ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC WRITING NOTES
ADJECTIVES
What Is an Adjective?
An adjective is a part of speech that can be used to describe or provide more
information about a noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in a sentence.
Adjectives are found after the verb or before the noun it modifies.
Definition of an Adjective
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, an adjective is defined as “a word that
describes a noun or pronoun.” The Collins Dictionary gives a more elaborate
definition. According to it, “an adjective is a word such as ‘big’, ‘ dead’, or ‘
financial’ that describes a person or thing, or gives extra information about
them. Adjectives usually come before nouns or after link verbs.”
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines an adjective as “a word that describes
a person or thing, for example ‘big’, ‘red’ and ‘clever’ in a big house, red
wine and a clever idea.” An adjective is “a word belonging to one of the major
form classes in any of numerous languages and typically serving as a modifier
of a noun to denote a quality of the thing named, to indicate its quantity or
extent, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else”, according to the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Forms of Adjectives – Degrees of Comparison
Did you know that adjectives can be used to compare similar qualities of
different subjects that perform the same action. There are three forms of
adjectives or rather three degrees of comparison. The are:
• Positive or Absolute Form
• Comparative Form
• Superlative Form
Positive Degree of Comparison:
The positive form or the positive degree of comparison is the form of the
adjective used in the original form. For example: This book is interesting. This
form of adjective is used when there is no other subject to be compared.
Comparative Degree of Comparison
The comparative form of the adjective is used when two subjects performing
the same action or possessing the same quality are compared. For example:
The book I read yesterday was more interesting than the one I read today.
Superlative Degree of Comparison
The superlative degree of comparison is used when comparing the same
quality of two or more subjects and to represent that a subject is superior to
two or more subjects in performing an action. For example: This fantasy novel
is the most interesting book that I have ever read.
Check Your Knowledge of Adjectives
Identify the adjectives in the following sentences:
1. I bought a red dress for the wedding.
2. I have eight apples.
3. The food is delicious.
4. My brother is naughty.
5. The movie we watched last night was boring.
6. Pablo Picasso is a fine artist.
7. The weather in Chennai is sultry all round the year.
8. Now is a great time to visit the United States.
9. It was a fabulous drive.
10. The Marina Beach is the longest beach in India.
You should have definitely got it all right. Check them out.
1. I bought a red dress for the wedding.
2. I have eight apples.
3. The food is delicious.
4. My brother is naughty.
5. The movie we watched last night was boring.
6. Pablo Picasso is a fine artist.
7. The weather in Chennai is sultry all round the year.
8. Now is a great time to visit the United States.
9. It was a fabulous drive.
10. The Marina Beach is the longest beach in India.
