An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun by describing its quality, size, colour, origin, or type. Adjectives can appear directly before a noun (attributive) or after a linking verb (predicative).
Pronunciation: /ˈæd.ʒɪk.tɪv/ — stress on the first syllable
Syllables: ad·jec·tive (3 syllables)
Word Family
- Noun: adjective
- Adjective: adjectival
- Related: adjectivally
What Is an Adjective?
Adjectives add descriptive detail to nouns, making communication richer and more precise. Without adjectives, sentences like "The tall, dark-haired woman wore a red coat" would become the much blander "The woman wore a coat." Adjectives tell us what kind, which one, how many, or what state something is in.
In English, adjectives do not change form to agree with the gender or number of the noun they modify — unlike in many other European languages. "A red car" and "two red cars" both use "red" without any change. This makes English adjectives simpler to use than their counterparts in French, Spanish, or German.
Adjectives can be formed from many word classes. Nouns can become adjectives ("wood" → "wooden"), verbs can become adjectives ("excite" → "exciting" / "excited"), and some words are adjectives by default ("beautiful", "tall"). Understanding how adjectives are formed helps learners expand their vocabulary systematically.
Adjective Positions and Types
| Type/Position | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Attributive | Directly before the noun | a beautiful garden |
| Predicative | After a linking verb, describes the subject | The garden is beautiful. |
| Positive | Base form; no comparison | tall, good, interesting |
| Comparative | Compares two things | taller, better, more interesting |
| Superlative | Compares three or more things | tallest, best, most interesting |
| Gradable | Can be modified by very/quite/extremely | very hot, quite cold |
| Non-gradable | Absolute quality; use absolutely/completely | absolutely freezing, completely unique |
Adjective Examples in Sentences
| Sentence | Adjective(s) | Use |
|---|---|---|
| She wore a long, blue dress. | long, blue | attributive (size, colour) |
| The film was boring. | boring | predicative (after linking verb) |
| Mount Everest is the tallest mountain. | tallest | superlative |
| This exam is more difficult than the last one. | more difficult | comparative (2 syllables+) |
| I was bored during the boring lecture. | bored, boring | participial adjectives (-ed/-ing) |
Common Mistakes
Mistakes to Avoid
This is more better than that.
This is better than that. ('better' is already comparative — don't add 'more')
The movie was very bored.
The movie was very boring. ('boring' describes the movie; 'bored' describes a person's feeling)
She has a beautifuls dress.
She has a beautiful dress. (adjectives don't take plural -s in English)
It is the most tallest building.
It is the tallest building. (don't use both '-est' and 'most')