English Grammar

Adjectives



Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They describe the noun by telling us its size, shape, age, colour, etc.
Examples : big, pretty, expensive, green, round, French, loud, quick, fat.

Example sentences :
  • He has big blue eyes.
  • The new car broke down.
  • The old lady was talking in a quiet voice.

Other parts of speech such as articles (the, a, an) are sometimes classified as adjectives.

Adjectives typically answer the following questions :

What kind? Which one? How many?
Quel genre? Laquelle? Combien?
أي نوع؟ أي واحد؟ كم العدد؟

Adjectives may come before a noun.
Examples : He found a nice job.

Adjectives may also come after certain verbs like be, feel, seem, look, taste, smell, sound, appea, become …
Examples :
  • He is intelligent.
  • I feel happy.
  • She seems unhappy.
  • They look fantastic.
  • Italy is beautiful.
  • I don't think she seems nice at all.
  • You look tired.
  • The night became dark.

Other Examples :
  • "Brian seems sad." Sad describes the noun, Brian, not the verb, seems. Sad answers the question: which way does Brian seem?
  • "The milk smells rotten." What kind of smell does the milk have? A rotten one.
  • "The speaker sounds hoarse." Hoarse answers the question: which way does the speaker sound?
  • "The ice-cream looks melted." Here, melted does not describe the verb, looks. It describes the noun, ice cream. What kind of ice cream does it look like? Melted ice cream.
  • "Alex feels sleepy." What kind of way does Alex feel? Sleepy.

Likewise, an adjective always follows a form of the verb, “to be”. Here are some examples of “to be” verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been.
Examples :
  • "The dog is black." Black is an adjective that modifies the noun dog, but it comes after the verb, is. What kind of dog is it? A black dog.
  • "I was nervous." Nervous modifies the noun, I. Which way was I feeling? Nervous.
  • "She has been sick all week." Here, sick modifies the noun, She. Which way has she been feeling all week? She’s been sick.
  • "They tried to be helpful." In this case, helpful modifies the noun, they, not the verb, tried. What kind of people are they? Helpful people.



Types of Adjectives in English grammar





Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives modify nouns or noun phrases and are words such as my, your, his, her, its, our, and their which we use before nouns to show possession.

Examples :
  • I spent my afternoon painting the toilet.
  • This must be your missing pencil.
  • His arms have a few tattoos.
  • Its skin is dry and rough.
  • Our grandmothers were classmates.




Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those. We use them to point out specific people or things.

Examples :
  • This dog had no tail.
  • That pig has a curly tail.
  • These trousers are now too tight for me.
  • Those monkeys are noisy.




Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives are words such as what, which, and whose that modify nouns. We use an interrogative adjective with a noun to ask a question.

Examples :
  • Whose plate is this ?
  • Which album do you prefer from Muse ?
  • What songs did they play ?




Distributive Adjectives

Distributive adjectives are used to refer to members of a group as individuals.
They include each, every, either, neither, any, one, both.
They are normally used with singular nouns.

each every either neither any one both
chaque chaque non plus ni tout un tous les deux
كل كل إما لا هذا ولا ذاك أي واحد على حد سواء

Examples :
  • Each boy was gives a chocolate.
  • Every nation is proud of its culture.
  • Neither of them got majority.
  • Either of you can collect the prize.
  • I love any song that Sakira sings.
  • Choose the one you like.
  • Both of them are in the room.
  • Take one pill with water after each meal.
  • She calls him every night.
  • I don't know either of them.
  • She doesn't understand me, either.
  • Komal doesn't work there, and neither does Kavita.
  • She can't dance tonight, neither can her boyfriend.
  • I didn't have any food in the refrigerator.
  • I will buy a new one.
  • No one can tell.
  • I don't like this one.
  • They are both good teachers.
  • He can speak both English and French very well.




Adjective of Quantity

An adjective of quantity tells us the number (how many) or amount (how much) of a noun. But it doesn't say exactly how many or how much.
For the intermediate values we use some, any, many, all, little, much, enough, no, whole, all great, half, sufficient.

some few little most all no
quelques-uns peu peu la plupart tous non
بعض قليل قليل معظم كل لا
enough any whole sufficient none half
assez tout tout assez aucun moitié
كفى أي كامل كافي لا شيء نصف
many
beaucoup
كثير

Examples :
  • He has eaten three apples.
  • I don't have enough pocket money.
  • They brought along a few sandwiches.
  • There is a little dust on the bookshelf.
  • There are some birds in tha tree.
  • We have much wine for the guests.
  • This long, thin centipede has many legs.
  • There is a little milk in the jug.
  • My father earned enough money.
  • He showed much courage in the game / war/ competition.
  • She gained much experience.
  • The spider has eight legs.
  • Renu has many toys/books.
  • Vivek gave me all his books.
  • Please give me some milk.




Adjective of Quality

Adjective Of Quality is used to talk about the quality of a person / thing. (What kind of)

Examples :
  • Suman is wearing a new dress.
    • (The adjective new tells us what kind of dress Suman is wearing.)
  • Grandmother told us a funny story.
    • (The adjective funny tells us what kind of story grandmother told us.)
  • Ritu’s hair is curly.
    • (The adjective curly tells us what kind of hair Ritu has.)

Note : Here New, Funny & Curly are Adjective of Quality. The meaning of quality is kind of or sort of.

More Examples :
  • We had to cross a deep river.
  • J. Nehru was a famous leader.
  • I met an old man with white/grey hair.
  • She is an intelligent and charming girl.
  • Big tears rolled down her beautiful cheeks.
  • Only noble people can form great nations.
  • A fierce fight took place between the mighty warriors.
  • It was a warm sunny day and a light breeze was blowing.
  • The teacher scolded the lazy boy.
  • The brave soldier kept fighting till the end.
  • We should always drink pure water.
  • I am in search of an honest servant.
  • It is good to eat green vegetables.
  • Akbar was a wise King.
  • These mangoes are sweet.




Indefinite Adjectives

Indefinite adjectives are words like all, any, each, few, many, much, most, several, and some that describe nouns in a general or non-specific manner.

Examples :
  • There are several people in the safe room.
  • There are only a few deer left.
  • I have seen some cartridges in the cupboard.

another un autre آخر
any tout أي
both tous les deux على حد سواء
each chaque كل
either non plus إما
enough assez كافية
few peu قليل
neither ni لا هذا ولا ذاك
one un واحد
other autre آخر
many beaucoup كثير
most plus عظم
much beaucoup كثير
several nombreuses العديد من
some certains بعض




Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are the most common adjectives. We use them to describe nouns.

Boring Interesting scary funny dark fair silky
Ennuyeux intéressant effrayant drôle sombre juste soyeux
ممل مثير للاهتمام مخيف مضحك مظلم عادل حريري
long neutral red green black purple yellow
long neutre rouge vert noir violet jaune
طويل محايد ا حمر ا خضر ا سود أرجواني ا صفر
damp feathery rough foul hairy furry clean
humide plumeux rugueux sale velu velu propre
رطب ريشي قاسي كريه شعر فروي نظيف
dirty sweet sugary sour groan thud roar
sale doux sucré aigre gémissement thud rugissement
قذر حلو سكري حامض تأوه سطيف هدير
tall short thin fat bulky plump round
grand court mince gros volumineux dodu rond
طويل القامة قصير نحيف دهني ضخم ممتلئ الجسم مستدير
glassy sad devastated pathetic amazing dangerous square
vitreux triste dévasté pathétique incroyable dangereux carré
زجاجي حزين مدمر مثير للشفقة مدهش خطير مربع
big cold powerful
grand froid puissant
كبير بارد قوي

Examples :
  • dangerous chemicls
  • green vegetables
  • a square box
  • a big house
  • a tall tree
  • a cold morning
  • a powerful motorbike
  • English language
  • Mediterranean couintry




Adjectives Degrees of Comparison

We use adjectives to compare persons / things. There are three degrees of comparison :




A. Positive Degree

An (Positive Degree) adjective is used to talk about the quality of a person, place or thing is called Positive Degree. i.e. Good, Fat, Heavy, Clever, Brave, Beautiful, Handsome, Healthy, Poor, Rich, Wealthy etc.

Examples :
  • Ramesh is as clever as Suresh.
  • Madhu is as naughty as Menu.
  • Rithik Roshan is as popular as Fardin Khan.
  • The ants are as hard working as bees.




B. Comparative Degree

"Comparative" means "comparing something to something else."

An adjective is used to compare two persons, places & things for their qualities is called Comparative Degree. i.e. Better than, Fatter than, Leaner than, Clever than, More beautiful, Healthier / Wealthier than.

Better worse bigger smaller Nicer
Mieux pire plus gros plus petit plus agréable
أفضل أسوأ أكبر أصغر أجمل
Fatter thinner more dangerous stronger healthier
plus gros plus mince plus dangereux plus fort plus sain
أسمن أرق أكثر خطورة أقوى أكثر صحة
more beautiful clever slower faster
plus beau intelligent plus lent plus rapide
أكثر جمالا ذكي أبطأ أسرع

Examples :
  • She is a better student than her brothers.
  • The test was worse than I'd expected.
  • You are stronger than me.
  • He seems healthier.
  • You are more beautiful than her.
  • Ramesh is clever then Suresh.
  • I have more mangos than he.
  • Her walk is slower than mine.
  • The train runs faster than the bus.




C. Superlative Degree

"Superlative" means "of the highest degree."

An adjective is used to talk about / compare-comparing more than two persons / places / animals / birds / insects / things for their qualities, are called Superlative Degree.

the best the worst the Strongest the smallest the cheapest
le meilleur le pire le plus fort le plus petit le moins cher
الأفضل الأسوأ الأقوى الأصغر الأرخص
the most expensive the most beautiful the Bravest the tallest the richest
le plus cher le plus beau le plus courageux le plus grand le plus riche
الأغلى الأجمل الأشجع الأطول الأغنى

Examples :
  • You are my best friend.
  • This is the worst day of my life.
  • Even the smallest donation helps.
  • This is the most expensive restaurant I've ever heard of.
  • She is the most beautiful among all her sisters.
  • He is the bravest of all brothers.
  • Milan is the tallest boy.
  • Robert is the richest man in town.

Note : Here definite article ‘the’ is placed in the superlative degree.

Rules for forming comparatives and superlatives
Comparative, superlative adjectives : rules
Adjectifs comparatifs, superlatifs : règles
الصفات المقارنة والتفضيلية: القواعد
Adjective type Adjective Comparative Superlative
Short adjectives (one syllable) old, long older, longer the oldest, the longest
Adjectives ending in one vowel + one consonant big, hot bigger, hotter the biggest, the hottest
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y ugly, noisy, messy uglier, noisier, messier the ugliest, the noisiest, the messiest
Longer adjectives (with two or more syllables) careful, expensive, beautiful more careful, more expensive, more beautiful the most careful, the most expensive, the most beautiful
With some two-syllable adjectives both -er and -est endings and more / most are possible. polite, common more polite / politer, more common / commoner the most polite / the politest, the most common / the commonest
With some two-syllable adjectives only an -er or -est ending is possible. narrow, simple, clever narrower, simpler, cleverer the narrowest, the simplest, the cleverest

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
Formes comparatives et superlatives irrégulières
صيغ المقارنة والتفضيل غير المنتظمة
Adjective Comparative Superlative
good / well better best
bad worse worst
little less least
much more most
many
far further / farther furthest / farthest

List of some comparative adjectives and their opposites :
Adjective ➝ comparative Opposite adjective ➝ comparative
old ➝ older young ➝ younger
cheap ➝ cheaper expensive ➝ more expensive
slow ➝ slower fast ➝ faster
hot ➝ hotter cold ➝ colder
warm ➝ warmer cool ➝ cooler
rich ➝ richer poor ➝ poorer
large ➝ larger small ➝ smaller
high ➝ higher low ➝ lower
interesting ➝ more interesting boring ➝ more boring
safe ➝ safer dangerous ➝ more dangerous
comfortable ➝ more comfortable uncomfortable ➝ more uncomfortable
strong ➝ stronger weak ➝ weaker
wide ➝ wider narrow ➝ narrower
clever ➝ cleverer stupid ➝ more stupid
deep ➝ deeper shallow ➝ shallower
good ➝ better bad ➝ worse
near ➝ nearer far ➝ further
(also farther)
tidy ➝ tidier untidy ➝ more untidy
(also untidier)
happy ➝ happier unhappy ➝ more unhappy
(also unhappier)




Order of Adjectives

When we use more than one adjective before a noun to describe something (or someone), we often put the adjectives in a specific order.

In general, the correct order of adjectives (although this can sometimes be flexible) is (1) Opinion (2) Size (3) Shape (4) Condition (5) Age (6) Colour (7) Pattern (8) Origin (9) Material (10) Purpose
Determiner - Before the adjectives, we normally have a determiner. The determiner tells us if the noun is singular or plural, definite or indefinite. E.g: a, an, the, my, your, four, those, some.

1. Opinion- Explains what we think about something. These adjectives almost always come before all other adjectives.
Examples :
beautiful boring stupid delicious
beau ennuyeux stupide délicieux utile confortable
جميل ممل غبي لذيذ مفيد مريح
good bad lovely strange beautiful nice
bon mauvais charmant étrange beau mignon
جيد سيء جميل غريب جميل لطيف

These are adjectives that can only be used with particular types of nouns. For example :
  • People and animals : intelligent, friendly, unfriendly, hard-working
  • Buildings and furniture : comfortable, uncomfortable
  • Food : flavorful, tasty, delicious


2. Size - Tells us how big or small something is.
Examples :
big small tall huge tiny
grand petit grand énorme minuscule
كبير صغير طويل ضخم صغير
enormous short long heavy light
énorme court long lourd léger
ضخم قصير طويل ثقيل خفيف

3. Shape - Tells about the shape of something or how long or short it is. It can also refer to the weight of someone or something.
Examples :
round square circular skinny fat heavy
rond carré circulaire maigre gros lourd
مستدير مربع دائري نحيف دهن ثقيل
straight long short bent concave convex
droit long court courbé concave convexe
مستقيم طويل قصير منحني مقعر محدب
pointy twisted symmetrical
pointu tordu symétrique
مدبب ملتوي متماثل

4. Condition - Tells us the general state of something.
Examples :
broken cold hot wet hungry rich
cassé froid chaud humide faim riche
كسر بارد حار رطب جائع غني
easy difficult dirty clean dry happy
facile difficile sale propre sec heureux
سهل صعب قذر نظيف جاف سعيد

sad angry scared excited powerful shy clever
triste en colère peur excité puissant timide intelligent
حزين غاضب خائف متحمس قوي خجول ذكي

5. Age - Tells us how old someone or something is.
Examples :
old young new ancient youthful elderly
vieux jeune nouveau ancien jeune âgé
قديم شباب جديد قديم شباب مسنين
antique 2-week 15-year-old
antiquité 2 semaines 15 ans
عتيق 2 أسابيع 15 عاما

6. Color - Adjectives of color include the names of particular colors themselves, such as yellow, red, and blue, but they can also be approximate colors, like reddish or yellowish, or even properties of colors, such as transparent, translucent or opaque.

If you use both a color and a property of a color in one sentence, the property should come first, and the color after, immediately before the noun. For example :

  • "A translucent, yellow cup."
  • "An opaque, blue curtain."

7. Pattern - The design of something.
Examples :
striped spotted checked polka-dot plaid flowered flowery
à rayures à pois à carreaux à pois à carreaux à fleurs à fleurs
مخطط مرقطة محددة منقطة منقوشة مزهرية زهرية

8. Origin - Tells us where something or someone is from.
Examples :
American British Italian eastern Australian Chilean
Américain britannique italien oriental australien chilien
أمريكي بريطاني إيطالي شرقي أسترالي تشيلي

When we use a country adjective, like American, British, Indian, or Korean, note that we capitalize the adjective.
Adjectives of origin that refer to a general region, such as eastern or southern, are not capitalized.

9. Material - What is the thing made of ?
Examples :
gold wooden silk paper synthetic cotton
or bois soie papier synthétique coton
الذهب الخشب الحرير الورق الاصطناعية القطن
woolen plastic steel
laine plastique acier
الصوف البلاستيك الفولاذ

10. Purpose - What is it used for? These adjectives often end in '-ing'.
E.g : sleeping (bag), gardening (gloves), shopping (bag), wedding (dress).
If you look at the examples above, you can ask... what are the gloves used for? (gardening), what is the bag used for? (shopping).And after these adjectives, we have the noun – (the person or thing that is being described).

Examples of order of adjectives :
THE ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
Determiner Opinion Physical Description Origin Material Purpose Noun
Size Shape Age Color
A beautiful     old   Italian   touring car
An expensive     antique     silver   mirror
Four gorgeous   long-
stemmed		   red   silk   roses
Her     short   black       hair
Our   big   old   English     sheepdog
Those     square       wooden hat boxes
That dilapidated little           hunting cabin
Several   enormous   young   American   basketball players
Some delicious         Thai     food




Some examples of adjectives :
The adjectives Les adjectifs الصفات
Colors Couleurs الألوان
black noir أسود
blue bleu أزرق
brown brun اللون البني
gray gris رمادي
green vert أخضر
orange orange البرتقالي
purple violet أرجواني
red rouge أحمر
white blanc أبيض
yellow jaune أصفر
Sizes Tailles الأحجام
big grand كبير
deep profond عميق
long long طويل
narrow étroit ضيق
short court قصير
small petit ضغير
tall haut عالي
thick épais سميك
thin mince رفيع
wide large واسع
Shapes Les Formes الأشكال
circular circulaire دائري
straight rectiligne مستقيم
square carré مربع
triangular triangulaire الثلاثي
Tastes Les Goûts الاذواق
bitter amer مر
fresh frais التكاليف
salty salé متسخ
sour aigre حامِض
spicy épicé حار
sweet doux ناعم
Qualities Qualités صفات
bad mauvais سيء
clean propre نظيف
dark sombre مظلم
difficult difficile صعب
dirty sale متسخ
dry sec جاف
easy facile سهل
empty vide فارغ
expensive cher عزيزي
fast rapide سريع
foreign étrange غريب
full plein ملئ
good bon جيد
hard dur صعب
heavy lourd ثقيل
inexpensive peu coûteux رخيص
light léger ضوء
local local محلي
new nouveau جديد
noisy bruyant مزعج
old vieux قديم
powerful puissant قوي
quiet calme هادئ
correct correct صحيح
slow lent بطيء
soft doux ناعم
very très جداً
weak faible ضعيف
wet humide رطب
wrong tort خطأ
young jeune شاب
Quantities Quantités كميات
Few peu (nombre) قليل (عدد)
Little peu (quantité) قليل (الكمية)
many beaucoup كثيراً
much beaucoup كثيراً
part partie جزء
some certains بعض
a few quelques قليلة
whole l'ensemble الجميع

Other examples of adjectives :
colorful blue sparkling beautiful
coloré bleu pétillant beau
ملونة زرقاء متألقة جميلة
courageous soft pink bright
courageux doux rose brillant
شجاع ناعم وردي مشرق
gigantic purple filthy fuzzy
gigantesque violet sale flou
عملاق أرجواني قذر غامض
spotless radiant peculiar miniscule
impeccable radieux particulier minuscule
نظيف مشع غريب ضئيل
gorgeous ecstatic gloomy mischievous
magnifique extatique sombre espiègle
رائع منتشي كئيب مؤذ
professional ugly hideous strategic
professionnel laid hideux stratégique
محترف قبيح بشع استراتيجي
spectacular amazing devious heinous
spectaculaire incroyable sournois odieux
مذهلة مذهلة ملتوية شنيعة
shiny clear immaculate rocky
brillant clair immaculé rocky
لامعة واضحة نقية صخرية
cute dark hungry rebellious
mignon sombre affamé rebelle
لطيف داكن جائع متمرد
rough tiny prickly clean
rugueux minuscule épineux propre
خشن صغير شائك نظيف
evil precarious dandy hyperactive
maléfique précaire dandy hyperactif
شرير محفوف بالمخاطر متأنق مفرط النشاط
caring huge demonic seamy
attentionné énorme démoniaque sordide
مهتم ضخم شيطاني سيء
lazy frilly microscopic lacy
paresseux froufrous microscopique dentelle
كسول مكشكش مجهري مزركش
awesome disgusting slimy freezing
génial dégoûtant gluant glacial
رهيبة مثير للاشمئزاز غروي تجميد
dexterous  
agile
حاذق