Kinds of Adjectives

Adjectives may be divided into the following classes:-

1. Adjectives of Quality (Descriptive Adjective) show the kind or quality of a person or thing.
Example:-
1. London is a large city.
2. He is an honest man.
3. The foolish old crow tried to sing.

Adjectives formed from Proper Nouns (e.g., French wines, Indian tea, Turkish tobacco) are sometimes called Proper Adjectives.
Adjectives of Quality answer the question: Of what kind?

2. Adjectives of Quantity show how much of a thing is meant.
Examples:-
1. I ate some rice.
2. He has little intelligence.
3. Take great care of your health.
4. He showed much patience.
5. He has lost all his wealth.

Adjectives of Quantity answer the question: How much?

3. Adjectives of Number (Numeral Adjective) show how many persons or things are meant, or in what order a person or thing stands.
Example:-
1. The hand has five fingers.
2. Most boys like cricket.
3. Sunday is the first day of the week.
4. There are no pictures in this book.
5. Here are some ripe mangoes.

Adjectives of Number answer the question: How many?

Adjectives of Number are of three kinds:-

a). Definite Numeral Adjectives, which denote an exact number as,
One, two, three, etc. - These are called Cardinals.
First, second, third, etc. - These are called Ordinals.

A Cardinal denotes how many, and an Ordinal the order of things in a series.

b). Indefinite Numeral Adjectives, which do not denote an exact numbers,
All, many, few, some, any, several, certain.

c). Distributive Numeral Adjectives, which refer to each one of a number, as
Each boy must take his turn.
England expects every man to do his duty.
Either pen will do.

Adjectives of Quantity
I ate some rice.
He has lost all his wealth.
You have no sense.

Adjectives of Number
Some boys are clever.
All men must die.
There are not enough spoons.

4. Demonstrative Adjective point out which person or thing is meant.
Example:-
That boy is clever.
These mangoes are sour.
I hate such things.

It will be noticed that this and that are used with Singular Nouns, these and those with Plural Nouns.

5. Interrogative Adjective - What, which and whose when they are used with nouns to ask questions.
Example:-
What manner of man is he?
Whose book is this?
Which way shall we go?