What is an Adjective?

What exactly are adjectives, and what are some examples? This lesson will cover all that and more by defining adjectives with examples.

Adjectives are words that modify, or describe, nouns or pronouns. A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Pronouns are words that are used to replace nouns, such as he, she, and it.

Examples of some commonly used adjectives, and the words they modify, include the following:

• sad lady
• large lizard
• old house
• cold bedroom
• quick dog

All these examples include an adjective that adds information to the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

An adjective is a descriptive term for a noun or pronoun.

How are Adjectives Used in Writing?

Adjectives are words that enhance writing or speaking by adding rich details to the piece of work. They may tell the audience a significant amount of information about the perceptions or opinions of the author. If the adjectives have a recurring theme in regard to a particular subject matter, for example, the audience can deduce that the author has a particular opinion about that subject.

Some adjectives are superlative or comparative, which means that they are used to compare nouns. Some examples of these adjectives include:

• better, best
• louder, loudest

Adjectives also can be identified by their common endings, though many do not display these endings because any descriptive word that modifies a noun or pronoun is considered to be an adjective. The list is vast, but some common adjective endings include the following:

• -able/-ible: adorable, credible
• -ish/-like: childlike, childish
• -ful/-less: beautiful, priceless
• -ous: mischievous, gregarious
• -y: fancy, unsightly

These are some common endings to adjectives, but not all adjectives will have these exact endings.

Adjectives and Nouns

Adjectives are used to add detail to the subjects of a sentence. They make the object more specific by adding vivid descriptions. For example, adjectives may let the audience know the quality or quantity of the noun. They also may inform the reader of the size, shape, and age of the subject that is being modified.

Adjectives also can elaborate on the color and material of the described noun. They can inform the audience of the origins of the subject. These words give the modifying word depth and character.

An example of an adjective is, “The blue bird flies south.” In this sentence, the adjective, blue, comes directly before the noun it modifies, bird.

Adjectives can be placed before or after the word they modify and do not need to come directly before or after. When the adjective appears after the noun, it is considered a postpositive adjective. Some adjectives, including galore, are exclusively postpositive adjectives.

Adjectives work closely with nouns and pronouns to add a greater meaning to those words within a literary work. They can also be used to add artistic flair and intention.

Responding with Adjectives

Adjectives can be used to answer questions. They can help answer the following questions about a subject, such as the following:

• How many?
• Which one?
• What kind?
• How so?
• How soon?

These question words are adjectives because the ask for detailed information about a noun. Adjectives provide the details needed to adequately describe the subject of a sentence.

Adjectives in Non-Fiction Writing

Adjectives should be used with caution in nonfiction writing. Many academic scholars believe that these words can be redundant and basic when they are displayed prominently throughout the text. Using simple adjectives does not necessarily add enrichment to the work and may leave it sounding rudimentary.

However, adjectives can be used to add an artistic element to nonfiction literature when applied properly. They should be used infrequently and strategically and should be elegantly stated and complex. Refrain from using simple adjectives that are unnecessary. The adjective should add detail that cannot be provided otherwise.

For example, take this sentence: “The heavy stone that she threw sank swiftly.” The adjective, swiftly, is simple and redundant. It is obvious to say that the heavy stone “sank swiftly.”

However, an elegantly placed adjective in a sentence can be seen in the following example: “Elegantly, she entered the room.” Elegantly adds flair and description to the subject without being redundant.

Adjectives can be used in non-fiction, but authors should proceed with caution.

Adjective Examples List

Different types of adjectives can be used to modify a noun or pronoun. The following is a list of examples for common and complex adjectives:

• fearless
• glorious
• most lively
• Iranian
• my
• loud
• any
• few
• which
• whose
• 22
• these
• that
• an
• the

An adjective adds information to the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

Now that examples of adjectives have been identified, it is time to dive into the types of adjectives and how they are placed within a sentence.

Predicate adjectives are those that are separated from the noun by a verb. An example is, “The dog is smart.” In this sentence, smart would be the adjective that modifies the noun dog.

Demonstrative adjectives are words that are used to differentiate between two nouns. For example, “This reptile is colorful, but that reptile is black.” The demonstrative adjectives in this sentence are this and that. They are used to tell the two animals apart.

Adjectives can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence to introduce the subject. This is seen in the following sentence: “Panting, Janelle crossed the finish line.” Panting modifies the noun, Janelle.

A participial adjective is a past participle or present participle that also functions as an adjective. A past participle is a word that ends in -ed, while a present participle is a word that ends in -ing. An example of this is, “Jimmy picked up the empty boxes.” Empty is a past participle that describes the boxes.

A proper adjective is an adjective that is also a proper noun. This will be capitalized in the sentence. An example of this in a sentence is, “Sarah is Columbian.” Columbian is the proper adjective that modifies Sarah.

Superlative adjectives end in -est or have the word most before the adjective. Superlative adjectives compare multiple things and modify the noun that is superior to all other comparisons. Comparative adjectives compare two things and end in -er. An example of a superlative adjective in a sentence is, “My mom is the best.” Best is the superlative adjective modifying mom.

Lesson Summary

Adjectives are words that modify, or describe, nouns or pronouns. They make the idea more specific by adding vivid descriptions to the sentence. Adjectives are flexible words that can tell the audience a significant amount of information about the perceptions or opinions of the topic’s author.

There are many different types of adjectives. Superlative adjectives end in -est or have the word most before the adjective. A proper adjective is an adjective that also is a proper noun. A participial adjective is a past participle or present participle that also functions as an adjective. Demonstrative adjectives are words that are used to differentiate between two nouns. Predicate adjectives are those that are separated from the noun by a verb. Adjectives are flexible words that add detail to the literary work.