Understanding Adjectives, Their Types, and Examples in English

Adjectives

Adjectives or kata sifat (in Indonesian) are words used to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun. Adjectives function to describe, explain, limit, or assess the quality of an object, place, person, or other things. In other words, adjectives add extra detail to a noun, making its meaning clearer.

1. Function of Adjectives

Adjectives serve to:

  • Describe characteristics or qualities (size, color, shape, age, feeling, etc.)
  • Indicate quantity or amount
  • Determine the type or category
  • Compare two or more objects

2. Types of Adjectives

a. Descriptive Adjectives
These adjectives describe the characteristics or qualities of a person or thing.

Examples:

  • Big → He has a big house.
  • Happy → She is a happy child.
  • Blue → The sky is blue.

b. Quantitative Adjectives
These adjectives indicate the quantity or how much of something.

Examples:

  • Some → I need some money.
  • Few → There are only a few apples left.
  • Many → He has many books.

c. Demonstrative Adjectives
These adjectives are used to point out specific items. They include this, that, these, and those.

Examples:

  • This → This book is mine.
  • That → That car is fast.
  • These → These flowers are beautiful.
  • Those → Those shoes are expensive.

d. Possessive Adjectives
These adjectives indicate ownership or relation to an object.

Examples:

  • My → My bag is on the table.
  • Her → Her house is beautiful.
  • Their → Their car is new.

e. Interrogative Adjectives
Used to ask questions and placed before nouns. Common interrogative adjectives are which, what, and whose.

Examples:

  • Which → Which dress do you like?
  • What → What time is it?
  • Whose → Whose book is this?

f. Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things, while superlative adjectives are used to show the most among three or more things.

Examples of Comparative Adjectives:

  • Bigger → This house is bigger than that one.
  • Happier → She is happier today.

Examples of Superlative Adjectives:

  • Biggest → This is the biggest house in the neighborhood.
  • Happiest → She is the happiest person I know.

3. Position of Adjectives in a Sentence

Adjectives are usually placed before the noun they describe. However, in some cases, adjectives can appear after linking verbs, such as be, seem, or feel.

Adjectives Before Nouns (Attributive Adjectives):

  • A beautiful flower
  • A tall man

Adjectives After Linking Verbs (Predicative Adjectives):

  • The flower is beautiful.
  • The man seems tall.

4. Degree of Comparison

Adjectives can be used to compare objects or people. There are three degrees of comparison:

a. Positive Degree
The basic level, without comparison.

Example:

  • She is tall.

b. Comparative Degree
Used to compare two things.

Example:

  • She is taller than her brother.

c. Superlative Degree
Used to show something is the most among three or more.

Example:

  • She is the tallest in her class.

5. Sentence Examples Using Adjectives

Descriptive Adjectives

  • The old man lives in a small house.

Quantitative Adjectives

  • We have enough food for the trip.

Demonstrative Adjectives

  • These apples are fresh, but those oranges are not.

Possessive Adjectives

  • Her dog is very friendly.

Comparative Adjectives

  • This test is harder than the last one.

Superlative Adjectives

  • Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

6. Adjective Exercises

Practice 1: Choose the Correct Adjective

  1. I have a (big / bigger) house than my friend.
  2. This is the (most beautiful / more beautiful) painting in the gallery.
  3. She seems (happy / happier) today than yesterday.

Practice 2: Complete with the Correct Adjective

  1. The cake tastes ________ (delicious).
  2. He has a ________ (new) car.
  3. That building is ________ (tall).

Practice 3: Make Sentences with Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  1. Comparative: ________________
  2. Superlative: ________________

Answers

Practice 1: Choose the Correct Adjective

  1. I have a bigger house than my friend.
  2. This is the most beautiful painting in the gallery.
  3. She seems happier today than yesterday.

Practice 2: Complete with the Correct Adjective

  1. The cake tastes delicious.
  2. He has a new car.
  3. That building is tall.

Practice 3: Make Sentences with Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  • Comparative: My car is faster than yours.
  • Superlative: This is the biggest house in the neighborhood.

Adjective Multiple-Choice Exercise

  1. The flowers in the garden are…
    a. Bright
    b. Smelly
    c. Dirty
    d. Old
  2. Her voice sounds…
    a. Loud
    b. Sharp
    c. Beautiful
    d. Rough
  3. The house near the lake is very…
    a. Small
    b. Cozy
    c. Dark
    d. Smelly
  4. This book is quite…
    a. Thick
    b. Light
    c. Boring
    d. Short
  5. The air in the mountain is…
    a. Dirty
    b. Fresh
    c. Hot
    d. Dry
  6. My friend’s new car looks…
    a. Elegant
    b. Noisy
    c. Slow
    d. Old
  7. The coffee from that café tastes…
    a. Sweet
    b. Bitter
    c. Sour
    d. Spicy
  8. The sky today is…
    a. Cloudy
    b. Rainy
    c. Clear
    d. Dark
  9. Her explanation was very…
    a. Confusing
    b. Clear
    c. Complicated
    d. Useless
  10. The blanket feels…
    a. Rough
    b. Soft
    c. Hard
    d. Cold
  11. This movie is really…
    a. Long
    b. Boring
    c. Exciting
    d. Loud
  12. The food at the restaurant is…
    a. Expensive
    b. Cheap
    c. Spicy
    d. Delicious
  13. Their dog is very…
    a. Aggressive
    b. Friendly
    c. Lazy
    d. Energetic
  14. The streets in the city are usually…
    a. Empty
    b. Crowded
    c. Quiet
    d. Clean
  15. The shirt I bought is…
    a. Expensive
    b. Beautiful
    c. Fashionable
    d. Old
  16. The water in the pool is…
    a. Cold
    b. Hot
    c. Clear
    d. Shallow
  17. My teacher is very…
    a. Kind
    b. Strict
    c. Funny
    d. Boring
  18. The hotel room was…
    a. Dirty
    b. Spacious
    c. Small
    d. Cheap
  19. The cake you made is…
    a. Sweet
    b. Sour
    c. Salty
    d. Spicy
  20. The music at the concert was…
    a. Loud
    b. Soft
    c. Clear
    d. Distorted
  21. The dress she wore was…
    a. Colorful
    b. Plain
    c. Elegant
    d. Simple
  22. The weather today is…
    a. Hot
    b. Chilly
    c. Warm
    d. Cold
  23. His performance was…
    a. Impressive
    b. Awful
    c. Mediocre
    d. Fantastic
  24. The soup tastes…
    a. Bland
    b. Spicy
    c. Salty
    d. Delicious
  25. The mountains in the distance are…
    a. Small
    b. Tall
    c. Majestic
    d. Low
  26. My bedroom is…
    a. Messy
    b. Tidy
    c. Spacious
    d. Cozy
  27. The exam was…
    a. Easy
    b. Difficult
    c. Fair
    d. Hard
  28. The flowers in the vase look…
    a. Fresh
    b. Wilted
    c. Dead
    d. Vibrant
  29. The story in that book is…
    a. Interesting
    b. Boring
    c. Confusing
    d. Simple
  30. The coffee is…
    a. Hot
    b. Cold
    c. Bitter
    d. Sweet

Answers:

  1. a. Bright
  2. c. Beautiful
  3. b. Cozy
  4. c. Boring
  5. b. Fresh
  6. a. Elegant
  7. b. Bitter
  8. c. Clear
  9. b. Clear
  10. b. Soft
  11. c. Exciting
  12. d. Delicious
  13. b. Friendly
  14. b. Crowded
  15. c. Fashionable
  16. a. Cold
  17. a. Kind
  18. b. Spacious
  19. a. Sweet
  20. a. Loud
  21. c. Elegant
  22. d. Cold
  23. a. Impressive
  24. d. Delicious
  25. c. Majestic
  26. a. Messy
  27. b. Difficult
  28. a. Fresh
  29. a. Interesting
  30. a. Hot

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Conclusion

Adjectives are an essential component in sentences as they provide additional information about nouns and pronouns. By using adjectives, we can make descriptions more specific and clear. Adjectives can be used in various forms and degrees to compare or evaluate objects, as well as to describe the quality and quantity of something.

Follow other English tutorials as well: What are Nouns and their TypesUnderstanding Regular and Irregular VerbsUnderstanding AdverbsUnderstanding PrepositionsUnderstanding ConjunctionsUnderstanding InterjectionsDefinition and Use of Subject, Predicate, ObjectSimple SentencesComplex SentencesCompound SentencesSimple Present TenseSimple Past Tense, Understanding Pronouns

Lisna Ibrahim

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