7 Adjectives

At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

€€ identify the adjectives in sentences.
€€ qualify nouns using adjectives.
€€ understand and apply different types of adjectives.

Look at the clues in the pictures and fill in the blanks. One has been done for you.

1. Anisha has a red dress and a yellow dress.

2. The ____________ man is sitting.

3. A dog has____________ legs.

4. He has a _______ shaped bat and a ________ ball.

Read the following sentences:

1. My dog is two years old. (age)
2. Tigers have black stripes on their bodies. (colour)
3. The kid was frightened at the sight of the lion in the zoo. (feelings)
4. We have our weekly test tomorrow. (frequency—how often)
5. We have four horses in our stable. (number)

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 6. My cousin stood second in his class. (position or order)
7. These are my pens. (belonging or possession)
8. This is an interesting book. (quality)
9. Sheetal has many storybooks. (quantity)
10. He ran on the circular pathway. (shape)
11. We have a big playground in our school. (size)
12. It was a slippery road. (touch)
In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us more about nouns or describe the
nouns. They are called adjectives.

An adjective is a word that describes or tells us more about a noun.

Types of Adjectives

Read the following sentences:

1. This is an old diary. (age)
2. We have a white car. (colour)
3. It is a hot day. (feelings)
4. The Science Exhibition is an annual event in our school. (frequency—how often)
5. She has a melodious voice. (quality)
6. The restaurant serves tasty food. (taste)
7. The rose petal is very tender. (touch)
8. There are small pearls in the box. (size)
9. I have a rectangular pencil box. (shape)
In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us about the quality of the nouns. They
are called adjectives of quality. They answer the question—what kind?

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 The word that tells us about the quality of a noun is called an adjective of
quality.

A. Underline the adjectives of quality in the following sentences.

1. There is a big swimming pool beside my house.
2. It is a rainy day.
3. He is an intelligent boy.
4. A new television has been installed in my house.
5. My father has left for his monthly tour.
6. They served tasty snacks at the party.
7. The feather is very soft.
8. The happy crowd cheered for the cricket team.
9. They have bought an oval-shaped bed.
10. He hid behind the wall to escape the angry dog.
Read the following sentences:
1. There is some milk in the jar.
2. Is there any water in the jug?
3. She has enough money to buy the books.
4. You shouldn’t waste much time watching television.
5. She spent her whole childhood in Pune.
6. Ravi spent all the money in the restaurant.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us about the quantity or amount of
the nouns. They are generally used for uncountable nouns. They are called adjectives of
quantity. They answer the question—how much?

The word that tells us about the quantity of a noun is called an adjective
of quantity.

Now, read the following sentences:

1. My mother baked two cakes on my birthday.
2. The boy standing fourth in the line is my brother.
3. How many students are there in the library?
4. Did any student come to the music room?
5. There are some parents in the hall.

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In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us the exact number or position of
nouns. They are used for countable nouns. They are called adjectives of number. They
answer the question—How many?

The word that tells us the exact number or position of a noun is called an
adjective of number.

€€ Adjectives like some and any can be used both for adjectives of quantity and
adjectives of number.
B. Underline the adjectives in the following sentences and mention whether they are
adjectives of quantity (QN) or adjectives of number (N).
1. There are many students in our school. ____________
2. We haven’t got much time to complete the work. ____________
3. He has no patience. ____________
4. I have enough milk in the fridge. ____________
5. He has bought two dozen oranges. ____________
6. The maid has completed most of her work. ____________
7. My grandfather is eighty years old. ____________
8. She has little interest in sports. ____________
C. Tick the correct option to complete the following sentences.
1. She ate (some/many) rice.
2. Doesn’t he have (any/some) money left with him?
3. How (much/many) flour have you bought?
4. There are (several/much) mistakes in the essay.
5. The farmers have lost (all/some) their crops in the rains.
6. How (much/many) packets of cheese did you buy?
7. I need (a few/a little) money.
8. In (a little/a few) minutes, he will reach the station.
Read the following passage:
My sister is a good dancer. Her teacher is Mr Mohapatra. His father is a well-known
Odissi dancer. They are our neighbours. Their dance institute is in our locality. Its name
is Odissi Dance Academy.

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In the above passage, the coloured words show relationship or possession. They are called
possessive adjectives.

The word that shows relationship or ownership is called a possessive

adjective. My, her, his, our, their and its are possessive adjectives.

Now, read the following sentences:

1. This bicycle is mine.
2. This house is his.
3. This desk is hers and that is yours.
4. These pens are ours and those pens are theirs.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words show ownership. They are possessive
pronouns. We studied about possessive pronouns in the previous chapter.

€€ Possessive adjectives are used to describe a noun in a sentence. They are followed
by a noun.
€€ Possessive pronouns are used in place of a noun in a sentence to avoid repetition.
For example: His mother is a teacher. (possessive adjective)
This bat is his. (possessive pronoun)
D. Fill in the blanks with suitable possessive adjectives.
1. Minal, is that ____________ house on the other side of the road?
2. The child started crying when it could not find ____________ mother.
3. The students like ____________ new classroom.
4. ____________ father dropped him at the school.
5. Is she ____________ sister?
6. Ashok and Mohan are ____________ neighbours.
7. She left ____________ notebook in the classroom.
8. Is this ____________ book?
E. State whether the coloured words in the following sentences are possessive
adjectives or possessive pronouns.
1. My bicycle is red in colour. ____________
2. I guess this jacket is hers. ____________

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 3. The dog is playing with its puppies. ____________
4. My brother left his wallet at home. ____________
5. The house at the end of the street is ours. ____________
6. The students missed their bus. ____________
7. The red and black bag is mine. ____________
8. I think you left your book in the class. ____________
Now, read the following sentences:
1. I bought this water bottle today.
2. Place these books on the table.
3. Please give me that pencil box.
4. I play cricket with those boys every evening.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words tell us which noun is being talked about.
They are called demonstrative adjectives.

The word that tells us which noun is being talked about is called a
demonstrative adjective. This, these, that and those are demonstrative
adjectives.

Now, read the following sentences:

1. This is your desk. 2. These are your books.
3. That is my desk. 4. Those are my books.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words point out nouns that they are talking about.
They are called demonstrative pronouns. We studied about demonstrative pronouns in
the previous chapter.
Let us have a look at the following table to understand the difference between a
demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative pronoun:
Demonstrative Adjective Demonstrative Pronoun
It modifies or describes a noun. It is used in the place of a noun.
It is followed by a noun. For example, It is not followed by a noun. For
These flowers are beautiful. example, These are beautiful flowers.
It is not immediately followed by a It is immediately followed by a
main verb. For example, That book is main verb. For example, That is an
interesting. interesting book.

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F. State whether the coloured words in the following sentences are demonstrative
pronouns or demonstrative adjectives.
1. Keep this cup on the table. ____________
2. This is the last chapter. ____________
3. Those horses are marching on the track. ____________
4. These are his crayons. ____________
5. That was a wonderful performance. ____________
6. Can you pass me those books? ____________
7. This is an interesting story. ____________
8. That tree is laden with mangoes. ____________

G. Underline the adjectives and state their kinds in the following sentences.
1. This is my house. ____________
2. Gold is an expensive metal. ____________
3. Those mangoes are ripe. ____________
4. Chirag ate the whole cake. ____________
5. There are twelve months in a year. ____________
6. The dog is eating its food. ____________
7. Many students participated in the drawing competition. ____________
8. Mysore is a beautiful city. ____________
9. There is enough water in the tank. ____________
10. Bring me that bag. ____________
NCF C-3.4

Communication

Work with a partner. In your notebooks, describe your partner using adjectives. Ensure
that you use appropriate grammar and sentence structure in your writing.
Describe his/her height, build, complexion, features, hair or any other special qualities.
Describe his/her nature—cheerful, kind, helpful, good, mischievous, etc.

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