15 Adjective of Quality Examples and Types | TPR Teaching
An adjective is one of the eight parts of speech in the English language.
It is a describing word, and it gives information about the noun in a sentence.
They describe many things, such as shape, color, size and manner.
Adjectives of quality are describing words that give information about the nature of the noun or pronoun, for example, short, young, dirty, sweet, calm, etc.
Today, we will discuss adjective of quality examples to help you fully comprehend this kind of adjective.
There are eight different types of adjectives. They are:
- Proper adjectives
- Qualitative adjectives (or: adjectives of quality)
- Quantitative adjectives
- Demonstrative adjectives
- Numeral adjectives
- Distributive adjectives
- Possessive adjectives
- Interrogative adjectives
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Adjectives of Quality Meaning
Adjectives of quality are the most common type of adjective. They describe the nature of a noun. They tell us about the quality, state, or action of a noun. They are otherwise known as descriptive adjectives or attributive adjectives.
Examples of Adjectives of Quality in Sentences
The following sentences show these descriptive words in various parts of a sentence. We can use more than one descriptive adjective in a sentence.
- The lazy student didn’t look at her homework.
- The naughty dog barked at the neighbor’s cat.
- The brave soldier defended the castle in the wake of dawn.
- It was an excellent film.
- There is a red house on the book cover.
- The class went really well.
- He fell in love with a kind, beautiful girl.
- We had a hot workout the other night.
- The old man fell asleep on the armchair.
- The tall guy is good at basketball.
- My client is a sincere person.
- The lemon had a bitter taste.
- The course was of high quality.
- I like to eat french fries.
- The anxious student completed the exam.
Simple Lists of Adjectives of Quality
Below are some adjectives of quality divided into different categories according to size, taste, color, condition, shapes, manner, etc. These adjectives might fall into more than one category.
We cannot possibly list all of the adjectives of quality however, here is a small sample of simple ones you might use often:
SizeAgeConditionTasteTouchSoundMaterialTallOldOldSweetSoftLoudGoldShortYoungNewSourSlipperyQuietSilverLittleAncientFreshBitterDryCalmPlasticFatMedievalCleanSaltyRoughSilentCottonWideDirtySpicySmoothBlaringAluminumHugeNoisyNarrowSmall
TimeColorsShapesToneMannerFeelingsImpressionDailyRedRoundSarcasticKindAfraidBeautifulWeeklyOrangeCircularCheerfulCleverBoredUglyMonthlyYellowTriangularHumorousBraveCalmYouthfulAnnuallyGreenOvalInformativeNaughtyAnxiousAdorableBlueRectangularRegretfulLazySillyPrettyPurpleHonestTired
Adjective Order
The accepted order for more than one descriptive adjective:
- Quantity or Number
- Opinion or Quality, for example, the best, terrible, good, bad
- Size
- Shape
- Age
- Color
- Nationality
- Material
For example:
- The seven little puppies.
- That is the best Irish pub in town.
- The big blue elephant drinks water.
- The tight cotton fabric clung to her waist.
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Adjective Rules
Here are some great adjective rules to know when forming sentences:
Coordinate Adjectives
If we use adjectives that are similar in that their order can be scrambled, we should separate them with commas or write the word ‘and.’ These are known as coordinate adjectives. For example, “he was a charming, charismatic gentleman.”
Commas
Don’t add a comma for adjectives with different meanings. These are known as cumulative adjectives—for example, the naughty brown dog.
General and Specific Opinion Adjectives
General opinion adjectives are adjectives that can be used with any noun.
Specific opinion adjectives are adjectives that can only be used when referring to specific things, like people and animals.
General opinion adjectives must come before specific opinion adjectives in sentences—for example, the beautiful, funny actor.
Types of Descriptive Adjectives
There are three types of descriptive adjectives (adjectives of quality):
- Simple Descriptive Adjectives
- Compound Descriptive Adjectives
- Proper Descriptive Adjectives
1. Simple Descriptive Adjectives
These are the basic adjectives that give us information about the quality of the noun. In the sentence, “the hungry cat ate the mouse,” hungry is the adjective.
Other simple descriptive adjectives: hot, young, bold, nice, tall, sweet, delicious, excellent, happy, lovely, round, red, bitter.
2. Compound Descriptive Adjectives:
These are hyphenated adjectives. They are formed by combining two adjectives. In the sentence, “he is a self-made billionaire,” self-made is the adjective.
Other compound descriptive adjectives: broken-down, broken-hearted, up-to-date, middle-aged, high-heeled, blueish-green.
3. Proper Descriptive Adjectives
Proper descriptive adjectives are derived from proper nouns. They describe places, religions, countries, etc.
“She ordered rice at the Chinese restaurant.” Chinese is the adjective.
Other examples of proper descriptive adjectives: Spanish, American, Mexican, Catholic, Christian, Italian, Irish, British, Buddhist, Muslim.
In Conclusion
Qualitative adjectives tell us about the qualities of a noun. They can come before or after the noun. They can be used to add some excitement and life to plain text.
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Caitriona Maria
I’m an Irish tutor and founder of TPR Teaching. I started teaching in 2016 and have since taught in the UK, Spain, and online.
I love learning new things about the English language and how to teach it better. I’m always trying to improve my knowledge, so I can better meet the needs of others!
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