Adjectives: Descriptive Adjectives in English, With Examples and Exercises
What are adjectives?
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells us what someone or something is like: its appearance, size, age, condition and more.
Examples:
- a tall building
- a beautiful hat
- an old car
- a friendly girl
Adjective + noun
Adjectives usually come before the noun they describe. The order is adjective + noun, never noun + adjective.
Examples:
- They live in a big house.
- I have a red car. (NOT:
I have a car red.) - She wears a beautiful hat.
When we use a / an with an adjective, we choose a or an by the sound of the adjective, not the noun.
Examples:
- It’s a big house. / It’s an old house.
- It’s a new car. / It’s an expensive car.
Be + adjective
We can also use adjectives after the verb to be. In this case, the adjective describes the subject of the sentence.
Examples:
- The house is big.
- Giraffes are tall.
- She is happy.
We also use adjectives after verbs like feel, look and smell.
Examples:
- I feel nervous.
- You look tired.
- Those shoes smell bad.
Adjectives do not change
In English, adjectives have only one form. They do not take -s in the plural, and they are the same for he, she and it.
Examples:
- He is a tall boy. / They are tall boys. (NOT:
They are talls boys.) - He is happy. / She is happy. / They are happy.
Common adjectives
Here are some of the most common adjectives, grouped into useful categories.
Condition
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| This is a good book. | |
| The weather is bad today. | |
| We had a great day at the zoo. |
Size
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| They live in a big house. | |
| I have a small bag. | |
| Giraffes are tall. | |
| My brother is short. | |
| This bag is heavy. | |
| The box is light. |
Appearance
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| Your necklace is beautiful. | |
| That sweater is ugly. | |
| She has pretty earrings. | |
| Your baby is cute. | |
| He is a handsome man. |
Personality
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| Our neighbours are friendly. | |
| Please be kind to your brother. | |
| That comedian is funny. | |
| She is a nice girl. | |
| He is very serious. | |
| You are brave! |
Emotion
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| They are happy. It’s Friday. | |
| She is sad at the end of the holiday. | |
| He is angry. | |
| I’m scared of dogs. | |
| Lily is excited about the concert. | |
| I’m nervous about the test. |
Age
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| That car is very old. | |
| My sister is still young. | |
| I have a new computer. |
Texture
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| This sweater is soft. | |
| Diamonds are hard. | |
| Be careful! The floor is wet. | |
| My skin is dry in winter. |
Temperature
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| Is the water cold? | |
| The wind is cool. | |
| The room is warm. | |
| It’s going to be a hot day. |
Adjective - WORD ORDER with examples
Adjectives
Words that describe nouns — one form, two positions
