The distinction between a noun and an adjective is very clear.  A noun is the name of a thing; but an adjective denotes simply the quality or property of a thing.  This is fine cloth.  In this example, the difference between the word denoting the thing, and that denoting the quality of it, is easily perceived.  You certainly cannot be at a loss to know, that the word cloth expresses the name, and fine, the quality, of the thing; consequently fine must be an adjective.  If I say, He is a wise man, a prudent man, a wicked man, or an ungrateful man, the words in italics are adjectives, because each expresses a quality of the noun man.  And, if I say, He is a tall man, a short man, a white man, a black man, or a persecuted man, the words, tall, short, white, black, and persecuted, are also adjectives, because they tell what kind of a man he is of whom I am speaking, or they attribute to him some particular property.

Some adjectives restrict or limit the signification of the nouns to which they are joined, and are, therefore, sometimes called definitives; as, one era, seven ages, the first man, the whole mass, no trouble, those men, that book, all regions.

Other adjectives define or describe nouns, or do both; as, fine silk, blue paper, a heavy shower, pure water, green mountains, bland breezes, gurgling rills, glass window, window glass, beaver hats, chip bonnets, blackberry ridge, Monroe garden, Juniata iron, Cincinnati steam-mill.

Some adjectives are secondary, and qualify other adjectives; as, pale red lining, dark blue silk, deep sea green sash, soft iron blooms, red hot iron plate.

You will frequently find the adjective placed after the noun; as, “Those men are tall; A lion is bold; The weather is calm; The tree is three feet thick.”

Should you ever be at a loss to distinguish an adjective from the other parts of speech, the following sign will enable you to tell it.  Any word that will make sense with the word thing added, or with any other noun following it, is an adjective; as, a high thing, a low thing, a hot thing, a cold thing, an unfinished thing, a new-fashioned thing:—­or, a pleasant prospect, a long-deserted dwelling, an American soldier, a Greek Testament.  Are these words adjectives, distant, yonder, peaceful, long-sided, double-headed? A distant object or thing, yonder hill, &c.  They are.  They will make sense with a noun after them.  Adjectives sometimes become adverbs.  This matter will be explained in Lecture VI.  In parsing, you may generally know an adjective by its qualifying a noun or pronoun.