An adjective tells something about a Noun or a Pronoun. It generally answers the questions: Which one? What kind? or How many/How much?

E.g., This white dog is the cleverest dog. (Which dog is the cleverest? The word "white" is an adjective)
E.g., He is a dishonest servant. (What kind of a servant is he? The word "dishonest" is an adjective)
E.g., There were four police constables. (How many police constables were there? The word "four" is an adjective)

Kinds of Adjectives

We classify adjectives into the following categories:

Kinds	Definition & Examples
Adjective of Quality	Shows the quality of a Noun/Pronoun and answers which / what kind of? Red: Red colour symbolizes power and courage. Famous: She is a famous singer. Thin: That thin girl is my cousin. Tall: William is a tall boy.
Adjective of Quantity	Indicates quantity and answers how much? Little: We don’t have a little idea about his whereabouts. More: She wants some more information. Few: There are a few people who still use typewriters. Much: Don’t take much stress. Many: He has many good friends. *We shall learn in detail about these in the Determiners chapter.
Distributive Adjective	Denotes one thing/person out of a whole group and answers which one? Each: Each student is special. Every: Every teacher knows that he is a genius. Either: Either direction can be chosen. (one of the two) Neither: Neither girl is lying. (none of the two)
Demonstrative Adjective	Indicates toward the Noun that follows and answers which one? This: This cat is very naughty. These: These dogs are well trained. That: That was a big mistake. Those: Those plants are healthier.
Possessive Adjective	Shows the relation of something to someone and answers whose? My: My coat is quite comfortable. Our: Our house is our heaven. Own: Use your own hanky only. Your: Your daughter is a promising student. His: His whole life is an example of love and sacrifice. Her: Her best friend is a renowned scientist. Their: Their strength lies in their unity.
Interrogative Adjective	Used before Nouns to ask questions (?). What did you eat for breakfast today? What kind of a person is your boss? Which student is selected for that senior-level debate? How many teachers will attend that meeting? How much fuel do we need to reach Ambala?
Adjectives of Number	Tells the number and answers how many? Ordinal (First, second, third etc.): The first student from the second row will be our third umpire. Cardinal (One, two, three etc.): Give her one notebook, one eraser, and two pens.

Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
Denotes simple quality.	Denotes a higher degree of the quality.	Denotes the highest degree of the quality.

Rule 1: Standard Forms (-er / -est)

Most adjectives are made comparative and superlative by adding –‘er’ and –‘est’ respectively to the positive degree.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Black	Blacker	Blackest
Bright	Brighter	Brightest
Brave	Braver	Bravest
Cold	Colder	Coldest
Calm	Calmer	Calmest
Deep	Deeper	Deepest
Great	Greater	Greatest
Hard	Harder	Hardest
Keen	Keener	Keenest
Light	Lighter	Lightest
Near	Nearer	Nearest
Pure	Purer	Purest
Poor	Poorer	Poorest
Rich	Richer	Richest
Strong	Stronger	Strongest
Tall	Taller	Tallest
White	Whiter	Whitest
Young	Younger	Youngest

Rule 2: Doubling the Final Consonant

When the positive degree ends in a consonant preceded by a short vowel, the last consonant is doubled before adding –‘er’ or –‘est’.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Fat	Fatter	Fattest
Hot	Hotter	Hottest
Sad	Sadder	Saddest
Wet	Wetter	Wettest

Rule 3: Adjectives Ending in '-y'

When the positive degree ends in –y, the -y is changed into –i before adding –er or –est.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Easy	Easier	Easiest
Heavy	Heavier	Heaviest
Lazy	Lazier	Laziest
Pretty	Prettier	Prettiest
Wealthy	Wealthier	Wealthiest

Rule 4: Irregular Adjectives

Some adjectives are irregular because their comparative and superlative degrees are completely unique words.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Bad	Worse	Worst
Far	Farther	Farthest
Good / Well	Better	Best
Little	Less / Lesser	Least
Many / Much	More	Most
Old	Older / Elder	Oldest / Eldest
Up	Upper	Upmost / Uppermost

Rule 5: Using 'More' and 'Most'

Longer adjectives take the use of more and most before them to form their degrees.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Active	More active	Most active
Careful	More careful	Most careful
Difficult	More difficult	Most difficult
Handsome	More handsome	Most handsome
Beautiful	More beautiful	Most beautiful
Popular	More popular	Most popular
Urgent	More urgent	Most urgent

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Insert suitable adjectives from the box into the sentences below:

(famous, beautiful, festive, new, driver-friendly, lucky)

His shirt is __________________.
Your car dashboard layout is very __________________.
My uncle will gift me a __________________ doll on my birthday.
Shimla is a __________________ tourist spot.
December is a month of __________________ joy for Christians.

Exercise 2: Sentence Transformations

Rewrite the following sentences using the specified comparative and superlative forms:

Sheela speaks softly.
Comparative: ____________________________________________________
Superlative: ____________________________________________________
Nomita is a helpful child.
Comparative: ____________________________________________________
Superlative: ____________________________________________________
An elephant is a big animal.
Comparative: ____________________________________________________
Superlative: ____________________________________________________
'The Hindu' is a popular newspaper.
Comparative: ____________________________________________________
Superlative: ____________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Distributive Adjectives Challenge

Fill in the gaps with appropriate distributive parameters from the choices: (Either, neither, all, each, every)

On the occasion of annual day, (a) _________ the buildings of our school were adorned. (b) _________ pillar of the building was decorated with garlands, and (c) _________ class was decorated with Rangoli. (d) _________ of the two main blocks, the senior wing as well as the junior wing, was decorated with colourful lights. The school has two wings; (e) _________ building was decorated tastefully. (f) _________ of the buildings was neglected. (g) _________ student participated in this decoration, and (h) _________ the students were given sweets after the completion of the function.

Exercise 4: Identify the Adjective Type

Underline the adjective in each sentence and state its kind in the blank space:

Those sweet mangoes came from our ancestral farm. → __________________
How much fuel do we need to reach Ambala? → __________________
The brave warrior refused to surrender to the enemy forces. → __________________
Give her two clean notebooks and an eraser. → __________________
Neither candidate was fit for the challenging post. → __________________
Our team captain scored the winning run. → __________________

Finished the exercises? Check your work here:

👉 Click Here for the Adjectives Answer Guide

GRAMMAR WITH SURYAANSH

ADJECTIVES