Types of specific and explanatory adjectives

In Spanish they exist various types of adjectives, which are words that are used to describe the proper or differentiated qualities of the nouns they accompany. When qualifying a noun, the adjective always has to agree in gender and number with that noun, as well as the determiners that precede it. The adjectival typology is very varied in Spanish, since there are many different classifications.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to focus on types of specific and explanatory adjectives studying what is its definition, its main characteristics and how they differ from each other.

The specific adjectives are those whose function is to delimit the meaning of the noun with which they agree in gender and number. For example, if we say Give me the black jacketWe are referring to a very specific jacket, not just any one, but a jacket that is black. Thus, we use specific adjectives when the quality we want to express is essential to be able to differentiate the noun from the rest.

As a general rule, the specifying adjectives are placed after the noun and receive this name precisely because

its main function is to specify said name and conceptually separate it from the rest of the nouns.

Explanatory adjectives, on the other hand, are those adjectives whose function is to highlight a quality of its own and inherent to the noun who they accompany. On many occasions, explanatory adjectives are called epithets, since it refers to qualities that are understood to belong to said nouns. For example, White snow, when we all know that snow is always white because it is one of the qualities that defines it as such.

It is for this reason that explanatory adjectives are often used more in poetic texts, due to its beautifying function of language, which on many occasions seeks to highlight the noun and attract the attention of the reader.

To give it greater expressiveness, explanatory adjectives are usually placed before the noun: The speedy runner reached the finish line.

Summing up everything we've seen before, let's briefly compare specific adjectives with explanatory adjectives to point out what are the main differences between them:

• First, the specific adjective adds information that is not implicit in the noun, in order to differentiate it from a larger group. Therefore, the presence of this adjective is necessary (Red car refers to a specific car, differentiating it from any other car).
• However, the explanatory adjectives are those that indicate a previously known quality or associated with said noun, with the aim of highlighting it above the rest.
• The explanatory adjectives They refer to qualities presupposed and associated with each noun, so if we eliminate them from the sentences, it continues to have full meaning, since these are used to embellish the message or to give it greater expressiveness and poetic intensity (warm fire It is a quality that is associated with all types of fires, which, by definition, provide light and heat).