Adjectives in English – Types, Rules, and Examples

Adjectives are essential in English because they help describe, modify, and provide more details about nouns and pronouns. They make sentences clearer, more expressive, and engaging by giving information about size, shape, color, quantity, personality, and more. Without adjectives, language would be plain and lacking detail. Learning adjectives is important for English learners, students, and professionals as they help improve speaking, writing, and comprehension skills.

In this article, you will explore what adjectives are, their types, grammar rules, adjective order, and comparisons, along with plenty of examples to help you master their usage in English.

What is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives provide extra details about a noun, such as:

• Size – big, small, tall, tiny
• Shape – round, square, oval, flat
• Color – red, blue, black, yellow
• Age – new, old, ancient, young
• Origin – American, British, Turkish, French
• Material – wooden, plastic, metal, cotton
• Opinion – beautiful, ugly, amazing, boring

Examples:

• She has a beautiful voice.
• He wore a black jacket.
• We bought a large wooden table for our dining room.

Functions of Adjectives

Adjectives answer specific questions about a noun:

• What kind? → She wore a red dress.
• Which one? → I prefer that book over this one.
• How many? → There are three apples on the table.
• How much? → He has enough money to buy a car.

Types of Adjectives

There are different types of adjectives, each serving a unique function. Below is a complete list of the most common types of adjectives with explanations and examples.

1. Descriptive Adjectives (Qualitative Adjectives)

Descriptive adjectives describe the qualities of a noun. These are the most common adjectives and include words related to color, size, shape, texture, age, appearance, and emotions.

Examples:

• A tall building (size)
• A round table (shape)
• A red dress (color)
• An old book (age)
• A Turkish restaurant (origin)
• A wooden chair (material)
• A friendly person (personality)

2. Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives describe the amount or quantity of a noun.

Examples:

• I have three dogs. (Specific number)
• She drank some water. (Unspecified amount)
• He made several mistakes. (General amount)
• There are many students in the class. (Large number)
• She spent a little time reading. (Small amount)

3. Demonstrative Adjectives

These adjectives indicate which noun is being referred to. The most common demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those.

Examples:

• I like this book. (Near)
• She prefers those shoes. (Far)
• That idea sounds great!
• Look at these pictures!
• Can you pass me that pen?

4. Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives show ownership or possession. The most common possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our, their.

Examples:

• This is my car.
• He forgot his phone at home.
• She loves her new dress.
• We visited our grandparents yesterday.
• They cleaned their house.

5. Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are used in questions to ask about a noun. The most common ones are what, which, and whose.

Examples:

• Which movie do you want to watch?
• What book are you reading?
• Whose phone is ringing?

6. Indefinite Adjectives

Indefinite adjectives do not specify an exact number or amount. Examples include some, many, few, several, all, any, each, every.

Examples:

• She bought some apples.
• I saw many birds in the park.
• He made several mistakes.
• She read a few pages before sleeping.
• They gave us each a gift.

7. Proper Adjectives

Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns and always start with a capital letter.

Examples:

• I love Italian food.
• He studies Shakespearean literature.
• She bought a Japanese car.
• The Victorian era was fascinating.
• We watched a French movie.

8. Participial Adjectives

Participial adjectives are formed from verbs, usually ending in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle). They describe how someone feels (-ed) or the cause of the feeling (-ing).

-ing Adjectives describe the thing or person that causes the feeling.

• The movie was boring.
• This book is interesting.
• That sound is annoying.

-ed Adjectives describe how someone feels.

• I was bored during the movie.
• She is interested in history.
• We were annoyed by the noise.

Common Verb Pairs with -ed/-ing Adjectives:

Note: If you’re describing someone’s feeling, use -ed. If you’re describing the thing or cause, use -ing.

9. Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives are made by combining two or more words (usually with a hyphen) to describe a noun. They help make your descriptions clearer and more specific.

Common Patterns:

Number + noun + adjective:

• a five-minute walk
• a ten-year-old boy

Adjective + noun:

• a high-quality product
• a cold-blooded animal

Adjective + past participle:

• a well-known actor
• a broken-hearted girl

Examples:

• He gave me a last-minute suggestion.
• They live in a twenty-story building.
• That’s a full-time job.

Rule: Compound adjectives come before the noun and are usually hyphenated to avoid confusion.

10. Predicative vs. Attributive Adjectives

Adjectives can appear in different positions in a sentence. Depending on their placement, they are called attributive or predicative adjectives.

Attributive Adjectives:

An attributive adjective comes before the noun it describes. This is the most common position of adjectives in English.

Examples:

• She wore a red dress.
• It was a beautiful day.
• He is a talented musician.

The adjective directly modifies the noun.

Predicative Adjectives:

A predicative adjective comes after a linking verb (like be, seem, look, become) and describes the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• The dress is red.
• Today seems beautiful.
• The musician is talented.

The adjective describes the subject, not directly before the noun.

Formation of Adjectives

Adjectives are often formed by adding suffixes to nouns or verbs. These suffixes help describe qualities such as ability, appearance, emotion, quantity, and more.

1. Adjectives Formed from Nouns

You can turn many nouns into adjectives by adding a suffix.

Common suffixes:

-ous, -ful, -less, -ish, -y, -al, -ic

2. Adjectives Formed from Verbs

Some adjectives come from verbs and describe the ability to do something or a quality related to action.

Common suffixes:

-able, -ible, -ing, -ed, -ant, -ent

Note:

• Use -ing adjectives to describe the thing:
  This book is interesting.

• Use -ed adjectives to describe the feeling:
  I am interested in this book.

3. Adjectives Formed from Other Adjectives

Sometimes you can form new adjectives by adding prefixes or suffixes to existing adjectives.

Common prefixes:

un-, in-, im-, il-, ir- (all mean “not”)

Common suffixes:

-er, -est for comparisons

4. Other Common Adjective Suffixes

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5. Irregular Adjectives

Some adjectives don’t follow any clear formation rule. These must be memorized.

Degrees of Comparison: Positive, Comparative, Superlative

Examples with different adjectives:

• Big → Bigger → Biggest
• Happy → Happier → Happiest
• Difficult → More difficult → Most difficult

Adjective Order in English

In English, adjectives follow a specific order when multiple adjectives describe a noun.

Correct Adjective Order:

Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun

Example:

• A beautiful small old round red Italian wooden dining table

Where Do Adjectives Appear in a Sentence?

Adjectives usually appear in two main positions within a sentence: before a noun or after a linking verb. Knowing where to place them helps you form natural and grammatically correct sentences.

1. Before a Noun

This is the most common placement. The adjective comes directly before the noun it describes.

Examples:

• She has a cute cat.
• They live in a big house.
• I bought a blue shirt.

2. After a Linking Verb

Some adjectives come after linking verbs (like be, seem, look, feel, become) and describe the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• The cat is cute.
• He feels tired.
• The weather became cold.

Adjectives Quiz

1. Which sentence has the correct adjective order?
a) I saw a round small table.
b) I saw a small round table.
c) I saw a table round small.

2. Which of these is a possessive adjective?
a) This
b) Their
c) Beautiful

3. Which adjective describes quantity?
a) Four
b) Green
c) French

4. What is the demonstrative adjective in this sentence? → I like that book.
a) I
b) Like
c) That

5. Which sentence is correct?
a) He is an old American man.
b) He is a American old man.
c) He is old an American man.

6. Identify the proper adjective in this sentence: → She loves Mexican food.
a) She
b) Mexican
c) Loves

7. Which sentence correctly uses a possessive adjective?
a) This is her book.
b) This is she book.
c) This is book her.

8. Choose the indefinite adjective:
a) Some
b) Tall
c) Blue

9. What is the correct adjective in this sentence? → He has ___ money left.
a) Few
b) Little
c) Many

10. What type of adjective is “Japanese” in this sentence? → She bought a Japanese car.
a) Quantitative
b) Proper
c) Interrogative

Quiz Answers

1) I saw a small round table.
2) Their
3) Four
4) That
5) He is an old American man.
6) Mexican
7) This is her book.
8) Some
9) Little
10) Proper