Adjective for Class 4

What are Adjectives?

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. It describes the noun and pronoun in a sentence. They help to learn more about a noun or pronoun by describing it or providing additional information about it.

Types of Adjectives

There are eight types of adjectives.

1. Descriptive Adjective

Descriptive adjectives are adjectives that point to a specific person or item. They are used to describe the quality of a person, an animal or a thing. These can also be used as the subject complement of a sentence since they express the quality of the noun or pronoun.

Examples:

→ The huge elephant had long tusks. (Here, the word "big" tells us about the size of the elephant)
→ The actress wore a stunning dress to the award event. (Here, the word "stunning " describes the dress)
→ Green leaves rustled in the wind. (Here, the word "green" gives us more information about the leaves)

2. Demonstrative Adjective

Demonstrative adjectives are adjectives that are used to identify or indicate a noun's position in time or space. It emphasises the importance of a word or pronoun in a sentence by modifying it.

Examples:

→ That cat is fluffy. (Here, the word "that" tells us that the cat is a little farther)
→ These cookies are delicious. (Here, the word "these" tells us that the cookies are near)
→ Those birds are flying high. (Here, the word "those" tells us that the birds are farther away)

3. Distributive Adjective

Distributive adjectives are adjectives that help to relate to specific members of a group. Distributive adjectives refer to singular nouns that generally involve a group or more than one person.

Examples:

→ Every child has a pencil. (Here, "every" tells us that all the children have pencils)
→ Both brothers got a present. (Here, "both" shows that both brothers got presents)
→ Neither girl wanted to go to a playground. (Here, "neither" tells us that neither of the girls wanted to go)

4. Interrogative Adjective

Interrogative adjectives are adjectives that modify a noun by asking a question. They include: "what," "which," and "whose." These are used in interrogative phrases to alter nouns.

Examples:

→ Which novel do you want to buy?" (Here, "which" helps us ask a question about the noun "novel" to find out which specific novel someone wants to buy)
→ What colour is your bike?" (Here, "what" helps us ask about the colour of the noun "bike")

5. Numeral Adjective

Numeral adjectives are numerical orders that describe the number of nouns or the order of the noun being described. In a sentence, they help to provide additional details and precise information.

→ Shelly is the first student who submitted her homework on time. (Here, "first" is a numeral adjective because it tells us the order of the student)
→ There are five colourful pens in my pocket. (Here, "five" is a numeral adjective because it tells us how many pens there are.
→ Jack has three cute kittens. (Here, "three" is a numeral adjective because it tells us how many kittens Jack has)

6. Quantitative Adjective

Quantitative adjectives are adjectives that express the quantity of something without actually measuring it. It’s somewhat similar to the numeral adjective.

Examples:

→ I had two oranges for breakfast. (Here, "two" tells us exactly how many oranges there are)
→ There are many books on the shelf. (Here, "many" tells us that there are a lot of books on the shelf)

7. Proper Adjective

Proper Adjectives are adjectives that are generated from proper nouns and are normally capitalised in English.

Examples:

→ I visited the Italian restaurant for dinner last Sunday. (Here, "Italian" is a proper adjective because it describes the type of restaurant, which is associated with Italy)
→ The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an iconic landmark. (Here, "Eiffel" is a proper adjective as it describes the specific tower in Paris)

8. Possessive Adjective

Possessive adjectives appear before a noun or pronoun to indicate who or what owns it.

Examples:

→ His bag is colourful. (Here, "her" tells us that the bag belongs to a boy.
→ Their dog barks loudly. (Here, "their" tells us that the dog belongs to a group of people.
→ My school is big. (Here, "our" tells us that the school belongs to me)

To Read About Adjectives for Class 5: Click here

Degrees of Comparison

The degree of comparison describes how things are differ or comparable in terms of size, quality, or quantity. 

There are three degrees of adjectives.

1. Positive Degree

A positive degree is a type of adjective or adverb that defines something without making any comparisons. 

Example: The Earth is a large planet.

2. Comparative Degree

A comparative degree is a method of comparing two objects to determine which one is greater or less than the other. 

Example: The Earth is larger than Mars.

3. Superlative Degree

The superlative degree is used to compare three or more things and determine which is the greatest or least important.

Example: Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. 

FAQs

1. What is a descriptive adjective?

Answer: A descriptive adjective helps to give more information about a noun's characteristics. For example, The red apple is juicy.

2. Give an example using multiple types of adjectives.

Answer: It is possible to have multiple adjectives in a single sentence. For example, Five cute puppies played with their colourful toys. Here "five" is a quantitative adjective and "their" is a possessive adjective.

3. Why do we use adjectives?

Answer: Adjectives play an important role in making a sentence more effective. They add details and descriptions to nouns, making sentences more informative.