Adjectives

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can
also describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.
Adjectives Modify Nouns
Most students learn that adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns. Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other
adjectives.
Margot wore a beautiful hat to the pie-eating contest.
Furry dogs may overheat in the summertime.
My cake should have sixteen candles.
The scariest villain of all time is Darth Vader.
In the sentences above, the adjectives are easy to spot because they come immediately before the nouns they modify.
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But adjectives can do more than just modify nouns. They can also act as a complement to linking verbs or the verb to be. A
linking verb is a verb like to feel, to seem, or to taste that describes a state of being or a sensory experience.
That cow sure is happy.
It smells gross in the locker room.
Driving is faster than walking.
The technical term for an adjective used this way is predicate adjective.
Uses of Adjectives
Adjectives tell the reader how much—or how many—of something you’re talking about, which thing you want passed to you,
or which kind of something you want.
Please use three white flowers in the arrangement.
Three and white are modifying flowers.
Often, when adjectives are used together, you should separate them with a comma or conjunction. See “Coordinate Adjectives”
below for more detail.
I’m looking for a small, good-tempered dog to keep as a pet.
My new dog is small and good-tempered.

Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives come in three forms: absolute, comparative, and superlative. Absolute adjectives describe something in its own
right.
A cool guy
A messy desk
A mischievous cat
Garrulous squirrels
Comparative adjectives, unsurprisingly, make a comparison between two or more things. For most one-syllable adjectives, the
comparative is formed by adding the suffix -er (or just -r if the adjective already ends with an e). For two-syllable adjectives
ending in -y, replace -y with -ier. For multi-syllable adjectives, add the word more.
A cooler guy
A messier desk
A more mischievous cat
More garrulous squirrels
Superlative adjectives indicate that something has the highest degree of the quality in question. One-syllable adjectives become
superlatives by adding the suffix -est (or just -st for adjectives that already end in e). Two-syllable adjectives ending in -
yreplace -y with -iest. Multi-syllable adjectives add the word most. When you use an article with a superlative adjective, it will
almost always be the definite article (the) rather than a or an. Using a superlative inherently indicates that you are talking about
a specific item or items.
The coolest guy
The messiest desk
The most mischievous cat
The most garrulous squirrels
Coordinate Adjectives
Coordinate adjectives should be separated by a comma or the word and. Adjectives are said to be coordinate if they modify the
same noun in a sentence.
This is going to be a long, cold winter.
Isobel’s dedicated and tireless efforts made all the difference.
But just the fact that two adjectives appear next to each other doesn’t automatically mean they are coordinate. Sometimes, an
adjective and a noun form a single semantic unit, which is then modified by another adjective. In this case, the adjectives are
not coordinate and should not be separated by a comma.
My cat, Goober, loves sleeping on this tattered woolen sweater.
No one could open the old silver locket.
In some cases, it’s pretty hard to decide whether two adjectives are coordinate or not. But there are a couple of ways you can
test them. Try inserting the word andbetween the adjectives to see if the phrase still seems natural. In the first sentence, “this
tattered and woolen sweater” doesn’t sound right because you really aren’t talking about a sweater that is both tattered and
woolen. It’s a woolen sweater that is tattered. Woolen sweater forms a unit of meaning that is modified by tattered.
Another way to test for coordinate adjectives is to try switching the order of the adjectives and seeing if the phrase still works.
In the second sentence, you wouldn’t say “No one could open the silver old locket.” You can’t reverse the order of the
adjectives because silver locket is a unit that is modified by old.
Adjectives vs. Adverbs
As mentioned above, many of us learned in school that adjectives modify nouns and that adverbs modify verbs. But as we’ve
seen, adjectives can also act as complements for linking verbs. This leads to a common type of error: incorrectly substituting an
adverb in place of a predicate adjective. An example you’ve probably heard before is:
I feel badly about what happened.
Because “feel” is a verb, it seems to call for an adverb rather than an adjective. But “feel” isn’t just any verb; it’s a linking verb.
An adverb would describe how you perform the action of feeling—an adjective describes what you feel. “I feel badly” means
that you are bad at feeling things. If you’re trying to read Braille through thick leather gloves, then it might make sense for you
to say “I feel badly.” But if you’re trying to say that you are experiencing negative emotions, “I feel bad” is the phrase you want.
It’s easier to see this distinction with a different linking verb. Consider the difference between these two sentences:
Goober smells badly.
Goober smells bad.
“Goober smells badly” means that Goober, the poor thing, has a weak sense of smell. “Goober smells bad” means Goober
stinks—poor us.
When Nouns Become Adjectives and Adjectives Become Nouns
One more thing you should know about adjectives is that, sometimes, a word that is normally used as a noun can function as an
adjective, depending on its placement. For example:
Never try to pet someone’s guide dog without asking permission first.
Guide is a noun. But in this sentence, it modifies dog. It works the other way, too. Some words that are normally adjectives can
function as nouns:
Candice is working on a fundraiser to help the homeless.
In the context of this sentence, homeless is functioning as a noun. It can be hard to wrap your head around this if you think of
adjectives and nouns only as particular classes of words. But the terms “adjective” and “noun” aren’t just about a word’s
form—they’re also about its function.
Adjective Exercises
much vs many
Decide whether you have to use much or many:
1. We saw _____ animals at the zoo.
2. How _____ oranges did you put in the box?
3. There isn’t _____ sugar in my coffee.
4. I don’t have ______ friends.
5. The old man hasn’t got _____ hair on his head.
6. I’ve packed _____ bottles of water.
7. I didn’t get _____ sleep last night.
8. How _____ fruit do you eat in an average day?
a little vs a few
Decide whether you have to use a little or a few:
1. Can you please buy _______ apples.
2. We need _______ water.
3. I have _______ money left.
4. I take _______ sugar with my coffee.
5. We had _______ pints of beer there.
6. You have _______ time left.
7. There are _______ chairs in the room.
8. He only spent _______ dollars there.
some vs any
Decide whether you have to use some or any:
1. Is there _______ milk left?
2. There is _______ juice in the bottle.
3. Do you have _______ coffee?
4. I don’t have _______ money left.
5. She has _______ money.
6. Do you know _______ of these singers?
7. I don’t know _______ of them.
8. I know _______ of them.
some vs many
Decide whether you have to use some or many:
1. The child put _______ sand into the bucket.
2. I can lend you _______ money if you need it.
3. There aren’t _______ pears left. Only two.
4. We had _______ cake with the tea.
5. Don’t eat so _______ sweets or you’ll get fat.
6. I had _______ beer last night at the bar.
7. I don’t have _______ friends.
8. He brought _______ food with him.
little vs less
Decide whether you have to use little or less:
1. I have _______ interest in classical music.
2. I have _______ faith in him.
3. We need _______ furniture in this dance hall than in the big one.
4. You have to drink _______ coffee.
5. He has _______ money than I thought.
6. Tonight I drank _______ wine than last night.
7. She dedicates _______ time to her homework than to her hobbies.
8. This will take _______ time to finish than the last time we tried.
a little vs a lot
Decide whether you have to use a little or a lot:
1. That may cost you _______ of money.
2. I added _______ sugar to the mix.
3. You’ll have to spend _______ of cash on this car. (a lot)
4. I can do it with _______ help from my friends.
5. _______ change can really make a difference.
6. I don’t have _______ of free time today.
7. He left _______ of laundry for me to do.
8. She gave him _______ attention.
few vs little
Decide whether you have to use few or little:
1. There’s _______ point in calling.
2. _______ people understood what he said.
3. There is _______ use in trying to do this.
4. There’s _______ space here as it is.
5. There’s _______ I can do about this.
6. Dan is a great student. He has _______ problems with history.
7. There was _______ traffic on the road.
8. I think Coventry will win the match but _______ people agree with me.
fewer vs less
Decide whether you have to use fewer or less:
1. There were _______ days below freezing last winter.
2. I drank _______ water than she did.
3. I have _______ than an hour to do this work.
4. People these days are buying _______ newspapers.
5. I have _______ time to do this work.
6. _______ than thirty children each year develop the disease.
7. I wear _______ makeup on weekdays.
8. He worked _______ hours than I did.
farther vs further
Decide whether you have to use farther or further:
1. How much _______ do you plan to drive tonight?
2. I just can’t go any _______.
3. Do you have any _______ plans for adding on to the building?
4. That’s a lot _______ than I want to carry this heavy suitcase!
5. The _______ that I travel down this road, the _______ behind schedule I get.
6. How much _______ do you intend to take this legal matter?
7. It’s not that much _______ to the gas station.
8. How much _______ do I have to run, coach?
later vs latter
Decide whether you have to use later or latter:
1. My neighbours have a son and a daughter : the former is a teacher, the _______ is a nurse.
2. I will address that at a _______ time.
3. Of the first two Harry Potter books, I prefer the _______.
4. John arrived at the party _______ than Mary did.
5. I prefer the _______ offer to the former one.
6. I will be back _______.
7. I was given the choice between a hamburger or a hotdog, I chose the _______ of the two; the hotdog.
8. When it comes to soy burgers or a juicy cow burger, I prefer the _______.
last vs latter
Decide whether you have to use last or latter:
1. Jack, Jill and Bob went up the hill; the _______ watched the other two fall down.
2. The former half of the film is more interesting than the _______ half.
3. Out of chapters 1, 2, and 3, the _______ one is the most difficult to learn.
4. Dan is now friends with Ruth, Maya and Ben. The _______ is his cousin.
5. Jane speaks Italian and English : the former language fairly well and the _______ fluently.
6. There are two versions, A and B, but the _______ is more popular.
7. Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the _______ is remembered today.
8. I study math, English and history. I enjoy the _______ one most.
1. Form adjectives from the following nouns:
A. water
B. ice
C. syrup
2.Form adjectives from the following verbs:
A. walk
B. amaze
C. decay
3.Which of the following sentences contains a proper denominal adjective?
A. People in New York are usually busy.
B. New York residents are often busy.
A. We had fun listening to classic French music.
B. Music by the French is fun to listen to.
A. He speaks Russian.
B. He speaks the Russian language.
4.Choose the superlative adjective in each group of sentences:
A. I like dark coffee.
B. This is the fastest car I’ve ever driven.
C. I’d like darker curtains.
A. This is good ice cream.
B. Meet Sue, my younger sister.
C. Of all the options available, this seems to be the best one.
A. This is a better play than the last one.
B. The box was blue, and oddly shaped.
C. This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever experienced!
5. Choose the absolute adjective in each group of sentences:
A. We live in a blue house.
B. The grass is greener on the other side.
C. This is the shortest my hair has ever been.
A. That’s a short dress.
B. Why don’t you choose a longer style?
C. Just because it’s the shortest dress doesn’t mean it’s the most stylish.
A. Our house is bigger than our grandmother’s is.
B. They live in the biggest house I’ve ever seen.
C. That’s a big house!
6. Choose the adjective from each of the following groups of words:
A. interest, interesting, party
B. amount, colorful, medicine
C. fur, hilarious, cup
7. Fill in the blanks with the best compound adjective for the situation.
A. With ______________ temperatures, this is the coldest winter on record.
 below zero
 below-zero
 freezing
B. Jeremy gave Linda a _____________________ engagement ring.
 gorgeous diamond
 gorgeous-diamond
 big
C. We’re celebrating with a __________________ bottle of champagne.
 costly
 ten-year-old
 10 year old
8. Choose the sentence containing the denominal adjective:
A. We practiced for the play.
B. We spent two hours practicing the Shakespearean play.
C. We practiced Shakespeare’s play for two hours.
Answer: B. We spent two hour practicing the Shakespearean play.
9. Choose the comparative adjective in each group of sentences:
A. This list is longer than the last one.
B. This is probably the longest one I’ve ever seen.
C. This is a long list.
A. Stop acting so weird.
B. You’re acting weirder than ever.
C. You’re the weirdest person in this class.
A. This is the chocolatiest cake I’ve ever tasted.
B. Have some chocolate cake.
C. Do you think this cake tastes chocolatier than the last one?
10. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. His grandfather lives in the ________________________ house down the street.
 big old yellow
 yellow old big
 old big yellow
B. The shop offers all kinds of _____________________ objects.
 interesting old antique
 old antique interesting
 old interesting antique
C. We went for a long walk on a __________________________ trail.
 Beautiful new 5-mile
 New, beautiful 5-mile
 5-mile new, beautiful
11. A, B, or C? Which phrase contains the denominal adjective?
A. open door
B. fun time
C. Parmesan flavor
12. Some compound adjective contain hyphens. Which of the following sentences is correct?
A. He’s a decent-judge of character.
B. She submitted a 190-page document supporting her position.
C. We’re adopting a two year old parakeet.
13. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. We took a ride on a red, new, Italian motorbike.
B. We took a ride on an Italian, new, red motorbike.
C. We took a ride on a new red Italian motorbike.
14. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. I was thrilled to receive a __________________ book with my order.
 big, beautiful, leather-bound
 leather-bound, big, beautiful
 beautiful big leather-bound
B. His clown costume consists of a red nose, oversized shoes, and a ________________ jacket.
 Size 4X polka-dotted silk smoking
 polka-dotted silk smoking size 4X
 polka dotted size 4x silk smoking
C. I’ve been shopping for the perfect _______________ chopsticks.
 Japanese long sushi
 long Japanese sushi
 long sushi Japanese
15. From each group, choose the sentence containing the correct compound adjective.
A. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12 hour days lately.
B. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12-hour days lately.
C. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12-hour-days lately.
A. Jim prefers spicy, Caribbean-style food.
B. Jim likes Caribbean foods with lots of spice.
C. Jim’s favorite foods are spicy ones with Caribbean flavors.
A. He’s grown two inches since last time we saw him.
B. He’s grown by a whole two inches since we last saw him.
C. He’s had a two-inch growth spurt since last time we saw him.