There are 8 types of adjectives in English grammar with examples and they include proper, descriptive, quantitative, numeral, demonstrative, distributive, interrogative and possessive.
An adjective is one of eight parts of speech. Parts of speech are the fundamental building blocks of the English language. It’s important that you recognize these parts of speech. Once you understand how adjectives work in a sentence, you will find writing and speaking much more enjoyable. Below are the 8 types of adjectives in English grammar with examples!
8 Types of Adjectives
- Proper Adjectives
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Quantitative Adjectives
- Numeral Adjectives
- Demonstrative Adjectives
- Distributive Adjectives
- Interrogative Adjectives
- Possessive Adjectives
8 Types of Adjectives With Examples
- The English language is widely spoken in the world (Proper Adjective)
- The brave soldier returned from battle a hero. (Descriptive Adjective)
- How much bread did you eat for breakfast? (Quantitative Adjective)
- She gave six lollies to the students. (Numeral Adjective)
- I love those photographs of the mountains. (Demonstrative Adjective)
- Each soldier had his own rifle (Distributive Adjective)
- What type of music should I play at the wedding? (Interrogative Adjective)
- Their belongings were stolen from the motel room. (Possessive Adjective)
1. Proper Adjectives
Definition of Proper Adjectives: Proper adjectives are words that modify nouns and pronouns and proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.
Examples of Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives in the Same Sentence:
- I live in Japan (proper noun) and I love Japanese (proper adjective) food.
- I play football in Italy (proper noun) and I belong to the Italian (proper adjective) team.
- I traveled to America (proper noun) and I drove an American (proper adjective) car.
- While in Africa, (proper noun) I heard the African (proper adjective) drums.
- Shakespeare (proper noun) was a great writer and I had the privilege of performing in a Shakespearean (proper adjective) play.
Examples of Proper Adjectives:
- I studied Shakespearean sonnets in my English course.
- My wife loves Chinese food.
- Marxist philosophers detest capitalism.
- My house was built in the Elizabethan era.
- David likes Christian music.
2. Descriptive Adjectives
Definition of Descriptive Adjectives: Descriptive adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns.
Descriptive adjectives are used to describe different qualities of the noun or pronoun that is being modified, such as smell, taste, texture, appearance and shape.
Examples of Descriptive Adjectives:
- Rachel is an attractive person.
- Jonathan bought an expensive vehicle.
- Darcy bought Rachel a diamond ring.
- The tall woman stood out in the crowd.
- I had the opportunity to see a solar eclipse during the week.
- She was attractive.
NOTE: A regular descriptive adjective usually appears next to the word it modifies (see the first 5 examples above).
A predicate adjective comes after a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence (see last example above and examples below).
- The woman is tall.
- The house is clean.
- The student is intelligent.
- The painting is beautiful.
- The car is expensive.
3. Quantitative Adjectives
Definition of Quantitative Adjectives: Quantitative adjectives are words that qualify a noun or pronoun by quantity. These words answer the question “how much?”
Here are some common quantitative adjectives: (no, little, much, sufficient, enough)
Examples of Quantitative Adjectives:
- The scientists didn’t have much time to complete the project.
- I have sufficient money for my annual holidays.
- People don’t get enough exercise these days.
- These eye-witness testimonies have no significance to the case in question.
- Jonathan drank little water during the marathon.
4. Numeral Adjectives
Definition of Numeral Adjectives: Numeral adjectives are words that describe the number of nouns or the order of nouns being described. Numeral adjectives tell how many or how much or in what order the noun is in.
Examples of Numeral Adjectives:
- There are seven days in a week.
- I had two tins of paint in the shed.
- The second speaker held the crowd with his message.
- Rachel bought three dresses at the shopping mall.
- Brad was the first student to receive an award for the best player at the games.
NOTE: There are three kinds of numeral adjectives – definite numeral adjectives, indefinite numeral adjectives and distributive numeral adjectives.
Examples of Definite Numeral Adjectives:
Definite numeral adjectives use cardinal numbers (how many) and ordinal numbers (what order they are in).
- Three students came to class late. (cardinal number)
- The third student had the best excuse. (ordinal number)
- There were six people who apply for the new position at the company. (cardinal number)
- The sixth applicant got the job. (ordinal number)
- There were seven runners in the race. (cardinal number)
- The first place runner was the youngest of the seven. (ordinal number)
Examples of Indefinite Numeral Adjectives:
Indefinite numeral adjectives qualify nouns and pronouns by number and answer the question “how many?” Indefinite numeral adjectives give an idea as to how many but they are not specific.
- There are several questions that need to be answered in order to close this case.
- I have some considerations to discuss with you.
- Many businesses were affected by the recent downturn.
- All players reacted negatively to the referee’s decision.
- Some books are essential reading for this subject.
NOTE: Don’t confuse quantitative adjectives (how much?) with indefinite numeral adjectives (how many?)
Examples of quantitative and indefinite numeral adjectives:
- Some sugar is good for you. (quantitative – how much?)
- Some people never get the point. (indefinite numeral – how many?)
- All the money in world will not get you out of this situation. (quantitative – how much?)
- All schools are responsible for their budgets. (indefinite numeral – how many?)
Examples of Distributive Numeral Adjectives:
Distributive numeral adjectives tell something about the group.
- Each hand has five fingers.
- Every child needs love.
- Either method is correct.
- Neither method is wrong.
- Every player needs direction.
5. Demonstrative Adjectives
Definition of Demonstrative Adjectives: Demonstrative adjectives are words used to express the relative position of a noun in time or space.
Here are the four demonstrative adjectives: (this, that, these, those)
Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives:
- Will you give me that hammer on the workbench?
- This knife is sharper than that knife.
- I want those shoes for my birthday.
- These flowers are very beautiful.
- Those children were mean to Rachel.
NOTE: Demonstrative adjectives are singular and plural.
Singular demonstrative adjectives: (this, that)
Plural demonstrative adjectives: (these, those)
NOTE: Demonstrative adjectives convey space or time.
Near in space and time: (this, these)
Far in space and time: (that, those)
Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives Conveying Space and Time:
- This water is hot but that water is cold. (space)
- These toys are new but those toys are old. (space)
- I will never forget this case but that case is another story. (time)
- I will make these decisions now but those decisions later. (time)
NOTE: You will need to distinguish demonstrative adjectives from demonstrative pronouns.
Demonstrative adjectives describe nouns whereas demonstrative pronouns replace nouns.
Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns in the Same Sentence:
- These (adjective) knives are sharper than those. (pronoun)
- This (pronoun) is cheaper than that (adjective) dress.
- These (adjective) pencils are expensive but those (pronoun) are not.
- This (adjective) watch is mine but that (pronoun) is not.
6. Distributive Adjectives
Definition of Distributive Adjectives: Distributive adjectives are words used to refer to members of a group as individuals.
There are only four distributive adjectives (each, every, either, neither) and they are similar to distributive numeral adjectives (see above).
Examples of Distributive Adjectives:
- Each child in the club had access to the refrigerator.
- Every student was asked to keep their desk tidy.
- Either side of the river is safe.
- Neither person had the strength to lift the required weighs.
- Each parent was given a brochure promoting the school.
NOTE: Don’t confuse distributive adjectives and pronouns. Pronouns take the place of nouns. Adjectives modify nouns.
Examples of Distributive Adjectives and Pronouns:
- I gave them each a copy of the script. (pronoun)
- Each request will be given careful consideration. (adjective)
- We can each choose our own subject for research. (pronoun)
- Neither program was printed correctly. (adjective)
- There were two witness but neither would make a statement. (pronoun)
7. Interrogative Adjectives
Definition of Interrogative Adjectives: Interrogative adjectives are words used to modify nouns by asking questions.
Here are three interrogative adjectives: (what, whose, which)
Examples of Interrogative Adjectives:
- What book is that?
- Which book do you like best?
- Whose shoes are they?
- Will you tell me which house belongs to the Jones family?
- Whose cup was left on the table after morning tea?
NOTE: Don’t confuse interrogative adjectives with interrogative pronouns. Pronouns take the place of nouns and stand alone. Adjectives modify nouns.
Examples of Interrogative Adjectives and Pronouns:
- Which car would you prefer to purchase? (adjective)
- Which came first, the chicken or the egg? (pronoun)
- What are you buying for your wife this week? (pronoun)
- What present do you think you will get for Christmas? (adjective)
- Whose are these books? (pronoun)
- Whose books are these? (adjective)
8. Possessive Adjectives
Definition of Possessive Adjectives: Possessive adjectives are words that sit before nouns to show ownership.
Here are some common possessive adjectives: (my, your, his, her, its, our, their)
Examples of Possessive Adjectives:
- I walked to my school this morning.
- I put her money in a safe place.
- When will your brother return home?
- We kicked the ball in their backyard.
- He came with our family to the football game.
There are 8 types of adjective in English grammar with examples. Once you recognize them, you will become more confident in your writing and speaking assignments.
Table – 8 Types of Adjectives With Examples
| Number | Types | Example Adjectives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proper | American, English |
| 2 | Descriptive | attractive, expensive |
| 3 | Quantitative | little, sufficient |
| 4 | Numeral | six, first, several, all, every |
| 5 | Demonstrative | this, that, these, those |
| 6 | Distributive | each, every, either, neither |
| 7 | Interrogative | what, whose, which |
| 8 | Possessive | my, your, his, her, its, our, their |
Remember that there are 8 types of adjectives in English grammar with examples and they include proper, descriptive, quantitative, numeral, demonstrative, distributive, interrogative and possessive.
More Information About Adjectives
You can learn more about coordinate adjectives by reading the following article I wrote on – What are Coordinate Adjectives?
You can learn more about cumulative adjective by reading the following article I wrote on – What are Cumulative Adjectives?
