Lets learn about adjectives in English.
What are adjectives?
Adjectives are descriptive words, like colours and emotions. They give us more information about something. Those somethings are nouns, which are people, animals, objects, places and concepts.
Let’s look at some sentences together to figure it out.
1.) The pretty, red bird sits in a big, beautiful tree.
-There are 2 nouns in this sentence. What are they?
-There are 4 adjectives, that tell us more about the nouns. What are they?
2.) My four, old, metal chairs are beside your expensive, new car.
-There are 2 nouns in this sentence. What are they?
-There are 7 adjectives. What are they?
VOCABULARY PRACTICE
Colours – New Beginner
Emotions – Mixed Levels
Find the opposite adjectives games – Beginner
Adjective Synonyms Crossword – Beginner
Emotions and Exaggeration – Intermediate
Adjectives Match Up Quiz – Intermediate
Adjectives of personality – What are the connotations? – High Intermediate/Advanced
Possessive Adjectives:
Possessive Adjectives – Explanations, activities, and quizzes
Order of Adjectives:
Order of Adjectives Games – High Beginner/Low intermediate
Adjectives to Abstract Nouns:
Adjectives to abstract nouns – Watch the interactive video about values – Intermediate/Advanced
Comparatives and Superlatives:
Comparatives and Superlatives – Explanations, activities and games
Turning verbs into adjectives with -ed and -ing:
-Ed or -ing? Bored or boring? – Learn how to use these endings correctly.
Eight adjective suffixes that we use every day:
Adjective Suffixes – Learn how to make adjectives out of verbs and nouns with these suffixes. (Intermediate/Advanced)
FUN FACT
Good is an adjective. Well isn’t. It is an adverb.
The difference is that adjectives refer to a noun and adverbs refer to verbs.
If you say “I’m well”, it refers to how you are, to how you feel. It’s about the verb, which these examples is to be and to feel. If you say “I’m good”, it means you are a good person. Good, as an adjective, refers to the subject.
Compare the sentences.
Well done!
It is just as well.
Juanita is well-trained.
Good job!
It’s a good thing that X happened.
Juanita is good at her job.
In casual, modern English, when we are asked how we are, we often respond with “I’m good”. It sounds relaxed and correct to us. Just don’t use it in formal situations. In formal situations, where you want to demonstrate your command of English, it is better to say “I’m well”, or “I’m fine”.
EXTRA FUN FACT FOR INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED STUDENTS
Higher level English students who know about state verbs may get this tip:
We use adjectives after state verbs, not adverbs.
The coffee smells good!The coffee smells well.
Feel free to read more about state verbs.
What do you want to learn about next?
