An adjective is described as a word that qualifies or modifies nouns and pronouns.
Table of Contents
Adjective generally, give more information about nouns and pronouns – in items of the attributes such as quality, colour, quantity etc. Such words come nearer to the nouns they modify than all other elements that modify such nouns.
TYPES OF ADJECTIVES USES
There are two uses of every adjective, namely: (i) Attributive use (ii) Predicative use
- ATTRIBUTIVE USE: An adjective used with a noun is known as attributive use.
Examples: beautiful girl
Cleaner student
Tall tree
Fair face
Lovely flower
- PREDICATIVE USE: An adjective used with a verb is known as predicative use.
Examples: she is afraid
He is alive
They are dead
He looked happy
KINDS OF ADJECTIVES
Adjectives are divided into ten types namely:
- Adjective of quality
- Adjective of quantity
- Adjective of number
- Demonstrative adjective
- Distributive adjective
- Interrogative adjective
- Possessive adjective
- Emphasizing adjective
- Exclamation adjective
- Proper adjective
- ADJECTIVE OF QUALITY: Is the adjective that is used to talk about the quality of a person or a thing.
Example: Wealthy, regional, industrial, fundamental, elementary, primary
E.g: The Yoruba is a regional language
He is a wealthy person
Kafanchan is an industrial city
- ADJECTIVE OF QUANTITY: An adjective used to talk about the quantity of things.
Exmaples: little, much, enough, no, any, whole, some, all, great, half, sufficient
E.g. There is a little milk in the jug
My father earned enough money
He showed much courage in the war
- ADJECTIVE OF NUMBERS: An adjective used to talk about the number of things or persons is known as adjective of number.
Examples: fine, few, no, many, all, some, most, several, first, any, one.
E.g: She wrote six papers for her B.A
Only a few people are kind to the poor
I got first class in my B.A
All students passed in the exam.
- DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE: An adjective used to point out which person or thing we speak about is known as demonstrative adjective.
Example: this, that, these, those
E.g: This book is very interesting
That girl is very beautiful
Those flowers are lovely
- DISTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVE: Is an adjective used to refer to each and every person or thing separately
Example: each, every, either, neither, any, none, both
E.g. Each boy was awarded a diploma
Every Nigerian is entitled to adult franchise
Every citizen should love his motherland
Neither party has got majority in the recent elections
Neither country accepted the treaty
- INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVE: An adjective used to question is known as interrogative adjective .
Example: what, which whose
E.g: What advice shall I give you?
What language do you teach at college?
Which place do you wish to visit?
Which poet do you like most?
Whose photograph is this?
Whose hand writing is this?
On whose recommendation did you apply for this post?
- POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE: is an adjective used to talk about ownership or possession.
Example: my, your, our, his, her, its, their
E.g: Your father is a doctor
My mother is a teacher
Our country is Nigeria
His wealth was lost
Her husband died in an accident
All their daughters were married last year.
ADVERBS
An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a verb and adjective or another adverb
Examples: She writes quickly
Bukola is very smart
He explained the poem fairly well
KINDS OF ADVERBS
Adverbs are divided into eight kinds on the basis of their use
- Adverb of manner
- Adverb of place
- Adverb of time
- Adverb of frequency
- Adverb of certainty
- Adverb of degree
- Interrogative adverb
- Relative adverb
- ADVERB OF MANNER: An adverb used to show how an action is done is known as an adverb of manner. Example: quickly, bravely, happily, hard, fast, well clearly, soundly, probably, possible, evidently, unfortunately, luckily, sadly
E.g: They lived happily
Bukola walks gracefully
She speaks fluently
- ADVERB OF PLACE: Is an adverb that is used to show where an action is done.
Example: here, there, up, down, near, below, above, away, out, in, everywhere, backward, within, by.
E.g. I went there
She stood near the gate
Please come here
- ADVERB OF TIME: An adverb used to show when an action is done is known as adverb of time.
Example: now, then, today, tomorrow, early, soon, still, yet, before, late, ago, lately, daily, already, never, since, formarly.
E.g. My father is not at home now
She will come here soon
She came late yesterday
- ADVERB OF FREQUENCY: An adverb used to show how often an action is done is known as adverb of frequency.
Example: once, twice, often, never, always, occasionally, again, frequently, seldom, sometimes
E.g They talked to each other again
We visited Jos twice
They never go to films
- ADVERB OF CERTAINTY: An adverb used to show definiteness of the action is known as an adverb of certainty
Example: surely, certainly, definitely, obviously
E.g. surely, she loves me
I shall certainly help you
Janet is obviously very cleaner
See also