descriptive adjective?

Descriptive adjective definition: it is a word that gives information about a noun;

it describes or talks about a quality or a feature of the noun it modifies. It either
comes just before a noun in a noun phrase or after a linking verb.

Let’s take some examples and understand how exactly descriptive adjectives, also
known as qualitative adjectives, work.

1. He is a smart teacher.
In the sentence, ‘smart’ is a descriptive adjective as it’s describing the noun
‘person’. The indefinite article ‘a’ coming before the adjective ‘smart’ is also
working as an adjective, but it is a determiner that gives information about a
noun; it is not a descriptive adjective.
  Riya is beautiful.
Noun = Riya
Descriptive adjective = beautiful (describing the physical quality of the person)

 They live in a huge house.

Noun = house
Descriptive adjective = huge (describing the size of the house)

 Some people say that the earth is flat, not round.

Noun = earth
Descriptive adjective = flat, round (describing the shape of the noun ‘earth’)

 I have participated in many singing competitions.

(Here, the word ‘singing’ is modifying the noun ‘competitions’.)

 We have some office work to do.

(Here, the word ‘office’, which often works as a noun, is describing the noun
‘work’.)

More examples:

 They got an amazing gift last year.

 Your sister is cute.
 Max bought a small brown chair last night.
 He is a renowned American writer.
 Look at the old man playing with those small kids.
 We have decided to stay at a cheap Indian hotel nearby our place.
 A skilled muscular guy can beat that scary fighter.
 It is a school bag.
In the above examples, the adjectives are in bold and the nouns they are
describing are underlined.

Note that descriptive adjectives describe a noun in different ways; they can talk
about the physical quality, shape, size, color, or many other things of a noun. so,
it’s important to know the categories of descriptive adjectives and the order in
which we use them.
Order of a descriptive adjective
A descriptive adjective can modify a noun in different ways. It’s important to
understand all its heads and the right order in which we use them.

Descriptive
Order adjectives Adjectives Examples (sentences)
categories

1. It is a good price.

good, bad, smart, dumb, intelligent, 2. You don’t look sober.

brave, coward, nice, expensive, petty, cheap, tiny,
1 Quality or opinion
lovely, cute, helpful, arrogant, hardworking, sober, 3. Give me a logical reason
shrewd, logical, easy, difficult
4. We need a strong man in
group.

1. That’s a small house.

Size (physical small, big, huge, tiny, gigantic, short, mammoth,
2
description) long 2. It is a long journey.

3. This guy is huge in Duba

1. We need young people in

team.

3 Age new, old, young, modern, old-school, aged 2. He is an old man.

3. They have
used modern technology in
production.

4 Shape round, circular, oval, flat, square, triangular

1. Some people don’t believ
the Earth is round.
 2. It is an oval ground.

3. The pitch is not flat yet.

5 Color black, white, blue, pink 1. It is a white coat.

2. He has a blue car.

1. We are proud of the India

Origin or
6 Indian, Chinese, American, Chinese, Italian 2. Let’s order some Chinese
Nationality
3. Chinese products are ban
India.

1. I love cotton candies.

7 Material silver, cotton, gold, leather, silk, plastic, iron
2. She bought me a gold cha

3. Silk sarees are in vogue t

1. In India, most people are

after a government job.
Purpose (noun-
8 office, school, government, singing, teaching
adjective)
2. It is a school bag.

3. It is a teaching job.

Important points to note

1. If two or more adjectives are taken from
the same category to modify a noun, use
commas to separate them. And use the
conjunction ‘and’ before the last adjective.
 She is a smart and intelligent girl.
 His house is blue, red, and yellow.
Whether you punctuate your adjectives with a comma or the conjunction ‘and’ is
a choice of your style of writing.

 She is a wonderful and passionate lady.

 She is a wonderful, passionate lady.

2. If two or more adjectives are taken from

different categories to modify a noun, don’t
use commas.
 That’s a nice pink Indian saree.
 We have outstanding modern gold jewelry.
 Jon is teaching some talented young brown students.
 She is my cute small American office friend.

Order of adjectives in a noun phrase

Order of
Adjectives list Examples
adjectives

Determiners include the following: 1. Do you have a watch?

2. I loved the party.
Articles = a, an, the 3. That building is very old.
1. Determiners Possessive adjective = my, our, his, her, your, its, their 4. I loved every performance
Demonstrative adjective = this, that, these, those 5. I will show you my office
Distributive adjective = each, every, all. either, neither… evening.
Quantifiers = some, many, a few, several… 6. Some people are waiting f
outside.
2. Numbers one, two, three, first, second, third… 1. We have two dogs.
2. She is my first girlfriend.

1. Did you see the four

American girls?
2. It is an expensive red and
3. Descriptive good, bad, smart, dumb, small, big, old, young, round, flat,
white table.
adjectives black, white, Indian, Chinese, cotton, gold, office, school
3. This is our first
international project.
4. It was our second big mis
the match.

Types of descriptive adjectives

Descriptive, based on their positions in a sentence, are divided into categories:

1. Attributive adjective
2. Predicate adjective

Attributive adjectives
Adjectives that are placed before a noun are called attributive adjectives.

Examples:

 She is a talented person.

 I am looking for a cheap place to live in.
 It was an amazing movie.
 We have many cheap Chinese mobiles.

Predicate adjectives
These are adjectives or adjective phrases that come after a linking verb. A
predicate adjective is also called a subject complement.

Examples:
  This house is vacant.
 Unlike yours, my job is challenging.
 She is adorable.
 The table is round.

Hyphenated descriptive adjectives

A hyphenated adjective is formed using two or more words, generally two. Let’s
look at all the possible combinations of hyphenated adjectives in English.

1. Number + noun
 3-hour journey
 Thirty-member committee
 Ten-minute break
 Three-month anniversary
 Ten-story building
 Six-month suspension
 Third-party insurance
Examples:

 Let’s take a 10-minute break.

 We are celebrating our three-month anniversary.
 They gave him a six-month suspension for failing the drug test.
Note: Make sure the noun you use in the hyphenated adjective is singular.
Making it plural is a common mistake.

 Let’s take a 10-minutes break. ❌

 We are celebrating our three-months anniversary. ❌

2. Adjective + past participle

 Narrow-minded people
 Old-fashioned hotel
 High-spirited
 Absent-minded people
 Kind-hearted
  High-spirited performance
Examples:

 She is a narrow-minded girl.

 Everyone loves being around high-spirited people.
 What a kind-hearted man he is.

3. Adverb + past participle

 Well-organized party
 Well-behaved person
 Highly-respected man
 Widely-recognized singer
 Commonly-consumed drug
 Densely-populated area
 Poorly-planned event
Examples:

 It was a well-organized party.

 He lives in a densely-populated area.
 His brother is a widely-recognized investor.

4. Adjective + present participle

 Good-looking man
 Long-lasting performance
 Easy-going person
Examples:

 What a good-looking guy he is.

 He is not an easy-going person.

5. Adverb + present participle

 Never-ending process
 Slow-moving car
 Forward-thinking man
Ex – Learning a language is a never-ending process.
6. Noun + past participle
 Man-made houses
 hand-made sleepers
 Coal-powered trains
Examples:

 These are not hand-made cookies.

 Coal-powered trains were stopped years back.

7. Noun + present participle

 Thought-provoking idea
 English-speaking course
 Mouth-watering food
 Eye-catching painting
 Record-breaking event
 Mind-blowing performance
Examples:

 It was a mind-blowing performance.

 She makes mouth-watering food.

8. Noun + adjective
 Brand-new car
 World-famous singer
 Gluten-free meal
Examples:

 They got me a brand-new car.

 You should try gluten-free meals.
(The speaker is pointing out a box that is close to the speaker and is one in
number.)

 Let’s go to that shop and have a cup of tea.

(The speaker is pointing out a shop that is a little far away from the speaker and
is one in number)

 These people have done a lot for me.

(Here, the speaker is pointing out some people who are close to the speaker, and
they are more than one in number)

 Look at those buildings. They were built last year.

(In this sentence, the speaker is pointing out particular buildings that are far away
from the speaker, and they are more than one in number)
THIS
It is used to point out a singular noun that is close to the speaker

Examples:

 This man can help you. Just listen to him.

 I don’t like this dish.
 We can’t afford this flat; it will cost us an arm and a leg.

THAT
It is used to point out a singular noun that is far away from the speaker.

Examples:

 Don’t go near that tree. It is believed to be haunted.

 That tower has been built lately.
 Look at the girl standing next to Max. Jon is dating that girl.

THESE
The demonstrative adjective ‘these’ is used to point out people or things (a plural
noun) that are close to the speaker, in the vicinity of the speaker.

Examples:

 These guys helped me catch my flight yesterday.

 I am not using these chairs. You can take them with you.
 We were talking about these dogs. They play Football with us.

THOSE
The demonstrative adjective ‘those’ is used to point out people or things (a plural
noun) that are far away from the speaker, not in the vicinity of the speaker.
Examples:

 Let’s check out those shops.

 Those kids are really good at fighting.
 Those houses were built in 1990.
Check out possessive adjectives in English.

A demonstrative adjective can point

out nouns in terms of time
Generally, a demonstrative adjective points out a noun in terms of space (how
close or far away it is from the speaker), but it can also refer to a time (noun) that
is close or far away from the point where the speaker is at the moment of
speaking.

 I want you to shut up and enjoy this moment.

The expression ‘this moment’ refers to the current time; it is close to the time
when the message is delivered.

 I remember that day. We had a lot of fun.

(The adjective ‘that’ is pointing out a day (time) that is far away from the day or
time when the speaker delivered this message. Let’s say the speaker said that on
September 29, 2021, and the day he/she is referring to is October 3, 2020. So, the
speaker is using the demonstrative adjective ‘that‘ to refer to a singular noun
(day) in terms of time. If the day was close to the day he said this sentence, we
would use this not that.

 Do you miss those days when we would bunk classes and go to

Narula’s and have burgers?
The speaker is referring to some days in the past. Since he/she is referring to
multiple days and the time period is far away from where the speaker is at the
moment, we are using ‘those‘.

POINTS TO NOTE
1. The demonstrative adjective and its object
should have the same number.
This projects needs to be finished by Sunday. ❌ (the adjective and the noun
don’t match in number)

Corrections:

This project needs to be finished by Sunday. ✅

These projects need to be finished by Sunday. ✅✅

The demonstrative adjectives and their objects (nouns) match in number.

2. If a demonstrative pronoun may confuse

your reader in understanding which noun it’s
referring to, use a demonstrative adjective
and the noun it refers to.
 Last night, I cooked pasta and invited some neighbors. Some of my family
members didn’t like that.
It is vague what some of my members didn’t like. Is it the pasta I cooked or the
invitation? We don’t know what ‘that’ refers to here. In such a situation, we
should use the noun the demonstrative refers to right after it.

 Last night, I cooked pasta and invited some neighbors. Some of my family members didn’t
like that pasta.
 Last night, I cooked pasta and invited some neighbors. Some of my family
members didn’t like that invitation.

3. Demonstrative adjectives vs
demonstrative pronouns
The words ‘this’, ‘that’, these’, and ‘those’ can function as both adjectives and
pronouns. When they function as pronouns, they are followed by a noun, and
when they function as adjectives, they are followed by a noun.

 I love that. It is tasty. (pronoun)

 I love that sandwich. It is tasty. (adjective)
 These are my people. (pronoun)
 These people helped me a lot. (adjective)

4. We can use an adjective or a determiner

(only number) between a demonstrative
adjective and the noun it modifies.
Generally, a noun is directly followed by a demonstrative adjective. But we can
use a number or an adjective between them.

 These girls will help you.

 These 2 girls will help you.
 These smart girls will help you.
 These 2 smart girls will help you.

FAQs
What is a demonstrative adjective?
A demonstrative adjective is a word that modifies a noun by talking about its
number and vicinity of the speaker in terms of time and space.

How many demonstrative adjectives are there in

English?
There are 4 demonstrative adjectives in English: this, that, these, and those.
What is the difference between demonstrative
adjectives and demonstrative pronouns?
A demonstrative pronoun is used to refer to a noun (often already mentioned),
and a demonstrative adjective works as an adjective, comes before a noun and
modifies by talking about its number and vicinity in terms of time or space.

What are some examples of demonstrative

adjectives?
Here are some examples of demonstrative adjectives:
1. Don’t touch this box. Jon has told me not to do it.
2. Let’s go to that shop and have a cup of tea.
3. These people have done a lot for me.
  is here to see the burning train.
 India is one of the developing countries in the world.
 Look at the shinning car. It must be very expensive.
 That was an inspiring speech. We all loved it.
 You have put me in this confusing situation.
 A smiling man is better than a crying man.
 The movie was boring. Nobody liked it.
 This entire situation is a bit overwhelming to me.
NOTE: A present participle also comes after the object of some verbs (generally
verbs of perception like see, watch, hear, observe, etc)

 We saw him eating your lunch.

 I heard her crying.
Position of a Present participle
adjective
A present participle adjective can take the following positions in a sentence:

1. Just before the noun it modifies

2. After a linking verb
3. Just after the noun it modifies
Let’s study all the cases separately.

1. Just before the noun

This is the most common position of a present participle adjective. The present
participle, here, sits right before a noun and gives information about it.

Examples:

 I appreciate the encouraging words.

 The swimming pool is closed today.
 I can’t do a teaching job.
 It was an amazing match.

2. After a linking verb

This is also a common position where a present participle adjective is placed in a
sentence.

Examples:

 The fight coming up is really interesting.

 You are outstanding.
 This book is interesting. You should give it a read.
 His story is very motivating.
 This job should be exciting.
3. After a noun it modifies
When a present participle adjective comes right after a noun, it is often a part of
a present participle phrase.

Examples:

 The man shouting there is my cousin.

 Look at the guy sitting next to the tree.
 The girl dancing on the stage is my sister.
 People working with me are happy.
 Nobody likes to talk with the man sitting on the rock alone.

Present participles that are often

used as adjectives
 Shocking
 Demotivating
 Tiring
 Exhausting
 Terrifying
 Petrifying
 Frightening
 Confusing
 Frustrating
 Embarrassing
 Depressing
Everyone is beautiful.
The word ‘beautiful’ is a predicate adjective in the sentence. It comes right next to
the linking verb ‘is’ and gives information about the subject ‘everyone’.

The food was cold. I didn’t eat it.

In this sentence, the word ‘cold’ is a predicate adjective. It modifies the subject
‘the food’. It comes after the linking verb ‘was’.

The poster looks nice to me.

The word ‘nice’ is the predicate adjective in the sentence, modifying the subject
‘the poster’. Try removing it from the sentence; the sentence looks incomplete
without it.

More examples of predicate adjectives:

 The food smells tasty.

 This is not helpful.
 The kid looks adorable.
 The book that you bought me the other day is informative.
 All of you have been supportive.
 Jon was great last night.
 Many people will be homeless if this bill gets passed.
 You should try to be supportive.
 None of this looks clean to me.
 Tom must be busy with work.
 Your boy is creative. Don’t force him to do something he does not like.

What is a linking verb in English?

A linking verb is a type of main verb that links the subject of a sentence to
something called a subject complement.

A subject complement is a word or a group of words that identifies the subject

and completes its meaning by either renaming it or modifying it. A noun as the
subject complement (predicate nominative) renames the subject, and an adjective
as the subject complement (predicate adjective) modifies the subject.

 Jon is an excellent teacher. (A noun phrase that’s giving the subject a new
name)
 Jon is extremely nice. (An adjective phrase that’s modifying the subject)
In both examples, the subject complements are coming after the linking verb: IS.

A list of linking verbs in English

TO BE: is, am, are, was, were, may be, might be,
should be, would be, can be, could be, must be, will be, shall be,

TO BE BEING: is being, am being, are being, was being, were being, has been, have been, had been,

BEEN: may have been, must have been, could have, should have been,
will have been, shall have been, might have been

TO SEEM seem, seems, seemed

TO LOOK look, looks, looked

TO FEEL feel, feels, felt

TO SOUND sound, sounds, sounded

TO TASTE taste, tastes, tasted

TO SMELL smell, smells, smelt

TO STAY stay, stays, stayed

TO BECOME become, becomes, became

TO GO go, goes, went, gone

TO REMAIN remain, remains, remained

TO TURN turn, turns, turned

TO GET get, gets, got

TO APPEAR appear, appears, appeared

Predicate adjective examples using the verbs

TO BE (is, am, are, was, were)
 Ashish is polite to everyone.
 Your friends are supportive.
 I am scared of dogs.
 Our head teacher was rude to everyone in the class.
 Most people were afraid to lose their jobs in the lockdown.

Predicate adjective examples using the

verbs TO BE + BEING
 You are being extremely rude to us.
 I am not being reasonable about the prices.
 Why is she being diplomatic?
 Last night, your girlfriend was being flirty with me.
 Your friends were being sarcastic at the party.

Predicate adjective examples using the

modal verbs (modals + be)
  The doctors may be wrong about your condition. Let’s not lose hope.
 We should be very careful with how to approach this situation.
 Your mother might be upset with you.
 The new book that he launched last month should be less expensive.
 The match can be exciting.
 Let’s get some food. The flight could be late.
 I’ll meet her, but she must not be taller than you.
 She will be late to work today. Don’t wait for you.
 The boss would be upset with you if you didn’t complete it in time.

Predicate adjective examples using the

modal verbs (modals + have + been)
 Jon might have been high when he stole his house.
 The food would have been tasty if I had cooked it.
 We could have been more reasonable about the deal.
 She is not going to talk to you again. You should have
been respectful toward her.
 I may have been busy at that time.

Predicate adjective examples using other

linking verbs
 You seem unhappy with your job.
 She seemed drunk at the party.
 Ross and Monica look beautiful together.
 You looked confident in the meeting.
 This cake tastes heavenly.
 The food at the party last night tasted awful.
 She always smells nice.
 Your parents appear mad at me.
 When Tony was called for his speech, he appeared lost.
 Most people stayed motivated through the pandemic.
 I felt terrible about his loss.
 After you left the party, Jim went crazy and started dancing with the
waitress.
  She goes mad if someone touches her bag.
 The students got very emotional thinking of leaving the school.
 He turned red after hitting the pads.

Predicate adjective and predicate

nominative
Both predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives come right after a linking
verb. The key to identifying them is to look at what’s coming after the linking
verb.

If what comes after a linking verb is an adjective or an adjective phrase, it’s a

predicate adjective, and if it’s a noun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause, it’s a
predicate nominative.

Examples:

 We will be elated if she comes back to our team. (Adjective phrase)

 We will be the winner if she comes back to our team. (Noun phrase)
 The reason for closing the office is stupid. (Adjective)
 The reason for closing the office is that we didn’t have enough money.
(Noun clause)

Compound predicate adjective

A compound predicate adjective is a combination of two or more adjectives or
adjective phrases. Here are some examples of compound predicate adjectives:

 She is smart and good-looking.

 That guy looked skillful, calculated, and reasonable in his approach.

Don’t use an adverb after a linking

verb!
Don’t make the mistake of using an adverb after a linking verb.
  It tasted strongly. ❌
 It tasted strong. ✔️
 You smell nicely. ❌
 You smell nice. ✔️
NOTE: adverbs are not used right after linking verbs, but, sometimes, they can be
used before linking verbs.

 You always look pretty.

 Jon never goes mad.

FAQs
What is a predicate adjective?
A predicate adjective is a word that comes after a linking verb and modifies the
subject of the sentence. Ex – Jon is talented. Ex – You were amazing last night.

What is an example of a predicate adjective?

An adjective that comes right after a linking verb and modifies the subject is
called a predicate adjective. Examples of a predicate adjective:
1. The movie was boring.
2. Your father is sweet.
3. This is amazing.
4. You sound strange today.
5. The project does not look complete to me.

What is a predicate adjective for kids?

A predicate adjective is a word that comes after a linking verb and gives
information about the subject. Ex – My doll is cute. 2. This house is beautiful.

What is the formula of predicate adjective?

A sentence that has a predicate adjective has the following structure: subject +
linking verb + adjective (predicate adjective). Ex – This guy is great.

What is an example of predicate nominative and

predicate adjective?
1. Tim is smart. (predicate adjective)
2. Time is a teacher. (predicate nominative)

Can a participle be a predicate adjective?

Yes, both a present participle and a past participle can function as a predicate
adjective. 1. We are motivated. (past participle as a predicate adjective)
2. His story is motivating. (present participle as a predicate adjective)
regular adjective in English?
A regular adjective is a word that is formed and meant to be used as an adjective.
These words are specifically used as an adjective in a sentence, modifying
a noun or pronoun.

Here are some common regular adjectives in English:

Good Huge Stupid

Bad Expensive Happy

Long Cheap Sad

Tall Short Generous

Beautiful Ugly Poor

Smart Brave Rich

These are words that are always going to function in a sentence as they are made
to perform that duty. You won’t see them as any other part of a speech. As an
adjective, they describe or modify a noun or pronoun, simply meaning they give
some information about the noun/pronoun.

What is a participial adjective?

A participial adjective, on the other hand, is a little different from a regular
adjective. Participial adjectives are forms of a verb that function as an adjective in
a sentence.
These are present participle and past participle forms of a verb that function as
an adjective in a sentence in the right context. Please note that they are forms of
verbs, meaning they were brought in place to be used as a verb in a sentence.
They are not always used as an adjective, like regular adjectives.

Let’s study some examples having participial adjectives in them.

Your take on the new education model is really interesting.

The word ‘interesting‘ in the sentence is a participial adjective, a present participle
working as an adjective by modifying the noun ‘model’. It describes the noun
‘model’ and lets us know what the speaker feels about the model. Though it is a
form of a verb, it functions as an adjective in the sentence, not as a verb.

I am motivated enough to get out there and do challenging things.

This example has two participial adjectives in it: motivated and challenging. The
first one (motivated) is a past participle adjective that modifies the subject ‘I’, and
the second one (challenging) is a present participle adjective that modifies the
noun ‘things’.

That’s a terrifying man right there.

The word ‘terrifying‘ is working as a participial adjective in the sentence, giving

information about the noun ‘man’. It is a present participle form of a verb that
functions as an adjective in the sentence.

Tom is just frustrated with you and your whining.

In this example, the word ‘frustrated‘ works as an adjective. It modifies the subject
‘Tom’ by telling us his state of being.

More examples of participial adjectives

 What an inspiring speech that was. We all loved it.
 The book was boring. I didn’t like it.
 My friend Shruti is scared of people eating while driving.
 Don’t mess with Jacob; he is a trained MMA fighter.
 I want a written apology for what you have done.
  This entire situation is a bit overwhelming to me.
 These guys sell stolen phones in this market.
 I didn’t buy that property as it was disputed.
 A smiling man is better than a crying man.
 You look amused at my situation.
 The girl was terrified the whole time.
 Sometimes, it is exhausting to talk to people who just want to talk.
 To see him get recognition for his work finally was so satisfying.

Past participles that are often used as a

participial adjective
 Shocked
 Irritated
 Agitated
 Planned
 Demotivated
 Tired
 Exhausted
 Terrified
 Scared
 Petrified
 Frightened
 Confused
 Frustrated
 Embarrassed
 Depressed
 Loved
 Hated
 Bored
 Excited
 Thrilled
 Amazed
 Motivated
 Disgusted
 Amused
 Overwhelmed
  Relaxed
 Satisfied
 Amazed
 Interested
 Puzzled

Present participles that are often used as a

participial adjective
 Shocking
 Charming
 Demotivating
 Tiring
 Exhausting
 Terrifying
 Petrifying
 Frightening
 Confusing
 Convincing
 Frustrating
 Embarrassing
 Depressing
 Boring
 Exciting
 Thrilling
 Motivating
 Inspiring
 Amusing
 Overwhelming
 Relaxing
 Satisfying
 Amazing
 Interesting
 Speaking
 Shocking

Position of a participial adjective

A participial adjective can take the following positions in a sentence:

1. Just before the noun it modifies

2. After a linking verb
3. Just after the noun it modifies
Participial adjectives coming right before the noun/pronoun they
modify

Examples:

 What an exciting project we have gotten.

 I have never seen him in a boring fight.
 You are an amazing person.
 I don’t like to work with demotivated people.
 All the interested students can join me tomorrow.
 This is a stolen car; I won’t buy it.
The nouns participial adjectives are modifying are coming right after them.

Participial adjectives coming right after a linking verb

Examples:

 We were shocked to see him cry on the stage.

 Your journey has been inspiring.
 I am tired of your complaints.
 His story is very motivating.
 The next fight card looks really interesting.
 Nothing seems to be working for me. I am frustrated now.
The nouns/pronouns being modified are underlined in the above sentences.

Participial adjectives coming right the noun/pronoun they modify

Examples:

 The man shouting there is my cousin.

 We can’t let someone unprepared do this.
  Look at the guy sitting next to the tree.
 The girl dancing on the stage is my sister.
 Let’s do something exciting.
The nouns/pronouns being modified are underlined in the above sentences.

Hyphenated participial adjectives

A hyphenated participial adjective is formed using a participle (present/past) and
a word that it is hyphenated with.

Below are some common hyphenated participial adjectives:

 Money-driven
 Man-made
 Career-oriented
 Lion-hearted
 Heart-broken
 Self-made
 Money-making
 Record-breaking
 Mind-boggling
 English-speaking
 Flesh-eating
 Time-consuming
 Time-taking
 Oddly-decorated
 Perfectly-managed
 Well-lit
 Well-behaved
Examples:

 He is a self-made girl.
 Your kids are well-behaved.
 Learning to decipher the software can be a time-consuming process.
 People have just become a money-making machine.
 Yours is a well-lit room.
Notice that the first word in the hyphenated participial adjective can be a
noun, adverb, or participle. The second word in it is a participle, present or past.

Participial adjectives vs participles as a verb

Present or past participle forms of a verb can function as both a verb and an
adjective in a sentence. We can’t call them a verb or an adjective just by looking
at them. That’s where most learners make the mistake of wrongly identifying the
role of a participle.

To be able to identify what a participle does in a sentence, we need to look at

what it does in a sentence.

 You are embarrassing me in front of my kids.

 What you do is embarrassing.
In the first example, the present participle ’embarrassing’ works as a verb,
indicating an action that is being performed by the subject. But in the second
example, the same verb form functions as an adjective, modifying the subject
(what you do).

 You have disgusted everyone on the team.

 I am disgusted at you.
The past participle ‘disgusted’ functions differently in the above two examples. In
the first sentence, it works as a main verb, showing an action that the subject
performs, and in the second example, it works as a participial adjective, indicating
the state of the existence of the subject.

More examples:

 I have motivated thousands of people. (verb)

 We are highly motivated to be in the army. (adjective)
 Shut up. The teacher is speaking to the class. (verb)
 It is a speaking competition. (adjective)
 You are frightening me with all your ghost stories. (verb)
 It is a frightening task. (adjective)
 He had planned everything before I reached there. (verb)
  That was a planned murder. (adjective)
NOTE: a present participle form of a verb can also function as a noun. When it
does, it is called a gerund.

 Speaking is easy; listening is hard.

 My sister Carol loves dancing.
 I am not afraid of dying.
In all these examples, the present participle form of verbs are functioning as a
noun.

Related lessons:

 Present participle adjective

 Past participle adjective
 Present participle phrase
 Past participle adjective

FAQs
What are participle forms of adjectives?
Present and past participle forms of verbs that function as an adjective in a
sentence are called participial adjectives. They are adjectives, but not in the
regular form. Ex – I find Jon very irritating. The present participle form of the verb
‘irritating’ works as an adjective in the sentence. It modifies the noun ‘Jon’.

What is a participial adjective example?

A word working as an adjective but in the verb form (present/past participle) is
called a participial adjective in English. Ex – That is an interesting idea. The present
participle ‘interesting’ is a verb form that functions as an adjective in this example
by modifying the noun ‘idea’.

What are the two types of participial adjectives?

There are two types of participial adjectives: 1) Present participial adjectives and
2) Past participial adjectives. The former is a present participle form of a verb that
functions as an adjective, and the latter is a past participle form of a verb that
works as an adjective.
Ex-1) Why did you bring his annoying sister here? (modifying the noun ‘sister’)
Ex -2) He is really annoyed at all of us. (modifying the subject (pronoun) ‘he’)

What are participles adjectives?

In English, participial adjectives are verb forms (present participle and past
participle) that work as an adjective in a sentence. Like any regular adjective, they
also modify a noun or a pronoun and can be used attributively and predicatively.

Is bored a participial adjective?

We can’t look at a participle without any context and call it an adjective. It is the
context where it is used that tells us what it does in the sentence. The word
‘bored’ can function as both a verb and an adjective in different contexts.
1. You have bored us with your history lessons. (main verb)
2. Let’s do something. I am bored. (adjective, modifying ‘I’)

Is interesting a participle adjective?

The word ‘interesting’ can be used as an adjective in a sentence. But whether it
works as an adjective in a sentence depends on its context.
1. It was an interesting speech. (adjective modifying the noun ‘speech’)
2.

past participle adjective?

A past participle adjective is a past participle form of a verb (V3) that functions as
an adjective in a sentence.
V1 (base form) V2 (past form) V3 (past participle)

Break Broken Broken

Lie Lied Lied

Listen Listened Listened

Love Loved Loved

Bake Baked Baked

(Regular verbs)
Go Went Gone

Do Did Done

Give Gave Given

Drive Drove Driven

Break Broke Broken

(Irregular verbs)
I won’t buy a broken phone.

‘Broken’ is the past participle adjective (past participle of ‘break’) in the above
sentence. It is referring to the physical state of the noun ‘phone’. It is working as
an adjective.
Past participle adjective infographic
Examples:

 A motivated man can do anything.

 He fought with a shattered nose.
 Don’t mess with him; he is a trained fighter.
 It will not be a paid task.
 He is demotivated.
 We are bored right now.
 He was fired for consuming tainted supplements.
 My friend Jon is scared of dogs.
 Everyone was confused after my performance.
 They are selling colored glasses.
 What did you do with the burnt clothes?
 The cops found some destroyed papers in his apartment.
 She needs a written apology.

Position of a past participle adjective

A past participle adjective, or even a present participle adjective, is placed at the
following places:

1. Just before a noun

2. After a linking or stative verb

Just before the noun it modifies

This is the most common position of a past participle adjective, Here, it comes
right before the noun it modifies.

Examples:

 Behave like a grown man that you are.

 Don’t buy that. It is a disputed property.
 Can I have a glass of boiled water?
 My cousin Totu loves having frozen yogurt.
 This is a stolen bike; I won’t buy it.

After a linking/stative verb

A past participle adjective can also come after a linking verb.

Examples:

 My friend Jon is scared of dogs.

 Everyone was confused after my performance.
 I was really embarrassed when our pictures were shown on the big screen.
 She does not get tired.
 Nothing seems to be working for me. I am just frustrated.
 We all are thrilled to hear this.

Hyphenated past participle

adjectives
Past participles are sometimes combined with a noun or an adjective using
a hyphen; the entire hyphenated expression works as an adjective.

Examples:

 I am a self-made person.
 He is a self-driven man.
 Coal-powered engines are no longer in use.
 Meat-fed animals are believed to live longer.
 A well-known actor follows me on Instagram.

Past participles that are often used as

adjectives
 Shocked
 Agitated
 Demotivated
 Tired
 Exhausted
 Terrified
 Scared
  Petrified
 Frightened
 Confused
 Frustrated
 Embarrassed
 Depressed

interrogative adjective in English?

An interrogative adjective comes before a noun and helps us ask a
question. There are 3 interrogative adjectives in English:

 Which
 What
 Whose
‘WHICH‘
The word ‘which’ as an interrogative adjective is used to find something out of a
number of given options. In other words, we use ‘which’ when we have some
options that we choose an object from. The interrogative adjective ‘which’ is used
to refer to it.

Which box would you like to choose as a gift?

There are a few boxes that are given as options. The person is asked to choose
one box out of the given boxes. The word ‘which’ works as an adjective in the
sentence, modifying the noun ‘box’.

Which course are you opting for?

You are provided with a couple of options as a course. You are very well aware of
all the options. And the speaker wants to know which course out of the available
courses you are going to choose.

Examples:

 Which movie did you like the most?

 Which burger would you like to have?
 Which project did you like the most?
 Which flat suits your budget?
 Which phone is yours?
 I like all my shoes. Which one should I put on for the party?

‘WHAT‘
The word ‘what’ as an interrogative adjective is used to refer to an object out of a
comparatively large number of possibilities.

In other words, we use ‘what’ when there are a lot of options that something can
be selected from or we don’t know how many options are available.

What country are you planning to go to?

It is an open-ended question, meaning the options are wide, and the person who
is asked the question has been given a few options. It could be any country; the
options are not understood or given.

If the speaker had given the person a few options to choose from or had known a
couple of countries that were in the list of options that the person was thinking
of, we would have needed ‘which’ to ask this question.

Jon: I know Nepal, Switzerland, England, Thailand, and Russia are some of the
countries you have not been to and would love to go to.

Max: Absolutely. I would love to visit these countries.

Jon: So, which country are you planning to visit in the winter?

In this conversation, both the speaker and the listener know the options that are
on the table. They are limited and specific, and that’s exactly where the
interrogative adjective ‘what’ is needed.

Examples:

 What color is your favorite?

 What kind of movies do you like to watch?
 What food can she cook?
 I am not good with outdoor games. What game are we playing though?
 What time will you reach the station?
 What present do you want for your birthday?

‘WHOSE‘
The word ‘whose‘ as an interrogative adjective is used to refer to someone that
the object it modifies belongs to.

Whose car have you brought here?

The interrogative adjective ‘whose’ intends to find the owner of the noun it
modifies: car.
Examples:

 Whose coat are you wearing? It looks great on you.

 Whose phone did you call me from? I am sure it wasn’t yours.
 Whose kids are they? They seem to have been lost.
 Whose car is this?
 I don’t know whose bag this is. I found it at the back of the class.
 Whose designation are jealous of the most?

WHAT vs WHICH
Use ‘what‘ when the options to choose the answer from are open and not known
to the speaker or they are not obvious to the speaker.

 What drink do you like to drink?

The speaker has no prior information about the kind of drinks the other person
like to have, meaning the options are unknown to the speaker.

Use ‘which‘ when the options to choose the answer from are
known/given/obvious to the speaker.

 Which plot have you decided to buy?

The speaker, in this example, is aware of the options the other person is going to
choose the answer from. They definitely know how many plots the person has
seen and are asking the person to choose one from known options.

 Which leg was hurt in the accident?

 What leg was hurt in the accident?
There are only two legs on a person. The number of options the answer can be
chosen from is very limited and is already known to both the speaker and the
person being asked the question. Therefore, the correct word to use is ‘which’,
not ‘what’.

Interrogative adjective vs
interrogative pronoun
Both interrogative adjectives and interrogative pronouns look and spell the
same: what, which, and whose. What makes the difference is that the former
comes before a noun and works as an adjective, and the latter does not follow a
noun and works as a pronoun.

Interrogative pronouns

 What does he do?

 What is your name?
 Which is your car?
 Which is his favorite drink: tea or coffee?
 Whose is this wallet? I found it at the main gate.
 These dogs are adorable. Whose are they?
Interrogative adjectives

 What food would you like to order?

 Which offer did you take?
 Whose bike were you riding the other day?
Notice these words (what, which, whose) function as an adjective in these
examples; they have a noun after them that they modify. But when they function
as a pronoun, they stand alone.

An interrogative adjective can be a

part of a noun clause
An interrogative adjective does not always start a question; it can be a part of an
affirmative/negative sentence coming at the beginning of a noun clause.

 I want to know what city he lives in.

In this example, the interrogative adjective ‘what‘ comes at the beginning of the
noun clause (what city he lives in) and modifies the noun ‘city‘. Notice this is not a
question; it is an affirmative sentence.

 He asked me what day my birthday was on.

This is an example of indirect speech where a direct question has been
embedded into a reported speech and the question becomes a part of the
sentence and becomes a noun clause (what day my birthday was on).

More examples:

1. She did not tell me whose performance she enjoyed the most.
2. It’s hard to predict what country he lives in.
3. I, from the get-go, knew which team he was going to select.

Interrogative adjective vs
interrogative adverb
Definition Examples

1. Which hou
Interrogative
yours?
adjectives
These are words that come before a noun and modify them by referring to an 2. What prob
object or the possession of a person. you have wit
(what, which,
3. Whose kid
whose)

1. When did
her?
Interrogative These are words that stand alone and refer to a part that modifies a verb in a
2. Where do
adverbs sentence. The answer to an interrogative pronoun is a regular adverb or
live?
a preposition phrase, infinitive phrase, or adverb clause that modifies
3. How did I
(when, where, a verb and works as an adverb.
test?
how)

FAQs
What are the 3 types of interrogative adjectives?
The interrogative adjectives in English are what, which, and whose. Ex –
What subject do you like studying? Ex – Which movie impresses you the most?
Ex – Whose car are you driving?

How do you use interrogative adjectives in a

sentence?
Interrogative adjectives are used to modify a noun and refer to an object. They
come right before a noun and modify it. Ex – Which kid is yours? Ex –
What time will you come back? Ex – The teacher did not tell the
students whose assignment they liked the most.

How do you identify interrogative adjectives and

interrogative pronouns?
Interrogative adjectives modify a noun that comes right after them, and
interrogative pronouns stand alone; they don’t have a noun sitting next to them.
Ex – Which movie did you like more? (interrogative adjective) Ex – Which is your
favorite movie? (interrogative pronoun)

How do you describe interrogative adjectives?

An interrogative adjective is a word that comes before a noun and helps the
sentence refer to an object or the possession of a person. What, which,
and whose are the words that function as interrogative adjectives.
Cardinal number one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…

Ordinal number first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth…
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th…

We have hired six people for the job.

The word ‘six’ is a quantitative adjective that’s modifying the noun ‘people’ by talking about its
number.

This is my second job of all time.

In this example, the word ‘second’ is a quantitative adjective. It modifies the noun ‘job’ by
giving it a rank.

Examples of quantitative adjectives:

 I saw two guys sitting on your bike.

 This is the first time I got late for a movie.
 Riya was my first girlfriend.
 There were around 1000 people in the protest.
 The boss fired 4 guys from the sales department.
 This is your second chance. Use it to turn your life around.
 You have called me for the 10th time today. What’s wrong with you?
 M.S. Dhoni, the most loved cricketer in India, has a collection of 72 bikes.
 We are drinking for the 5th time this month.
 We waited for you at the mall for 3 hours.
 He was the first person to sign up for the program.
 The doctor said that I had just 100 days to live for.
Quantitative adjective vs Indefinite
adjective
A quantitative adjective that modifies a noun with a specific number is called an indefinite
adjective. Here are some of the most common quantitative (indefinite) adjectives that refer to an
unspecific quantity:

 Some
 Many
 Plenty of
 Much
 More
 Less
 A lot of
 A few/the few
 Several
 Enough
 Other
 Little/a little/the little
Examples:

I know some people that can help you.

We don’t know exactly how many people the speaker is talking about.

There were many students at the main gate.

Again, we don’t know how many students the speaker is referring to. The number the speaker is
referring to is not specific. That’s why we call these words an indefinite adjective.

Click here to learn more indefinite adjectives.

What is a quantitative adjective with examples?

A quantitative adjective is a word/number that modifies a noun by referring to its
quantity or rank. Ex – We have two hours to finish the task. Ex – There
were 25 students in the class. Ex – I am saying this for the third time. Ex – This is
not my first trip.

What are 10 examples of quantitative adjectives?

Examples of quantitative examples:
1. She is drinking for the first time.
2. Just give me one chance to prove myself.
3. He has 5 cars.
4. This is my first time cooking something for my mother.
5. The class has 20 boys and 25 girls.
6. I am running into you for the fourth time this month.
7. Is this your first job?
8. I asked her to read the 2nd chapter.
9. Tell me one joke.
10. His house is just 2 kilometers away.
 
Don’t put me in his group.
In this example, the prepositional phrase ‘in his group’ is a complement to the
verb ‘put’. Removing it makes the sentence incomplete and takes away its
meaning. You put something somewhere; not mentioning the place where you
put something will make the sentence lose its meaning and make it incomplete.

 I love coming here.

Here, the adverb ‘here’ is a complement to the verb ‘coming’. You don’t just
come; you come to a place. So, mentioning the place is important. The place has
to be combined with the verb. Taking the verb complement out of the sentence
makes it sound incomplete (I love coming). When you look at this sentence
without the adverb, the question ‘where’ organically comes to your mind.

 Don’t aim for a money fight.

‘For a money fight’ is the adverbial complement here. It is a prepositional phrase
that complements the verb and helps it complete the correct meaning of the
sentence. When used as an intransitive verb, it is followed by a prepositional
phrase starting with either ‘for’ or ‘at’.

 We are aiming at the manager’s post.

When you aim at something, you plan to achieve it. Without using the
prepositional phrase starting (at + object), this meaning can’t be delivered.
Without the verb complement, the sentence (We are aiming) is incomplete and
does not render the intended meaning.

 Please behave like a professional.

Behave, as a transitive verb, is always followed by an adverbial of manner. It is
essential to talk about how someone behaves. Not adding the adverbial
complement to the sentence makes the sentence change its meaning. Look at
this example: Please behave. Looking at the sentence, you feel like asking ‘how’.
Behave how.

Some examples using the verb ‘behave‘:

 I can’t behave like you.

 You are behaving properly.
 He was behaving like a child on the stage.
More examples of adverbial complements

 We are staying at a hotel.

 Don’t get into his business.
 She is not taking me seriously.

Phrasal verbs and adverbial

complements
A phrasal verb is a combination of an action verb and a preposition. The
preposition in the phrasal verbs changes the meaning of the verb. The phrasal
verb often has a different meaning from the verb alone.
Here are some common phrasal verbs in English:

 Pass out
 Break up
 Look up to
 Get through
 Go after
Notice that the first word in these phrases is an action and the next word/s is a
preposition. Let’s look at some examples using these phrasal verbs:

 You will pass out before the test.

 I can’t break up with her.
 We look up to your father.
 You will get through this problem.
 The police are going after you.
The preposition in these phrasal verbs is the adverbial complement. Try reading
these sentences without the preposition. The sentences stop making sense or
give a completely different meaning without the preposition.

Adverbial complement vs Adjunct

An adjunct is completely opposite to an adverbial complement. An adjunct is
often an adverbial that is optional and does not change the meaning of a
sentence or make it ungrammatical. One needs to be careful before calling a part
adjunct or adverbial complement. One needs to look at how an adverb is
affecting a verb. If it is essential to the meaning of the verb, call it a complement,
if it’s not, it is just an adjunct.

Adverbial complement vs Adjunct study

table
Sentences with without
Is the adverbial essential? Does the meaning change?
adverbials adverbials
 Yes. The sentence looks incomplete without it. It is an adverbia
Put me on this program. Put me.
complement.

I was playing in the

I was playing. No. It is not essential. It is an adjunct to the sentence.
garden.

Call me now. Call me. No. It is not essential. It is an adjunct to the sentence.

Don’t look into the Yes. It is essential to complete the meaning of the sentence. (ad
Don’t look.
mirror. complement)

Adverbial complement vs adjunct difference table

Practice set!
Study the following sentences and identify the adverbial complements:

 Don’t look at me.

 I live in a village.
 They were partying on your terrace.
 You should go to bed now.
 The kids were shouting in the classroom.
 They quickly changed their game plan.
 You should not put this in his tea.
 Will you look after my kids?