{"id":857,"date":"2017-05-30T23:13:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T23:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/english\/?page_id=857"},"modified":"2025-06-10T00:17:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T00:17:38","slug":"the-adjective","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/english\/parts-speech\/the-basics\/the-modifiers\/the-adjective\/","title":{"rendered":"The Adjective"},"content":{"rendered":"Last updated: June 10, 2025 at 0:17 am\n\n\n\n

\"paintThe adjective is a modifier. The adjective modifies a noun in a sentence. When a word is used to modify a noun, it is called an adjective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what exactly does the word “modify” mean? The word “modify”, as used in this sense, means to “add to the meaning of”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the adjective adds to the meaning of the noun. It makes the meaning of the noun sharper, clearer or more accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, I can say “A dog is on the road.” In that sentence, it is left to the reader’s imagination what kind of dog is on the road. On the other hand, I can use adjectives to modify or paint a clearer picture of the dog on the road. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A playful<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A black<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fierce<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can also use multiple adjectives to modify just one noun. Here are some examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small, playful, black<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fierce, big, brown<\/em> dog is on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time<\/strong> we find adjectives before nouns, like we saw in the previous examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

favourite<\/strong> bike<\/p>\n\n\n\n

used <\/strong>car<\/p>\n\n\n\n

substitute <\/strong>teacher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

old <\/strong>phone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

exotic <\/strong>drinks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

adventurous <\/strong>holiday<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as you already know, English isn\u2019t quite as simple as that \u2013 and there are always exceptions to the rule. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to know them so you can teach your students as best as you can!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, we need to remember that adjectives sometimes come after the noun they are modifying and they will usually follow one of these verbs, which talk about senses and perception:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

be<\/td>feel<\/td>taste<\/td><\/tr>
look<\/td>sound<\/td>smell<\/td><\/tr>
appear<\/td>seem<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For example, we say: \u201cbe happy\u201d, \u201cfeel hungry\u201d, \u201csmell delicious\u201d or \u201cappear grumpy\u201d. Can you think of any more adjectives using these verbs yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are using a range of adjectives to describe a noun, they need to go in a particular order. Let\u2019s add a few more adjectives to Jack\u2019s sentence \u2013 not that you would ever use this many adjectives unless you were writing for a furniture catalogue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjective order<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

OPINION – SIZE \u2013 AGE \u2013 SHAPE \u2013 COLOUR \u2013 ORIGIN \u2013 MATERIAL \u2013 USE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example: a beautiful, big, antique, round, brown, Italian, wooden dining table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>OPINION<\/td>SIZE<\/td>AGE<\/td>SHAPE<\/td>COLOUR<\/td>ORIGIN<\/td>MATERIAL<\/td>USE<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Jack’s<\/td>beautiful,<\/td>big,<\/td>antique,<\/td>round,<\/td>brown,<\/td>Italian,<\/td>wooden<\/td>dining<\/td>table<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The adjective is a modifier, and so is the adverb. Whereas the adjective modifies nouns, the adverb modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparative Adjectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A type of adjective used to compare two or more things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjectives or adverbs with ONE <\/strong>syllable take -er. (Except for fun, bad and good which are irregular.)<\/h6>\n\n\n\n