I. Definition: Adjective is a part of speech expressing quality, quantity, size, color, characteristics, … The main syntactical function of an adjective in the sentence is that of an attribute, and it may also be used as a predicate or complement.

Eg: It is a sunny day. She is beautiful.

II. Classification:

On the ground of their meaning and characteristics:

1. Demonstrative Adjectives

2. Interrogative Adjectives

3. Possessive Adjectives

4. Quantitative Adjectives

5. Qualitative Adjectives

On the ground of their complexity of form and structure:

6. Short Adjectives

7. Long Adjectives

8. Special Adjectives

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On the ground of their meaning and characteristics:

1. Demonstrative Adjectives: are the adjectives used to demonstrate things, objects, people, and phenomena.

That book is interesting. Those pens are good.

2. Interrogative Adjectives: are the adjectives used to form questions to distinguish things, objects, people, and phenomena.

What book are you reading? Which pen is your?

3. Possessive Adjectives: are the adjectives expressing the possession.

That is her book. I don’t know their names.

4. Quantitative Adjectives: are the adjectives denoting the quantity or the number.

She has many books. There is only a little water left.

5. Qualitative Adjectives: are the adjective expressing the quality, color, size, etc. of things, objects, people, and phenomena.

This is a good book. He has a dark blue suit.

On the ground of their complexity of form and structure:

6. Short Adjectives: are the adjectives which have just one or two syllables (except the derived and the borrowing adjectives)

Hot, cold, white, blue, lazy, easy, etc.

7. Long Adjectives: are the adjectives which have more than two syllables, including derived and borrowing adjectives.

Convenient, dangerous, expensive, careful, beautiful.

8. Special Adjectives: are the adjectives of which the degrees of comparison are formed in special ways.

Good – better – (the) best; Bad – worse – (the) worst;

Little – less – (the) least; Many/much – more – (the) most.

III. Formation:

1. Derived Adjectives: are adjectives formed by adding affixes to the root morphemes.

- Prefix + Adj ==> new Adj.: dis-, il-, im-, in-, ir-, un-, anti-,…:

Dishonest, illegal, impossible, inconvenient, irregular, unfair, anti-viral, …

- Noun + Suffix ==> new Adj.: -ful, -less, -ly, -y, -en, -al, -ic, -ish, -like,…:

Careful, homeless, friendly, windy, golden, educational, atomic, selfish, childlike,…

- Verb + Suffix ==> new Adj.: -able, -ible, -ive, -ing, -en (-ed),…

Drinkable, compatible, destructive, boring, broken, interested.

2. Compound Adjectives: are the adjectives formed by combining two or more free morphemes (and sometimes a derivational morpheme can be applied) together and are often written with hyphens.

N + Adj.: World famous, tax free, water proof, trouble free.

N + Past Participle : home-made, candle-lit, tongue tied.

Adj. + Adj.: dark blue, light brown.

Adj. + N : round-table, square-yard, cross-eye.

Adj. + N + ed : open-minded, warm-hearted, cold-blooded.

Adj. + Present Participle : good-looking, loose-fitting, smooth-talking, easy going.

Adv + Present Participle : long-playing, far-seeing, hard-wearing.

N + Present Participle : Time-consuming, labor-saving, mouth-watering.

Adv + Past Participle : well-done, fully-furnished.

Prep. + N : over-age, off-guard, off-hand.

IV. The Comparative Adjectives in Sentence Pattern:

1. Positive Degree of Adjectives is used to express the sameness or similarity of two or more objects, things, people and phenomena.

as + Adjective + as

My task is as easy as yours. He has many books as I do. English is as difficult as Vietnamese.

2. Comparative Degree of adjectives is used to express the differences or dissimilarity.

not so + Adj. + as

Today is not so warm as yesterday. His story is not so interesting as her story. There is no other spot so peaceful as this.

- Short Adjectives: Short Adj. + er + Than . Eg: He is stronger than I am.

- Long Adjectives: More / Less + Long Adj. + Than . Eg: She was less pleasant than I thought.

- Special Adjectives:

Good – better ; bad – worse ; far – farther / further ; old – older / elder ;

Many / much – more ; little – less ; late – later / latter ;

Eg: The weather is better than this time last year.

+ Two comparatives joined with ‘and’ ==> the ideas of general increase or decrease:

Mary is getting taller and taller.

+ “The + comparative + the” ==> cause and effect:

The more money you earn, the more money you spend.

+ “not + adj. + enough + to do” ==> differences or dissimilarity:

The food is not enough to eat. This product is not cheap enough to buy.

3. Superlative Degree of Adjectives is used to express the comparison of one person or thing with more than on others in the same group or class.

(The) + short adj. + EST : she is the cleverest student in her class.

(The) most / least + long Adj. : John is the most exciting student of all.

V. Adjective Functions:

- Used as Attribute when coming before nouns in the noun phrase:

An old house; a large room; a beautiful girl.

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- Used as Complement when being used after the linking verbs:

The child is asleep. She is fine today. I’m very glad to meet you.

VI. The Order of Adjectives in the sentence:

Quality ==> Size ==> Age ==> Shape ==> Color ==> Material ==> Origin ==> Participle etc.

Eg: A good large old rectangular brown wooden Victorian dressing table was on auction at Sotherby in London.