Adjectives
Adjectives
Participial adjectives
Participles, like gerunds, are formed from verbs. However, unlike gerunds, participles function as adjectives.
Participles are formed by adding a suffix to the base, or infinitive, form of a verb. For most verbs, this is a simple matter of adding -ed.
Jamal had walked this way many times.
The participle forms of irregular verbs have different suffixes and must be memorized. They are listed in the third column of the Irregular Verbs Chart.
Example:
The long walk had tired the puppy.
Tired is an adjective that describes the puppy: the puppy was tired.
Practice question
Manuel _____ such an accurate likeness of himself before, so he decided it would be his entry for the art contest.
Choose the correct answer:
Had drawn
Had never drawn
Has never drawn
Has drawn
Had drew
Correct answer:
Had never drawn
Had never drawn is correct. The context clue before tells us that Manuel’s self-portrait is his best effort to date.
Had drawn is incorrect because it suggests that the portrait is only the latest in a series of good efforts.
Has never drawn is incorrect because it uses a present form when the portrait is already complete.
Has drawn is incorrect because it suggests an ongoing action.
Had drew is incorrect because drawn is the participle form of draw. Drew is the simple past tense.
Descriptive adjectives
Descriptive adjectives tell us about a quality or characteristic of the noun they describe.
Examples:
The little boy wore overalls. The melody was soothing.
Practice question
The frigid temperatures, deep snow, and miniature white mountains at every street corner made it challenging for Sophia to walk her short-haired dog, even when she dressed it in three coats.
Which group of words contains only adjectives?
Frigid, miniature, short-haired, three
Frigid, miniature, white, made
Frigid, white, snow, short-haired
Temperatures, deep, mountains, short-haired
Deep, white, dressed, three
Correct answer:
Frigid, miniature, short-haired, three
Frigid, miniature, short-haired, three is correct because all four words are adjectives.
Frigid, miniature, white, made is incorrect because made is a verb.
Frigid, white, snow, short-haired is incorrect because snow is a noun.
Temperatures, deep, mountains, short-haired is incorrect because temperatures and mountains are nouns.
Deep, white, dressed, three is incorrect because dressed is a verb.
Quantitative adjectives
Numbers and other words that indicate quantity are adjectives because they tell us how much of something there is.
There are three pears in the basket.
In English grammar, there are only two number categories:
- Singular
- Plural
Any number larger than one is plural. One is always singular.
Common quantitative adjectives
Singular
- one
- unique
- singular
- lone
- solitary
- much
- each
- every
- all*
- none*
Plural
- zero
- many
- some
- few
- several
- seventeen
- sixty-three
- all*
- none*
* All and none can be singular or plural depending on context.
Examples
All of the water had boiled away.
Here, all is singular because water is singular.
All of the cookies were eaten.
Here, all is plural because cookies is plural.
None of this project has been completed.
Since project is singular, none is singular.
None of these shirts are really my style.
Since shirts is plural, none is plural.
Important reminders
- Unique means “the only one.” Something cannot be very unique.
- Each and every are always singular.
- Zero is always plural because it is not one.
Practice question
_____ of Mrs. Quill’s students wanted to be the first to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution because he or she would earn five extra credit points.
Choose the correct answer:
Every
Each
All
Zero
Much
Correct answer:
Each
Each is correct because it is singular and matches he or she later in the sentence.
Every is incorrect because it would need to be every one.
All is incorrect because it is plural and does not match he or she.
Zero is incorrect because it does not make sense in context.
Much is incorrect because it is used with uncountable amounts.
Demonstrative adjectives
There are four demonstrative adjectives in English.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| this | these |
| that | those |
This and these indicate that something is close in space or time.
That and those indicate that something is farther away.
Examples
I want this seat, not that one over there.
These seats are nicer than those.
Practice question
Marty said I should put _____ plates here and _____ cups over there.
Choose the correct answer:
These…that
These…those
Those…these
This…those
These…this
Correct answer:
These…those
These…those is correct because both nouns are plural. These matches here, while those matches over there.
Those…these is incorrect because the demonstratives do not match the locations.
This…those is incorrect because this is singular.
These…this is incorrect because this is singular and indicates something nearby.
These…that is incorrect because that is singular.
Comparative adjectives
Comparative adjectives compare two people or things and indicate which one has more or less of a quality.
Comparatives are always followed by than.
To show more of a quality
Add -er to one- or two-syllable adjectives
Talia is taller than Jennifer but shorter than Eve.
Use more with adjectives that have three or more syllables
Mr. Brimble’s lawn is more manicured than mine.
Irregular comparative adjectives
| Adjective | Comparative |
|---|---|
| good | better |
| bad | worse |
| little | littler / less* |
| much | more |
| far | farther / further** |
* Littler refers to physical size. Less is used with uncountable nouns.
** Farther refers to physical distance. Further refers to figurative distance.
Important rule
Never use more with an adjective that already ends in -er.
❌ more better
✅ better
To show less of a quality
Use less.
Emilio is less fond of math than he is of physics.
Practice question
Carl thought gym was _____ recess because no one made him waste time eating.
Choose the correct answer:
Better than
Better then
More better than
More better then
Way more better than
Correct answer:
Better than
Better than is correct because it uses the proper comparative form and the correct comparison word.
Better then is incorrect because then refers to time.
More better than is incorrect because better already contains the comparative form.
More better then is incorrect for both reasons above.
Way more better than is incorrect because it is wordy and uses an incorrect comparative form.
Superlative adjectives
Superlative adjectives compare three or more items. They indicate extremes of quantity or quality.
Most one- and two-syllable superlatives are formed by adding -st or -est.
Examples
Ron is the fastest runner on the team.
Liz is the luckiest person I know.
Irregular superlatives
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| bad | worse | worst |
| little | littler / less | littlest / least |
| much | more | most |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
Using most and least
Use most or least when adding -est would sound awkward.
Your essay is the least detailed discussion of the poem that I have read in a long time.
That was the most awkward situation I have ever been in.
Use most or least with all adjectives of three or more syllables.
That is the least plausible reason for missing an exam that I have ever heard.
The children thought that their new teacher was the most intimidating person they had ever met.
That is the most delicious cake I have ever eaten.
Special construction
Using the with comparative adjectives creates a cause-and-effect relationship:
The taller they are, the harder they fall. The less she studied, the worse she did.
Practice question
Today’s weather forecast is for _____ weather of the season, but it is still _____ the frigid winter of 1881.
Choose the correct answer:
The colder…warmer than
The coldest…the warmest of
The coldest…colder than
The coldest…warmer than
The warmest…warmer than
Correct answer:
The coldest…warmer than
The coldest…warmer than is correct. The coldest compares today with all other days of the season, while warmer than compares only two things: today and the winter of 1881.
The colder…warmer than is incorrect because a superlative is needed.
The coldest…the warmest of is incorrect because only two items are being compared.
The coldest…colder than is incorrect because it does not fit the meaning of the sentence.
The warmest…warmer than is incorrect because it contradicts the context.