Parts of Speech • Courseware
ADJECTIVE
Courseware for Learners Aged 11 Years and Above
Learn how adjectives describe nouns and pronouns, show quality, quantity, number, possession and comparison, and make writing more precise.
Adjective = பெயரடை
ஒரு பெயர்ச்சொல் அல்லது பதிலிப்பெயரின் தன்மை, அளவு, எண்ணிக்கை அல்லது பண்பை விளக்கும் சொல் Adjective (பெயரடை) எனப்படும்.
ஒரு பெயர்ச்சொல் அல்லது பதிலிப்பெயரின் தன்மை, அளவு, எண்ணிக்கை அல்லது பண்பை விளக்கும் சொல் Adjective (பெயரடை) எனப்படும்.
What Will You Learn?
Identify Adjectives
Find adjectives in sentences and identify the noun or pronoun they describe.
Classify Adjectives
Recognise adjectives of quality, quantity, number, demonstration, possession, interrogation and proper description.
Compare Correctly
Use positive, comparative and superlative forms accurately.
Write Precisely
Choose suitable adjectives and avoid common grammar and usage errors.
கற்றல் இலக்கு: Adjective-ஐ அடையாளம் கண்டு, அது எந்த noun/pronoun-ஐ விளக்குகிறது என்பதைச் சொல்லி, சரியான adjective form-ஐப் பயன்படுத்தக் கற்றுக்கொள்வீர்கள்.
Course Roadmap
Lesson 1Introduction to Adjectives
Lesson 2Adjectives of Quality
Lesson 3Quantity & Number
Lesson 4Demonstrative Adjectives
Lesson 5Possessive Adjectives
Lesson 6Interrogative Adjectives
Lesson 7Proper & Compound Adjectives
Lesson 8Order of Adjectives
Lesson 9Degrees of Comparison
Lesson 10Comparative & Superlative Rules
Lesson 11Adjective Position & Usage
Lesson 12Common Errors & Practice
Introduction to Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.
தமிழில்: பெயர்ச்சொல் அல்லது பதிலிப்பெயரின் தன்மை, பண்பு, அளவு, எண்ணிக்கை போன்றவற்றை விளக்கும் சொல் பெயரடை.
Look at the Difference
Ravi has a bag. → We know the noun, but not what the bag is like.
Ravi has a new red bag. → new and red describe the bag.
Indian Classroom Examples
Priya is a clever student.
Arjun bought a blue bicycle.
Meena lives in a large house.
Karthik has three notebooks.
Easy Question: An adjective often answers questions such as What kind? Which one? How many? or How much?
சொல் உதவி: Adjective = பெயரடை | Describe = விளக்குதல் | Quality = பண்பு | Quantity = அளவு | Number = எண்ணிக்கை
Adjectives of Quality
Adjectives of quality describe the kind, nature or quality of a person, animal, place or thing.
Adjective of Quality = பண்புப் பெயரடை. ஒருவர் அல்லது பொருளின் குணம், தோற்றம், நிறம், அளவு போன்ற பண்புகளை விளக்குகிறது.
| Type of Quality | Examples | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Size | big, small, tall, short | Ravi has a big school bag. |
| Colour | red, blue, green, white | Priya wore a green dress. |
| Shape | round, square, narrow | We saw a round table. |
| Character | kind, honest, brave, clever | Arun is a brave boy. |
| Condition | clean, broken, fresh, old | Meena found a broken chair. |
Sentence: The kind teacher helped the young student.
kind describes teacher; young describes student.
kind describes teacher; young describes student.
Learning Tip: If a word tells you what a person or thing is like, it is often an adjective of quality.
Adjectives of Quantity and Number
Adjectives of Quantity
These tell us how much of something is meant. They are commonly used with uncountable nouns.
There is some water in the bottle.
We have little milk left.
Kavya has enough rice for everyone.
There is much work to do.
Adjectives of Number
These tell us how many people or things, or the order in which they occur.
Rahul has three pens.
Several students joined the club.
Varshini won the first prize.
The second chapter is interesting.
| Question | Typical Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How much? | much, little, enough, some | There is little water. |
| How many? | one, two, several, many | Many students came. |
| Which order? | first, second, third | She won the first prize. |
தமிழில்: Quantity = அளவு; Number = எண்ணிக்கை. “How much?” → அளவு. “How many?” → எண்ணிக்கை.
Demonstrative Adjectives
This, that, these and those can act as demonstrative adjectives when they come before a noun and point it out.
Demonstrative Adjective = சுட்டுப் பெயரடை. அருகில் அல்லது தொலைவில் உள்ள noun-ஐச் சுட்டிக் காட்டுகிறது.
| Word | Number | Distance | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| this | singular | near | This book is interesting. |
| that | singular | far | That building is tall. |
| these | plural | near | These shoes are new. |
| those | plural | far | Those trees are old. |
Important: When the word stands alone—“This is mine”—it is a demonstrative pronoun. When it comes before a noun—“This book is mine”—it is a demonstrative adjective/determiner in traditional school grammar.
Memory Trick: This / These = near; That / Those = far.
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives show who owns or is connected with a noun. They come before a noun.
Possessive Adjective = உரிமைப் பெயரடை. யாருடையது அல்லது எதனுடன் தொடர்புடையது என்பதை noun-க்கு முன் காட்டுகிறது.
| Possessive Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| my | This is my notebook. |
| our | We cleaned our classroom. |
| your | Where is your pencil? |
| his | Arun forgot his bag. |
| her | Priya finished her work. |
| its | The dog wagged its tail. |
| their | The students opened their books. |
my book → the book is mine
her bag → the bag is hers
their house → the house is theirs
her bag → the bag is hers
their house → the house is theirs
Common Error: “This is mine book.” ❌
Correct: “This is my book.” ✅
Correct: “This is my book.” ✅
Interrogative Adjectives
What, which and whose can function as interrogative adjectives when they come before nouns and ask about them.
Interrogative Adjective = வினாப் பெயரடை. கேள்வி கேட்கும் போது noun-ஐத் தொடர்ந்து வந்து அந்த noun பற்றி கேட்கிறது.
What book are you reading?
Which colour do you prefer?
Whose pen is this?
| Word | Question | Role |
|---|---|---|
| what | What subject do you like? | asks for information |
| which | Which bus will you take? | asks for a choice |
| whose | Whose notebook is this? | asks about ownership |
Compare: “Which book do you want?” → adjective/determiner because which modifies book. “Which do you want?” → pronoun because which stands alone.
Proper and Compound Adjectives
Proper Adjectives
A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and usually begins with a capital letter.
Indian culture is diverse. → Indian comes from India.
We enjoy Tamil literature. → Tamil comes from Tamil.
She likes Japanese art. → Japanese comes from Japan.
Compound Adjectives
A compound adjective is made from two or more words that work together to describe a noun. A hyphen is often used when the words come before the noun.
Ravi bought a well-known book.
Priya is a hard-working student.
We attended a two-day workshop.
Arjun lives in a high-rise building.
தமிழில்: Proper Adjective = சிறப்புப் பெயரிலிருந்து உருவான பெயரடை. Compound Adjective = இரண்டு அல்லது அதற்கு மேற்பட்ட சொற்கள் இணைந்து உருவாக்கும் பெயரடை.
Order of Adjectives
When several adjectives describe the same noun, English commonly follows an order.
| Common Order | Example Words |
|---|---|
| Opinion | beautiful, interesting, useful |
| Size | big, small, large |
| Age | old, new, young |
| Shape | round, square, long |
| Colour | red, blue, green |
| Origin | Indian, Tamil, French |
| Material | wooden, silk, plastic |
| Purpose / Type | school, sports, cooking |
| Noun | bag, table, dress |
a beautiful small old red Indian wooden box
a lovely little blue silk dress
Practical Tip: Do not overload a sentence with adjectives. Choose the words that add useful information and arrange them naturally.
தமிழில் நினைவில் கொள்க: பல பெயரடைகள் ஒரு noun-ஐ விளக்கும் போது அவற்றை இயல்பான வரிசையில் அமைக்க வேண்டும்.
Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives can show different degrees of comparison.
| Degree | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | describes one person/thing | Ravi is tall. |
| Comparative | compares two | Ravi is taller than Arun. |
| Superlative | compares three or more | Ravi is the tallest boy in the group. |
Common Patterns
tall → taller → tallest
small → smaller → smallest
beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
careful → more careful → most careful
Positive = சாதாரண நிலை | Comparative = ஒப்பீட்டு நிலை | Superlative = மிகை நிலை
Comparative and Superlative Rules
1. Short Adjectives
fast → faster → fastest
bright → brighter → brightest
2. Adjectives Ending in -y
happy → happier → happiest
easy → easier → easiest
3. Longer Adjectives
beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
important → more important → most important
4. Irregular Forms
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| little | less | least |
| many / much | more | most |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
Avoid double comparison:
more better ❌ → better ✅
most fastest ❌ → fastest ✅
more better ❌ → better ✅
most fastest ❌ → fastest ✅
Exam Tip: Comparative forms are normally used for two: “Ravi is taller than Arun.” Superlative forms are normally used for a group of three or more: “Ravi is the tallest in the group.”
Adjective Position and Usage
Attributive Position
An adjective can come directly before a noun.
Priya bought a new bicycle.
Arun is wearing a white shirt.
Predicative Position
An adjective can come after a linking verb and describe the subject.
The bicycle is new.
The shirt looks white.
Adjective or Adverb?
Karthik is a quick runner. → quick describes the noun runner.
Karthik runs quickly. → quickly describes the verb runs.
| Adjective | Adverb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| careful | carefully | Meena is careful. / She works carefully. |
| beautiful | beautifully | The painting is beautiful. / She sings beautifully. |
| quick | quickly | He is quick. / He runs quickly. |
தமிழில்: Adjective noun/pronoun-ஐ விளக்கும். Adverb verb, adjective அல்லது மற்ற adverb-ஐ விளக்கலாம்.
Common Errors, Practice and Exam Skills
Common Errors
He is a more taller boy. ❌ → He is a taller boy. ✅
This is the most fastest car. ❌ → This is the fastest car. ✅
She is beauty. ❌ → She is beautiful. ✅
He is a quickly runner. ❌ → He is a quick runner. ✅
These book are new. ❌ → These books are new. ✅
This is the most fastest car. ❌ → This is the fastest car. ✅
She is beauty. ❌ → She is beautiful. ✅
He is a quickly runner. ❌ → He is a quick runner. ✅
These book are new. ❌ → These books are new. ✅
Practice 1: Identify the Adjective
- Ravi has a blue bag. — blue
- Priya is a kind student. — kind
- Arun bought three notebooks. — three
- We need some water. — some
- Those flowers are beautiful. — Those
Practice 2: Choose the Correct Form
- Ravi is ___ than Karthik. (tall / taller)
- Priya is the ___ student in the class. (smart / smartest)
- This is a ___ story. (beautiful / beautifully)
- Arun has ___ pencils. (much / many)
- We have ___ milk left. (many / little)
- She wore a ___ dress. (red / redly)
Practice 3: Multiple-Choice Questions
- Which word is an adjective in “Meena has a beautiful garden”?
a) Meena b) has c) beautiful d) garden
Answer: c) beautiful - Which adjective shows number?
a) clever b) red c) five d) beautiful
Answer: c) five - Choose the correct comparative form of “good”.
a) gooder b) better c) best d) more good
Answer: b) better - Choose the correct sentence.
a) He is more taller than Ravi. b) He is taller than Ravi.
Answer: b) He is taller than Ravi. - Which word is a possessive adjective?
a) mine b) my c) me d) myself
Answer: b) my - Which sentence contains a demonstrative adjective?
a) This book is mine. b) This is mine.
Answer: a) This book is mine.
Adjective Transformation Practice
1. Rewrite with a suitable adjective: “Ravi has a bag.”
Example answer: Ravi has a new school bag.
Example answer: Ravi has a new school bag.
2. Change to comparative: “Priya is clever.”
Priya is cleverer than Meena. (when comparing the two)
Priya is cleverer than Meena. (when comparing the two)
3. Change to superlative: “Arun is tall.”
Arun is the tallest boy in the group. (when comparing the group)
Arun is the tallest boy in the group. (when comparing the group)
4. Replace the incorrect word: “Karthik is a quickly runner.”
Karthik is a quick runner.
Karthik is a quick runner.
Grammar Detective Challenge
Find the adjective error and correct it.
1. This is the most easiest question.
This is the easiest question.
This is the easiest question.
2. She is a beauty girl.
She is a beautiful girl.
She is a beautiful girl.
3. He bought three new books.
Correct. “three” shows number and “new” describes the books.
Correct. “three” shows number and “new” describes the books.
4. Those book are expensive.
Those books are expensive.
Those books are expensive.
5. My brother is more taller than me.
My brother is taller than me.
My brother is taller than me.
Adjective vs Adverb: Quick Check
| Sentence | Word | What does it describe? |
|---|---|---|
| Priya is a careful student. | careful | student (noun) |
| Priya writes carefully. | carefully | writes (verb) |
| It is a beautiful painting. | beautiful | painting (noun) |
| She sings beautifully. | beautifully | sings (verb) |
நினைவில் கொள்க: Noun/Pronoun-ஐ விளக்கினால் → Adjective. Verb-ஐ விளக்கினால் → பொதுவாக Adverb.
One-Page Revision Chart
| Type / Topic | Key Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | describes a noun/pronoun | a clever student |
| Quality | tells what kind | a brave boy |
| Quantity | tells how much | some water |
| Number | tells how many/order | three books / first prize |
| Demonstrative | points out a noun | this book |
| Possessive | shows ownership/connection | my bag |
| Interrogative | asks about a noun | which book? |
| Proper | comes from a proper noun | Indian culture |
| Compound | two or more words work together | two-day trip |
| Positive | basic degree | tall |
| Comparative | usually compares two | taller |
| Superlative | usually compares three or more | tallest |
Final Mastery Check
Before moving to the next Part of Speech, make sure you can:
- Define an adjective.
- Explain what an adjective describes.
- Identify adjectives in sentences.
- Recognise adjectives of quality.
- Distinguish quantity from number.
- Use this, that, these and those before nouns.
- Use my, our, your, his, her, its and their correctly.
- Recognise interrogative adjectives.
- Recognise proper and compound adjectives.
- Arrange multiple adjectives in a natural order.
- Use positive, comparative and superlative forms.
- Use irregular comparison forms such as good–better–best.
- Distinguish adjectives from adverbs.
- Correct common adjective errors.
- Answer adjective MCQs and examination questions confidently.
சுய மதிப்பீடு: “நான் Adjective-ஐ அடையாளம் கண்டு, அது எந்த noun/pronoun-ஐ விளக்குகிறது என்பதைச் சொல்லி, சரியான comparison form-ஐப் பயன்படுத்த முடியும்” என்றால் இந்தப் பாடத்தில் நீங்கள் தேர்ச்சி பெற்றுள்ளீர்கள்.