Introduction
Intro (English): Adjectives add colour to nouns — they describe qualities, quantity, identity and limit nouns. This chapter gives a memorably clear system for types, degrees, order of adjectives, comparison rules, adjective + preposition collocations, diagrams, 8 solved examples, and exam-targeted practice for SSC, Police, Railway and NEET.
Definition & Core Theorem
Definition: An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun by describing quality, size, number, or identity.
Theorem-like principle: In a noun phrase, adjectives must follow a predictable order (opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose) when multiple adjectives modify the same noun — keeping the fixed order maximizes clarity and native-like usage.
Types of Adjectives (with examples)
1. Descriptive Adjectives
Describe qualities: happy, tall, red.
2. Limiting Adjectives
Determiners and numbers: the, a, an, my, this, some, three.
3. Quantitative & Ordinal
Quantitative: few, several, many. Ordinal: first, second.
4. Proper & Compound Adjectives
Proper: Indian (derived from proper noun). Compound: well-known, a ten-year-old boy.
Degrees of Comparison & Formulas
Positive → Comparative → Superlative. Formulas: one-syllable adjectives: big → bigger → biggest. Two-syllable ending in -y: happy → happier → happiest. Multisyllabic: use 'more/most' (beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful). Irregulars: good → better → best.
Order of Multiple Adjectives (Memory Rule & Diagram)
Recommended memory hook: OSASCOMP — Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose. Embed diagram (OSASCOMP arrow) as SVG for classroom recall.
Comparison Rules & Common Errors
- Do not use 'more' with '-er' forms (incorrect: more better).
- Use double comparatives cautiously — avoid: 'more better'.
- Superlative with 'the' for specific group: "She is the smartest in class."
- With two items prefer comparative, with >2 use superlative appropriately.
Diagrams — Replace with inline SVGs
Recommended SVGs: OSASCOMP order arrow, comparison number line (positive → comparative → superlative), adjective classification tree. Paste inline SVG markup to replace placeholders for crisp print-ready diagrams.
Solved Examples (8 step-by-step)
- Example 1: Order: "a (small) (old) (wooden) table" — arrange correctly.
Solution: Opinion? none; Size: small; Age: old; Material: wooden → "a small old wooden table." Preferable: "a small, old, wooden table."उपाय: OSASCOMP नुसार क्रम लावा. - Example 2: Comparative: "more clever or cleverer?" for 'clever' (one/two syllable?)
Solution: both 'cleverer' and 'more clever' acceptable; 'cleverer' common in British English.उपाय: दोन-सिलॅबल शब्दांसाठी दोन्ही पर्याय कायद्यानुसार वापरले जातात. - Example 3: Irregular: "bad → ?"
Solution: bad → worse → worst.उपाय: irregular forms लक्षात ठेवा. - Example 4: Superlative with 'the': "He is ___ (tall) in the team."
Solution: "He is the tallest in the team."उपाय: गटात सर्वात उंच असल्यास 'the' वापरा. - Example 5: Compound adjective hyphenation: "a ten year old boy" → ?
Solution: Hyphenate attributive compound: "a ten-year-old boy."उपाय: attributive compounds मध्ये hyphen वापरा. - Example 6: Limiting vs descriptive: "the only two available seats" — why order matters?
Solution: Limiter 'only/two' before descriptive 'available' — "the only two available seats." Ensure determiners and numbers come before descriptive adjectives.उपाय: लिमिटर adjectives descriptive पेक्षा आधी येतात. - Example 7: Form superlative for adjective ending in -y: "happy"
Solution: happy → happiest (y→i + est).उपाय: -y चे परिवर्तन लक्षात ठेवा. - Example 8: Multiple adjectives punctuation: "a bright young talented student" — add commas correctly.
Solution: If adjectives are coordinate (equal), separate with commas: "a bright, young, talented student." If not coordinate, no commas. Test: insert 'and' between adjectives — if natural, use commas.उपाय: coordinate adjectives मध्ये comma/and वापरा.
Practice Questions (+ Summary Table & Answer Key)
25 minutes practice: arrange adjective order, form comparatives/superlatives, hyphenation and error correction.
Summary Table (Quick reference)
| Topic | Rule / Quick tip |
|---|---|
| Order (OSASCOMP) | Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material → Purpose |
| Comparatives | one-syllable: -er; multi-syllable: more/most; irregulars exist |
| Hyphenation | Attributive compounds before noun: use hyphen (ten-year-old boy) |
| Limiting adjectives | Determiners/numbers before descriptive adjectives |
| Comma test | Use 'and' between adjectives — if natural, separate with commas |
Answer Key
- Q1: "a beautiful small blue dress." (Opinion before size before colour)
- Q2: good → better; best (superlative)
- Q3: "a five-year plan." (hyphenate attributive compound)
- Q4: "He is the most intelligent of the class."
- Q5: Correct: "She is prettier than her sister." (remove 'more')
- Q6: "a beautiful old French silk scarf." (OSASCOMP: opinion, age, origin, material)
- Q7: far → farther/further → farthest/furthest (both sets used)
- Q8: "a kind, generous teacher." (coordinate adjectives — commas optional but recommended)
Exam-focused Tips & SEO Strategy
Memorise OSASCOMP order, irregular comparatives, and hyphenation rules. Include long-tail keyword headings like "adjectives notes for SSC" and unique meta per page. JSON-LD included for Course/Breadcrumb/FAQ to boost rich snippets on Google.
Classroom Example (English + Marathi)
English (teacher explains): "Teach order by showing students a picture and asking them to describe it using multiple adjectives in order — practice with OSASCOMP until it becomes instinctive."
Resources & Next steps
Paste your inline SVGs for OSASCOMP and comparison number-line diagrams and I'll embed them. I can also add 8 more advanced solved examples, produce printable PDFs/worksheets, and run keyword research to expand the keyword list for stronger SEO and ranking on rsetu.link.