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1. What is an adjective?
In simple terms, an adjective is a word used to describe or modify a noun. It provides detailed information about a noun, clarifying characteristics such as size, shape, color, etc., of an object, phenomenon, or concept. Adjectives can also modify pronouns, helping answer questions like which one, how many, whose, and what kind. Without adjectives, we wouldn't be able to know the specific characteristics of an object or phenomenon.
2. Position of adjectives
Adjectives usually come before the noun they modify.
- There are many useful mobile and computer tips at Mytour.
When there are two or more adjectives modifying the same noun, they are often separated by commas. Note that there is no comma after the last adjective in the series of adjectives.
- There are many useful, practical mobile and computer tips at Mytour.
When the adjectives denote colors, they are separated by and.
- Mytour's members often wear red and white uniforms.
When the predicate has more than two adjectives, we use and to connect the last two adjectives.
- The admin of Mytour is handsome, intelligent and polite.
Sometimes, we can place adjectives after the noun to emphasize that noun.
- There lived an old man strong and wicked.
In certain phrases, adjectives always come after nouns, such as:
- Time-immemorial
- Heir-apparent
- God-almighty
- President-elect
In poetry, adjectives are sometimes placed after nouns.
- O! men with sisters dear!
3. Adjectives ending in '-ing' and '-ed'
Many adjectives are formed by adding -ing or -ed after a verb.
-ing Ending Adjectives
Examples: interesting, amusing, annoying, shocking, surprising, ....
When using interesting to describe something, it means you find that thing very engaging.
- I find many interesting softwares at Mytour
-ed Ending Adjectives
Examples: bored, amused, annoyed, shocked, surprised, .....
If something makes you feel unhappy, you can use the adjective bored to express that feeling.
- I have nothing to do now. I am really bored.
4. Adjectives Used as Nouns
In some cases, a noun can be used as an adjective, depending on its position.
Examples: Don't try to pet his guide dog without his permission.
Guide is a noun. But in the sentence above, it describes the word dog and functions as an adjective.
In other cases, adjectives can also be used as nouns, such as:
- Minh is working as a volunteer to help the homeless.
In this sentence, homeless functions as a noun. It would be difficult to identify this if you only think about specific word classes. In these cases, we don't just consider the type of word, but also its function and meaning.
5. Identifying Adjectives
For most English learners, grammar is an incredibly challenging aspect, as every rule seems to have exceptions. Therefore, it can be said that adjectives in English often end with the following suffixes:
- -able/-ible: comfortable, flexible, responsible
- -al: legal, normal, dysfunctional
- -an: American, deadpan, draconian
- -ar: popular, vulgar, spectacular
- -ent: abhorrent, dependent, diligent
- -ful: delightful, faithful, powerful
- -ic/-ical: economical, panoramic, psychotic
- -ine: masculine, feminine, bovine
- -ile: fertile, agile, docile
- -ive: abortive, combative, productive
- -less: endless, timeless, careless
- -ous: dangerous, enormous, curious
- -some: handsome, awesome, wholesome
Many adjectives end in -y, -ary, -ate, -ed, and -ing. However, nouns and adverbs can also end in -y. Many nouns end in -ary. Nouns and verbs can also end in -ate. And verbs can also end in -ed and -ing. Therefore, to determine if a word is an adjective or not, one must rely on its position in the sentence.
6. Formation of Adjectives
Using Prefixes and Suffixes to Form Adjectives
Considering Position, Adjectives Are Divided into 2 Types:
- Attributive Adjectives: Adjectives Precede the Noun They Describe.
- Mytour's Admin Is an Open-Minded Man.
- Predicative Adjectives: Adjectives Follow Verbs like Be, Become, Seem, Get, Look, Feel, ....
- Mytour's Admin Is Open-Minded.
Types of Adjectives
Regarding Meaning, Adjectives Are Categorized Into:
- Descriptive Adjectives: Beautiful, Wonderful, Lovely, ....
- Quantitative Adjectives: Many, Much, One, Two, Three, ...
- Demonstrative Adjectives: This, That, These, Those
- Possessive Adjectives: My/Mine, His/His, Her/Hers, Their/Theirs, Your/Yours, Our/Ours
- Interrogative Adjectives: Which, What, Whose
- Distributive Adjective: Each, Every, Either, Neither, Any, ...
- Articles: A, An, and The. Although Articles Are a Distinct Word Class, They Are Also Considered Adjectives in Some Cases.
8. The Order of Adjectives
When listing a series of adjectives in a sentence, they must follow a predetermined order. Native speakers naturally arrange them correctly, but if you're learning English, you'll need to remember the order as follows:
- Determiner: articles, quantity words, possessive adjectives (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), and demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those)
- Opinion: beautiful, delicious, pretty
- Size: Small, big, huge
- Age: New, old, ancient
- Shape: Square, circular, triangle
- Color: Red, white, yellow
- Origin: Vietnamese, Chinese, American
- Material: Silk, plastic, wooden
- Purpose: working, learning, studying
For example: At Mytour's office, there are many beautiful large square wooden working tables.
9. The Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives
Adjectives typically come in three forms: absolute, comparative, and superlative. An absolute adjective describes the highest degree of something itself.
Comparative adjectives aid in comparing two objects. For single-syllable adjectives, the comparative form is created by adding the suffix -er (or -r for those ending in -e). For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, we replace -y with -ier. For adjectives with more than two syllables not ending in -y, we add more before the adjective.
Superlative adjectives facilitate comparisons between three or more objects. For single-syllable adjectives, the superlative form is created by adding the suffix -est (or just -st for those ending in -e). For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, we replace -y with -iest. For multi-syllable adjectives, we add most before the adjective. The article used with superlative adjectives is always the definite article the.
Example:
Above, Mytour has introduced to you the most essential information about adjectives in English. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to drop them in the comment section below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Additionally, you can explore various English learning software options on your computer here.
