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An
adjective tells us something about a noun or a pronoun. It describes a
noun by answering one of these questions:
What Kind? (Qualitative
Adjective)
which one? (Demonstrative adjective);
How many/much?
(Quantitative Adjective).
Demonstrative Adjective:
The last
person, this pen, that house, those people, the other man.
Quantitative Adjective:
Few people, seven times, many chairs,
several houses, no reply.
Quantitative adjective:
A long stick, a
steep hill, a tall man, a tired player, an eager man.
Possessive
adjective:
My book, his chair, her pen, its anniversary, our houses,
their class.
Adjectives are used before some nouns and after some
verbs, especially verbs associated with the verb 'TO BE'.
He is a
clever boy.
He stayed behind because of the heavy rain.
She speaks
perfect English.
The boy is clever.
The rain is heavy.
Her
English is perfect.
Sorie looked sad when I saw him.
The man
appeared dangerous.
The message sounds interesting.
The crowd
seemed angry.
He was desperate.
When an adjective comes before a
noun or a pronoun (e.g. He is a lazy man), it is called an Attributive
Adjective. When it both completes a verb and modifies its subject (e.g.
The man is lazy) it is called a Predicate Adjective.
Interrogative
Adjectives are used to ask questions:
Which book is this?
What
force did he apply?
Proper Adjectives are formed from proper nouns and
are usually capitalized:
An Africa story, a Shakespearean drama,
Ghanaian culture.
Adjectives can show a degree of comparison:
positive, comparative and superlative. The methods may defer.
POSITIVE COMPARATIVE
SUPERLATIVE
Strong
stronger
strongest
Good/well
better
best
Bad/ill
worse
worst
Little
less
least
Many/much more most
Beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
Far farther/further farthest/furthest
A cat is strong, a dog is
stronger, but a lion is the strongest. Kambia is beautiful, Freetown is
more beautiful, and Paris is the most beautiful.
The +
Superlative
When two or more people are compared, the superlative
degree is used. It goes with the article THE
She is the greatest woman
I know.
Bill Gates is the richest man in the world.
She is the most
beautiful girl in the class.
Comparative + than
In comparing two
people, THAN is used with the comparative degree.
The chair is smaller
than the table.
Our team is stronger than theirs.
"Than" should not
be used with the positive
The chair is small than the table. (wrong)
Less and least
Less and least may be used to express negative
comparison.
Momodu is less intelligent than Samba. Momodu is the least
intelligent in the class.
Double superlative should not be used:
He is the most cleverest man I have ever seen. (wrong).
That is
the most brightest star in the sky.(wrong).
If two things we are
comparing are equal in quality, we use AS:
He is as clever as his
brother.
The first is as good as the last.
Magburaka is as hot as
Makeni in March.
Ramatu is as happy as Brima.
Not as�as
We can
show differences by using not as�as
Freetown is not as cold as
Kabala.
A knife is not as dangerous as a gun.
Bumpe is not as big as
Bo.
Note these:
Alie has fewer children than Osman.
Osman has as
many children as Karim.
Joseph ate as much food as
Sorie.
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