Descriptive Adjectives | Basic Grammar for IELTS PDF Download

Descriptive Adjective: Definition, Types, Functions and Examples

Descriptive Adjective

In English Grammar, numerous elements aid in constructing grammatically correct sentences. The English language can be intricate, prompting the use of various techniques to simplify comprehension. Below is an in-depth explanation of the descriptive adjective, encompassing its functions, types, and illustrative examples.

Functions of Descriptive Adjective

• Descriptive adjectives modify or describe nouns or pronouns, providing more information about their attributes.
• They enhance the quality of the noun or pronoun they refer to, aiding in painting a clearer picture in the reader's mind.
• These adjectives help in distinguishing between different nouns or pronouns by highlighting specific characteristics.

Types of Descriptive Adjective

• Adjectives of quality describe the characteristics or qualities of a noun or pronoun, such as 'beautiful' or 'intelligent'.
• Adjectives of quantity indicate the amount or quantity of the noun or pronoun they modify, like 'many' or 'few'.
• Demonstrative adjectives point out specific nouns or pronouns, e.g., 'this', 'that', 'these', 'those'.
• Comparative and superlative adjectives show degrees of comparison, such as 'taller' (comparative) and 'tallest' (superlative).

Examples of Descriptive Adjective

• The beautiful sunset painted the sky in hues of orange and pink.
• She found a delicious recipe in the cookbook.
• This old house holds many memories within its walls.

What is a Descriptive Adjective?

• Descriptive adjectives provide additional information about a noun by indicating its size, color, or appearance.
• They describe people, objects, animals, or places in a sentence.
• Their main purpose is to accurately describe properties of the noun or modify its meaning.

Importance of Descriptive Adjectives

• Adjectives significantly impact both verbal and written communication by enhancing the information conveyed.
• They play a crucial role in providing vivid details and creating a clearer picture for the audience.

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

• Example 1: The big house stood at the end of the street.
• Example 2: She wore a beautiful dress to the party.

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

• My closet contains tops in shades of yellow, blue, and purple.

My closet holds tops that come in colors like yellow, blue, and purple.

• A selection of very old and valuable items is on display in this museum.

This museum showcases items that are both very old and highly valuable.

• I requested a small, sturdy red laptop from my mother.

From my mother, I asked for a red laptop that is both compact and robust.

• I made a purchase of a costly new smartphone.

I recently bought a brand-new smartphone that was quite expensive.

• John embodies authenticity and a strong work ethic.

John is known for being a truly genuine and hardworking individual.

The Function of Adjectives

• Adjectives in English have various roles within a sentence.

Adjectives Function as Nouns

• When we describe groups of individuals, some adjectives can function as nouns themselves.
• For example, instead of saying "ill individuals," we can simply say "the sick" to refer to them.
• In this case, the noun that the adjective describes is omitted, and the adjective takes its place as a noun.

Adjectives can form Comparisons

• Certain adjectives like "tall" and "quick" in English allow for making comparisons between two or more objects.
• To make these comparisons, we often add the suffixes '-er' or '-est' to the end of the adjectives.

Adjectives - Enhancing and Diminishing Nouns

• Adjectives Enhancing Nouns

  Adjectives play a crucial role in intensifying the impact of nouns they describe. By using adjectives like "absolute," we can significantly amplify the strength and significance of the noun they are attached to. For instance, in the phrase "it was an absolute success," the adjective "absolute" emphasizes the exceptional nature of the success.

• Adjectives Diminishing Nouns

  Some adjectives are employed not to enhance but to diminish the impact of nouns. These adjectives are used to soften the intensity of the noun they modify. For example, by adding the qualifier "very" to the adjective "boring" in the phrase "he is quite uninteresting," we reduce the negative impact of the word "boring," portraying the person in a less negative light.

How to Identify Descriptive Adjectives in a Sentence?

Understanding adjectives is crucial for identifying them in sentences. Let's delve deeper into this process:

Step 1: Spot the Subject, Verb, and Object

• Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object in a sentence like "Jessica wants to have a beautiful garden."
• Break down the sentence: Jessica wants to have a beautiful garden.

Step 2: Analyze the Object for Descriptive Adjectives

• Focus on the Object and determine its attributes in relation to a noun.
• Ask questions like "Which type of garden?" to unveil descriptive adjectives.
• Example: In "Which type of garden? - beautiful," 'beautiful' is the descriptive adjective.

• The new motorcycle is smaller than the old one.
• The latest smartphone is more expensive than other models.
• My new shirts are softer than my other shirts.
• My new watch is cheaper than the previous one.
• Some of the students can run faster than the other students.

Simple Descriptive Adjectives

Adjectives that are simple or common are the same thing as basic adjectives. They are made up of a single common word, as opposed to a proper noun. These, much like the rest of the descriptive adjectives, may be combined with other adjectives to form new combinations.

• Adorable
• Adventurous
• Agreeable
• Alive
• Aloof
• Amused
• Angry
• Annoying
• Anxious
• Arrogant
• Ashamed
• Attractive
• Auspicious
• Awful
• Bad
• Beautiful
• Black
• Blue
• Blushing
• Bored
• Brave
• Bright
• Brown
• Busy
• Calm
• Careful
• Cautious
• Charming
• Cheerful
• Clean
• Clear
• Clumsy
• Colorful
• Comfortable
• Concerning
• Condemned
• Confusing
• Cooperative
• Courageous
• Creepy
• Crowded
• Cruel
• Curios
• Cute
• Dangerous
• Dark
• Defiant
• Delightful
• Difficult
• Disgusting
• Distinct
• DisturbedAdjective Definition
• Dizzying
• Drab
• Dull
• Eager
• Easy
• Elated
• Elegant
• Embarrassed
• Enchanted
• Encouraging
• Energetic
• Enthusiastic
• Envious
• Evil
• Exciting
• Expensive

Some examples of sentences

Adjectives

• I have a preference for motorcycles colored in blue.
• Tom experiences fear when it comes to heights.
• An expansive farmhouse is owned by him.
• Jim possesses a circular wooden coffee table.

Compound Descriptive Adjectives

Compound adjectives consist of multiple words and are used to describe a single noun or pronoun. Typically, they are hyphenated. Here are some examples:

• Baby-faced
• Broken-hearted
• Bull-headed
• Freckle-faced
• Full-time
• Heavy-handed
• High-heeled
• High-spirited
• Life-giving
• Long-lasting
• Long-winded
• Middle-aged
• Mouth-watering
• Never-ending
• Next-door
• Old-fashioned
• Part-time
• Red-blooded
• Self-centered
• Short-haired
• Short-tempered
• Sure-footed
• Thick-skinned
• Thought-provoking
• Tight-fisted
• Well-known
• Well-read
• World-famous

Example Sentences

• Murli demonstrates left-handed bowling skills.
• Kamal exhibits a short-tempered nature.
• This opportunity proves to be life-giving in this scenario.
• Raj frequently talks excessively about himself, displaying self-centered behavior.

• Murli is a bowler who predominantly uses their left hand for bowling.
• Kamal is characterized by having a quick and fiery temper.
• When considering this particular situation, it presents a significant and life-changing opportunity.
• Raj tends to excessively focus on himself in conversations, displaying traits of being self-absorbed.

List of Words Describing Actions and States in Various Time Frames

Below is an extensive compilation of words that describe various qualities and conditions, suitable for your writing:

• Charming: Delightfully attractive or pleasant in character.
• Dreadful: Extremely unpleasant or shocking.
• Enormous: Exceptionally large in size or extent.
• Jovial: Cheerful and friendly in manner.
• Moody: Subject to unpredictable changes in mood.

English Vocabulary

Below are some words used to describe people in English:

• Beige
• Bumpy
• Comical
• Congenial
• Cordial
• Crazy
• Crooked
• Decayed
• Delicious
• Determined
• Dilapidated
• Distraught
• Dim
• Dizzy
• Dreadful
• Droll
• Elderly
• Emaciated
• Enormous
• Exultant
• Fancy
• Fantastic
• Filthy
• Flat
• Fresh
• Friendly
• Fuzzy
• Ghastly
• Gigantic
• Glamorous
• Gleaming
• Greasy
• Green
• Glorious
• Gorgeous
• Grubby
• Grumpy
• Handsome
• Helpless
• High
• Hollow
• Homely
• Horrific
• Hot
• Icy
• Ideal
• Immense
• Irate
• Irritable
• Itchy
• Jealous
• Jittery
• Jocular
• Juicy
• Jumbo
• Jumpy
• Kind
• Knotty
• Knowledgeable
• Large
• Lazy
• Lethal
• Little
• Lively
• Lonely
• Low
• Ludicrous
• Magnificent
• Mammoth
• Massive
• Miniature
• Miniscule
• Minute
• Misty
• Modern
• Moody
• Muddy
• Mysterious
• Narrow
• Nasty
• Naughty
• Nervous
• Nonsensical
• Nutritious
• Obedient
• Oblivious
• Obnoxious
• Octagonal
• Odd
• Opulent
• Orange
• Outrageous
• Petite
• Plain
• Pleasant
• Poised
• Pompous
• Precious
• Proud
• Pungent
• Purple
• Quick
• Quiet
• Quizzical
• Rainy
• Rectangular
• Red
• Relieved
• Repulsive
• Ripe
• Robust
• Rotten
• Rough
• Round
• Salty
• Sarcastic
• Selfish
• Shaky
• Sharp
• Short
• Silky
• Silly
• Skinny
• Slimy
• Slippery
• Small
• Smarmy
• Smiling
• Smooth
• Smug
• Sparkling
• Stale
• Steep
• Sticky
• Strange
• Stunning
• Tan
• Tart
• Teak
• Tender
• Tense
• Terrible
• Thick
• Thoughtful
• Thoughtless
• Triangular
• Thrilled
• Tight
• Ugly
• Unbelievable
• Upset
• Unimaginable
• Unsightly
• Unusual
• Uptight
• Vast

• Descriptive Adjective Rules

• Placement

  Descriptive adjectives are usually positioned before the noun or pronoun they describe. For instance, instead of saying "a garden beautiful," we say "a beautiful garden."

• Order of Adjectives

  When several adjectives are used to depict a noun, there exists a typical order for their placement. This sequence typically includes opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose. For example, we say "a small old house" or "a beautiful red rose."

• No Comma

  In most cases, adjectives don't need commas between them when they come before a noun. For instance, instead of "a happy, energetic child," we should say "a happy and energetic child."

• Exceptions with Commas

  Commas are used with coordinate adjectives, which can be interchanged without altering the meaning. For instance, "a big, red ball" and "a red, big ball" convey the same idea.

• Hyphenation

  Certain compound adjectives are hyphenated when they precede a noun to create a singular descriptive unit. For instance, instead of saying "a well known author," we say "a well-known author."

Adjective Usage Rules

• Hyphenation: Some compound adjectives are hyphenated when they appear before a noun to create a single descriptive unit. For example, "a well-known author" or "a two-year-old child."
• Agreement: Adjectives should agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. For instance, "a happy child" (singular) and "happy children" (plural).
• Use of Articles: Articles like "a," "an," or "the" can appear before descriptive adjectives. For example, "an interesting book" or "the blue sky."
• Comparative and Superlative Forms: Adjectives often have comparative (e.g., "bigger") and superlative (e.g., "biggest") forms when comparing nouns. For instance, "the tallest building" or "a more interesting story."
• Proper Adjectives: These adjectives are derived from proper nouns (names) and are capitalized. For example, "American culture" or "French cuisine."
• Demonstrative Adjectives: Words like "this," "that," "these," and "those" can also function as descriptive adjectives when they specify or point to specific nouns. For example, "I want this book."

Descriptive Adjectives Practise Exercise

Fill in the correct descriptive adjectives in the sentences provided:

• Sherry has long ___ hair.
• The ___ girl arrived out of nowhere.
• My diet consists mostly of ___ foods.
• The ___ boy made fun of the young children in the classroom.
• The ___ approached the young girl and requested money.
• That ____ girl is my friend's sister.
• The ___ boy broke his ankle.

Answers:

• 1. black
• 2. tall
• 3. plant-based
• 4. mischievous
• 5. old lady
• 6. Beautiful
• 7. handsome

We trust you have found this exercise informative. This can serve as a valuable reference when you seek vibrant adjectives for your writing, enhancing its vividness.

Also Check:

• Adjectives List in English
• List of Descriptive Adjectives
• Quantitative Adjective
• Possessive Adjectives
• List and Examples of Indefinite Adjectives
• Difference Between Noun and Adjective
• Interrogative Adjective

• Frequently Asked Questions on Descriptive Adjectives

  • What exactly are Descriptive Adjectives?

    Descriptive adjectives help to explain and characterize nouns or pronouns by highlighting their qualities. For instance, words like "flat," "round," "brighter," and even "crunchiest" fall under this category.

  • What's the essence of Descriptive Adjectives?

    Descriptive adjectives serve the purpose of detailing how something or someone appears, sounds, or behaves. They enable us to vividly describe the world around us.

  • Could you provide some examples of Descriptive Adjectives?

    • It was the gray cat.
    • I bought red potatoes.
    • There were few cars.
    • Most people like ice cream.
    • I used a wooden spoon.
    • I like black coffee.

  • Why are Descriptive Adjectives important?

    Descriptive adjectives play a crucial role in making any form of communication engaging and stimulating. They add depth and color to our expressions.

Q5. How to Identify Descriptive Adjectives in a Sentence?

• In proper English usage, adjectives typically precede the nouns they describe. For example, we say "tall man" before "man" and "easy task" before "assignment."
• However, it's also possible for adjectives to come after the nouns they describe.

Q6. Placement of Descriptive Adjectives in a Sentence

• Descriptive adjectives are positioned before nouns or pronouns to offer additional information about them.
• For instance, phrases like "red apple" or "beautiful house" exemplify the use of descriptive adjectives.

Q7. 20 Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

• Beautiful
• Tall
• Red
• Smart
• Ancient
• Square
• Delicious
• Friendly
• Fast
• Modern
• Shiny
• Frightening
• Noisy
• Scented
• Slippery
• Cozy
• Gigantic
• Hilarious
• Fragile
• Mysterious

Q8. Definition and Example of Descriptive Adjectives

• A descriptive adjective is a term that describes a noun by providing more details about its qualities or characteristics.
• For instance, in the phrase "red apple," the word "red" acts as a descriptive adjective, indicating the color of the apple.

Q9. What is a descriptive adjective kind?

Descriptive adjectives come in various kinds based on what they describe:

• Color (e.g., red)
• Size (e.g., small)
• Shape (e.g., round)
• Age (e.g., old)
• Material (e.g., wooden)
• Origin (e.g., Italian)
• Quality (e.g., beautiful)
• Quantity (e.g., many)
• Emotional State (e.g., happy)
• Condition (e.g., healthy)

Descriptive adjectives are words that modify or describe a noun or pronoun by providing more information about their attributes. They serve to give a clearer picture of the noun by answering questions like 'What kind?' or 'Which one?'

For example:

• The red apple
• A small dog
• The round table

Remember, descriptive adjectives make our language more vivid and descriptive by adding details to our sentences.

Parts of Speech English SSC/Banking

• Parts of Speech
• English
• SSC/Banking

Understanding different types of adjectives, including descriptive adjectives, is crucial for effective communication and writing. By mastering these concepts, you can enhance the quality of your language use and express yourself more clearly.