Adjectives

Introduction

Read through the following extract and pay close attention to the words used to describe the nouns:

It was a pleasant afternoon. The bright sun was shining in the cloudless sky and the birds were singing a lovely melody. A light breeze blew through the trees but was unable to trouble the yellow and red leaves. The whole world seemed quiet and still, except for the stranger who was walking along the grassy path.

In this example, the words in italics are used to describe the nouns. For example, “pleasant” describes the “afternoon” and “bright” is used to describe the “sun”. These types of words are adjectives.

Writers use adjectives to give the reader a little more detail about the people, places and things in their stories. Adjectives can make the sentence more interesting and help us visualise what is happening at that moment.

Not all adjectives appear before the nouns. In the extract above, “quiet” and “still” describe the “world” but occur after the noun in the sentence.

There are number of exercises you can complete to test your understanding of adjectives with suggested answers available at the bottom of the page.

Exercise One

In this extract, Emma is looking for a new outfit and has emailed her mother to tell her about some clothes she saw online. Write out the sentences and underline all the adjectives in the email.

Hi Mum,

I spent the morning searching for something to wear and found a fantastic dress which is not too expensive. It has a floral pattern – blue flowers on a dark background – which would match my lovely cardigan. The sleeves are long and loose so I can wear the nice, gold bracelet you bought me for my birthday. The dress is also available in navy with a check pattern.

I’ll send you the links so you can have a good look.

Love,

Emma.

Exercise Two

Write a description of a place you know well. It could be a room in your house or somewhere you like to visit. Make sure you underline the adjectives.

Exercise Three

The following sentences are missing adjectives. Write out each sentence in full and add an appropriate adjective to describe the noun.

The soup was too __________ to eat.
I prefer __________ cake.
The dog is _________ with strangers.
The flowers were __________ .
My dad said the music was too __________ .
He wore a __________ shirt and a __________ tie.
Can I have a _________ drink, please?
She has a _________ smile.
Use a _________ crayon instead.
That actor was _________ in the movie.
The ground was _________ .
English is my _________ subject.
My _________ sister always steals my laptop.
The smell of honey was _________ .
It took me _________ minutes to find my school bag.
The day was _________ and _________ .
Where is the _________ pen?
Oliver was very _________ because he lost his football.
My face was _________ with embarrassment.
I was too _________ to complete my English assignment.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Adjectives are often defined as words which help describe the noun. You might describe people, places and things in terms of their size, shape, colour, purpose or emotions. However, demonstrative adjectives can help identify (or demonstrate) which nouns you are referring to when you are speaking to someone. For example: