Formation of Adjectives
Many of the English adjectives exist independently, i.e., they do not form from other words, for example, good, bad, black, etc., but there is a huge list of adjectives formed from nouns and verbs. There are no general rules for forming adjectives, but many adjectives are from a base word by adding some group of words at the beginning or at the end of a word called prefixes and suffixes.
Adjectives From Nouns
Many adjectives are formed nouns by adding the suffixes able, al, an, ate, ic, ous, ly, y, ish, en, ful, less, etc.
The suffix “less” means without it turn a noun into an adjective.
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| fear | fearless |
| home | homeless |
| care | careless |
| use | useless |
| shame | shameless |
| power | powerless |
| hair | hairless |
| help | helpless |
| harm | harmless |
| meaning | meaningless |
| pain | painless |
Examples
A useless vehicle.
A careless person.
The suffix “-ful” means full of
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Beauty | Beautiful |
| Help | Helpful |
| Bounty | Bountiful |
| Hope | Hopeful |
Example
- She was wearing a beautiful dress.
- A bountiful supply of coconuts.
Adjectives can also be formed by adding the suffix “-y,” to a noun which means the stated thing or is characterized by.
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Noise | Noisy |
| Storm | Stormy |
| Sun | Sunny |
| Thirst | Thirsty |
| Mud | Muddy |
| Juice | Juicy |
| Cloud | Cloudy |
| Sleep | Sleepy |
| Friend | Friendly |
| Man | Manly |
| King | Kingly |
| Woman | Womanly |
| Father | Fatherly |
| Ink | Inky |
| Dirt | Dirty |
| Health | Healthy |
| Wealth | Wealthy |
| Luck | Lucky/Unlucky |
| Anger | Angry |
Many adjectives are formed from nouns with the addition of the suffixes “-ible, -able.”
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Pleasure | Pleasurable |
| Pardon | Pardonable |
| Laugh | Laughable |
| Respect | Respectable |
| Sense | Sensible |
| Advice | Advisable |
| Honor | Honorable |
| Dispute | Disputable |
| Knowledge | knowledgeable |
| Work | Workable |
| Belief | Believable |
| Permission | Permissible/Impermissible |
| Nonsense | Sensible |
Formation of adjectives by adding the suffix “ic” and “ical.”
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Critic | Critical |
| Publicity | Public |
| Artist | Artistic |
| Hero | Heroic |
| Poetry | Poetic |
| Atom | Atomic |
| History | Historic |
| Photography | Photographic |
The suffix “-ish” is used with nouns to form adjectives to say what something comes from or which say what a person, thing, or action is like
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Boy | Boyish |
| Child | Childish |
| Style | Stylish |
| Girl | Girlish |
| Fool | Foolish |
| Ireland | Irish |
Adjectives formed with “ous.”
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Glory | Glorious |
| Danger | Dangerous |
| Courage | Courageous |
| Fame | Famous |
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Wood | Wooden |
| Wool | Woolen |
| Gold | Golden |
Adjectives formed with other prefixes and suffixes are given below in the table.
| Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Education | Educated |
| Nation | National |
| Clothing | Clothed |
| Employment | Unemployed |
| Cookery | Cooked |
| Damage | Damaging |
| Health | Healthy/Unhealthy |
| Produce | Productive |
| Nonsense | Insensitive |
| Music | Musical/Unmusical |
| Information | Informative/Uninformative/Informed/Uninformed |
| Brute | Brutal |
| Research | Searching |
| Industry | Industrial |
| Alexandria | Alexandrian |
| Hercules | Herculean |
| Fortune | Fortunate |
| Trouble | Troublesome |
| Quarrel | Quarrelsome |
| North | Northern |
| East | Eastern |
| West | Western |
| Paid | Unpaid |
| Whole | Wholesome |
| Awe | Awesome |
| South | Southern |
| Sudan | Sudanese |
| Passion | Passionate |
| China | Chinese |
| Progress | Progressive |
| Furniture | Furnished |
Formation of Adjectives From Verbs
| Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Accustom | Customary |
| Achieve | Achievable |
| Act | Acting |
| Active | Inactive |
| Add | Additionally |
| Advantage | Advantaged |
| Amaze | Amazed/Amazing |
| Anger | Angry |
| Apply | Applicable |
| Abhorrence | Abhorrent |
| Abort | Abortive |
| Abridge | Abridged |
| Enthusiast | Enthusiastic |
| Deserve | Deserved |
| Suspect | Suspected |
| Prevent | Preventive |
| Behave | Behavioral |
| Believe | Believable |