Limiting Adjectives: Definition, Types and Examples
Limiting adjectives are words that come before a noun and narrow down which thing or how many you mean, without describing what it is like. In “these two red apples”, these and two are limiting adjectives (they pick out which apples and how many), while red is a descriptive adjective. The main limiting adjectives are articles (a, an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your), numbers (one, first), quantity words (some, many), distributives (each, every) and question words (which, whose).
Many modern grammars call these words determiners rather than adjectives. Both labels describe the same words; school grammar and many textbooks say “limiting adjectives”, linguists and learner dictionaries usually say “determiners”. This page uses the school term and notes the other where it helps.
Limiting vs descriptive adjectives
| Limiting adjectives | Descriptive adjectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | say which, whose or how many | say what something is like |
| Examples | the, this, my, three, every, which | red, tall, kind, wooden, noisy |
| Can go after “is”? | No: |
Yes: The book is old. |
| Can be compared? | Mostly no ( |
Usually yes (older, more interesting) |
| Position | first in the noun phrase | after the limiting words |
For the other side of the table, see descriptive adjectives.
The seven types of limiting adjectives
1. Articles: a, an, the
The most frequent words in English. A/an introduces something not yet known to the listener; the points to something both speakers can identify. “I saw a fox. The fox ran into the garden.” Full guide: articles a, an, the.
2. Demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these, those
They point to something by distance (near or far) and number (singular or plural). “This chair is wobbly; sit on that one.” More: demonstrative adjectives.
3. Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
They show whose. “Their house is next to our school.” Note its has no apostrophe. More: possessive adjectives.
4. Number adjectives: cardinal and ordinal
- Cardinal numbers say how many: one, two, twenty, a hundred. “Two tickets, please.”
- Ordinal numbers say the position: first, second, last, next. “Take the second left.”
When both appear, the ordinal usually comes first: “the first three chapters”, not “the three first chapters”.
5. Quantity (indefinite) adjectives: some, many, few, much, all, no
They give an amount without an exact number. Some go only with countable nouns (many, few, several), some only with uncountable ones (much, little), and some with both (some, any, no, all). “Many people, much noise, some chairs, some water.” More: quantitative adjectives and indefinite adjectives.
6. Distributive adjectives: each, every, either, neither
They refer to members of a group one at a time and take a singular noun: “Every student has a locker”, “Neither answer is correct.” Each stresses individuals, every the whole group.
7. Interrogative adjectives: which, what, whose
They ask a question about a noun: “Which bus goes to the station?”, “Whose coat is this?” More: interrogative adjectives.
Adjective or pronoun?
Most of these words can also stand alone as pronouns. The test is simple: if a noun follows, it is a limiting adjective; if it stands in place of the noun, it is a pronoun.
| Limiting adjective | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| This cake is delicious. | This is delicious. |
| Some students left early. | Some left early. |
| Which door is open? | Which is open? |
| That is my bag. | That bag is mine. |
The possessives are the exception: the adjective and pronoun forms differ (my/mine, your/yours, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs).
Order and how many you can use
Limiting adjectives always come before descriptive ones: “my two old friends”, never “old my two friends”. Among themselves they follow a fixed pattern:
all/both/half → the/this/my → first/next/last → two/three/many → descriptive adjectives → noun
- “all the students”
- “both my brothers”
- “the last two days”
- “these few weeks”
Only one word from the central group (articles, demonstratives, possessives) is allowed: “the my car” and “this my book” are wrong; use “my car” or “this book of mine”. For the descriptive part of the order, see the order of adjectives.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Every students passed. | Every student passed. | Every and each take a singular noun. |
| I don’t have much friends. | I don’t have many friends. | Much is for uncountable nouns. |
| The dog wagged it’s tail. | The dog wagged its tail. | It’s means “it is”. |
| This books are mine. | These books are mine. | Plural nouns take these/those. |
| the three first pages | the first three pages | Ordinals come before cardinals. |
| She is a my friend. | She is a friend of mine. / She is my friend. | Only one article, demonstrative or possessive. |
Practice
A. Underline the limiting adjectives.
- Those three boxes belong to my sister.
- Which film did you watch on the first night?
- Every child received a small gift.
- Several neighbours brought their dogs.
B. Limiting adjective or pronoun?
- That was the best day.
- That day was the best.
- Some people never learn.
- I’d like some, please.
C. Correct the mistake.
- Each players has a number.
- We spent the two last days at the beach.
- How much apples do we need?
Answers
1 those, three, my · 2 which, the, first · 3 every, a · 4 several, their · 5 pronoun · 6 limiting adjective · 7 limiting adjective · 8 pronoun · 9 Each player has a number. · 10 the last two days · 11 How many apples do we need?
Quick answers
What is a limiting adjective? A word before a noun that tells which, whose or how many, such as the, this, my, two, every or which.
Are limiting adjectives the same as determiners? Yes, for practical purposes. “Limiting adjective” is the traditional school term; “determiner” is the term most modern grammars use.
Are articles limiting adjectives? In traditional grammar, yes: a, an and the are the most common limiting adjectives.
Are numbers adjectives? Before a noun, yes: “three cats” (cardinal), “the third cat” (ordinal). Used alone, as in “Three is enough”, a number is a noun or pronoun.
For all the types of adjectives in one place, see what is an adjective.
Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.
