Adjectives of Number (Numeral Adjectives)
Adjectives of Number also called Numeral Adjectives show how many persons or things are meant.
These adjectives answer the question: (How many?)
They are further divided into two main classes – Definite Numerals and Indefinite Numerals
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Definite numerals – show some exact numbers. They are of three kinds
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- Cardinals (One, two, three, four)
- Ordinals (First, second, third, fourth)
- Multiplicatives (Single, double, triple, quadruple)
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Example Sentences of Definite Numeral Adjectives in Cardinals:
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- There is only one ticket available for you.
- There are two ways to reach this place.
- The prize money has been distributed among three members equally.
- This booklet contains only four chapters.
- Kamal acted in five films simultaneously.
- He ordered six shirts.
- Mr. Reddy has been teaching English for twenty years.
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Example Sentences of Definite Numeral Adjectives in Ordinals:
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- I am the first person to reach the ground.
- I don’t understand the second chapter of this book.
- Sheela secured the third position in the recent exams.
- This is my fourth motorbike.
- Children’s day is celebrated on fourteenth November
- Â Independence day is celebrated on fifteenth August.
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Example Sentences of Definite Numeral Adjectives in Multiplicatives:
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- It is a double page pamphlet.
- There is only a single room available in this hotel.
- You will get triple benefits if you invest in this plan.
Indefinite numerals – do not show an exact number. They are applied to indefinite numbers.Â
Ex., all, some, enough, none, many, few, a few, several, any, a lot of etc.,Â
Example Sentences of Indefinite numerals
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- Chitti has bought some mangoes.
- I saw a few children in the class.
- My friend booked all the tickets available.
- Arjun saw no birds on the tree.
- I have seen some students in the playground.
- All roads lead to Rome.
- Do you find any vegetables in the refrigerator?
- There are several chapters in this book.
- Anu bought some eggs.
- In this flower festival, certain flowers are beautiful.
- There are no books available to read in the library.
- Most of the participants didn’t perform well in the programme.
- The students brought some notebooks.
- There are enough plates to serve the dinner.
- With no qualifications, how do you get selected for this job?
- Many participants did not respond well.
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Points to Focus:
Some of these Indefinite Adjectives can also be used as Adjectives of Quantity
- Indefinite Numeral Adjectives refer to Countable Nouns whereas Adjectives of Quantity refer to Uncountable Nouns.
- Adjectives of Quantity refer to the approximate quantity of nouns whereas Indefinite Numeral Adjectives refer to the exact number of the noun in a sentence.
They are: all, most, some, none, no, more, enough, all, any, plenty of, a lot, etc.,
- I have bought some eggs. (Indefinite Numeral Adjective)
- I have bought some milk. (Adjective of Quantity)
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- The captain got enough players. (Indefinite Numeral Adjective)
- The captain had enough practice. (Adjective of Quantity)
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- They did not receive any emails from them. (Indefinite Numeral Adjective)
- They did not receive any response from the audience. (Adjective of Quantity)
- What is an Adjective
- Proper Adjectives
- Adjectives of Quality (Qualitative Adjectives/Descriptive Adjectives)
- Adjectives of Quantity (Quantitative Adjectives)
- Adjectives of Number (Numeral Adjectives)
- Demonstrative Adjectives
- Interrogative Adjectives
- Distributive Adjectives
- Possessive Adjectives (Pronominal)
- Emphasizing Adjectives
- Exclamatory Adjectives
- Participle Adjectives
- Relative Adjectives
- Compound Adjectives