Adjective

Definition

An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, providing additional information about its qualities, quantities, or characteristics. Adjectives enhance sentences by giving more context and detail, such as specifying color, size, shape, and other attributes of the nouns they modify. They can appear in different positions within a sentence and often play a critical role in distinguishing meaning.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Adjectives can be used attributively, appearing directly before the noun they modify, or predicatively, following a linking verb and describing the subject.
2. They can be classified into different types, including descriptive adjectives (e.g., 'blue', 'tall'), quantitative adjectives (e.g., 'several', 'many'), and demonstrative adjectives (e.g., 'this', 'those').
3. In English, adjectives typically do not change form based on the number or gender of the nouns they describe, unlike in some other languages.
4. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives allow for comparisons between nouns; for example, 'bigger' (comparative) and 'biggest' (superlative).
5. Adjectives can also be gradable or ungradable; gradable adjectives can have degrees of intensity (like 'hot', 'hotter', 'hottest'), while ungradable adjectives express absolute qualities (like 'perfect' or 'dead').

Review Questions

• How do adjectives function within sentences to provide clarity and detail?
  • Adjectives function within sentences by modifying nouns or pronouns to provide clarity and detail about their characteristics. For example, in the phrase 'the red car', the adjective 'red' gives specific information about the color of the car. This enhancement helps readers or listeners to better visualize and understand the subject being discussed.
• Compare and contrast attributive and predicative uses of adjectives with examples.
  • Attributive adjectives appear directly before the nouns they modify, such as in 'the tall building', while predicative adjectives follow linking verbs to describe the subject, as seen in 'the building is tall'. Both uses serve to enhance meaning but differ in their syntactic placement within a sentence.
• Evaluate the importance of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in conveying meaning.
  • Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are essential for conveying relationships between different nouns. By using comparative forms like 'taller' or 'smarter', one can establish how one noun measures against another. Superlatives like 'tallest' or 'smartest' indicate extremes within a group. This ability to compare enriches language by allowing speakers to express degrees of difference and facilitate clearer communication.

Related terms

noun: A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea, serving as the subject or object in a sentence.

verb: A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being, forming the core of the predicate in a sentence.

adverb: An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, often indicating manner, time, place, or degree.