FAQs about adjectives

Is “those” an adjective?

“Those” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “Those books go on this shelf”).

Read this FAQ: Is “those” an adjective?

Is “these” an adjective?

“These” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “These earrings would look perfect with that dress”).

Read this FAQ: Is “these” an adjective?

Is “that” an adjective?

“That” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “Put that box on this cart”).

Read this FAQ: Is “that” an adjective?

What is the difference between demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns?

The words “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those” function as both demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns. They give information about the number (singular or plural) and distance (near or far) of the thing or person being referred to.

• A demonstrative adjective appears before a noun and modifies it (e.g., “This salsa is very spicy”).
• A demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun and functions on its own as the subject or object of a sentence (e.g., “That is my favorite restaurant”). Demonstrative pronouns are used when the noun is clear from context.

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns?

What is the difference between attributive and predicate adjectives?

Attributive adjectives precede the noun or pronoun they modify (e.g., “red car,” “loud music”), while predicate adjectives describe the subject of a sentence and follow linking verbs such as “be,” “become,” “seem,” or “remain” (e.g., “The doctor is sad”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use attributive and predicate adjectives correctly.

Read this FAQ: What is the difference between attributive and predicate adjectives?

When does adjective order matter?

When adjectives of different categories are used to describe the same noun or pronoun, these are cumulative adjectives, and they must be listed according to the following order:

1. Opinion
2. Size
3. Physical quality
4. Age or shape
5. Color
6. Origin or religion
7. Material
8. Type
9. Purpose

So, if a sentence uses the adjectives “silk” (material), “19th-century” (age), “delicate” (physical quality), and “ruby-red” (color) to describe a kimono (the noun), the adjectives should occur in this order: “a delicate 19th-century ruby-red silk kimono.”

Read this FAQ: When does adjective order matter?

Where does an adjective usually go in a sentence?

Adjectives can be used either right before the noun or pronoun they modify (i.e., attributive adjectives), immediately after the noun or pronoun (i.e., postpositive adjectives), or after a linking verb (i.e., predicate adjectives).

Attributive adjectives are often adjectives from different categories, so they must follow a specific adjective order (e.g., “a big fluffy Himalayan cat”). Postpositive adjectives usually occur with indefinite pronouns (e.g., “something special,” “anything new”). Predicate adjectives are always used with linking verbs (e.g., “I felt ill,” “He got angry”).

Read this FAQ: Where does an adjective usually go in a sentence?

What is a cumulative adjective?

A cumulative adjective is part of a list of two or more adjectives that describe a noun or pronoun (e.g., “bright pink hair,” “creepy carnivalesque polka music”).

Cumulative adjectives are adjectives from different categories (e.g., opinion, size, color, type), so they must be listed in a specific adjective order and should not be separated by commas or “and.”

Read this FAQ: What is a cumulative adjective?