An adjective is a word that describes, identifies, modifies, or quantifies something (a noun or a pronoun). In the phrase, “the black cat” the word black is an adjective because it describes the cat.
In English, an adjective usually comes before the noun it pertains to (for example, a red apple or a cute cat.).
Adjectives can be classified into many categories. In English, adjectives are generally used in the order: quantity–>opinion–>size–>age–>shape–>color–>origin–>material–>purpose. Some of these categories are (roughly in the order in which adjectives are used in English):
- quantity – few, no, one, two, three, four, several, many, all, some, every, each, …
- opinion – good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, valuable, worthless, useful, useless, important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, lovely, disgusting, amazing, surprising, loathesome, unusual, usual, pointless, …
- personality/emotion – happy, sad, excited, scared, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, blissful, lonely, elated, …
- sound – loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispered, hushed, …
- taste – sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable, yummy, luscious, appetizing, tasteless, spicy, watery, …
- touch – hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, …
- size, weight – heavy, light, big, small, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny, skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, …
- smell – perfumed, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty, sweet-smelling,…
- speed – quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, …
- temperature – hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, …
- age – young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, …
- distance – short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, …
- shape – round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, …
- miscellaneous qualities– full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, …
- brightness – light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous, gleaming, …
- color – pink, red, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, …
- time – early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed, punctual, …
- origin/location – lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Canadian, Mexican, French, Irish, English, Australian, …
- material – glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, china, metal, steel, …
- purpose – folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, …
Example of the Sequence of Multiple Adjectives in Chart Form:
| QUANTITY | OPINION | SIZE | AGE | SHAPE | COLOR | ORIGIN | MATERIAL | PURPOSE | NOUN |
| five | huge | young | black | Canadian | bears | ||||
| battered | old | shapeless | gray | cotton | work | pants | |||
| many | magnificent | antique | British | reference | books | ||||
| one | studious | teenaged | American | boy | |||||
| few | shiny | round | blue | Indian | gems | ||||
| many | well-made | tiny | elongated | brown | wooden | fishing | boats | ||
| several | cheap | large | purple | polyester | sleeping | bags |
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