Adjectives are words that describe, limit, or modify nouns and pronouns. They add life and color to your sentences. They answer any of the following questions regarding the particular noun or pronoun that they describe:
- What kind?
- How many?
- How much?
- Which one?
What Are Nouns and Pronouns Described by Adjectives?
Let’s look at the following nouns:
- Winnie
- Food
- Building
- Friday
- Song
- Dogs
Adjectives give a clearer picture about the nouns and pronouns that they describe.
Let’s place adjectives to our nouns and pronouns:
- Lovely Winnie
- That food
- Tallest building
- Quiet Friday
- Familiar song
- Colorful dogs
Here are more examples of how adjectives describe nouns:
| What kind? | How many? | How much? | Which one? |
|---|---|---|---|
| clear sky | ten apples | enough water | those pants |
| lovely road | three roads | inadequate air | this road |
| old house | five houses | ample room | that house |
What Are the Uses of Adjectives?
There are three uses of adjectives:
- Noun modifier – usually placed directly before the noun it describes.
- He is an intelligent man.
- Predicate adjective – follows a linking verb and modifies the subject.
- She is happy.
- I felt terrible.
- Article or noun marker – another name for these adjectives: a, an, and the.
“The” is used with a specific noun. It is used when the noun it modifies refers to a definite object, person, or place.
“An” is an indefinite article and is used with a nonspecific noun that begins with a vowel or an unpronounced h.
“A” is used to modify singular nonspecific nouns that begin with a consonant.
What Are the Kinds of Adjectives?
- Indefinite adjectives – some, many, much, several, few, a few, a great deal of, little
- With countable nouns: I have (many, several, few) books at home.
- With non-countable nouns: I have (much, a great deal of, little) information on history.
- With both plural countable and non-countable nouns: he has (some, a lot of, enough) money.
The indefinite adjectives much, many, little, and few may be modified by too and very.
- You are making too much noise.
- Numerals – one, two, three (cardinals); first, second (ordinals)
- He gave me three red roses.
- She is the third contestant.
- Descriptive – new, all, blue, charming
- The charming woman is my mother.
- The black car belongs to my husband.
- Proper – proper nouns modifying another noun
- Philippine flag
- Persian bag
- Philippine peso
- Nouns that modify nouns
- Oak tree
- Paper bag
- Paper doll
- Phrases and clauses that modify nouns
- The girl watching television is Charlene, my sister.
- A clause modifying a noun is usually introduced by a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom, whose, where). Learn more about related structures in our guide on Adjective Clauses.
- The man who is driving the car is my husband.
- The teacher whom I admire received an award.
How Do Pronouns Function as Adjectives?
- Possessive adjectives – The possessive forms of personal pronouns are often used with nouns in much the same way as the possessive forms of nouns. Although by structure the words are called pronouns, by virtue of their function they are adjectives.
- This is your book.
- Demonstrative adjectives
Demonstrative pronouns point out definite persons, places, or things. Indefinite pronouns do not point out particular places, persons, or things.
The following words in italics are demonstrative pronouns in structure functioning as demonstrative adjectives.
- This radio set
- That calendar
- These books
- Those trees
- Indefinite adjectives are also called indefinite pronouns.
- Each girl
- All students
- Any candidate
- Interrogative adjectives are also called interrogative pronouns.
- Whose house is that?
- Which seat do you prefer?
Adjectives can also be found in the predicate. Some of these adjectives in the predicate describe nouns located also in the predicate while others describe nouns located in the subject. The latter are called predicate adjectives.
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Key Takeaways
- Adjectives describe, limit, or modify nouns and pronouns, answering questions like “What kind?”, “How many?”, “How much?”, or “Which one?”.
- There are three primary uses of adjectives: noun modifiers before nouns, predicate adjectives following linking verbs, and articles/noun markers (a, an, the).
- Adjectives are classified into multiple kinds, including indefinite, numerals, descriptive, proper, nouns modifying nouns, and clauses/phrases.
- Certain pronouns like possessive, demonstrative, indefinite, and interrogative pronouns can function structurally as adjectives.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding of adjectives by answering the questions below in the comments section:
- Identify the adjective and the noun it modifies in the sentence: “He gave me three red roses.”
- What type of adjective is used in the phrase “Philippine peso”?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes, limits, or modifies nouns and pronouns, adding life and color to sentences by answering questions like “What kind?”, “How many?”, “How much?”, or “Which one?”.
What are the three main uses of adjectives?
The three main uses of adjectives are acting as noun modifiers directly before nouns, functioning as predicate adjectives after linking verbs, and serving as articles or noun markers (a, an, the).
Can pronouns function as adjectives?
Yes, possessive, demonstrative, indefinite, and interrogative pronouns can function as adjectives when they modify nouns directly in a sentence.
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