Difference Between Noun and Adjective

Noun vs adjective

Noun and adjective are two different things. Although their similarities are both grounded in the world of grammar they are different in nature, in character, and in usage. Both noun and adjective belong to the eight parts of speech along with verbs, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. Most English speaking and educated people around the world use nouns and adjectives interchangeably and although some words are exempted it is still generally wrong to do so. That is why the proper usage of both should be remembered. You must also understand that there are set of words that can be interchanged to be noun or adjective but you have to be able to know when it becomes a noun and when it becomes an adjective.

An example of a word that turns into a noun or adjective is the word ‘fly’. SENTENCE 1: Sally swatted a fly. The word ‘fly’ in this sentence was used as a noun. SENTENCE 2: P. Diddy’s shades were so fly. The word ‘fly’ in this sentence was used as slang adjective. See the difference? To help you understand more, here are the distinctions of noun and adjective.

Noun, to begin with, are words that name a person, a place, a thing or even an idea. Examples of which are person, place, thing, idea and many more. Everything that came into being and even those that didn’t have names and these names are grouped and called as nouns. There are two main types of noun— the proper noun and the common noun. The examples mentioned earlier are called common noun. Common nouns are general terms and non specific terms of things. Proper nouns are specific names. When you read articles and encounter words with capital letters it is a proper noun. Examples of proper nouns are names of persons such as Eva, Andrew, Michael; names of places such as Nebraska, McDonald’s, Harvard University, and many other examples. Sub-types of nouns are collective nouns (words used for a group, e.g. herds, colony, and the likes); concrete nouns (words used for things that can be touched, smelled, tasted, and seen, e.g. salt, sugar, dog, wool, and the likes); abstract nouns (words used for things that are felt but cannot be seen, e.g. love, confusion, anxiety, anger, and the likes); and mass nouns or uncountable nouns (words used for things or group of things that cannot be named in plural form, e.g. milk, furniture, character, knowledge, and the likes.

Adjective, on the other hand, are words basically used to describe or modify the noun. It usually precedes a noun in the sentence although in some cases it goes after it. Examples of which are a graceful dancer, eight-year-old kid, grumpy old man, the iron is hot, and the likes. Like nouns adjectives also have types and classifications— descriptive adjectives (these are words classified as shapes, colors, sizes, personality traits, qualities and time and used to describe nouns, e.g. circle and heart, black and gold, thick or thin, depressed and optimistic, negative and positive, millennium and centuries, and others); personal titles (words that precede a noun and signifies the status of the thing described, e.g. mademoiselle, uncle, countess, and the likes); possessive adjectives (these words signify possession and usually precedes a noun, e.g. my, his, hers, and the likes); and many more.

SUMMARY:

1. Both adjectives and nouns belong to the eight parts of speech.

2. Nouns are names for people, places, things, and ideas, while adjectives are words used to describe these nouns.

3. Nouns have two main types— the common noun and the proper noun and other sub types such as collective, concrete, abstract, and mass or uncountable nouns. Adjectives on the other hand have descriptive, personal titles, and possessive adjectives.

Sharing is caring!