9. The Adjective

Read the following sentences :-

1. Sita is a clever girl. (Girl of what kind ?)
2. I don't like that boy . (Which boy ?)
3. He gave me five mangoes . (How many mangoes ?)
4. There is little time for preparation . (How much time ?)

In sentence 1, 'clever' shows what kind of girl Sita is.
In sentence 2, 'that' points out which boy is meant.
In sentence 3, 'five' shows how many mangoes he gave me.
In sentence 4, 'little' shows how much time there is for preparation.

A word used with a noun to describe or point out , the person, animal , place or thing or tell quantity is called an Adjective. It generally adds something to the meaning of noun.

In the following sentences:-

1. The lazy boy was punished.
2. The boy is lazy.

In sentence 1, the adjective lazy is used along with the noun boy as an epithet or attribute. It is , therefore , said to be used Attributively
In sentence 2, the adjective lazy is used along with the verb is, and forms part of the predicate. It is , therefore , said to be used Predicatively.