Adjective: a word that describes a noun or a pronoun
Adjectives usually tell what kind, which one, or how many. Many times, an adjective comes before a noun in a sentence. For example: She parked her tired car on the quiet street around the nearest corner.
However, there are several types of adjectives, and only some of them come before a noun:
- Jackie saw a show about the making of a movie. (Articles)
- Put these flowers in that vase, please. (Demonstrative adjectives)
- The street was empty and quiet. (Predicate adjectives)
- My mother’s family is Honduran. (Proper adjective)
- This road is steeper than the other one. (Comparative adjective)
Articles: a special group of adjectives that includes the, a, and an
An article always comes before the noun it describes.
| Article | Number | Usage |
| the | singular and plural | refers to a specific person, place, thing, event or idea. |
| a, an | singular only | refers to any one of a group of things; use an if the next word begins with a vowel |
Demonstrative Adjectives: point out a specific person or thing
These same words can be used as demonstrative pronouns when they are taking the place of a noun. Here these words are identifying the noun, not replacing it.
| Demonstrative Adjectives | Demonstrative Pronouns |
| This orange is very juicy. | I’m going to put this on the table. |
| I want to taste that orange. | Don’t touch that! |
| These sentences show examples. | These are sample sentences. |
| Those tickets are free. | Those are free tickets. |
Predicate adjectives: tells about the noun or pronoun that is the subject
It follows a linking verb.
| Predicate Adjectives |
| I am hungry. |
| He became frightened. |
| It seemed startling. |
| The street was dark and deserted. |
| The restaurant looked inviting. |
Proper adjectives: refers to the name of a particular noun
They are formed from proper nouns. They always begin with a capital letter.
| Proper Noun | Proper Adjective |
| Mexico | Mexican |
| the South | Southern |
| Europe | European |
Comparative adjectives: used to compare two or more nouns
| Kind | Regular | Comparative | Superlative |
| -er, -est | big | bigger | biggest |
| more, most | excited | more excited | most excited |
| less, least | convinced | less convinced | least convinced |
| irregulars | good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
The answer key is available here.