Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes or gives more information about a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea). Adjectives answer questions like: What is it like? Which one? How many? Whose?
Structure
- Adjectives usually go before a noun: 'a beautiful garden', 'an old man'.
- Adjectives also go after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', 'look': 'The sky is blue.', 'She looks happy.'
- Adjectives go after words like something, nothing, someone: 'I want to eat something sweet.'
- Adjectives never change form for plural or gender: 'a big dog' / 'two big dogs' (the adjective stays the same).
How the Grammar Works
- Describe appearance, size, color, age: 'a tall boy', 'a green apple', 'an old city'.
- Describe feelings and opinions: 'a boring movie', 'a happy child'.
- Compare things (see the separate rules on comparatives and superlatives): 'My house is bigger than yours.'
- Show quantity: 'some water', 'many books', 'a few friends'.
Word Order of Multiple Adjectives
When more than one adjective comes before a noun, they usually follow this order: opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose + noun.
- Example: 'a beautiful small old round red Italian wooden coffee table'.
- In everyday speech, we usually use only 2–3 adjectives together, not the full chain.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Putting the adjective after the noun: Incorrect: "He is a teacher good". Correct: "He is a good teacher".
- Putting the adjective before the noun when it should follow 'be': Incorrect: "The house red is big". Correct: "The red house is big".
- Adding 'very much' before an adjective: Incorrect: "She is very much beautiful". Correct: "She is very beautiful".
Comparison with Related Grammar
Don't confuse adjectives with adverbs. Adjectives describe nouns ('a quick runner'), while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs ('she runs quickly'). See the separate rule on Adverbs for details.
Example Sentences
- She is wearing a new red dress.
- This restaurant is expensive, but the food is delicious.
- He has a friendly dog.
- The book was interesting and useful.
- We met two young teachers.
When to Use This Rule
Use adjectives to describe nouns — their appearance, feelings, quantity, or qualities. Remember: they usually go before the noun or after linking verbs, and they never change form for plural or gender.