58 Should-know English Adjectives (Plus 7 Adjective Varieties)

1. Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives describe nouns and pronouns.

Right here’s a full record of 58 descriptive adjectives in English:

Examples:

The stunning flowers have a good odor

The cat is hungry

Her new shirt is so cute

The three Levels of Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives may be optimistic, comparative or superlative. If you use them depends upon what number of belongings you’re speaking about.

• A optimistic adjective: a standard adjective that’s used to explain, not examine. For instance: “That is good soup” and “I’m humorous.”
• A comparative adjective: an adjective that’s used to match two issues (and is usually adopted by the phrase than). For instance: “This soup is higher than that salad” or “I’m funnier than her.”
• A superlative adjective: an adjective that’s used to match three or extra issues, or to state that one thing is the most. For instance: “That is the greatest soup in the entire world” or “I’m the funniest out of all the opposite bloggers.”

These three levels solely work for descriptive adjectives.

If a descriptive adjective has one or two syllables, you’ll be able to flip it into its comparative and superlative types by including -er and -est. For instance:

loud → louder → loudest

Descriptive adjectives with three or extra syllables don’t use the -er and -est endings.

For instance, the phrase stunning can’t be became stunninger or stunningest—these aren’t phrases!

As a substitute, you add the phrases extra and essentially the most earlier than it to show it right into a comparative or superlative adjective:

Lovely → extra stunning → essentially the most stunning

There are some exceptions to those guidelines, as with most grammar guidelines. For instance, good solely has one syllable, however it turns into higher and greatest.

2. Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives describe the amount of one thing.

In different phrases, they reply the query “how a lot?” or “what number of?”

Numbers like one and thirty are the sort of adjective. So are extra common phrases like many, half and rather a lot.

Examples:

I solely have one daughter

I would like many kids!

I can’t consider I ate that entire cake!

3. Demonstrative Adjectives

A demonstrative adjective describes “which” noun or pronoun you’re speaking about.

These adjectives embrace the phrases:

• This — A singular noun near you
• That — A singular noun removed from you
• These — A plural noun near you
• These — A plural noun removed from you

Demonstrative adjectives all the time come earlier than the phrase they’re modifying.

Generally—like when responding to a query—you’ll be able to go away off the noun being described and solely use the adjective. For instance, if somebody asks you what number of truffles you need to purchase you’ll be able to reply:

“I need to purchase two truffles,” or

“I need to purchase two“

Examples:

This bicycle is mine

That one was once mine till I bought it

These clothes belong to my sister

4. Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives present possession (or, possession).

They describe who issues belong to. Among the commonest possessive adjectives embrace:

• My — Belonging to me
• His — Belonging to him
• Her — Belonging to her
• Their — Belonging to them
• Your — Belonging to you
• Our — Belonging to us

All these adjectives—besides the phrase his—can solely be used earlier than a noun.

You’ll be able to’t simply say, “That’s my.” It’s important to say, “That’s my pen.”

If you need to go away off the noun or pronoun being modified, use these possessive adjectives as an alternative:

• Mine
• His
• Hers
• Theirs
• Yours
• Ours

For instance, despite the fact that saying “That’s my” is inaccurate, saying “That’s mine” is completely high-quality.

Examples:

That’s my canine

The crimson cup is hers

His son has blonde hair

5. Interrogative Adjectives

Interrogative adjectives ask a query.

These adjectives are all the time adopted by a noun or a pronoun and are used to type questions. The interrogative adjectives are:

• Which — Asks to decide on between choices
• What — Asks to select (typically)
• Whose — Asks who one thing belongs to

Different query phrases like “who” or “how” aren’t adjectives since they don’t modify nouns.

For instance, you’ll be able to say “whose coat is that this?” however you’ll be able to’t say “who coat?”

Which, what and whose are solely thought of adjectives in the event that they’re instantly adopted by a noun. The phrase which is an adjective on this sentence: “Which coloration is your favourite?” However not on this one: “Which is your favourite coloration?”

Examples:

Which tune will you play in your marriage ceremony day?

What pet do you need to get?

Whose baby is that this?

6. Distributive Adjectives

Distributive adjectives describe particular members of a gaggle. These adjectives are used to single out a number of particular person gadgets or folks. Among the commonest distributive adjectives embrace:

• Every — Each single considered one of a gaggle (used to discuss group members individually)
• Each — Each single considered one of a gaggle (used to make generalizations)
• Both — One between a selection of two
• Neither — Not one or the opposite between a selection of two
• Any — One or some issues out of any variety of selections. That is additionally used when the selection is irrelevant, like: “it doesn’t matter, I’ll take any of them.”

These adjectives are all the time adopted by the noun or pronoun they’re modifying.

Examples:

Each rose has its thorn

I don’t like both tune

I don’t need any meals

7. Articles

There are solely three articles within the English language: a, an and the.

Articles describe which noun you’re referring to.

• A — A singular, common merchandise
• An — A singular, common merchandise. Use this earlier than phrases that begin with a vowel
• The — A singular or plural, particular merchandise

Merely put, once you’re speaking about one thing common, use a and an.

If you’re speaking about one thing particular, use the.

For instance, “A cat” can imply any cat on this planet. “The cat” refers to a selected cat, possibly one which simply walked by.

Examples:

The elephants left enormous footprints in the sand

An elephant can weigh over 6,000 kilos

Congratulations! You now know 58 English adjectives and the seven adjective varieties.

However don’t simply study guidelines for adjectives and full apply workout routines. Hearken to a lot of English audio system so you’ll be able to expertise adjectives utilized in actual life.