Adjectives

What are Adjectives?

Adjectives describe the qualities or quantities of nouns.

Example: Sally wore the blue dress.
Example: Several piranhas swam in the Amazon River.
Example: The crazy cat lady had fourteen cats.
Example: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

In the above examples, the adjectives directly precede the nouns they modify.

Predicate adjectives

A predicate adjective is an adjective that is connected to a noun by a linking verb.

Example: Sally felt sleepy.
Example: The flower is pink.
Example: She seemed happy, but I couldn’t be certain.
Example: The sky looked beautiful at twilight.

Adjectives for comparisons

Adjectives fall under three categories: absolute, comparative, and superlative. Comparative and superlative adjectives are used to make comparisons.

Absolute adjectives

Absolute adjectives are regular adjectives and are used when no comparison is being made.

Example: The hamburger was good.
Example: The sky was blue.
Example: The smart student studied for the test.

Comparative adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used when two or more nouns are being compared. The nouns being compared may be implied.

When an adjective is one or two syllables long, add the suffix -er to make the comparative word form.

Example: Your father was happy to see you, but your mother was even happier.
Example: The fast runner completed a mile in ten minutes.
Example: The faster runner completed a mile in nine minutes.
Example: The muffin was sweet.
Example: The cupcake was sweeter.

When an adjective is one or two syllables long and ends in the letter y, remove the y and add the suffix -ier to make the comparative word form.

Example: The lazy dog went to sleep after his walk.
Example: The lazier dog wouldn’t even stand up.
Example: The syrup was sticky.
Example: The honey was stickier.

When an adjective is three or more syllables long, the word more precedes the adjective.

Example: The courteous passenger didn’t put his legs up on the back of my seat.
Example: The more courteous passenger offered me his window seat.
Example: The flower is beautiful.
Example: You are more beautiful.

Superlative adjectives

Superlative adjectives are used for comparisons when a noun has the most extreme quality possible among the things being compared. The nouns being compared may be implied.

When an adjective is one or two syllables long, add the suffix -est to make the superlative word form.

Example: Your father was happy to see you, and your mother was even happier, but your cat, Mister Fluffers, was the happiest of them all.
Example: The fast runner completed a mile in under ten minutes.
Example: The faster runner completed a mile in under nine minutes.
Example: The fastest runner completed a mile in under four minutes.
Example: The muffin was sweet.
Example: The cupcake was sweeter.
Example: The cotton candy was the sweetest.

When an adjective is one or two syllables long and ends in the letter y, remove the y and add the suffix -iest to make the superlative word form.

Example: The lazy dog went to sleep after his walk.
Example: The lazier dog wouldn’t even stand up.
Example: The laziest dog wasn’t even awake.
Example: The syrup was sticky.
Example: The honey was stickier.
Example: The glue was stickiest.

When an adjective is three or more syllables long, the word most precedes the adjective.

Example: The courteous passenger didn’t put his legs up on the back of my seat.
Example: The more courteous passenger offered me his window seat.
Example: The most courteous passenger offered to carry my bags for me.
Example: The flower was beautiful.
Example: You are more beautiful.
Example: The bowl of mac & cheese is most beautiful.

When making a negative superlative comparison, the word least precedes the adjective regardless of its syllable length.

Example: She wanted the bitter cup of coffee.
Example: She wanted the less bitter cup of coffee.
Example: She wanted the least bitter cup of coffee.
Example: The adventurous child explored the swamp.
Example: The less adventurous child explored the neighborhood.
Example: The least adventurous child explored the fridge.

Some adjectives have unique comparative and superlative word forms.

Example: The first contestant was good.
Example: The second contestant was better.
Example: The third contestant was the best.
Example: The first contestant was bad.
Example: The second contestant was worse.
Example: The third contestant was the worst.

Coordinate adjectives

When multiple adjectives describe the same noun, they may or may not be coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are two or more adjectives of equal importance that modify the same noun.

When you use coordinate adjectives to modify a noun, the adjectives must be separated by a comma or the word and if they appear next to each other. Coordinate adjectives can be listed in any order.

Example: Cassandra was thoughtful and intelligent.
Example: Cassandra was intelligent and thoughtful.
Example: The hot, humid day seemed to drag on forever.
Example: The humid, hot day seemed to drag on forever.

In the above examples, both pairs of adjectives are coordinate because they modify the same nouns and are of equal importance.

For adjectives that are not coordinate, the adjective that is more innate to the noun should be closest to the noun.

Correct: We helped repair the town’s six brick cottages.
Incorrect: We helped repair the town’s brick six cottages.

In the above example, the construction of the cottages is more innate to the cottages than their number—the cottages are brick cottages before they are six cottages.