The 9 Types of Adjectives
Adjectives are describing words — that’s something most of us know already. But did you know that there are multiple kinds of adjectives? And did you know that sometimes, nouns can become adjectives and adjectives can become nouns? If that doesn’t pique your curiosity, I sure don’t know what will.
Let’s dive in.
The basic function of an adjective is to modify a noun — not verbs or any other kind of word. Just nouns. Adjectives describe, limit or qualify a noun by giving it a quality or a quantity. Here are some examples:
The game got a million views.
A tall, well-built woman appeared at the door.
I sent him a thank-you card.
She is strong-willed and kind-hearted.
The most important thing to remember when peppering your prose with adjectives is this: adjectives are best at low doses. Too often, writers use multiple adjectives with essentially the same meaning, or multiple adjectives to describe what could be described with a stronger, more specific and more appropriate noun. Adjectives can be used to extraordinary effect — but the more you use, the less power each one will have.
Choose wisely.
