CDS English · Grammar
Adjectives, pointing words and degrees of comparison
An adjective describes a noun. Pointing words such as this, his and which stand before a noun and limit it. Degrees of comparison change the adjective's form to compare.
Why this matters
Describing words come up two ways: as the underlined word whose class you must name, and as a blank in front of a noun. This, that, his and which are the hardest: the same word is a describing word before a noun and a pronoun when it stands alone.
Concept 1 of 4: An adjective describes a noun, before it or after 'be'
An adjective answers 'what kind?' about a noun: a solo fight, dull clouds. It can sit right before its noun, or after a verb like 'is' or 'seems', and still describe the same noun.
Definition
Two positions:
- Attributive: right before the noun (meaningless letters, far-off days, the mighty river).
- Predicative: after be, seem, become, look, turn, describing the subject (The conclusions are questionable; It is obligatory to ...).
Forms that still count as adjectives:
- Words ending in -ed or -ing that describe a noun: an anguished letter, a smiling face.
- Hyphenated words: far-off days, a well-known writer.
- Two adjectives in a row: the dull grey clouds (both describe 'clouds').
The method:
- Find the noun the word describes. Ask 'what kind of [noun]?'.
- If the word answers it, it is an adjective, wherever it sits.
- If the word describes an action instead (spoke softly), it is not an adjective.
Worked example
Name the part of speech of the underlined word: The tired soldiers rested by the river.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — English · Q62Easy
Example 1 · Grammar · Parts of Speech: Adjectives and Determiners
Directions: Each of the following sentences has an underlined word. Read each sentence carefully and determine which word class the underlined word belongs to. Mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
It is obligatory for all employees to wear protective clothing.
An adjective can stand far from its noun
In 'The conclusions that they came to are highly questionable', the noun is at the start. The word after 'are' still describes it: adjective. 'Highly' is the adverb.
An -ed word before a noun
'An anguished letter' has no action in it. A word ending in -ed that stands before a noun and describes it is an adjective, not a verb.
'Only' changes with its place
'His only answer' means his single answer: 'only' describes the noun, so it is an adjective. In 'He only smiled', 'only' goes with the verb, so it is an adverb.
Concept 2 of 4: Pointing words before a noun: this, that, his, which (determiners)
Some words before a noun do not describe it. They point to it or say whose it is: this boy, my pen, which way. Modern grammar calls them determiners; older books call them adjectives. Put the same word alone and it becomes a pronoun.
Definition
Terms:
- A determiner stands before a noun and points to it or limits it. The articles a, an, the are determiners too.
- Demonstrative: this, that, these, those. Before a noun = demonstrative adjective (this boy). Alone = demonstrative pronoun (This is mine).
- Possessive adjective: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Always before a noun (her bag).
- Possessive pronoun: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. Always alone (The bag is hers).
- Interrogative adjective: which, what, whose before a noun in a question (Which way?).
The test: is there a noun right after the word?
- Yes: adjective (determiner).
- No: pronoun.
| Word | In the sentence | Job here | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| This | This boy is stronger than Ramesh | Demonstrative adjective: points to 'boy' | 2020 (II)Q |
| his | This is his pen | Possessive adjective: stands before 'pen' | 2020 (II) |
| This | This time we woke up to the virus related diseases | Demonstrative: points to 'time' | 2021 (I)Q |
| that | I like that boy | Demonstrative adjective: points to 'boy' | 2023 (I) No 'Adjective' or 'Determiner' option was given here. When the exact label is missing, pick the closest one offered: 'Demonstrative Pronoun' at least names the right word family. |
| Which | Which way shall we go? | Interrogative adjective: asks about 'way' | 2023 (I)Q |
| his | one of the tallest boys in his class | Possessive adjective: stands before 'class' | 2024 (II) No possessive-adjective option was given here. The closest label offered was 'Possessive Pronoun'. |
'His' is the one word that is both: 'his pen' (adjective) and 'The pen is his' (pronoun).
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2020 · CDS (II) 2020 — English · Q83Moderate
Example 2 · Grammar · Parts of Speech: Adjectives and Determiners
Directions: part of speech of the underlined word
This is his pen.
Same word, two classes
This, that, these, those, which and what are adjectives (determiners) before a noun and pronouns on their own. Look at the next word before you answer.
Her or hers
'Her bag' (possessive adjective, a noun follows) and 'The bag is hers' (possessive pronoun, alone). Only 'his' and 'its' keep the same form in both jobs, so 'his' needs the noun test every time.
'This' is not an article
The only articles are a, an, the. An option 'Article' for this or that is always wrong.
Concept 3 of 4: Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative
An adjective has three forms. One thing alone: tall. Two things compared: taller. One out of three or more: the tallest. The rest of the sentence tells you which form it wants.
Definition
The three degrees:
- Positive: the plain form (tall, beautiful, late).
- Comparative: two things compared; -er or more (taller, more beautiful). Signal: than.
- Superlative: one out of three or more; -est or most (the tallest, the most beautiful). Signals: the, of all, in the class, in the world.
Irregular forms:
- good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; little, less, least; many/much, more, most; late, later, latest.
The method:
- Read the signal words: 'than' wants the comparative; 'the ... of all' wants the superlative.
- Use only one marker: 'more taller' and 'most tallest' are wrong.
- A degree form before a noun is still an adjective (the latest news, less attention).
Worked example
Fill in the blank: Of the three brothers, Arun is _______. (a) taller (b) the tallest (c) more tall (d) tallest
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — English · Q11Easy
Example 3 · Grammar · Parts of Speech: Adjectives and Determiners
Directions: choose the most appropriate word for the blank
He was _______ speaker that I had ever heard.
Two markers at once
'More better', 'more cleverer' and 'most tallest' are always wrong. Use -er or more, -est or most, never both.
A degree form is still an adjective
'Latest' in 'the latest news' and 'less' in 'less attention' describe a noun, so they are adjectives. When 'most beautiful' is underlined as one piece before a noun, the whole is an adjective too.
'Very' is not a degree
'Very eloquent' is still the positive degree; 'very' only strengthens it. When the sentence compares one person with all others, only the superlative fits.
Concept 4 of 4: Fill a blank by the class the slot needs, then by meaning
A blank has neighbours, and the neighbours decide which class can fit. Often the four options are one word in four forms: a noun, an adjective, an adverb, a verb. Find the class first. Meaning comes second.
Definition
Read the slot:
- Blank right before a noun (_______ growth): an adjective.
- Blank after the / a and before 'of' or a verb (The _______ of the car): a noun.
- Blank after a subject, where the action should be: a verb.
- Blank describing a verb or an adjective: an adverb.
The method:
- Strike every option of the wrong class.
- If one is left, that is the answer.
- If several are left, or all four are the same class, choose by meaning: the word that makes sense and usually goes with its neighbour.
Worked example
Fill in the blank: The _______ rise in prices worried every family. (a) sharp (b) sharply (c) sharpness (d) sharpen
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (II) 2024 — English · Q9Easy
Example 4 · Grammar · Parts of Speech: Adjectives and Determiners
Directions: fill the blank with the right grammar word
_______ intake of sugar can cause health problems.
Four forms of one word
When the options share a root, three of them are the wrong class. They look right because the meaning is close. Decide the class from the slot before you read the meanings.
When all four are the same class
If every option is a noun, the grammar test cannot help. Read the whole sentence and pick the word that makes sense with it, as in 'Developing _______ ... requires detailed planning'.
A verb-looking word can be a noun
In 'The _______ of the car is unknown', the answer is 'make', which here is a noun meaning the brand. Trust the slot (after 'The', before 'of'), not the look of the word.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (1)
Pointing words before a noun: this, that, his, which (determiners)6 rows
| Word | In the sentence | Job here | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| This | This boy is stronger than Ramesh | Demonstrative adjective: points to 'boy' | 2020 (II)Q |
| his | This is his pen | Possessive adjective: stands before 'pen' | 2020 (II) |
| This | This time we woke up to the virus related diseases | Demonstrative: points to 'time' | 2021 (I)Q |
| that | I like that boy | Demonstrative adjective: points to 'boy' | 2023 (I) No 'Adjective' or 'Determiner' option was given here. When the exact label is missing, pick the closest one offered: 'Demonstrative Pronoun' at least names the right word family. |
| Which | Which way shall we go? | Interrogative adjective: asks about 'way' | 2023 (I)Q |
| his | one of the tallest boys in his class | Possessive adjective: stands before 'class' | 2024 (II) No possessive-adjective option was given here. The closest label offered was 'Possessive Pronoun'. |
'His' is the one word that is both: 'his pen' (adjective) and 'The pen is his' (pronoun).
Watch out for (12)
- An adjective can stand far from its noun→ An adjective describes a noun, before it or after 'be'
- An -ed word before a noun→ An adjective describes a noun, before it or after 'be'
- 'Only' changes with its place→ An adjective describes a noun, before it or after 'be'
- Same word, two classes→ Pointing words before a noun: this, that, his, which (determiners)
- Her or hers→ Pointing words before a noun: this, that, his, which (determiners)
- 'This' is not an article→ Pointing words before a noun: this, that, his, which (determiners)
- Two markers at once→ Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative
- A degree form is still an adjective→ Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative
- 'Very' is not a degree→ Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative
- Four forms of one word→ Fill a blank by the class the slot needs, then by meaning
- When all four are the same class→ Fill a blank by the class the slot needs, then by meaning
- A verb-looking word can be a noun→ Fill a blank by the class the slot needs, then by meaning
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