Grammar Fanatic

Sun, 13 Sep, 2020

Adjectives explained to a Class 8 kid in the easiest way!

Linked table of contents:

Introduction
Types Of Adjectives
Degrees Of Comparison
Rules For Using Degrees Of Comparison Of Adjectives
Noun To Adjectives
FAQs

Introduction

In this lesson, we will learn about Adjectives in English Grammar For Class 8. An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It tells more about the noun, like its size, quality, shape, etc. Colors can also be used as an adjective to describe a noun or pronoun.

Example:

We have a big kitchen in our house.
My sister has beautiful handwriting.
Abram’s eyes are green.

Exercise 1.1

Find the adjectives in the following sentences:
Japan is a very beautiful country.
My mother’s home-cooked meal is delicious.
The blue whale is the biggest animal in the world, both sea and land combined.
Lata Mangeshkar was one of the best singers of all time.
Ethiopia is the oldest archaeological site in the world.

Types Of Adjectives

Descriptive
Interrogative
Quantitative
Proper
Demonstrative
Possessive
Indefinite

For a better understanding of Class 8 English Grammar Adjective, we will start by knowing more about each type of adjective:

Descriptive Adjectives: These adjectives describe nouns and pronouns, and most of the adjectives fall under this category. They are also known as Qualitative adjectives. Example: Beautiful, cold, good, obedient, tasty etc. Read more about how to use the adjectives for creative story writing on PlanetSpark- a platform for igniting creative cells of your brain

Example:

That is a beautiful painting.
Radha has good handwriting.
The house at the end of the road is haunted.

Interrogative adjectives: An interrogative adjective asks a question about the noun or pronoun. A noun or pronoun always follows an interrogative adjective. Example: which, what, whose, etc.

Example:

What number is your order?
Whose jeans are these?
What did you order for lunch?

Quantitative adjectives: Quantitative adjectives describe the quantity of nouns or pronouns. It provides information about the number or quantity of the noun/pronoun. When “how many” or “how much” in a question, quantitative adjectives are used to describe the pronoun or noun.

Example:

I found an empty box of cookies in the kitchen.
I have three pens.
I will be singing two songs at this year’s annual function.

Proper Adjectives: Proper adjective summarises a concept/noun/ pronoun in one word. Proper adjectives are the adjectives that are specific or particular. It describes the noun or pronoun in a definite way. Example: Any brand name of consumer item, Language, country, movie, etc.

Example:

Indian women’s cricket team played very well this year.
Kashmiri people welcome everyone with a cup of warm Kahwa.
My sister buys her books from the National Book store only.

Demonstrative adjectives refer to something or someone by pointing them out. It points out the noun or pronoun which is being mentioned in the sentence. Example: this, that, those, etc.

Example:

That shop sells the best pumpkin bread in town.
Those children playing in the playground go to my school.
These are leaves from that big tree.

Possessive adjectives: Possessive adjectives are the ones that tell about the ownership or possession of any noun or pronoun in a sentence. You might confuse them with a possessive pronoun, but it is an adjective when it comes with a noun.

Example: Your, My, Mine, Their etc.

Example:

My hair is black.
Her project was awarded as best in class.
His cat purrs when it is patted.

Indefinite adjectives: An indefinite adjective modifies or describes a noun that is unspecific. These adjectives provide indefinite or unspecific information about the noun or pronoun in a sentence. Example: all, any, each, every, either, nobody, few, etc.

Example:

There were a few cookies left in the jar yesterday.
My mother needs some help with her work today.
There were many people at the fair.

Adjectives can also be divided based on the degree of comparison. It means that not only will the adjective inform about the noun or pronoun, but it will be specific about the level or degree of the adjective and compare it to other nouns or pronouns available in the sentence. Examples: colder, stronger, heavier, darker

Example:

Manny is strong.
Manny is stronger than Mike.
Manny is the strongest one in his class.

The first sentence is about the simple form of an adjective.

In the second sentence, the adjective shows a higher degree of quality than the first one or the positive adjective. Thus, it is known as the comparative degree of an adjective, where two nouns were compared to find the stronger one among them.

The third sentence shows the highest degree of quality and thus the superlative degree of comparison.

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Exercise 1.2

The superlative type of adjectives in the following sentences.

King Maurya was a great king.
Cheetah is a fast animal
She is very intelligent.
There are a few bugs in this room.
The sun was orange during the sunrise.
The band sang very beautifully on the stage.
My father and mother did not know about the insufficient money in my piggy bank.
The whole class demanded to be allowed to play.

Degrees Of Comparison

Now, we will focus on Comparative Adjective For Class 8, which are divided into three parts, namely:

Positive
Comparative
Superlative

Positive degree of adjectives

An adjective that does not compare with any other noun or pronoun is known as an adjective of positive degree. A positive degree is a normal form of an adjective.

Example:

He is a very beautiful child, or
Haru is a good singer.

The comparative degree of adjectives

Comparative degree of an adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun by comparing it to another noun. Comparative adjectives commonly end with 'er' and are followed by 'than'. ‘‘Than’’ is used to connect the two nouns or pronouns that are being compared. Check out PlanetSpark to better understand how to use this comparative degree of adjectives for better story writing and public speaking.

Example:

Yamini is a better singer than Gautam, or
Gautam writes better stories than Yamini.

Superlative degree of adjectives

Superlative degree of an adjective is the degree to compare with every other noun or pronoun mentioned in the sentence.

For example,

Sara is the tallest compared to all the students in her class, or
That mouse is the largest one I have seen around the compound.

Adjectives of more than two syllables form the comparative and superlative by putting more and most before the positive.

Positive adjective	Comparative Adjective	Superlative adjective
Beautiful	More Beautiful	Most Beautiful
Expensive	More Expensive	Most Expensive
Foolish	More Foolish	More Foolish
Dangerous	More Dangerous	Most Dangerous
Important	More Important	Most Important

Along with this, in some cases, comparative and superlative have completely irregular comparison. For example, ‘better and best’ as comparative and superlative for ‘good’.

Positive adjective	Comparative Adjective	Superlative adjective
Good	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst
Little	Less	Least
Late	Later	Last

Rules For Using Degrees Of Comparison Of Adjectives

While learning about 8 Class English Adjectives, there are some rules which need to be followed for using degrees of comparison.

Degrees of most adjectives can be recognised by the last alphabets added to the word. Most of the adjectives could turn into comparative by adding ‘er’ or turned into superlative by adding ‘est’.
An adjective in the comparative degree is generally followed by 'than.'
Double comparatives or superlatives cannot be used in a single sentence.

Positive adjective	Comparative adjective	Superlative adjective
Big	Bigger	The biggest
Far	Farther	Farthest
Sweet	Sweeter	Sweetest
Old	Older	Oldest
Tall	Taller	Tallest
Cold	Colder	Coldest
Strong	Stronger	Strongest
Fast	Faster	Fastest
Wise	Wiser	Wisest
noble	Nobler	noblest
great	greater	greatest

Exercise: 1.3

Fill in the blank with the correct word given in the brackets.

Rhinoceros is ______ than lion. (big/bigger/biggest)
Maya is the ______ of them all. (strong/ stronger/ strongest)
The Ganga is _______ river in India. (long/longer/longest)
Cheetah is the _____ animal in the whole animal kingdom. (fast/ faster/ fastest)
Mount Everest is the _____ mountain peak in the world. (high/higher/highest)

Exercise 1.4

Choose the correct degree of adjective given in the bracket.

My handwriting is ___________ (good) than my sister.
The food was a little ___________. (salt)
Nina is the ___________ girl in the class(tall)
Everest is the___________ peak in the world. (high)
Assam is a very ___________ state of India. (beautiful)
Mary is ___________ of all the three sisters. (old)
Saturn is ___________ from the earth than Pluto. (close)
The whale is. ___________ animal in the ocean. (large)
A pond is___________ a river. (small)
I ___________ than all of my friends. (strong)

Noun To Adjectives

The simplest way to turn a noun into an adjective is to add suffixes at the end of the word. The most common suffixes are -ly, -able, -ary, -ful, -ish, -al, -ous, -less, -like, -y etc.

Example:

Comfort can be turned into comfortable by adding ‘able’ to turn it into an adjective.

Intelligence can be turned into ‘intelligent’, making it an adjective.

Exercise: 1.5

Convert the following nouns into adjectives: