Spot the error: Kola is a talkative

The phrase “Kola is a talkative” may sound ordinary, but the article identifies it as a grammatical error. “Talkative” is an adjective, so the correct sentence is “Kola is talkative,” without the article “a.”

The same rule applies in sentences such as “I don’t want Juliet to go with us because she is talkative.” The article says “a talkative” is incorrect because the word describes someone rather than naming a person. It also notes that “talkative” has related forms: “talkatively,” an adverb, and “talkativeness,” a noun meaning the quality or habit of talking a great deal.

The article compares this mistake with the misuse of “destitute” and “mediocre.” It says speakers should write “a destitute person” rather than “a destitute,” and “the mediocre teacher” rather than “the mediocre” when using the adjective to describe a specific noun. “Mediocrity,” however, is a correct noun.

The article adds that these adjectives can refer to groups when preceded by “the,” as in “the talkative,” “the destitute” and “the mediocre.” In those constructions, the adjectives function as adjectival nouns.