Adjectives

In this article, we will be learning about adjectives. We will mainly focus on 2 types of adjectives in this article - Demonstrative & Descriptive. Let’s learn about these types of adjectives in detail below.

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Demonstrative Adjectives

We have 4 demonstrative adjectives:

1. This: Things that are singular in nature and near or within reach.
    
2. That: Things that are singular in nature and far from reach.
    
3. These: Things that are plural in nature and near or within reach.
    
4. Those: Things that are plural in nature and far from reach.

Remember: Collective Nouns (groups) are treated as singular.

Practice Questions

Question 1:

Could you pass me __________ bags, please?

1. This
2. That
3. These
4. Those

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - "those". "Pass me" indicates that the bags are out of reach, and "bags" is plural in nature and indicates that there is more than 1 bag there. So, for things that are plural in nature and far from reach, we use "those".

Question 2:

__________ pair of gloves I am holding belongs to my mother.

1. This
2. That
3. These
4. Those

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - "this". "Pair of gloves I am holding" indicates that the mugs are within reach, and "pair of mugs" are singular in nature as collective nouns (groups) are treated as singular. So, for things that are singular in nature and within reach, we use "this".

Question 3:

__________ cuff links __________ made of obsidian.

1. This ... is
2. This ... are
3. These ... is
4. These ... are

Answer: 

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - "these ... are". "Cuff links" are plural in nature. So, for things that are plural in nature, we don't use "this". So, options (1) & (2) are eliminated. Now, as cuff links are plural in nature, we need to use "are" with them. So, the correct answer is option (4) - "these ... are".

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive Adjectives, as the name suggests, provide you with the description of a noun. Some examples of descriptive adjectives are "any", "each", "every" etc. 

Practice Questions

Question 1:

The __________ banker embezzled a scandalous sum of money from the bank.

1. horrendous
2. avaricious
3. vindictive
4. tainted

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - “avaricious”. “Avaricious” means someone who has extreme greed for wealth or material gain. “Horrendous” means horrible; “vindictive” is someone who wants to take revenge and “tainted” is when something is bad or of undesirable quality.

Question 2:

I opened the door to find all my cats under the table and a dead mouse on top of it. I was utterly __________ ! What on earth had happened?

1. amused
2. bemused
3. hypotenuse
4. contused

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - "bemused". "Bemused" means confused. "Amused" means entertained; "hypotenuse" means the longest side of a right-angled triangle, opposite the right angle. "Confused" means to injure a part of the body without breaking the skin (no cut/ tear), forming a bruise.

Question 3:

Love and kindness can turn a __________ person into a civic-minded and wholesome individual.

1. deprived
2. affectionate
3. ravenous
4. depraved

Answer: 

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - “depraved”. “Depraved” means a bad, horrible or corrupt person.

Question 4: 

Spill it, I know you have an __________ motive in offering to help me.

1. exterior
2. interior
3. ulterior
4. inferior

Answer: 

The correct answer to this question is option (3) - “ulterior”. “Ulterior” is a hidden motive or secret reason for doing something. “Exterior” is outside of something; “interior” is inside of something and “inferior” means less than someone. 

Test Your Concepts

Answer the following questions based on the concepts we’ve covered in this article. If you get stuck, revisit the relevant section to revise the concepts.

Question 1:

__________ shoes are too big for me, I will take them off now.

1. This
2. That
3. These
4. Those

Question 2:

__________ pair of boots __________ just right.

1. This ... is
2. This ... are
3. These ... is
4. These ... are

Question 3:

The __________ man plotted his revenge tirelessly.

1. horrendous
2. avaricious
3. vindictive
4. tainted

Question 4:

Tom and his twin Tim are such opposites in their speech. Tom is __________ whilst his brother is infamous for being long-winded and __________.

1. laconic ... verbose
2. verbose ... laconic
3. iconic ... very bossy
4. very bossy ... iconic

Question 5:

It is wise to ignore __________ remarks.

1. asinine
2. affectionate
3. reconciliatory
4. heartening