What is Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They provide additional information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin, or material. Adjectives can also indicate opinions or qualities.

(विशेषण ऐसे शब्द हैं जो संज्ञा और सर्वनाम का वर्णन या संशोधन करते हैं। वे किसी वस्तु के आकार, उम्र, रंग, उत्पत्ति या सामग्री के बारे में अतिरिक्त जानकारी प्रदान करते हैं। विशेषण राय या गुणों का भी संकेत दे सकते हैं)

Here are some examples of how adjectives can be used:

1. Size: big, small, large, tiny
   Example: a big house, a small cat
2. Shape: round, square, triangular
   Example: a round table, a square box
3. Age: old, young, new, ancient
   Example: an old car, a young child
4. Color: red, blue, green, yellow
   Example: a red apple, a blue sky
5. Origin: American, Italian, Japanese, French
   Example: an American flag, an Italian dish
6. Material: wooden, metal, plastic, cotton
   Example: a wooden chair, a metal box
7. Opinion: beautiful, ugly, smart, silly
   Example: a beautiful garden, a silly idea
8. Quantity: some, many, few, several
   Example: some apples, many people

Types of Adjectives

1. Descriptive Adjectives: Describe a noun’s qualities or states.
   (संज्ञा के गुणों या अवस्थाओं का वर्णन करें)
   Example: a happy child, a cold drink
2. Quantitative Adjectives: Indicate the quantity of the noun.
   (संज्ञा की मात्रा बताएं)
   Example: three apples, several books
3. Demonstrative Adjectives: Point out specific nouns. 
   (विशिष्ट संज्ञाओं को इंगित करें)
   Example: this book, those shoes
4. Possessive Adjectives: Indicate ownership or possession.
   (स्वामित्व या कब्ज़ा इंगित करें)
   Example: my car, her house
5. Interrogative Adjectives: Used in questions to modify nouns.
   (संज्ञाओं को संशोधित करने के लिए प्रश्नों में उपयोग किया जाता है)
   Example: Which color do you prefer? What time is it?
6. Indefinite Adjectives: Refer to non-specific items.
   (गैर-विशिष्ट वस्तुओं का संदर्भ लें)
   Example: any book, few people
7. Proper Adjectives: Derived from proper nouns.
   (व्यक्तिवाचक संज्ञा से व्युत्पन्न)
   Examples: American, Shakespearean, Mexican, Victorian.
8. Compound Adjectives: Made up of two or more words usually connected by hyphens.
   (आमतौर पर हाइफ़न द्वारा जुड़े दो या दो से अधिक शब्दों से बना होता है)
   Examples: well-known, high-speed, brightly-lit, full-time.

Placement of Adjectives

Adjectives can appear before the noun they modify (attributive position) or after the verb (predicative position).

विशेषण जिस संज्ञा को संशोधित करते हैं उससे पहले (विशेषण स्थिति) या क्रिया के बाद (विधेय स्थिति) प्रकट हो सकते हैं।

1. Attributive Position: Before the noun they describe.

Examples: The red car is parked outside.
She wore a beautiful dress.

2. Predicative Position: After a linking verb (such as “be,” “seem,” “become”).

Examples: The car is red.
She seems happy.

3.  Postpositive Position: Directly after the noun they describe (common in formal or literary contexts, or with certain fixed expressions).

Examples: The president elect will be announced tomorrow.
The soldiers present received medals.

4.  In a Series: When multiple adjectives are used to describe a noun, they follow a typical order (opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose).

Examples: A beautiful, small, old, round, red, French, wooden, antique table.
She has a lovely, long, silk dress.

Exercise: Identify the Adjectives in the following sentences:

1. I bought a red dress for the wedding.
2. I have eight apples.
3. The food is delicious.
4. My brother is naughty.
5. The movie we watched last night was boring.
6. Pablo Picasso is a fine artist.
7. The weather in Chennai is sultry all round the year.
8. Now is a great time to visit the United States.
9. It was a fabulous drive.
10. The Marina Beach is the longest beach in India.

Answers:

1. Red
2. Eight
3. Delicious
4. Naughty
5. Boring
6. Fine
7. Sultry
8. Great
9. Fabulous
10. Longest

Exercise: Fill the Adjectives in the following sentences:

1. The ________ garden was full of blooming flowers.
2. She wore a ________ dress to the party.
3. They moved into a ________ house on the outskirts of town.
4. The ________ man walked slowly down the street.
5. We enjoyed a ________ meal at the restaurant.
6. The ________ painting hung in the museum.
7. I bought a ________ car last week.
8. The ________ sky was filled with stars.
9. The children played with ________ toys.
10. We visited an ________ castle during our vacation.

Answers:

1. beautiful
2. new
3. large
4. old
5. delicious
6. colorful
7. new
8. bright
9. small
10. ancient