Adjectives are words that modify/describe nouns and pronouns. Simply put, adjectives give us more information and details about people, places, things, animals, and ideas.
Easy examples of adjectives (in bold):
- a caring doctor
- a kind teacher
- a talented musician
- a beautiful garden
- a red house
- a tall tree
- a comfy chair
- a wooden table
- an excited dog
- a good idea
- an interesting theory
Each adjective above gives a specific kind of detail about the noun it is paired with. They can describe what someone or something is like, what they look or feel like, what they are made of, or how we judge or value them.
Adjectives in Use
- He drives a fancy car.
- They live in a small apartment near the city centre.
- This weather is perfect for a stroll.
- She’s studying Russian literature at university.
- We need a part-time employee to work weekends.
* Adjectives
- He drives a fancy car.
Why Adjectives Matter
Adjectives matter because they help us describe and engage with the world around us.
In the physical world, we use adjectives to talk about everything from the interesting places we visit, the beautiful nature around us, to the delicious food we eat. They also let us communicate our preferences (e.g., choosing a large coffee instead of a small one).
Beyond this, adjectives also help us to navigate the world of ideas and values. They let us express our opinions about whether something is good or bad, reflect on our past (a successful year / a difficult period), and plan our future (setting realistic goals / making ambitious plans).
What Adjectives Tell Us About Nouns
All adjectives tell us something about the nouns that they refer to by way of description.
They might tell us what something looks like (e.g., a blue car), what type of thing it is (e.g., a digital camera), or what condition it is in (e.g., a broken window).
The range of additional information that adjectives can provide about nouns is vast: we use them to describe everything from physical appearance and size to emotions, origins, and materials.
We can loosely organise this information into three categories:
| Category | Type of Information | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | What the noun is like: appearance, colour, size, shape, value, personality, ability/speed, age | – beautiful view / shiny surface / red dress / small house / round table / expensive watch / friendly neighbour / athletic person / older sister |
| Classification | What kind of noun it is: origin, occupation, type, purpose/use | – French wine / medical student / laptop computer / sleeping bag |
| State / Condition | How the noun is at a given moment: temporary emotional states and physical conditions | – relaxed atmosphere / happy family / wet floor / clean desk / empty bottle |
Let’s look at how adjectives provide these different types of information in context:
- Should we take the fast or scenic route? (characteristics – speed)
- The ancient city of Machu Picchu went undiscovered until 1911. (characteristics – age)
- He’s training to be a professional athlete. (classification – occupation)
- I prefer to buy local produce when possible. (classification – origin)
- I felt nervous before my job interview. (emotional state)
- The frozen ground was too hard to dig. (physical condition)
By giving our sentences colour, detail, and personality, adjectives can make communication more vivid and engaging.
We can think of adjectives as the seasoning of the English language in that they add flavour and depth to our words.
Compare these sentences:
- Sentence without adjectives:
> She lives in a cottage by the sea.- Sentence with adjectives:
> She lives in a lovely little cottage by the sea.
Here, the first sentence gives us only basic information. The second sentence helps us imagine what kind of cottage she has: we can picture something quaint and cosy right by the seaside.
However, like any seasoning, adjectives work best when used thoughtfully. Too many can overwhelm our writing and speech, while just the right amount adds flavour and nuance.
For example:
- The massive, impressive, stunning Burj Khalifa dominates the Dubai skyline.
- The towering Burj Khalifa dominates the Dubai skyline.
The key is finding the right balance. While the first example overwhelms the reader with too many adjectives, the second example gives us just enough detail to create a clear image without cluttering the sentence. As the saying goes, sometimes less is more.
* Adjective / Noun
Proper Adjectives
Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns and refer to specific places, people, cultures, or historical periods. They help us identify the origin, style, or association of something.
Examples:
- Shall we order a Chinese takeaway tonight?
- We should try the new Italian restaurant in town.
- Bath is famous for its Roman heritage and beautiful Georgian architecture.
Proper adjectives are always capitalised. For example:
- Japanese / Mexican / European
- Shakespearean / Neolithic / Mediterranean
- Buddhist / Christian / Stoic
These adjectives are common in travel writing, cultural discussions, historical texts, and academic subjects where specific origins or associations are important or relevant.
Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives combine two or more words that act as a single unit to describe a noun.
We use compound adjectives to describe specific qualities like without sugar (sugar-free), welcoming to dogs (dog-friendly), or made at home (homemade).
Even though they are made of multiple words, compound adjectives work the same way as any other adjective: they modify nouns or pronouns.
- Sugar-free options are available.
- This is a dog-friendly pub.
- My mum makes the best homemade chips.
Forms of Compound Adjectives
Compound adjectives come in three forms: closed, open, and hyphenated.
– Closed Form
Closed form compound adjectives have no space between the words that make them up.
For example: water + proof = waterproof (meaning resistant to water)
- I need to get a waterproof jacket for work.
More examples:
- an overseas trip
- homemade cookies
- a nationwide campaign
- a heartfelt message
- a worldwide company
- a hardworking employee
- an outgoing personality
- a worthwhile investment
- a widespread problem
– Open Form
Open form compounds have spaces between the words that make them up, but they still function as a single descriptive unit.
For example: real + estate = real estate (relating to property and land)
- He used to work as a real estate agent.
More examples:
- a high school student
- an ice cream truck
- rock and roll music
- a social media campaign
Note: The open form compounds above are technically noun compounds, but when placed before another noun, they function as modifiers in the same way adjectives do.
– Hyphenated Form
Hyphenated form compound adjectives have hyphens joining the words that make them up. For example: dog + friendly = dog-friendly (welcoming to dogs)
- This is a dog-friendly pub.
More examples:
- a well-known author
- a sugar-free drink
- a part-time job
- user-friendly software
- a long-distance runner
- a world-famous landmark
- high-quality materials
- a twenty-year-old student
- state-of-the-art technology
Note: When hyphenated compound adjectives appear after linking verbs (e.g., is, are, seems, becomes), it is grammatically acceptable for the hyphen to be dropped. For example:
- The well-known author. → The author is well known.
Adjective Placement
Adjectives Before Nouns
In most cases, adjectives are placed directly before the nouns they modify. This placement makes it easy to identify adjectives in a sentence.
For example:
- Our rusty old gate creaks when we open it. (rusty + old describe the gate)
Here, the two adjectives rusty and old both appear before the noun gate and describe its condition and age.
More examples of the adjective-before-noun pattern:
- I can’t lift this heavy box by myself.
- We found a cosy little café to have lunch.
- Our noisy neighbours kept us awake all night.
Adjectives After Linking Verbs
Adjectives can also come after linking verbs (e.g., is, seems, looks, and feels) in a sentence. Even though they don’t precede the noun, they still serve the same descriptive purpose.
For example:
- The water is too cold for a swim. (cold describes the water)
Here, the adjective cold still describes the noun water even though it comes after the linking verb is. The linking verb connects the adjective back to the subject: ‘the water is cold’.
More examples of adjectives following linking verbs:
- The stew tastes delicious. (delicious describes the stew)
- It was freezing this morning. (freezing describes the temperature)
- The sky looks really blue today. (blue describes the sky)
Adjectives After Pronouns
A third (and less common) placement for adjectives is after pronouns, specifically indefinite pronouns (e.g., something, anything, nothing, someone).
Indefinite pronouns are words that refer to people or things without being specific about who or what they are.
For example:
- Let’s try something different for dinner tonight. (different modifies the pronoun something)
The adjective different comes after the indefinite pronoun something and indicates the speaker wants to try a new kind of food.
More examples of adjectives following pronouns:
- Anyone interested can sign up at the front desk.
- I want to learn something new this year.
- Someone kind helped me carry my bags.
Using Multiple Adjectives Together
We can use multiple adjectives together to be more specific about what we want to describe.
For example:
- She has a beautiful, well-maintained garden.
- We were given clear, detailed instructions.
- He collects rare antique coins.
- Have you seen my big blue coat?
When we use more than one adjective, some need commas between them while others don’t. This depends on how the adjectives relate to each other in that specific phrase.
Coordinate Adjectives
Coordinate adjective sequences need commas to separate adjectives because each adjective describes the noun separately.
For example:
- We stayed at a clean, comfortable hotel. (comma needed)
In this particular adjective sequence, both adjectives have equal weight in describing the hotel. The hotel is clean, and separately, it’s also comfortable. Each adjective gives us independent information about what kind of hotel it is.
We can see this process clearer in the diagram below:
More examples of coordinate adjective sequences:
- I had a long, tiring day at work.
- The city has a lively, bustling market.
- The beautiful, sandy beach of Playa de la Barrosa in Cádiz stretches for miles.
– Testing for Coordinate Adjectives
To check if adjectives work separately and need commas, we can use two simple tests:
Test 1: The ‘and’ Test
Can we put the word ‘and’ between the adjectives and the sentence still sound natural?
- A clean and comfortable hotel. ✅
> This sounds natural with and separating the adjectives, so we use commas.
Test 2: The Order Test
Can we switch the order of the adjectives and the sentence still sound natural?
- A clean, comfortable hotel. ⟶ A comfortable, clean hotel. ✅
> This sentence with the adjectives reversed still sounds natural, so we use commas.
Cumulative Adjectives
Cumulative adjective sequences don’t need commas because the adjectives don’t describe the noun separately.
For example:
- We stayed at a small seaside hotel. (no comma needed)
In this adjective sequence, seaside sticks to the noun hotel to form a unit [seaside hotel]. Then small describes this entire unit, not the hotel separately (e.g., small ⟶ seaside hotel). The adjectives create layers where each adjective describes the complete unit that follows it.
We can see this unit formation and layering process clearer in the diagram below:
More examples of cumulative adjective sequences:
- He collects rare vintage watches.
- She lives in a large old Victorian house.
- This is my favourite warm winter coat.
– Testing for Cumulative Adjectives
To check if adjectives build in layers and don’t need commas, we can use the same two simple tests:
Test 1: The ‘and’ Test
Can we put the word ‘and’ between the adjectives and the sentence still sound natural?
- A large and old and Victorian house. ❌
> This sounds awkward with and separating the adjectives, so we wouldn’t use commas.
Test 2: The Order Test
Can we switch the order of the adjectives and the sentence still sound natural?
- She lives in a large old Victorian house. ⟶ She lives in a Victorian old large house. ❌
> This sentence with the adjectives jumbled up sounds unnatural, so we wouldn’t use commas.
Adjective Word Order
When we use cumulative adjective sequences (no commas), they follow a specific order that sounds natural. This process is done instinctively by native speakers, but it can be tricky for those learning English as a second language.
The general order we use is:
| Adjective Order | Examples |
|---|---|
| 1) Determiners (not adjectives*) | – the, this, that, these, those, my, your, his, her, some, many, few, several, all, both, each, every, one, two, three, first, second, last |
| 2) Opinion | – beautiful, nice, terrible, lovely, awful, amazing, boring, delicious |
| 3) Size | – big, small, tiny, huge, tall, short |
| 4) Age | – old, new, young, ancient |
| 5) Shape | – round, square, long, flat |
| 6) Condition / Appearance | – broken, wet, snow-covered, torn, shiny, clean |
| 7) Colour | – red, blue, green, black, orange, yellow, purple |
| 8) Origin / Religion | – British, American, Chinese, Mexican, European |
| 9) Material | – wooden, plastic, metal, cotton |
| 10) Purpose | – dining (table), sleeping (bag), running (shoes), walking (stick) |
Note: Determiners vs. Adjectives [click]
Determiners are placed before adjectives in cumulative adjective sequences, but this does not mean they are adjectives.
- Determiners specify or identify nouns (which specific thing / how many / whose car).
- Adjectives modify or describe nouns (what kind / what something is like).
Determiners and adjectives have distinct functions and belong to separate grammatical categories.
For example:
- We rescued an adorable tiny young black stray cat.
> opinion + size + age + colour + origin → noun- She bought a beautiful small round wooden dining table.
> opinion + size + shape + material + purpose → noun
Note: These examples deliberately use an excessive number of adjectives to show the order pattern we follow. In everyday speech, we typically use just two or three adjectives at most.
Adjective Degrees of Comparison
Adjectives have three forms: absolute (e.g., warm), comparative (e.g., warmer), and superlative (e.g., warmest).
These forms allow us to describe single things or compare them with others.
Absolute Adjectives
Absolute adjectives are the basic form of adjectives that we use to describe nouns and pronouns. This is the form that we’ve focused on up to now.
Example:
- It feels warm today.
The adjective warm describes how the temperature feels today.
Comparative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives are used when comparing two things. For example:
- Today feels warmer than yesterday.
Here, the adjective warmer compares today’s temperature to yesterday’s temperature.
Note: We often use the word than to connect the two things being compared.
Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives are used to show the highest or lowest degree within a group of three or more. For example:
- This is the warmest day we’ve had all month.
In this example, the adjective warmest shows that today has the highest temperature compared to all other days this month.
Note: We often use the word the before superlative adjectives.
Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Different adjectives follow different patterns when forming their comparative and superlative forms depending on their length and structure.
– Short Adjectives (1-2 syllables)
Most (not all) short adjectives create their comparative and superlative forms by adding -er and -est to the end of the word:
| Absolute | Comparative (-er) | Superlative (-est) |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | tallest |
| bright | brighter | brightest |
| clever | cleverer | cleverest |
Example:
- My brother is tall, my father is taller, but my uncle is the tallest in our family.
– Longer Adjectives (3+ syllables)
Longer adjectives typically make their comparative and superlative forms by using the words more and most before the adjective:
| Absolute | Comparative (more) | Superlative (most) |
|---|---|---|
| intelligent | more intelligent | most intelligent |
| difficult | more difficult | most difficult |
| interesting | more interesting | most interesting |
Example:
- Dogs are intelligent, dolphins are more intelligent, but humans are the most intelligent species on Earth.
– Irregular Adjectives
Some common adjectives don’t follow either pattern and have completely unique forms:
| Absolute | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| little | less | least |
Example:
- Pizza is good, pasta is better, but lasagna is the best Italian dish.