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ADJECTIVES
What are adjectives? How can we identify an adjective in a sentence?
Let’s look at the following sentence to understand and answer the above question.
Reena is an educated woman.
In the above sentence, the word ‘educated’ is used to tell the quality of the woman.
Such words that tell the quality of a noun in a sentence are called adjectives.
- “Adjectives are words that qualify or describe the noun.”

Formation of adjectives
Adjectives can be formed from nouns, verbs and adjectives.
• Few examples of adjectives formed from noun:
Accident - Accidental
Danger - Dangerous

• Few examples of adjectives formed from verbs:

Help - Helpful
Play- Playful

• Few examples of adjectives formed from adjectives:

Comic- Comical
Elder- Elderly

Types of adjectives
Adjectives are divided into the following types:
1. Adjectives of quantity
a. Definite numeral adjectives
Cardinals- one, two, three, four, five, etc. These words when used as
adjectives are called cardinal adjectives.
e.g. Rajat has five chocolates.
Ordinals- First, second, third, fourth, etc. These words when used as
adjectives are called ordinal adjectives.

b. Indefinite numeral adjectives

Words like all, none, many, few, some, any, several, much, little, less,
etc. are our indefinite numeral adjectives.

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Many – We use many with countable nouns. The noun used after
many is always plural.
e.g. Gargi has faced many difficulties in her life to achieve what she
has now.

All – The word all is used to show the entire or whole quantity/ extent
of something. The noun for which all qualifies should be plural.
e.g. All species are equal in front of god.

Much – We use this adjective with an uncountable noun and also

when a noun is missing from a sentence.
e.g. I do not have much work to do. Kindly assign me with one.
Please don’t ask him much. He won’t answer.

Some – We use some in affirmative sentences. We use them to ask

questions which are requests or offers and for which the answer will
be ‘yes’.
e.g. They will buy some apples from here.
Will you have some tea? (offer)
Could you buy me some clothes for this winter? (request)

Any – We use any in negative sentences. We use them in negative and

interrogative sentences.
e.g. I don’t have any work to do today.
Have you bought any new clothes for Diwali?

Few – It is used with plural countable nouns.

e.g. Katy has few leaves left. So, she might take one soon.
Note: Difference between few, a few and the few.
Few is used to denote very small/insignificant amount of something.
It has a negative meaning. (not many or almost none)
e.g. There were few people in office yesterday as it was a holiday.

A few is used to denote a small amount of something. It has a positive

meaning. (something small)
e.g. Rahul could answer only a few questions.

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The few is used to denote some specific amount of something.

e.g. Derek wants to spend the few days he has with his family.

Little – It is used with uncountable nouns.

Note: Difference between little, a little and the little.

Little is used to denote small amount. It has a negative meaning. (not
much)
e.g. Prem was so poor that he had little money to waste.

A little is used to denote some amount. It has a positive meaning.

e.g. A little knowledge is dangerous.

The little is used to denote some specific amount.

e.g. The little money he had, was stolen by someone.

c. Distributive numeral adjective

Words like each, every, either, neither are called distributive
adjectives. These are used to indicate each one of the numbers given.

Each and every are used interchangeably but they have a subtle
difference. Each is used to emphasize on every individual in a group
whereas every emphasizes more on the group.
e.g. Shyama spent her vacations in Shillong and it rained each day
there.
Every employee in the office was encouraged to take part in the sports
event.

Either is used to refer to one of the two things present and neither is
used to refer none of the two things present.
e.g. Either of the two boys could do the work.
Neither Reena nor Ramit were present on that day.

d. Demonstrative adjectives
These words point out which person or thing is being talked about.
This, that, those, these are the examples of demonstrative adjectives.

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e.g. This flower vase is very fragile.

That woman looks tired. I must help her.
Take those flowers with you as I am allergic to them.
These clothes are very expensive.

e. Interrogative adjectives
These adjectives are used with a noun to ask questions.
What, which, whose are examples of interrogative adjectives.

e.g. What program do you guys want to watch tonight?

Which project are you working on lately?

COMPARISON OF DEGREES
We do not make plurals of adjectives as they can’t be counted. We can only use
them as degrees. We have three degrees of comparison- Positive, Comparative and
Superlative degree.

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

Good Better Best
Early Earlier Earliest
Bad worse worst
Intelligent More intelligent Most intelligent
Useful More useful Most useful
Pretty Prettier Prettiest

Positive Degrees
• We use positive degree in a sentence where there is no comparison or in
simple sentences.
e.g. He runs fast.
• Use of as – as/ so - as. We use as-as in positive sentences and so-as in
negative sentences. We use only positive degree with them.
e.g. Pratik does not run so fast as Harsh does.
I am as happy today as my sister is.
• After words like enough, adequate, sufficient, etc we use positive degree of
adjectives.
e.g. Mayank is strong enough to lift heavy objects.

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Comparative Degrees
• We make comparative degrees by adding –ier at the end of the word or by
adding more before the word.
Pretty – Prettier
Intelligent - More intelligent
e.g. Ramya would be happier if you talked of her abilities.
• We use than after the comparative degree when we compare one thing with
another.
e.g. Ankit is more intelligent than his brother.
A pen is mightier than a sword.

Note: When we compare two qualities of the same person then we use than in
the sentence.
e.g. Anchit is more intelligent than brave.

• Generally, we don’t use “the” with comparative degrees. But in special cases
like below we use “the” with comparative degrees:
- When we use a comparative degree before and after a comma, we use
“the” before those degrees.
e.g. The higher we go, the cooler it gets.
- We use “the” when we talk about two people/things.
e.g. She is the taller of the two daughters of Mr Sharma.

• We use a comparative degree with would/had, which is followed by V1.

e.g. I would better do this today.

• We don’t use comparative degree with words like “comparatively” and

“relatively”.
e.g. Ronit is comparatively wise than his brother.

• Words like superior, anterior, junior, senior, prior, inferior, posterior and
prefer are not used as positive and superlative degrees. They are only used
as comparative degrees. They take the preposition “to” after them.
e.g. superior to, junior to, senior to, etc.

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Superlative degrees
• Superlative degree is used when more than two things/people are
compared. We make superlative degrees by adding –est at the end of the
word or by adding most before the word.
e.g. Pretty – Prettiest
Intelligent – Most intelligent

• We use article “the” with the superlative degree.

e.g. Gaurav is the most sincere student of his class.

• Words like perfect, excellent, unique, ideal, etc. are superlative in meanings.
Therefore, we don’t use more and most with them.
e.g. This is the most unique idea. (incorrect)
This is a unique idea. (correct)

SUPERLATIVE DEGREE INTO POSITIVE DEGREE

Superlative degree – Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
Positive degree – No other planet in the solar system is so large as Jupiter.
Superlative degree – Delhi is one of the biggest cities in India.
Positive degree – Very few cities in India are as big as Delhi.

COMPARATIVE DEGREE INTO POSITIVE DEGREE

Comparative degree – Shimla is cooler than Delhi.
Positive degree – Delhi is not so cool as Shimla.

NOTES:
• Use of elder, eldest, older and oldest
We use elder and eldest with persons only and not with animals or things.
e.g. She is the elder of the two sisters.
We use older and oldest with persons as well as with animals and things.
e.g. This is the oldest temple of Chennai.

• Use of farther and further

Farther is used to denote distance whereas further is used to denote
“additional”.
e.g. He must reply to me without any further delay.
Chennai is farther from the tropic of Capricorn than Maharashtra.

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• Use of next and nearest

Nearest is used to refer the shortest distance whereas next is used for the
things that come in sequence.
e.g. Where is the nearest bus stop here?
My friend lives in the next house.