Dictionary of English - adjective

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This is a grammatical part of speech for words that describe nouns (for example, new and beautiful, as in a new hat and a beautiful day). Adjectives generally have three degrees (grades or levels for the description of relationships): the positive degree: new, beautiful, the comparative degree: newer, more beautiful, and the superlative degree: newest, most beautiful.

Some adjectives do not normally need comparative and superlative forms; one person cannot be more asleep than someone else, a lone action is unlikely to be the most single-handed action ever seen, and many people dislike the expression most unique or almost unique, because something unique is supposed to be the only one that exists. For purposes of emphasis or style these conventions may be set aside: I don't know who is more unique; they are both remarkable people.

Double comparatives such as more bigger are not grammatical in Standard English, but Shakespeare used a double superlative: 'the most unkindest cut of all' ( Julius Caesar). Some adjectives may have both comparative and both superlative forms commoner and more common; commonest and most common; shorter words usually take on the suffixes -er/-est but occasionally they may be given the more/most forms for emphasis or other reasons: Which of them is the most clear?.

When an adjective comes before a noun it is attributive; when it comes after noun and verb (for example, It looks good) it is predicative. Some adjectives can only be used predicatively: The child was asleep, but not: the asleep child. The participles of verbs are regularly used adjectivally: a sleeping child; boiled milk, often in compound forms: a quick-acting medicine; a glass-making factory; a hard-boiled egg; well-trained teachers. Adjectives are often formed by adding suffixes to nouns: sand: sandy; nation: national.