English Grammar Adjective for Class 2

In Class 1, kids learn that an adjective is a describing word, as in a red ball or a tall tree. Class 2 takes the idea further. Kids start to see that some adjectives don't really describe anything. Instead, they count (five apples), point (that house), ask (which bus?) or show who owns something (my bag).

That's why Class 2 textbooks split adjectives into five kinds. The easiest way to tell them apart is to look at the question each kind answers.

1. Adjectives of Quality

These are the describing words kids already know. They tell us what something is like: its colour, size, shape, taste, feel or nature.

• The water is cold.

• Ria is wearing a beautiful dress.

• The castle is huge.

2. Adjectives of Quantity

These tell us how many or how much. Numbers count as adjectives of quantity when they come before a noun.

• There are many pencils in the box.

• Can I have a few toffees?

• Sapna ate four cookies.

• Please add some sugar.

3. Demonstrative Adjectives

There are only four: this, that, these and those. They point to a particular noun.

This and these are for things that are near. That and those are for things that are far away. This and that go with one thing, and these and those with more than one.

• These fruits are fresh.

• That car is red.

• Those boys won the match.

A common mix-up: In “This is my bag”, this stands alone, without a noun after it. Here, it isn't an adjective because there's no noun for it to point to. It's only an adjective when a noun follows, as in “This bag is mine.”

4. Interrogative Adjectives

These are question words that come right before a noun. In Class 2, there are three: which, whose and what.

• Which colour do you like?

• Whose bag is this?

• What time is it?

Two words that don't belong here: Why and how are question words, but they are never followed by a noun, so they aren't interrogative adjectives.

Also, watch for what used on its own. In “What is your name?”, there's no noun straight after what, so it isn't an adjective. In “What fruit do you like?”, there is, so it is.

5. Possessive Adjectives

These show who something belongs to: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.

• This is my pencil box.

• Her exam results are out.

• Rahul likes your house.

Kids sometimes write it's instead of its. It's is short for “it is”. The possessive is its, with no apostrophe: “The dog wagged its tail.”

A quick check is to read it as “it is”: “The dog wagged it is tail” sounds wrong straight away. Testing a sentence out loud like this is a habit worth building early, and it's part of how grammar is practised in Unbox English grammar lessons.

Practice 1: Find the Adjective and Name Its Kind

1. Ann is a shy girl.

2. The red apples are delicious.

3. I have five chocolates.

4. We should keep our room clean.

5. Those kids are playing in the rain.

6. Which bus goes to the station?

7. Sarah has a smart little puppy.

8. Whose dog is barking outside?

9. There is some water in the bottle.

10. That kite is stuck in the tree.

Answers:

1. shy (quality)

2. red, delicious (quality)

3. five (quantity)

4. our (possessive), clean (quality)

5. Those (demonstrative)

6. Which (interrogative)

7. smart, little (quality)

8. Whose (interrogative)

9. some (quantity)

10. That (demonstrative)

Practice 2: Pick the Right Word

1. We wear ______ clothes in winter. (warm / cold)

2. A lion is a ______ animal. (wild / tame)

3. This is an ______ story. (interesting / interested)

4. ______ shoes are yours, the ones by the door? (These / Those)

5. ______ pen is this? (Whose / Who)

6. The dinosaur was a ______ animal. (huge / tiny)

Answers:

1. warm

2. wild

3. interesting

4. Those, because the shoes are over by the door, not close by

5. Whose

6. huge

Quick Questions Parents Ask

How many kinds of adjectives are there?

For Class 2, five: the ones in this post. Later classes add a few more, such as distributive adjectives (each, every) and proper adjectives (Indian, French).

Are numbers adjectives?

Yes, when they come before a noun. In “three balloons”, three is an adjective of quantity.

Bambinos teaches grammar to Class 2 kids in small live groups, using conversation and stories so the rules make sense rather than just getting memorised. You can see a Bambinos class for free before deciding.