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An '''adjective''' modifies a [[noun]] or a [[pronoun]] by describing, identifying, or quantifying [[word]]s. In some languages, such as [[English]], an adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies, unless it is a predicate adjective linked to its noun by a [[verb]] such as "to be" or "to become." In other languages, such as [[Spanish]], adjectives typically follow the nouns unless they are predicate adjectives.

An '''adjective''' modifies a [[noun]] or a [[pronoun]] by describing, identifying, or quantifying [[word]]s. An adjective may be [[predicate]] or attributive.  The predicate adjective appears in the predicate of the sentence to modify the subject and in many languages is linked to the subject by a [[verb]] such as "to be or "to become":  "The house is large."  The attributive adjective appears in the same part of the sentence as the noun or pronoun that it modifies:  "We saw the large house."

 

Another difference among languages is adjective-noun agreement. In English, adjectives other than "this" and "that" do not agree with their nouns in number, and adjectives do not agree with their nouns in [[grammatical case|case]] or [[grammar|gender]]. In [[Russian]], by contrast, adjectives agree with their nouns in number, case, and gender, and there are separate grammatical endings for predicate and non-predicate adjectives.

 

Not all languages have a separate functional category of adjectives.  In languages that do not, an adjective (e.g., "large") may function as a type of noun ("a large thing") or verb ("to be large").

In the following examples, the italicized words are adjectives:

In the following examples, the italicized words are adjectives:

*"Suicide is a ''mortal'' sin."

*"Suicide is a ''mortal'' sin."

In the second example, "angry" is used as a predicate adjective.

In the second example, "angry" is used as a predicate adjective.  In the other examples, the adjectives are attributive adjectives.

 

 

 

Not all languages have a separate functional category of adjectives.  In languages that do not, an adjective (e.g., "large") may function as a type of noun ("a large thing") or verb ("to be large").  In the latter case, the predicate adjective is a finite form of the verb ("The house large-is"), while the attributive adjective is a [[participle]] ("the large-being house").

An adjective can be modified by an [[adverb]], or by a phrase or clause functioning as an adverb.  

An adjective can be modified by an [[adverb]], or by a phrase or clause functioning as an adverb.