Adjectives are words that qualify, characterise, or modify nouns and pronouns by providing information about their size, shape, age, colour, or material. Adjectives are typically placed before nouns and pronouns. Adjectives cannot be used alone, but they add significance to the phrase by revealing something unique about the noun and pronoun. Adjectives include Godd, bitter, small, black, Fat, great, and so on. There are various principles that must be followed in order to determine which adjective should be used.
For example:
- l ate dinner.
- l ate a delicious dinner. (Here Delicious word is adding more information to the word'Dinner')
Adjectives
If more than one adjective qualifies/modifies the same noun in a sentence, we normally use a comma to separate those adjectives. There are no commas between the last adjective in the sequence and the noun it qualifies. To qualify a noun, we can use as many adjectives as we like. However, we cannot place another word between an adjective and the noun it qualifies.
Some common rules and Mistakes in the use of Adjectives
Rule 1: We use adjectives with a verb when some quality of the subject is expressed.
We cannot use it with a verb when the action of the verb is to be expressed. For example:
Incorrect: These flowers smell sweetly
Correct: These flowers smell sweet.
Incorrect: It tastes sourly.
Correct: It tastes sour.
Rule 2: Use 'to' before superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, posterior and prefer.
Some students often use 'Than' before these words which
Use 'to before superior, inferior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, posterior and prefer. Some
students often use 'Than' before these words which is wrong. For example:
Raman is junior to me.
. I prefer tea to coffee.
Rule 3: For comparison of two things, always use the comparative degree of comparison.
For example:
- Incorrect: Take the shortest of the two routes.
- Correct: Take the shorter of the two routes.
Rule 4: Below is the very common error which students do in case of adjectives:
Incorrect: She is more stronger than her sister.
• Correct: She is stronger than her sister.
Rule 5: Farther and further are used in a different sense in a sentence. Farther refers to 'to, at or by a greater distance'.
It is used to indicate the extent to which one thing or person is or becomes distant from another. Further means additional/ additional to what already exists or has already taken place, been done. For example:
- Incorrect: Bombay is further from Delhi then Agra.
- Correct: Bombay is farther from Delhi than Agra.
- Incorrect: Thailand is divided into 76 provinces, which are farther divided into over 80 districts.
- Correct: Thailand is divided into 76 provinces, which are further divided into over 800 districts.
Types of Adjectives
There are different types of adjectives for different usage. Adjectives can be classified in many types, but there are mainly 5 types of Adjectives, which are described as following:
1.Adjectives of quality
Adjectives of quality show the Kind, type or quality of a person or a thing. They are used to specify what is the particular quality of a person or a thing.
• Bhagat Singh was a great person. (Here the adjective great shows a certain quality of Bhagat Singh)
• Kanpur is a large city of Uttar Pradesh (Here the adjective large shows a quality of the Kanpur city)
The adjectives which are formed from proper nouns are generally considered as adjectives of. quality. Examples are Indian Economy, Swiss Watches etc.
2.Adjectives of quantity
Adjectives of quantity are used to describe the number of things, which are uncountable. They are used in a sentence to answer, 'How much'?
Some examples of adjectives of quantity are "enough, some, any, a half, whole, much, little, all, no" etc. by Anict S
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I need some water.
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He loves her very much.
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You should have enough patience to deal with things.
3.Adjectives of number
The adjectives which tell us "How many are known as 'Adjectives of number. Some examples of 'adjectives of Number are "one, two, many, first, tenth, all' etc.
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July is the seventh month of the year
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India has twenty-nine states.
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I found several mistakes in your letter.
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Few people have worn the same dress
The adjectives which demonstrate or denote which person or thing is being talked about are
4 .Demonstrative adjectives.
These adjectives answer the question 'which?". Some examples of Demonstrative Adjectives are this, that, these, those and such. This and that are used with singular nouns. These and those are used with plural nouns.
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This girl is talented.
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You should not be friends with such people
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I love these dresses.
5.Interrogative adjectives
When there is a noun just after Interrogative words 'What, which and whose then these are termed as Interrogative adjectives.
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Which dress should I wear?
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Whose book is this?
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What type of shows do you like?
Questions and Answers
Question 1
I am more lonelier here than I was in the USA.
Option 1: I am more lonelier
Option 2: here than
Option 3: I was in the USA.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 1: I am more lonelier
Explanation: Remove more from lonelier .
Question 2
I am sure that all my monthly expenses would exceed the income if I do not economise.
Option 1: I am sure that
Option 2: all my monthly expenses would
Option 3: exceed the income if I do not economize
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 2: all my monthly expenses would
Explanation: Do not use all . Monthly expenses include all the expenses.
Question 3
I will buy the book when the revised edition comes out.
Option 1: I will buy
Option 2: the book when
Option 3: the revised edition will come.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 3: the revise edition will come.
Explanation: Use revised in place of revise.
Question 4
He ran so fastly that he reached the destination in just two minutes.
Option 1: He ran so fastly
Option 2: that he reached the destination
Option 3: in just two minutes.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 1: He ran so fastly
Explanation: Change fastly into fast.
Question 5
He offered me a steamed cup of tea.
Option 1: He offered
Option 2: me a steamed
Option 3: cup of tea.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 2: me a steamed
Explanation: Change the steamed cup into a steaming cup.
Question 6
Ramayana is more sacred than all the mythologies of Hindus.
Option 1: Ramayana is more
Option 2: sacred than
Option 3: all the mythologies of Hindus.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 3: all the mythologies of Hindus.
Explanation: Use others aer all .
Question 7
He is wiser enough to understand your trick.
Option 1:He is wiser
Option 2: enough to
Option 3: understand your trick.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 1: He is wiser
Explanation: Use wise before enough.
Question 8
My all friends will come tomorrow to meet me.
Option 1: My all friends
Option 2: will come tomorrow
Option 3: to meet me.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 1: My all friends
Explanation: All my friends have the correct structure .
Question 9
Honest are rewarded sooner or later.
Option 1: Honest are
Option 2: rewarded
Option 3 : sooner or later.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 1: Honest are
Explanation: Honest is used as a plural noun.
Question 10
Many boys are absent today.
Option 1: Many a
Option 2: boys are
Option 3: absent today.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 2: boys are
Explanation: many a takes boy with it.
Question 11
He is comparatively weaker in maths.
Option 1: He is comparatively
Option 2: weaker
Option 3: in maths.
Option 4: no error.
Anser 2: weaker
Explanation: Use weak in place of weaker with comparatively.
Question 12
Gopal felt happily to learn that I had got a job in the Bank.
Option 1: Gopal felt happily
Option 2: to learn that I
Option 3: had got a job in the Bank.
Option 4: no error.
Answer:1: Gopal felt happily
Explanation:Happy (adj) will come in place of happily (adv).
Question 13
Ram is as good if not better than they .
Option 1: Ram is as good
Option 2: if not better
Option 3: than they .
Option 4: no error.
Answer:1: Ram is as good
Explanation: Add as are as good.
Question 14
He is comparatively weaker in maths.
Option 1: He is comparatively
Option 2: weaker
Option 3: in math.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 2: weaker
Explanation: Don't use comparative degrees with comparatively . Use weak in place of weaker.
Question 15
This young lady is more beautiful but not so cultured as her sister.
Option 1: This young lady is
Option 2: more beautiful but
Option 3: not so cultured as her sister
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 2: more beautiful but
Explanation: Add it to the previous, more beautiful.
Question 16
I saw an anxious pale girl who was fidgetting near the ICU.
Option 1: I saw
Option 2: an anxious pale girl
Option 3: who was fidgeting near the ICU.
Option 4: no error.
Answer:2: an anxious pale girl
Explanation: A pale ancious girl is the correct answer.
Question 17
Lasers are indispensable tools for the delicate eyes surgery.
Option 1: Lasers are
Option 2: indispensable tools
Option 3: for the delicate eyes surgery.
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 3: for the delicate eyes surgery.
Explanation: eye surgery is the correct answer, here eye is used as an adjective.
Question 18
The number of applications has risen this year byasmanyas50%.
Option 1: The number of applications Option 2: has risen this year by Option 3: as many as 50% .
Option 4: no error.
Answer: 3: asmanyas50%.
Explanation: Much will come with 50% . Here a plural nimber is used as a singular unit.
Question 19
Having been found guilty of the the Sunny was sentenced to five year's imprisonment.
Option 1: Having been found
Option 2: guilty of the the
Option 3: Sunny was sentenced to five year's imprisonment.
Option 4: no error.
Answer:3: Sunny was sentenced to five year's imprisonment.
Explanation: five year imprisonment is the correct answer.
Question 20
He is the most intelligent and also a very talented student of the college.
Option 1: He is the most
Option 2: intelligent and also
Option 3: the very talented student of the college. Option 4: no error.
Answer: 3: the very talented student of the college.
Explanation: Change very into most . If two adjectives are joined by a conjunction, both the adjectives should be in the same degree
The 10 types of adjectives are as follows:
- Adjective of Quality.
- Adjective of Quantity.
- Adjective of Number.
- Demonstrative Adjective.
- Distributive Adjective.
- Interrogative Adjective.
- Possessive Adjective.
- Emphasizing Adjective