Adjective Rules - English Grammar

What is Adjective?

An adjective is a word used with a noun (or a pronoun) to add something for its meaning. The adjective may be used

Attributively: when it is used along with the noun as an epithet or attribute. For example:

There were dark clouds in the sky.

Predicatively: when it forms part of the predicate. For example: 

The clouds in the sky were dark.

Kinds of Adjectives

1. Adjective of Quality: Also known as Descriptive Adjective, it shows the kind of quality of a person or a thing. For example:

He loves her soft skin.

2. Adjective of Quantity: It is an adjective which shows how much of a thing is meant. For example:

There is little sense in it.

3. Adjective of Number: Also known as Numeral Adjective, it shows how many persons or things are meant, or in what order a person or a thing stands. For example:

The face of a clock has sixty divisions.

Numeral Adjectives are of three kinds:

(i) Definite Numeral Adjective: It denotes an exact number. It may be a cardinal denoting how many; as, one, two, three, etc. It may be an ordinal denoting the order, as first, second, third etc. For example:

It is a twenty-kilometre walk.

(ii) Indefinite Numeral Adjective : It does not denote an exact number. For example:

There are many petitions lying on the tables.

(iii) Distributive Numeral Adjective: It refers to each one of a number. Distributive numeral adjectives are the same as distributive pronouns (see Pronoun). They only differ in function. For example:

Each time he missed the bus.

5. Interrogative Adjective: When an interrogative pronoun is used with a noun to ask a question, it is called an interrogative adjective. For example:

What options are available after graduation?

6. Exclamatory adjective: It is used with a noun in-exclamatory sentence. For example:

What a show!

Rule I: The adjective is correctly used with a verb when some quality of the subject rather than of the action of the verb, is to be expressed. For example:

Incorrect: Flowers were plucked freshly.

Correct: Flowers were plucked fresh.

Rule II: Due to and prior to should be used as predicative adjectives. When prepositional functions are to be performed, use because of in place of due to, and before in place of prior to. For example:

Incorrect: Wickets fell due to superb bowling.

Correct: Wickets fell because of superb bowling.

Definite Numeral Adjective

Rule III: When a number together with a unit of measurement is to be used as an adjective, it is a compound word and the unit of measurement is taken in the singular. For example:

Incorrect: It is a twenty-kilometres walk.

Correct: It is a twenty-kilometre walk.

Rule IV: Definite Numeral Adjective always takes plural countable noun. For example:

Incorrect: When I was in Punjab, I had twenty money.

Correct: When I was in Punjab, I had twenty rupees.

Rule V: If in a sentence one noun is used for all ordinals and the first ordinal has 'the' while, other not, the noun will be in the plural. For example:

Incorrect: I have read the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth century.

Correct: I have read the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Indefinite Numeral Adjective

Rule VI: Many takes plural noun while "Many a/an singular noun. For example:

Incorrect: He has observed many an uncommon phenomena.

Correct: He has observed many an uncommon phenomenon.

Rule VII: The few is used before plural countable noun and the little before uncountable noun. Both follow a clause. For example:

Incorrect: I gave the beggar a little coins I had.

Correct: I gave the beggar the few coins I had.

Rule VIII: The plural forms these and those are often wrongly used with the singular nouns kind and sort. For example:

Incorrect: These kind of clothes are not acceptable.

Correct: This kind of clothes are not acceptable.