ADJECTIVE OF NUMBER

Definition

“Adjectives of number are the adjectives that are used to depict either the number of nouns or their position or place in a certain order.”

OR,“Adjective which states the number of persons or things is called the Adjective of Number or Numeral Adjective.”

OR,“Adjective showing the number of nouns or pronouns is called Adjective of Number.”

Explanation

Adjectives of number are the adjectives used to denote number of nouns or pronouns including their position or place in a certain order in the sentence.

It shows the exact number of nouns or pronouns with their position or place. It is used with the countable nouns.

For example:

There are ten students in the classroom.

I stood first in class.

Saturday is the last day of the week.

List of Numeral Adjective

Numeral adjective is categorized into three types, so we have provided below numeral adjective list into categorized form:

Definite numeral adjectives: one, sixth, fifth, double, two, fifty five, second, triple, seven, eleven, seventy fifth, quadruple, fifteen, first, one third, five seventh, twenty, third, ninth, first, etc.

Indefinite numeral adjectives: some, few, many, all, no, several, any, most, more, too, much, none, too many, certain, etc.

Distributive numeral adjectives: each, every, neither, either, etc.

Examples and Use

Following are some examples showing the use of adjectives of number in the sentence:

The brilliant one of you can be the leader of this group.

Two children make a family perfect.

Few dogs are unhealthy.

My legs have eight fingers and two

Some women are upset.

Most of the boys are selected for cricket.

Four books of the Management Studies are very tough.

I wrote many letters to you.

I have learnt three languages.

I wrote some letters to you but you did not replied.

There are only nine class rooms in our school.

One hour has sixty minutesYou can get twenty four hours service here.

Five of the employees have resigned today.

A week has seven days.

 Types

There are three types of adjectives of number such as:

Definite numeral adjective

Indefinite numeral adjective

Distributive numeral adjective

Definite Numeral Adjective:

Definite numeral adjectives are used to denote exact number or position of the subject in the sentence. Both cardinals and ordinals number come under it such as one, first, two, second, four, third, three, seven, eighty five, one third, double, triple two fifths, half, seventh, etc.

For example:

There are nine persons in a group.

He is first to join sports in the class.

Indefinite Numeral Adjective:

Indefinite numeral adjectives are used to specify numerous subjects however they do not give any specific count value. They only provide information about the amount of noun but do not tell the exact amount of noun in the sentence such as all, no, many, few, some, any, certain, several, etc.

For example:

There are many patients standing at the door of hospital.

She has bought all the mangoes of seller.

They are also used as adjectives of quantity but the difference is that indefinite numeral adjectives are used followed by the countable noun whereas adjectives of quantity are used followed by the singular uncountable noun.

For examples:

She has bought some eggs from the shop.

He has taken some

Distributive Numeral Adjective:

Distributive numeral adjectives are similar to distributive adjectives and used to indicate nouns as individual in the whole amount such as neither, another, every, each, etc.

For example:

In the entrance exams each of the students get a separate set of questions.

Every poor needs job.

Each student must take bath.

Every Indian must perform their duty.

Every word of this paragraph is false.

Generally it is followed by the singular noun and singular verb (such as ‘neither answer is incorrect’); however, in case of each of, every one of, either of, and neither of, we use plural noun and singular verb in the sentence (Either of the given questions is appropriate).

Difference between Adjectives of Quantity and Adjectives of Number

By name, it seems that both are similar however both have many differences. Both indicate the amount of noun in the sentence however the differences are like:

Adjectives of quantity show the approximate quantity of noun whereas adjectives of number express the exact number of the noun in sentence.

Adjectives of number indicate the number of noun, its position and place in a certain order in the sentence.

Adjective of number is used with countable nouns whereas adjective of quantity is used with uncountable nouns.

Adjective of number is classified into three types (definite numeral adjectives, indefinite numeral adjectives, and distributive numeral adjectives) whereas adjective of quantity is identical to the indefinite numeral adjectives however differing in their usage. Such as:

Adjectives of Quantity:

I have enough

I ate some

I have not eaten any

You have no sense what you talking about.

Adjectives of Number:

There are not enough

Are there any guava-trees in your garden?

There are no interesting stories in this book.

Some boys are very clever and intelligent.

Rules/Tips to be Followed

Following are some rules and tips of using numeral adjectives in the sentence:

Hyphen is used between the two or more adjectives when they come before noun and act as single idea. Hyphen is also used when a number and a measurement unit comes together and form an adjective.

For examples:

A 24-inch monitor is not fit for my desk.

Nurses generally work for 12-hour

It is not necessary to use hyphen when measurements do not act as adjectives, such as:

For examples:

She won the race by 2

He got tired after twelve