ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH

Content
1. Introduction
2. Definitions and types of adjectives
2.1. Definitions
2.2. Types of adjectives
2.3. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives
2.4. The place of adjectives in the sentence
2.5. Ordering multiple adjectives into a sentence
2.6. Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English
2.7. The personal pronoun with the adjective in English
2.8. How the Adjectives are formed in English

Chapter 1. Introduction

The work below is a study about adjectives, about their meaning and importance of using
them in the sentences. Using an adjective when we want to explain or say something, makes the
information to be better understood.
Some people say that the adjectives are sometimes overused when transmitting an
information, or describing something, like an object, but the truth is that the role of the adjectives
is very important in these situations.
 Adjectives make sentences to be clear, because they add precious information and specify the
meaning or the nuance of what we want to communicate.
Although the literature is variated, there are studies which consider that there was less
attention to adjectives in general.
Adjectives represents for the authors a very special tool, showing the author’s personality.
Function of what adjectives they to describe a word, we usually can understand what kind of
person they are.
For an effective communication in the English language, we need to study adjectives.
Being interrelated with the nouns, the words they determine, adjectives should not be
analysed as an isolated structure, but within the whole academic environment in which they
occur. They make writing more interesting and visual and can also be used to great effect in
spoken language. We can imagnine very well the action that is happening, when we introduce an
adjective.
Mastering adjectives is good for achieving fluency in English language learning. Adjectives
are one of the basic elements of English grammar, and understanding their meaning is also very
well in understanding reading, writing, and speaking in English.
Studying adjectives, learners can have a better understanding of the language and improve
their language proficiency.
The purpose of this paper is to observ the use of adjectives in different sentences or texts, and
to also observe their scope in the text or sentence.
There will be chosen three texts, to analyze the existing adjectives, and to see their role and
scope, when they determine a noun.

Chapter 2. Definitions and types of adjectives

2.1. Definitions

An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can be

used to describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to
something else.
An adjective must agree with its noun in gender, number, and case.
Adjectives can be attributive (occurring before the noun) or predicative (occurring after
the noun). Predicative adjectives typically follow a linking verb (such as forms of
the verb “to be”) that connects the subject of the sentence to the adjective. . [1]

There should be more definitions for adjectives, by their scope, and for a better
understanding, we can relate the first adjectives which were used in speaking in English.

Old English
The earliest known examples of adjectives in the English language date back to Old
English, which was spoken from the 5th century until the 11th century. In this period,
adjectives were used to describe the qualities of people and things. For example, the word
'eald' was used to describe something or someone as old or aged.

Middle English
Middle English, which was spoken from the 11th century until the 15th century, saw the
introduction of French and Latin words into the English language. This led to the use of
adjectives to describe the origins of nouns. For example, the word 'blond' was used to
describe someone with fair or light-colored hair.
Another example is the word 'gentil' was used to describe someone as noble or well-born.

Early Modern English

During the Early Modern English period, which began in the 15th century and ended in
the late 17th century, adjectives became more standardized and were used to describe
more specific qualities. For example, the word 'beautiful' was used to describe something
or someone as pleasing to the eye.

Comparison
During both Old and Middle English periods, adjectives were compared using inflections
rather than the use of words like 'more' and 'most'. For example, the word 'eald' could be
inflected to 'yldra' to describe something or someone as older than another.

Impact on Literature
The expansion and standardization of adjectives during the Early Modern English period
had a significant impact on literature. Writers were able to create more vivid and
descriptive imagery, leading to the development of new literary genres such as the novel
and the modern lyric poem. [2]

2.2 Types of adjectives

 There are several types of adjectives, which are used, depending on the context, to
describe a noun.
Descriptive adjectives such as red, delicious, turbulent, soft, etc (red car, delicious
cake).
Possessive adjectives, such as my, your, his, her, its, our, their (my car, your car, indicate
whose car we are discussing).
Demonstrative adjectives such as this that, these, those. (this car, those shoes; these
adjectives help the speaker and listener know which noun is being discussed.
Numbers can also be adjectives: one idea, six ideas.
Articles (a, an, the) can also be classified as adjectives because they describe a noun as
specific or general (a chair, an armchair, the dogs).
Quantifiers, such as all, another, any, both, each, either, enough, every, few, fewer, little,
less, many, more, much, neither, no, several, some can also be adjectives ( some people,
few kilometers, more water, several pages, every hour, etc).
Interrogative Adjectives such as What, which, whose;
Whose book is this?
Proper Adjectives such as English, Indian tea, French wines, Turkish tobacco (The
British professor is teaching in the class).
Exclamatory Adjectives such as What, how (Ex. What a genius!
What a blessing!).
Grammatically there are many more types of adjectives than just descriptive adjectives. [3]
Another classification of the adjectives should be by their place, before and after the
noun. The adjectives, by this classification, are attributive and predicative adjectives.
Adjectives in the first position - before the noun - are called attributive adjectives. Those
in the second position - after the noun - are called predictive adjectives.
Below we have some examples of these kind of adjectives:
The old man is here. (attributive)
The man is old. (predictive)

The devotated boy finish quickly the paperwork. (attributive)

The boy is devotated. (predictive)

Finally, we also can make a classification of the adjectives, by their scope:

-appearance adjectives: adorable, beautiful.

-color adjectives: yellow, orange.
-condition adjectives: alive, important, tender.
-feeling(bad) adjectives: jealous, mysterious.
-feeling(good) adjectives: kind, delightful.
-shape adjectives: squared, curved.
-size adjectives: large, small.
-sound adjectives: melodic, quiet.
-time adjectives: ancient, modern.
-taste adjectives: delicious, bitter.
-touch adjectives: breeze, cool.
-quantity adjectives: empty, heavy. [4]

2.3. Gradable and non-gradable adjectives

By their grades, we can classify the adjectives as Gradable and non-gradable adjectives.

Gradable adjectives
Most adjectives are gradable. This means we can have different levels of that quality. For
example, a person can be a bit cold, very cold or extremely cold. We can make them weaker or
stronger with modifiers:
She was quite angry when she found out.
The film we saw last night was really funny!
It can be extremely cold in Russia in the winter.

Below is a list of some common gradable adjectives and some modifiers that we can use with
them.
Modifiers: a little/a bit, pretty/quite, really/very.
Adjectives: angry, big, boring, cheap, cold, expensive, frightening,
funny, hot, interesting, old, pretty, small, tasty, tired, etc.

Non-gradable adjectives: absolute adjectives

Some adjectives are non-gradable.
For example, something can't be a bit finished or very finished. You can't be a bit dead or very
dead. These adjectives describe absolute qualities. To make them stronger we have to use
modifiers like absolutely, totally or completely:
Thank you, I love it! It's absolutely perfect!
Their farm was totally destroyed by a tornado.
My work is completely finished. Now I can relax.
Belowis a list of some common absolute adjectives and some modifiers that we can use with
them.
Modifiers: absolutely/totally/completely
Adjectives: acceptable, dead, destroyed, finished, free, impossible, necessary, etc.
Non-gradable adjectives: extreme adjectives
Adjectives like amazing, awful and boiling are also non-gradable. They already contain the idea
of 'very' in their definitions. If we want to make extreme adjectives stronger, we have to
use absolutely or really:
Did you see the final match? It was absolutely amazing!
After 32 hours of travelling, they were absolutely exhausted.
My trip home was really awful. First, traffic was really bad, then the car broke down and we had
to walk home in the rain.

Here is a list of some common extreme adjectives and some modifiers that we can use with them.
Modifiers: absolutely/really

Adjectives: amazing, ancient, awful, boiling, delicious, enormous,

excellent, exhausted, fascinating, freezing, gorgeous, terrible, terrifying, tiny, etc. [5]

2.4. The place of adjectives in the sentence

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. Common examples are good, nice,
and easy. There are several ways to recognize an adjective.
One important way to recognize an adjective is by its location in the phrase or sentence,
so word order is important. Adjectives generally occur in two different locations: before a noun
or after the verb. Below we have some examples with these cases:
before a noun: delicious soup, expensive shirts, green leaves.
after the verb: The soup is delicious. The shirts were expensive. The leaves are green.
We can also recognize an adjective by what it is doing in the sentence. It can describe a
noun(delicious), it can identify a specific noun (the), it is telling whether it is near (this book) or
far (that book) from the speaker.
We can also identify an adjective by the question it answers – they tell us information like
which one (This book is mine), how many (I have six books), how much (No one received
any mail today), or what kind (Raw milk can be dangerous). [6]
As a rule, we know that in Romanian the adjective comes after the noun, for example
“dog + big” or “chair + tall”. In English, things are exactly the opposite: the adjective comes
before the noun.
We find below some examples, for a better understanding:
The red bird stopped in the garden.
The big wolf runs in the forest.
 Of course, just like in Romanian, there are exceptions to the rule. There are adjectives
that can only be placed before nouns and adjectives that can only be placed after them. We have
some examples below:
There is a dog asleep on the floor. / The main issue is…. (Asleep is an adjective that
cannot be placed before the noun it determines, while main must only be placed before the
noun).
An adjective can also be placed after a noun with the help of a linking verb such as to be,
to remain, to stay, to become, to seem, to feel, to sound, to smell, etc. They can only be followed
by a predicative noun, forming together with it the nominal predicate. Below are some examples
of adjectives that come after a noun with the help of a linking verb.
This boy is sick. / He feels bored.
The washing powder smells good. / She seems very beautiful.

2.5. Ordering multiple adjectives into a sentence:

We also meet in English a situation, where we have several adjectives one after the other, all
determining the same noun. How do we know what order to put them in?
The order of adjectives will depend on the function they perform. Generally, their order in
English is as follows:
- number or quantity (four, some, a few)
- quality or opinion (nice, good, amazing)
- size (medium, small)
- age (young, old)
- shape (square, rectangular)
- color (red, blue, violet)
- proper adjective – usually denoting the nationality, origin, or material from which a thing
is made (Bulgarian, wool)
- purpose – what the respective object is used for (fitness clothes)

Whether in writing or speaking, in daily use we will often not read or hear descriptive words
strictly in this order; these guidelines are not fixed. Rather, they serve as a road map for
communication that sounds more sequentially natural when needed. In addition, using more than
three adjectives before a noun is rare and generally not recommended.
With that being said, using the table above, we can form descriptive expressions with some
direction.
Examples:
I would like a piece of the delicious [opinion], square [shape], Swedish [origin] dessert.
Do you still wear those old [age] white [color] shoes?
 Those two [quantity] tall [size], lean [physical quality] men work for the firm.
The professor’s four [quantity] old [age], boxed [type] teaching [purpose] files are sure to
aid the defense. [7]
There are three nice yellow plates on the shelf. (On the shelf we have three yellow
plates).
I get some new leather sandals. (I get a new pair of leather sandals.)
We have a small young black cat in the house. (In the house is a small, young, black cat.)
[8]

2.6. Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

An adjective in English is a part of speech that describes or points to the distinguishing

feature of a noun (person, place, or thing) and usually precedes the described word: blue fish, old
donkey, big house, etc.
In English, there are three degrees of comparison of adjectives: positive (the initial form
given in the dictionary, such as red, small, tired, etc.), comparative and superlative.
Comparative Form
The comparative form of adjectives is used when two or more things are compared. The
conjunction than is used when making the comparison.
In order to use the comparative form, there is necessary to do the following things:
- add a suffix to adjectives that have one or two syllables (for comparatives of
superiority): long-longer, brave-braver, thin-thinner.
If the adjective ends in –e (called a “silent e”), it is dropped, and the –er suffix is added:
simple-simpler, polite-politer.
If the adjective ends in –y, when forming the comparative, y is replaced by i and the –er
suffix is added: easy-easier, dirty-dirtier, happy-happier.
When the adjective ends with a consonant preceded by a vowel with a short sound, the
consonant is written twice when forming the comparative (if the consonant is already written
twice, do not change it): big-bigger, hot-hotter, thin-thinner, small-smaller, tall-taller.
To form the comparative with words that are more than two syllables, there are used the
English words more and less: important-more important, dangerous-less dangerous, expensive-
more expensive. [9]
Comparative of equality
 If two things are equal in some way, we can use a comparison with as … as …. The
comparisons may involve adjectives (adj) or adverbs (adv) after the first as, and noun phrases
(np) or clauses after the second as:

He’s grown so much. He’s as tall as his father now. (adjective + noun phrase)
The team is still as good as it was five years ago. (adjective + clause)
The second game didn’t go as well as the first one. (adverb + noun phrase)
The company is not performing as successfully as it did when Arthur Carling was the
President. (adverb + clause)

When the second part of the comparison is a clause, it is often a reduced one (a clause
with ellipsis) or one with a substitute verb do or a modal verb:
If the sales figures are as bad as predicted, the company will probably go bankrupt. (…as
bad as economists have predicted…)

I worked as hard as I had ever done in my life for my final exam. (…as hard as I had ever
worked in my life …)

Noun phrases
If we use as … as … with a noun phrase, we must use much or little + uncountable noun
or many or few + plural noun:
She had as much work as she needed and did not want to take on any more.
There are as many students in Class 2A as there are in 2B.
He spent as little money as he could.

Negative forms
We can form the negative of as … as … with not as … as …, or with not so … as … The
form not as … as … is more common:

He didn’t run as fast as he did in the European Championship.

He didn’t pay as much tax this year as last year because he earned less.
She’s not so shy as she used to be. (less common)
I don’t read so many novels now as I used to. (less common) [10]

Comparatives of inferiority

Comparatives of inferiority are those used when we compare two elements. We express
that one has a lower degree of the same characteristic than the other.
 Not as + adjective / adverb + as
Jeremy is not as funny as Miles.

Less + adjective / adverb + than

This hat is less expensive than that one.

We can also make inferiority comparisons with nouns using the same structure by adding
much for uncountable nouns and many for countable nouns.

Not as + many + countable noun + as

I haven't got as much information as you.
I didn't catch as many fish as you.

Less + uncountable noun + than

I'm doing less exercise than before.

Fewer + countable noun + than

I've got fewer T-shirts than my sister. [11]

Superlative degrees

In English, we have relative superlative, and absolute superlative.

The relative superlative form is used when we are speaking about one person or thing that
in some way exceeds all others. In order to form the superlative, there must be applied the below
rules:
- add the suffix –est to one-syllable adjectives and to two-syllable adjectives if the emphasis is
on the last syllable: fast-the fastest, strong-the strongest, large-the largest.
- use the words most and least for multi-syllable words (most for superlative of superiority, and
least for superlative of inferiority): interesting-the most/least interesting, difficult-the most/least
difficult, attractive-the most/least attractive.
The article the is usually used with a superlative form of adjectives.

Remember, however, that if the adjective ends with -e, -y or a consonant which is
preceded by a vowel, when forming the superlative degree, the same changes occur as in the
formation of the comparative: dirty-dirtiest, brave-bravest, big-biggest.
Exceptions by the rule
There are some “rebellious” adjectives that do not obey the general rules of forming
comparatives in the English language. These adjectives simply need to be remembered:
good – better – the best
bad – worse – the worst
little – less – the least
many – more – most
old – older – the oldest
old – elder – the eldest (used when speaking about the eldest member in a family)
far – farther – the farthest (with regard to physical distance)
far – further – the furthest (a more general meaning than “farthest”)
near – nearer – the nearest
near – nearer – the next (next in line, or with regard to time)
It should also be mentioned that complex adjectives use more and most or change the
first element to form the different degrees of comparison: good-looking – better-looking – best-
looking. [12]
We also have an exception by the rule when using the degrees of comparison, and we will
analyze below some examples. We can strengthen or emphasise a comparative adjective using
words such as much, a lot, far, even or rather, or by using than ever after the adjective:
This food is much better than the food we had yesterday.
We can use a little or a bit, but a bit is less formal.
She feels a little/a bit more confident now.

Absolute superlative
The absolute superlative is used to express the quality of something in its absolute highest degree
without comparing it to something else (very small/ pretty small, very slim/ pretty slim).
This girl is pretty small.

2.7. The personal pronoun with the adjective in English

When we compare two people and a pronoun takes the place of the name, we will use the
complement form: me, you, him, her, us, them.
You are stronger than me.
She is more experienced than him.

In more formal situations, we can use:

You are smarter than me!
Mary is always more sociable than her brother.

The forms of comparison of long adjectives: -er and -er, more and more
The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
I'm getting more and more interested in this idea.

Forms of comparison with definite article: "'The -er, the -er and the more ..., the more ..."
The colder it is, the hungrier I get. (as the weather gets colder, I get hungrier).
The more generous you are towards others, the more generous they are likely to be towards you.
[13]

2.8. How the Adjectives are formed in English

Adjectives in English are formed by adding prefixes and suffixes, from other parts of speech
such as nouns and verbs.
Adding suffixes:
-able: adorable, comfortable, uncomfortable
-ible: invisible, responsible,
-al: educational, gradual, illegal, viral
-an: American, urban
-ar: cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar
-ent: intelligent, silent, violent
-ful: beautiful, harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful
-ic athletic, energetic, scientific
-ical: classical, magical
-ine: canine, feminine, masculine
-iles: agile, fertile,
-ive: informative, native, talkative
-less: careless, endless, homeless, timeless
-ous: cautious, dangerous, enormous,
 -some: awesome, handsome
Many adjectives end in -y, -ary, -ate, -ed, and -ing.

Adding prefixes:
Prefixes go at the beginning of words.
The most common adjective prefixes and their meaning are:
il-, im-, ir-, in-: llegal, Illegible, imperfect, impolite, irrelevant,
un- unusual, unhappy, uninterested, unpleasant
dis- dishonest, disloyal, dissimilar, disabled.
ultra-, super-, -hyper: ultra-compact, ultrasound, hyperactive
inter- Between International, interdisciplinary
trans- Across Transatlantic, transmarine
I cannot read anything she writes, her writing is illegible.
Companies don't like to work with dishonest employees.

Spelling rules for il-, im-, ir-, in-

Use 'il-' for words starting with 'l', such as legal (illegal) and legible (illegible).
Use 'ir-' for words starting with 'r', such as relevant (irrelevant) and rational (irrational).
Use 'im-' for words starting with 'm' or 'p', such as mature (immature) and polite
(impolite).
For other adjectives, use 'in-', such as convenient (inconvenient) and active (inactive).
[14]

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