Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: shabby, reluctant, hard-working, tactful, reddish etc. They can also describe quantity of nouns: few, some, one, fifteen, any etc.

TYPE OF ADJECTIVES

1

ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES

Attributive adjectives talk about qualities, quantities or features of the noun. They can be related to:

size or shape (any objective, measurable quality or physical property) huge, round, large, narrow, slow, quick
observation (subjective attribute) real, valuable, beautiful, awesome, reliable, reluctant, colorful
origin of a person, animal or thing – German, Dutch, Swiss, Canadian, Peruvian
age (either specific age expressed in numbers or general age) old, young, 5-year-old, ancient
material something is made of leather, woolen, wooden, gold
colors grey, purple, yellow.

2

INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES

As the name suggests (indefinite= unspecified, undefined) indefinite adjectives give general information about the noun they refer to. The most common ones are: another, any, both, each, either, enough, few, neither, one, many, much, most, some

‘We don’t need another hero.’ Tina Turner
Not many people turned up at the exhibition.
I’ve never had enough courage to ask her out.
We got only a few samples of the latest IPhone.
Neither of us really knew what to do.
Each of you will be notified.

3

INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVES

Interrogative adjectives are which, whose, what. As all adjectives they modify nouns they refer to.

Which offer will you accept?
Whose fault was this?
What time is the opening ceremony?

There is a subtle difference between what and which. Study the following sentences.

What book are you going to buy? (in this example, the speaker does not know the choice of the book available – unlimited choice)
Which book are you going to buy? (in this example the speaker knows the choice of books available – limited choice)

4

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

Like the article ‘the’, demonstrative adjectives (this, these, that, those) indicate specific people, animals or things.

Are those people waiting for the bus?
All of these mobiles are made in China.
I don’t want this T-shirt. Can I have that one on the shelf?

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

There are three levels positive (tall), comparative (taller) and superlative (the tallest)
and two ways – regular and irregular – of comparisons of adjectives.

REGULAR COMPARISON I
one syllable and some two syllable adjectives

light /lighter/the lightest
nice/nicer/the nicest
brave/braver/the bravest
busy/busier/the busiest
happy/happier/the happiest
big/bigger/the biggest
pretty/prettier/the prettiest
shy/shyer/the shyest

REGULAR COMPARISON II
multi syllable and
other two syllable adjectives

useful/more useful/the most useful
modern/more modern/the most modern
careless/more careless/the most careless
annoying/more annoying/the most annoying
beautiful/more beautiful/the most beautiful
difficult/more difficult/the most difficult
time-consuming/more time-consuming/the most time-consuming

IRREGULAR COMPARISON

bad/worse/the worst
good/better/the best
little/less/the least
much/more/the most
many/more/the most
late/later/the last
late/latter/the latest
far/farther/the farthest
far/further/the furthest

-ED and -ING ADJECTIVES

A large number of adjectives in English end in -ED, many of the them have the same form as they past participle of the verb. For example, FINISHED and COMPLETED can be both verbs and adjectives in a sentence.

I still haven’t finished my homework. (verb)
I can’t hand in my homework as it’s not finished yet. (adjective)

Rob completed his report in time. (verb)
Rob’s report was completed in time. (adjective)

On the other hand, there are a few adjectives, luckily not too many of them, describing feelings that can take either -ED or -ING endings. Study the following list and than the example sentences below:

amazed ꟾ amazing
amused ꟾ amusing
bored ꟾ boring
confused ꟾ confusing
depressed ꟾ depressing
disappointed ꟾ disappointing
disgusted ꟾ disgusting
embarrassed ꟾ embarrassing

excited ꟾ exciting
exhausted ꟾ exhausting
fascinated ꟾ fascinating
frightened ꟾ frightening
frustrated ꟾ frustrating
inspired ꟾ inspiring
interested ꟾ interesting
irritated ꟾ irritating

puzzled ꟾ puzzling
relaxed ꟾ relaxing
satisfied ꟾ satisfying
shocked ꟾ shocking
surprised ꟾ surprising
terrified ꟾ terrifying
tired ꟾ tiring
worried ꟾ worrying

-ING adjective

we use an -ING adjective to describe an object, idea or situation:

The flight was really tiring. (because it was ten-hour long journey)
I spent a few relaxing days in a spa centre. (describing what the days were like)
I hate the news on TV, because they are announcing shocking news only.
Not only was the documentary exciting but also inspiring.

-ING adjective

we use an -ING adjective to describe a person:

My neighbour, Keith is an rather boring man. (I don’t enjoy being with him)
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple was a truly inspiring person. (he made an impression on me with his deeds)

In some cases, either types of adjectives can be correct with difference in meaning; study the following two cases:
Two of the applicants were quite interesting. Maybe we should call them back. (that’s what we feel/think about them)
Only two of the applicants were interested in this position. (two people wanted the job. It’s about their feelings)

-ED adjective

we use an -ED adjective to describe human feelings (and sometimes animals’ too):

Mr. Brown was truly shocked when he heard the news.
I was tempted to eat up the whole cake but then I remembered being on a diet.
Cats usually become excited by the smell of a raw fish.
I was a bit puzzled when she admitted who she had spent the night with.
The audience felt thrilled to see such an incredible performance.

THE USE OF ADJECTIVES

Attribute Use

before nouns

sunny day
shy girl
heavy storm
cheap cloths

after nouns (also called postpositve)

There is no room available.
The tools necessary for work are on the shelf.
She found the house empty.
I died my hair black.
That was a mission impossible.

The postpositive use is common with pronouns
Something evil is lurking in the dark.
I need someone reliable for this project.

past participle as an attribute

fallen leaves
cooked meal
signed contract
forgotten promise

Predicative Use

describing health
conditions

She is ill/unwell.
I’m really well/fine.

adjectives that start with ‘a‘

You should be ashamed.
The victim was still alive.
The children are awake.
Rob and John are really alike.

with verbs of perception

You sound angry.
It looks suspicious.
The cloth feels soft.
The soup tastes wonderful.

to describe feelings

John was sure about the result.
I’m glad to see you again.

Some adjectives i.e. late, old, ill, responsible, concerned can be used both attributively and predicatively with difference in meaning. Study the following examples:

ATTRIBUTIVE USE

My late grandpa was a lawyer. *
The concerned teacher called the principal.*
Rob is an old friend of mine.*
He is a responsible officer.*
Be aware of him. He’s got ill intentions.*

PREDICATIVE USE

Grandpa was late for the show. **
The teacher concerned is on holiday.**
My uncle, Rob, is old. He’s 87.**
The officer responsible was laid off.**
He felt ill after the celebration.**

GRADABLE/NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Gradable Adjectives

Most adjectives are gradable. This means they can have different level of quality and can be compared. We can say, for example:

• The exam was a bit/fairly/really/extremely difficult.
• This concert was just as bad as the one last year.
• This is not as cheap as the other ones.
• This room is colder than hell.

Here is a list of some common gradable (weak) adjectives and their modifiers:
angry, boring, expensive, sweet, dirty, cold, hungry, interesting, old, tired, funny, smart, wonderful, crazy, likely etc. and we can make them sound more or less intense by adding the following adverbs: a bit, little, pretty, quite, slightly, reasonably, rather, fairly, very and extremely.

Non-Gradable Adjectives

Non-gradable: extreme adjectives
Extreme adjectives do not have different degrees or levels of the quality. Extreme adjectives mean ‘extremely’ + (gradable) adjective. i.e. extremely cold = freezing or extremely angry = furious.

Adverbs that can be used with non-gradable adjectives are as follows: absolutely, totally, entirely, completely, utterly.

She looked absolutely gorgeous in that reddish silk dress.
It was freezing in the woods and we were terrified because of the howling wolves.
Not only was the play hilarious, but the stage setting was fascinating too.
Dressed in immaculate white suit, the man walked proudly in the street.

You can use extreme adjectives instead of their overused counterparts to jazz up both your written and spoken English; study the following sentence pair:

• Their house is really big and has a beautiful pool too.
• Not only is their house absolutely massive but it has stunning pool too.

Which sentence sounds better?

Study the following list of gradable (weak) and extremes (strong) adjective pairs

angry → furious
bad → terrible, awful
beautiful → stunning, gorgeous
big → huge, enormous, massive, vast
cold → freezing
confident → sure, positive
crazy → insane
dirty → filthy
funny → hilarious

good → brilliant, outstanding, incredible
hot → boiling
hungry → starving, ravenous
important → essential, crucial, vital
impressive → spectacular, magnificent
interesting → fascinating
likely → certain
pleasant → delightful
pleased → delighted

rude → outrageous
scared → terrified, petrified
silly – ridiculous
small – tiny, minuscule
strange → bizarre
surprised → stunned, amazed
tired → exhausted
ugly → hideous
valuable → priceless

Non-gradable: absolute adjectives
Some adjectives have absolute meaning, such as dead, equal, eternal, open or finished. i.e. things cannot be very equal or a little equal. Nothing can be slightly or extremely eternal. These adjectives are normally modified with adverbs such as: absolutely/completely/totally or take no adverbs at all.

• Cathy’s new hair-do was absolutely perfect.
• Even though the chances were not completely equal, John managed to take advantage and won the game.
• The fortress was totally destroyed after the battle.

WHEN ADJECTIVES BECOME NOUNS

Yes. Everything is possible. Sometimes words normally used as nouns can take function of adjectives. (noun modifier) Study the following examples:

• Morning coffee is something I never skip.
• New safety rules have been implemented at the production plant.

Morning and safety are both nouns but in these sentences they describe the nouns they precede. But it works the other way round. Sometimes adjectives function as nouns. By putting the definite article before adjectives (the poor, the young, the intelligent, the blind etc.) we get nouns. Just like that.

• Samantha has always been obsessed with the rich and famous.
• Hillary devoted all her life to the homeless.
• The French are famous for their cuisine.

WHEN AND HOW TO USE ADJECTIVES

Using adjectives can definitely add some spice to our speech/writing and make it more precise and concise. In many cases without using adjectives we wouldn’t be able to convey what we mean. In a phrase ‘a grumpy old man’ it would be impossible to describe the ‘man’ without these adjectives.

However, in some cases using an adjective seems redundant. Is it a single unmarried woman or a single woman. Is it a tiny dwarf or just a dwarf? A single women is unmarried and dwarfs are tiny anyway, right? There is no need to state what is obvious. So, to put it simply, when you need an adjective (or two) go for it; if they don’t have ‘weight’ simply omit them. Use adjectives with a style. And keep your writing at its best.

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