- What are qualifying adjectives?
- Types of qualifying adjectives
- degrees of the adjective
- Examples of qualifying adjectives
- Examples of sentences with qualifying adjectives
- Other types of adjective
We explain what qualifying adjectives are, what types exist, what their degrees are and multiple examples. Also, other types of adjective.
Qualifying adjectives like "great" or "fierce" give a trait to the noun.What are qualifying adjectives?
The adjectives are a type of adjective (i.e. a type of word that accompanies and modifies the nouns) capable of conferring certain meanings or specific characteristics to the noun or phrase it accompanies. In that sense, it is considered the adjective par excellence or, in other words, the most obvious type of adjective that exists.
Qualifying adjectives can come before or after the noun they accompany, as in the cases of "an important woman" or "a fierce predator."
But regardless of their place of appearance, adjectives always grant or indicate a specific feature (positive, negative or simply singular) of the noun, and can be, in turn, modified by certain adverbs: "a very important woman" or "a little ferocious predator.” This means that qualifying adjectives are quantifiable, that is, their meaning can be moderated or enhanced.
Types of qualifying adjectives
Qualifying adjectives can be classified into two categories: specifying and explanatory.
- Specific qualifying adjectives. They are those that indicate punctual characteristics of the noun that serve to distinguish it from its peers, that is, that make them specific, singular, unique in their category. Without them, it would be difficult to express the exact meaning of the sentence. For example: “the gray dog” or “a sloped street”.
- Explanatory qualifying adjectives.They are those that incorporate additional features to the noun, extra, that are not essential to understand the exact meaning of the noun. prayer, but that allow to give it more expressive power, greater beauty, or add information supplementary. For example: “the generous sea” or “an unsuspected relationship”.
degrees of the adjective
Most qualifying adjectives have a gradation, that is, they are used adverbs either suffixes to establish a greater or lesser intensity of the quality they name. These forms or degrees of adjective are three:
- Positive degree, when the adjective does not modify its own meaning, as in "a thin man".
- Comparative degree, when the adjective measures the intensity of its meaning with another referent, using comparative adverbs, as in “a man thinner than me” (comparative of superiority), “a man just as thin as me” (comparative of equality), or “a man less thin than me” (comparative of inferiority).
- Superlative degree, when the adjective acquires its highest degree of intensity possible, using the suffixes -ísimo or -érrimo, as in "a very thin man".
Examples of qualifying adjectives
Some examples of qualifying adjectives in their three possible degrees of intensity: positive, comparative (more… than) and superlative (-most, -terrible) are:
| thin
thinner skinny | fat
fatter very fat | tall
taller very high | Down to
lower very low | cute
prettier very cute |
| Sad
Saddest very sad | Happy
Happier very happy* | funny
more fun hilarious | bored
more boring boring | beautiful
more beautiful beautiful |
| Horrible
more horrible horrible | Anchovy
wider very wide | length
longer very long | Brief
shorter very brief | short
shorter very short |
| salty
more salty very salty | Sweet
Sweeter sweetest | bitter
more bitter very bitter | acid
more acid very acidic | straight
straighter very straight |
| Direct to
more direct very direct | Great
Larger great | small
smaller tiny | distant
more distant far away | Close to
Nearest very close |
| fast
faster very fast | slow
slower very slow | powerful
more powerful very powerful | Weak
Weaker very weak | Strong
Stronger very strong |
| heavy
heavier very heavy | light
lighter very light | Serious
More serious very serious | Hot
hotter very hot | cold
colder very cold |
| round
more round very round | square
more square very square | sharp
more sharp razor sharp | acute
more acute acute | gross
more gross brutal |
| liquid
more liquid very liquid | solid
more solid very solid | Gaseous
more fizzy very gassy | affected
Most affected very affected | funny
funnier hilarious |
| beautiful
more beautiful beautiful | ugly
uglier Ugly | Simple
Simpler very simple | complicated
more complicated very complicated | Hard
More difficult very difficult |
| Easy
Easier very easy | Fast
Faster very fast | Mature
more mature very mature | tender
more tender very tender | Agile
More agile very agile |
| Useful
More useful very useful | comedian
more funny hilarious | sadist
more sadistic very sad | Kind
more kind Very Kind | fool
dumber silly |
| Good to
Better than great | bad
Worst than very bad | Poor
More poor pauper | rich
richer delicious | Mild
milder very light |
| delicate
more delicate very delicate | ambitious
more ambitious extremely ambitious | Humble
More humble most humble | rough
rougher very rough | Smooth
Softer very soft |
| attentive
more attentive Very attentive | asleep
more asleep sleepy | resigned
more resigned very resigned | happy
happier very happy | excited
more rowdy very rowdy |
| considerate
more considerate very considerate | obvious
more obvious obvious* | New to
newest newest | old
older very old | old
oldest ancient |
| Faithful
More faithful most faithful | neat
more neat Pulquerrimo | Gentle
More friendly dearest | hateful
most hateful most hateful | aggressive
more aggressive very aggressive |
| Docile
more tame very docile | Famous
most famous celebrity | Free
More free very free | arid
more arid extremely arid | Fertile
more fertile very fertile |
| dirty
dirtier very dirty | clean
cleaner very clean | dry
drier very dry | wet
Wetter very wet | wet
more humid very humid |
| narrow
narrower very narrow | wide
wider very wide | hard
harder very hard | soft
softer very soft | rigid
more rigid very rigid |
| Fragile
more fragile very fragile | Sparkly
Brighter Brilliant | dark
darker very dark | Original
More original very original | Regular
more regular very regular |
| Intelligent
Smartest extremely intelligent | Young man
Younger very young | alive
more alive lively | dead
more dead very dead | obfuscated
more obfuscated very obfuscated |
| cheap
cheaper very cheap | expensive
more expensive very expensive | robust
more robust very robust | talented
most talented extremely talented | organized
more organized very organized |
| Complete
more complete very complete | fair
more fair Fair enough | tense
more tense very tense | intense
more intense very intense | giddy
more giddy giddy |
| Dared to
more daring daring | fearful
more fearful very scared | fearful
more fearful fearful | Brave
Braver very brave | cautious
more cautious Cautious |
| careful
more careful extremely careful | Burning
hotter ardent | wise
wiser wisest | Cordial
more friendly most cordial | violent
more violent very violent |
| Applied to
more applied very applied | explained
more explained very explained | Sensual
more sensual very sensual | modern
more modern very modern | classic
more classic very classic |
| calm down
more calm very calm | agitated
more agitated very agitated | resounding
more resounding resounding | friendly
more friendly friendly | careless
more careless careless |
| funny
funniest hilarious | crammed
more stuffed crammed | Complex
more complex very complex | furious
more furious very furious | curious
more curious very curious |
| dangerous
more dangerous extremely dangerous | loving
more loving very loving | annoying
more annoying very annoying | successful
more successful very successful | damaged
more damaged extremely damaged |
| Powerful
More powerful very powerful | Radical
more radical radical | tired
more tired very tired | skinny
skinnier skinny | inspired
more inspired very inspired |
| talented
most talented extremely talented | Clumsy
more clumsy clumsy | educated
more educated very educated | dear
Most Esteemed dearest | confident
more confident very confident |
| terrified
more terrified terrified | successful
more successful Very successful | Handsome
More elegant very elegant | famous
most famous famous | Cruel
More cruel extremely crude |
| Noble
noblest most noble | sacred
most sacred Most Holy | Lugubrious
more gloomy gloomy | Black
more black very black | White
more white very white |
| Sinister
more sinister sinister | true
more true very certain | insurance
more secure very sure | lost
more lost lost | Located
More located very located |
| Cheerful
More cheerful very happy | depressed
more depressed very depressed | elevated
higher very high | ameno
more enjoyable very nice | convinced
more convinced very convinced |
| open
more open wide open | closed
more closed very closed | Trained
more educated highly educated | frank
more frank very frank | mellow
more sweet sweet |
| crooked
more crooked crooked | Right to
more right very right | bland
more bland bland | tasty
tastier very tasty | proud
more proud very proud |
| inclined
more inclined very inclined | plane
flatter super plan | hidden
more hidden very hidden | Evident
More evident obvious | discreet
more discreet discreet |
| full
more full very full | empty
more empty [no superlative] | handsome
more handsome gorgeous | Blue
More blue very blue | red
more red very red |
| full
more complete integrity | cult
more cultured Cultured | oblique
more oblique [no superlative] | conspicuous
more conspicuous [no superlative] | Obligated to
more forced very obligated |
| suspicious
more suspicious suspicious | authentic
more authentic very authentic | serene
more serene serene | sober
more sober [no superlative] | fool
more foolish [no superlative] |
| Faint
dimmer [no superlative] | igneous
more igneous [no superlative] | swift
faster very fast | sound
louder loud | Colorado
more colorful very colorful |
* Currently deprecated.
Examples of sentences with qualifying adjectives
Some examples of sentences with qualifying adjectives are:
- Humberto has always been thinner than Pedro.
- German planes are top notch.
- A mystery woman called me on the phone last night.
- An incredible adventure awaits us when we leave home.
- Her explanations struck me as very suspicious.
- A narrow path stretched out below us.
- With a firm hand you will hold the steering wheel.
- The tabby cats heard the thunderous sound.
Other types of adjective
Apart from the qualifiers, there are the following types of adjective:
- relational adjectives. Similar to qualifiers, they modify the meaning of the noun they accompany, but unlike these they lack possible degrees: neither comparative nor superlative. For example: abdominal, police, octagonal.
- Determinative adjectives. They single out the noun they accompany, indicating a relationship with respect to the speaker, such as possession, quantity, gender, among others. For example: this, that, theirs, some.
- Quantifying adjectives. They express the scarcity, abundance or order of the noun they accompany, or express certain basic arithmetical relationships. They can be cardinal, multiplicative, partitive and distributive. For example: first, double, half, tenth.
- interrogative adjectives. They are used exclusively in interrogative sentences either exclamatory, always before the subject, and are always accentuated. For example: which, how many, who.