any books.

c. Have you bought any books? 

‘Any’ can be used after ‘if' in affirmative sentences.

a. If you need any money I will help you.

'Some' is used in questions which are really requests or offers or the questions which expect the answer 'yes’.

a. Will you have some tea? (offer)

b. Would you like some tea? Yes, please. 

2. Each, every

‘Each' and 'every' are similar in meaning, but every' is a stronger word than ‘each, 'every' means each without exception. 

Remember

1. 'Each' is used in speaking of two or more things; fevery' is used only in speaking of more than two. 

2. 'Each' directs attention to the individuals forming any group; 'every' for the total group. 

3. 'Each’is used only when the number in the group is limited and definite; 'every' when the number is indefinite.

a. Each one of these chairs is broken.

b. He came to see us every three days. 

3. Little, a little, the little 

1. 'Little means not much or hardly any. Thus the adjective little' has negative meaning.

a. There is little hope of his recovery.

b. He showed little concern for his friend.

c. Vicky has made little progress and so he is not feeling very pleased. 

2. A little' means some though not much. A little' has a positive meaning.

a. He has a little knowledge of French. 

b. Vicky has made a little progress and so he is feeling quite pleased.

3. “The little' means not much but all there is.

a. The little wheat they had was damaged by sea water.

b. The little knowledge of English that he has is likely to be very useful to him. 

4. Few, a few, the few 

1. 'Few' means not many or hardly any. Thus the adjective ‘few' has a negative meaning.

a. Few persons can keep a secret. 

b. There are few students in the class.

2. A few' means some. ‘A few' has a positive meaning and is opposed to none.

a. A few days' rest is all that is needed.

b. A few poems he has written are all of great excellence. 

3. “The few' means not many, but all there are.

a. The few friends he has are all very intelligent. 

b. Have you got the few oranges left?

Practice Exercises

1. Pick out all the adjectives in the following sentences and describe to which class each of them belongs: 

1. Which pen do you prefer? 

2. He is a man of few words. 

3. He was absent last week. 

4. Some dreams are like reality. 

5. Hari won the second prize. 

6. What time is it? 

7. The way was long.

8. There should not be much talk. 

9. He comes here every day.

10. A cross child is not liked.

II. Supply suitable adjectives:

1. He is as _________ as a horse.

2. Even _________ students can understand this chapter.

3. I accepted the offer on _________ conditions.

4. He is a very _________ man.

5. Mohan is an _________ boy.

6. He gave her a _________salary.

7. It has been ________ of you to help us. 

8. ________ men must be respected.

9. I have known her for a ________ time.

10. He is too ________ to reach the painting. 

III. Complete each sentence by choosing the correct word.

1. There is so (many, much) smoke coming out of the chimney. 

2. There are (plenty of, a large amount of) fish in the pond. 

3. (A little, A few) minutes is all it takes for him to shave. 

4. The postman put (a great deal of, a lot of) letters into the bag. 

5. He threw (a little, some) nuts to the monkeys. 

6. She uses only (a few, a little) cooking oil in her cooking. 

7. My hens lay (a large amount of, several) eggs very day. 

8. (A great deal of, A large number of) dust has collected on the desk. 

9. We saw (a large amount of, many) cows grazing in the field.

10. The baker sells (a large amount of, a large number of) biscuits. 

IV. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative) 

1. My house is (big) ________ than yours. 

2. This flower is (beautiful) _______ than this.

3. This is the (interesting) _______ book I have ever read.

4. Non-smokers usually live (long) _______ than smokers. 

5. Which is the (dangerous) _______ animal in the world? 

6. A holiday by the sea is (good) ________ than a holiday in the mountains. 

7. It is strange but often a coke is (expensive) ________ than a beer. 

8. Who is the (rich) _______ woman on earth? 

9. The weather this summer is even (bad) _______ than last summer. 

10. He was the (clever) _______ thief of all.

V. Fill in the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives: 

1. happy, _______.

2. old, _______.

3. bad, _______.

4. difficult, _______.

5. large, _______.

6. good, _______.

7. little, _______.

8. easy, _______.

9. much, _______.

10. in, _______.

VI. Insert 'a', 'some' or 'any', whichever is suitable 

1. I am going to buy _______ posters. 

2. They didn't have _______ hair clasps. 

3. There are not _______ shops in this part of the town. 

4. Have you got _______ brother or sister? No, I don't. 

5. There are _______ beautiful leather jackets in the shop window. 

6. I haven't got _______ stamps but my sister has got 

7. We need _______ kilo of apples.

8. Have you got _______ water?

9. There's _______ newspaper on the table. 

10. I can pay. I've got ________ money. 

11. Are there ________ letters for me this morning? No, there aren't. 

12. We saw _______ white bears in a zoo. 

13. Do you know _______ good hotels in London?” 

14. Could you lend me _______ money? 

15. How about _______ cup of coffee? 

VII. Fill in the correct words in brackets (any, many, much, a few, a little, some) 

1. How _______ books do you have on your shelf? 

2. Would you like _______ juice?

3. How _______ money do you have? 

4. I only have _______ rupees. 

5. I want to make orange juice. Have you got _______ oranges? 

6. No, I don't have any. But I have _______ apples, if you'd like to make apple juice instead 

7. There are _______ people trying to go the U2 concert this weekend. 

8. How many dollars did you bring for the trip? I just have ________dollars. 

9. Radhika spent a lot of money on her car. Now she only has _______ money left to pay for her living expenses. 

10. How _______ time does you have left before you have to go to school? 

VIII. Fill in the correct words (any, anything, nothing, something, everything) in brackets. 

1. I don't have ________ to do today. 

2. Are there _______ dogs in the house? 

3. I know _______ about it! 

4. There is _______ I need to do tomorrow afternoon. 

5. My friend doesn't know _______ about her Birthday Party? 

6. Did you bring _______ you needed for the trip? 

7. My friend's decisions have _______ to do with me. 

8. If there is _______ you need you can call me, okay? 

9. I think there is _______ wrong with my computer. It is not working very well. 

10. My mom asked me how I was and I said _______ was fine.

IX. Fill in the blanks with correct adjectives:

1. The patient is suffering from _______ malaria.

2. Sometimes, she acts as a very _______ person.

3. These arguments sound _______.

4. _______ persons from this office were also involved in the conspiracy.

5. I wasn't given _______ money for the purchases, I have bought these books from _______ pocket.

6. _______ a migratory bird has arrived at this sanctuary. 

7. You may keep my books for _______ days. 

8. Dick, _______ looked glum and sad. 

9. Whether in the king's palace or in the pauper's hut, rose smells _______ .

10. Rohit and Suhel went to England for _______ studies. 

11. This is _______ useful of the two books.

12. Of all the jobs, calculation is the most _______ job. 

13. The _______ wine is nowhere available these days.

14. My cousin has fallen in love with this _______ girl. 

15. I have a beautiful _______ carpet at home. 

16. Television has done _______ harm than good to our younger generation. 

17. My article on fossils has been published in the _______ issue of this magazine.

18. Seldom had this desert village experienced a _______ heavier rain.

19. During winter evenings, a cup of coffee is _______ to a cup of tea. 

20. He sounded rather _______ on the phone. 

21. There were too _______ people in the meeting. 

22. He is stubborn, and so is his brother, but to a _______ degree. 

23. She finds her new job ________. 

24. One aspirin should be ________ to relieve the pain. 

25. I had the feeling that we were not ________ at the party. 

26. Of the three writers, Bedi, Manto and Amrita Preetam, the _______ is my favourite.

27. Due to the lack of money. I cannot buy _______.

28. The _______ information I could gather from the office is not sufficient to serve the purpose.

29. He is relishing ________ apples of Kashmir. 

30. Between the two evils, we have to choose the _________ evil. 

31. Even his ________ relations turned their back upon him in his bad days.

32. “The Jurassic Park” is about the ________ stupendous creatures that walked the earth millions of years ago.

33. This ________ of error is very common in English.

34. No _________ than two kilos of rice can be put in this bag.

35. This is the ________ news I received from Pune.

36. A _________ learning is a dangerous thing.

37. The high ________ surprised him.

38. Mr.Kapur is ________ member of the staff.

39. My _______ sister is an airhostess.

40. Shakespeare is ________than any other playwright. 

41. Only ________ members attended the meeting.

42. The ________ edition of this novel was published in 2002.

43. There are no ________ than fifteen members in our staff.

44. After this he made no ________ remarks.

45. Santwan has invested a ________ amount of money. 

46. ________ man dies in this world.

47. She was extremely ________ of her public image.

48. We hope to move to Delhi in the ________ future.

49. Charles Dickens is a ________ writer.

50. Rajiv Gandhi was a ________ politician of India.

X. Correct the following sentences.

1. My job at the bank was very bored. 

2. The police found him floating in the river. 

3. At night I keep my walled behind my pillow. 

4. German cameras are more expensive, but they are more better.

5. Among all the magazines on the shelves, only one was interested.

6. My short story is published in the last issue of this magazine.

7. If you prefer an untroubled environment, try the countryside.

8. After yesterday's violence, the streets of the town are reported to be peaceful again.

9. There is a big possibility that Mr.Zewan may not come to Delhi this time.

10. Between all the girls in the class, Reemu is the most gentle.

11. Whether Pintu will qualify the physical fitness test is doubted.

12. If you want to be healthful, you should be more careful about your diet.

13. You'll have to study any books on Freud before writing a paper on psychoanalysis. 

14. A several shops in the market remain open even on Sundays. 

15. Few books I had kept for you have been stolen. 

16. No less than fifty students came for the hunger strike. 

17. Give me little milk with bread. 

18. All is good that ends well. 

19. Employees of this organization are leading luxuriant life. 

20. Rose smells sweetly. 

21. After dinner, they served us with deliciously apples.

22. Are there so many candidates applying for this post?

23. Mr. Tej Krishen is my older brother.

24. We didn't have a more stabler government than this.

25. Zohra and Neha look so smartly in their uniform.

26. The higher you go, the collest it becomes.

27. I prefer a brisk walk than jogging.

28. He is very attending in the class.

29. Europe is facing Arctic conditions these days.

30. There is amply evidence to support this view.

31. He was smartly dressing, as usual.

32. His poetry has an elegy quality.

33. The unemployment problem is one of the burning problem of the day.

34. One should not lead an aimlessly life.

35. He doesn't know much about the subject, but he's very enthusiast.

36. This is a gold opportunity to enjoy the holiday of a lifetime in Goa.

37. She is carrying a jewel comb.

38. Her soft and languor voice attracts everyone.

39. He loves staying in the opening country.

40. Bus-tickets are not refund.

41. The idea is firmly root in her mind.

42. They are planning to organize a romantical candlelit dinner.

43. She felt surely that she had done the right thing.

44. Much of his work has a whimsy quality.

45. The plan has a three purpose.

46. He is suitably a candidate for the IAS.

47. The serving of betel nuts to guests is a ritualistic greeting of the Assamese.

48. They spent many idler hours just sitting in the sun.

49. It was pride day for us when we were selected in the NDA.

50. We reclined in a shaded corner of the garden.