English Adjective

Adjectives are words that are used to modify a noun. 
For example: 

hot weather (the adjective "hot" describes the noun 
"weather") 

There are three kinds of adjectives known as the positive, 
comparative, and superlative forms, as in green, greener, 
greenest.   


Adjectives can be grouped into seven categories:
1) nouns as adjectives
2) adjectives that modify an object
3) numbers as adjectives
4) pronouns and articles as adjectives
5) multiple adjectives
6) compound adjectives
7) adjectives used as nouns


1. Nouns as adjectives

a. A noun can be used to qualify (or describe) another noun, 
as in goose feathers, in which case there are no comparative 
or superlative forms such as "gooser" or "goosest."

b. Some nouns can be made into an adjective by adding an 
ending such as -ish, -like, -ly, -y, -en, -al, -ar, -ory. For 
examples:

Jack acts in a childish manner.
My, what a manly figure she has.
Mary's teeth are yellowish in color.
They were sitting at a wooden table.
Joe works at the computer consulting company.
What a wonderful show!
Their program is going through a transitory period.

Often, the endings -en and -al will be dropped, and the noun 
form will be used by itself, as in oak table, wool shirt, and 
coast line.  


2. Adjectives that modify an object

a. Adjectives such as 'like' and 'worth' may be used to modify 
objects. For examples:

This food tastes like soap.
Her computer is worth 10 dollars.

b. Sometimes prepositions like "of" and "with" are used to form 
adjectives. For examples:

She is afraid of cats.
Parents should not be impatient with kids.   


3. Numbers as adjectives

Any words related to number are considered adjectives, including  
"two," "twenty," "few," "many," "dozen," "third," and so on. 


4. Pronouns and articles as adjectives

a. Pronouns such as "this," "that," and "those" used to modify a 
noun are called demonstrative adjectives.

b. Possessive pronouns such as "my," "your," and "his" used to 
modify a noun are called possessive adjectives.

c. Articles such as "a," "an," and "the" are also adjectives. 


5. Multiple adjectives

When using more than one adjective to modify a noun, the 
adjectives may be separated by a conjunction or by commas. 
For examples:

Her teeth are strong and beautiful. 
She has strong, beautiful teeth. 


6. Compound adjectives

a. Nouns and adjectives may be combined to modify another noun, 
in which case the word can be hyphenated (although the hyphen is 
often a matter of personal preference). For examples:

He is a warm-hearted guy.
Jack is empty-headed at night.

b. Past participles of verbs can also be used as adjectives, such 
as native born, foreign made, soft spoken, warmly dressed, well 
behaved, and so on. 

 
7. Adjectives used as nouns

It is possible to use an adjective as a noun by simply using the 
adjective as the subject and omitting the noun it modifies. 
Usually, adjectives used as nouns refer to a specific quality 
shared by a group (the rich) or a specific human characteristic 
shared by a group of people (the stupid). For examples:

We moderns are to the ancients what the poor are to the rich.


Comparatives and Superlatives of Adjectives  


The comparative is the second or middle degree of comparison 
in adjectives while the superlative is the third or highest 
degree of comparison in adjectives. 


The comparative and superlative degrees are formed by adding 
the -er and -est suffix to adjectives with a single 
consonant for an ending. 

-------------------------------- 
Root 	Comparative  Superlative 
--------------------------------
big  	bigger  	 biggest 
--------------------------------

Adjectives ending in -y drop the -y and add an -ier 
in the comparative degree and an -iest in the superlative degree: 

----------------------------------------------------
Root 		Comparative  	Superlative 
----------------------------------------------------
dry  		drier  		driest 
----------------------------------------------------

Adjectives ending in the silent or mute -e drop the 
ending -e and add the -er for the comparative and the -est for 
the superlative: 

-----------------------------------------------------
Root 		 Comparative  		Superlative 
-----------------------------------------------------
pale  		paler  			palest 
free  		freer  			freest 
-----------------------------------------------------
 
Degrees of comparison can also be distinguished with the use of 
more and most: more clever; most clever 

Irregular adjectives: 

------------------------------------------------------
Root 		Comparative  		Superlative 
------------------------------------------------------
good  		better  		best 
bad  		worse  			worst 
much  		more  			most 
little  	less  			least 
far  		farther			farthest
		further  		furthest 
old  		older 			oldest
 		elder			eldest 
------------------------------------------------------