There are many words in the English Language that have different grammatical functions and forms. Let explore this phenomenon a little further.
“Special” can be regarded as an adjective or noun depending on the context and also the way it is placed in a sentence.
Let us look a little more into this topic with the help of a few facts and examples.
When is “special” considered as adjective?
As mentioned before a word like “special” has a couple forms when it comes to grammar. Let us take a look at one of them.
“Special” is considered as an adjective when it is used before a noun. Since adjectives are also determiners of sorts, “special” must be used to determine the quality of a noun for it to be regarded as an adjective.
Let us take a look at a couple examples on this topic.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. That girl is a special student as she has contributed in bettering her class. | If when a word like ‘special’ is used in front of a noun, as is the case here, it is automatically considered as an adjective. |
| 2. We ordered a special cake for him since he is such a good boss as well as friend. | Since the word ‘special’ here as well is used before a noun and helps the reader in imbibing more information about said noun, it consequently functions as an adjective. |
Is “special” a descriptive adjective?
There are many forms of adjectives in the English Language and “special” is one of them. Let us take a look.
“Special” is a descriptive adjective as it is primarily used to describe the nouns it is placed in front of. More specifically, it lends a description of positive quality to the noun that is used in front of.
Let us look at a few examples of “special” being used a descriptive adjective.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. This delivery is special and I got it this morning. | It is not always necessary to place adjectives before nouns in order to describe them. In this particular sentence, the descriptive adjective ‘special’ shows that adjectives are still thought of as words that seem to have a direct descriptive role in relation to a noun. |
| 2. My school will always have a special place in my heart. | In this situation too, the word ‘special’ functions as a descriptive adjective since it precedes a noun and helps the reader understand that noun better. |
When is “special” a descriptive adjective?
“Special” is a descriptive adjective almost all of the time. Since this particular word expands on the quality of the noun it is used to describe, it functions only as a descriptive adjective. There are no exceptions to this case.
Let us look at a few more examples on this topic.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. Holiday season is a special time for our entire family since it is the only time we get to spend together. | The fact that the word ‘special’ provides a descriptive element to the noun it has been used in front of, giving further information about the state or circumstance of said noun, makes it clear that in this context, it serves as a descriptive adjective. |
| 2. This recipe is special as I cooked it up when I was all cooped up at home. | Nouns can be described without an adjective always coming before them. Adjectives are still regarded as words that seem to have a direct descriptive role in relation to a noun, as evidenced by the use of the descriptive adjective ‘special’ in this specific sentence. |
| 3. Our professor is special to all his students due to his out of the box teaching methods and lectures. | The fact that the word ‘special’ provides a descriptive element to the noun it has been used in front of, giving further information about the state or circumstance of said noun, makes it clear that in this context, it serves as a descriptive adjective. |
| 4. Our college took us to a special picnic this week as it is our last year as students in this institution. | Here too, it is obvious that the word ‘special’ serves as a descriptive adjective in this case since it adds a descriptive aspect to the noun it has been used in front of, providing further information about the situation or state of said noun. |
| 5. Today was special since we got so much good news from three different places. | Nouns can be described without an adjective being used in front of them all the time. As seen by the use of the descriptive adjective ‘special’ in this particular sentence, adjectives are still thought to have a direct descriptive function in connection to a noun if used in the correct context |
Is “special” a noun?
Apart from an adjective, the term “special” has one other grammatical form. Let us take a look into what that might be.
“Special” is a noun when used in a certain way and context. It is important for this word to be used as an object or subject of a sentence without being used in front of other nouns for it to be considered a noun itself.
Let us take a look at a couple examples on “special” being used as a noun.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. Let us take a look at the specials on this menu before deciding what to order. | As one can see over here the word ‘specials’ has been used in reference to certain food items, thus making it function as a noun and not an adjective. Such nouns do a double job of being a noun itself and also providing information about its own quality. |
| 2. I spent most of my childhood watching after-school specials with my brother. | Over here the word ‘specials’ has been used as a substitute for a television broadcast show. Here too, this particular noun serves as a noun as well as renders a meaning of quality, all in one word. |
When is “special” a noun?
“Special” is a noun when it is used as word to substitute ‘things’, ‘broadcasts’ or ‘products’ that need to be marketed in a particularly positive way.
Let us understand the concept of “special” as a noun with the help of a few more examples.
| Examples | Explanations |
| 1. The television show will be shooting an episode which will be a holiday special and it will air before the end of the year. | Here, the term “television broadcast show” has been replaced by “specials.” This particular noun also serves as a noun in this instance and also conveys a quality meaning in a single word. |
| 2. I love this restaurant as the waiters usually narrate the specials from memory. | As one can see, the word “specials” has been employed in this context to refer to specific meal items, making it a noun rather than an adjective. Such nouns serve a dual purpose by serving as both a noun and a source of information about their own characteristic. |
| 3. We attended the shooting of the new year special that will be aired on the 31st. | Here, the term “television broadcast show” has been replaced by ‘specials’. This particular noun also serves as a noun in this instance and also conveys a quality meaning in a single word. |
| 4. They got a huge discount on the back-to-school specials since they were the first ones to buy many of the products. | In this sentence, the word ‘specials’ has been used as a substitute for back-to-school products. Wording certain terms in such flowery language causes a larger influx of customers to buy said product and that is the case here, since just the word ‘specials’ enough to provide information about availability as well as quality of said items. |
| 5. This is a secret special that not many people know about and is only reserved for a few regular customers. | Even though it is only one food item, the word ‘special’ has been employed to replace it in this instance. And once more, the noun informs the reader of its own quality at the same time. |
Conclusion
Therefore, it has been established that the word “special” can clearly be put to use as an adjective as well as a noun, provided that it be used in the correct context.
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