Adjectives are words used to modify or describe nouns or pronouns. In other words, adjectives tell us more about nouns or pronouns.
Answer the question ...
With respect to the noun or pronoun it modifies, an adjective answers the question:
What kind of? ... the blind men
Note: Words that answer the questions: Which one? How much? How many? and the definite and indefinite articles (the, a, an) are NOT classified as adjectives.
May be divided into three main groups
- before nouns
The black cat was sitting on the wooden fence.
The adjective "black" modifies the noun "cat" while "wooden" modifies the noun "fence".
- as subject complements
- Jean is beautiful.
As a subject complement, the adjective "beautiful" describes the subject.
- The garbage bin smells bad.
State of being: Here the verb "smells" functions as a linking verb and suggests a state of being while the adjective "bad" describes that state.
In the above sentence, the verb "smells" does not function as an action verb.
Action verb: The girl smells the flowers.
In this sentence, the verb "smells" is an action verb; the girl does the action of smelling the flowers.
Other verbs that may function as linking verbs: taste, look and feel.
Examples:
• The milk tastes sour.
• The man looked suspicious.
• The wind felt cold.
Note that the words "the" and "this" in the above three examples are also adjectives.
Adjectives functioning as subject complements are called predicate adjectives.
- as object complements
-
(You) Don't call me stupid.
As an object complement, the adjective "stupid" describes the direct object "me". The implied subject is "you".
Other verbs that take object complements: consider, create, find, keep, make and paint.
Examples:
• The church considered his ideas heretic.
• God created men and women equal.
• The police found the warehouse empty.
• Socks will keep your feet warm.
• Your temper makes everyone moody.
• He painted his room pink.