Basic Adjectives

Adjectives are describing words. They tell us more about a noun, like its colour, size, or how it makes us feel.

What You'll Learn

• How to spot describing words for colours, sizes, and feelings
• How adjectives make sentences more interesting by telling us more about nouns

When to Use

1. To tell the colour: "I have a red bag."
2. To tell the size: "The big dog runs fast."
3. To tell how someone feels: "The boy is happy."

How to Form

An adjective usually comes before a noun or after the word "is".

Remember: Ask yourself, "What kind? What colour? What size? How does it feel?" The answer is the adjective!

Key Rules

1. An adjective describes a noun: It tells us more about a person, animal, thing, or place. "The kind teacher helps us."
2. It can go before a noun: "She has a blue pen."
3. It can go after "is": "My brother is tall."

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Questions that help you find adjectives:

What colour? What size? How does it feel?

• "What colour is the ball?" -- "The yellow ball."
• "What size is the elephant?" -- "The big elephant."
• "How does she feel?" -- "She is sad."

Common describing words:

Colours: red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, pink, orange, brown, purple

Sizes: big, small, tall, short, long, fat, thin

Feelings: happy, sad, angry, scared, tired, hungry, shy

Tip: If you can put the word before a noun and it makes sense, it is probably an adjective. Try: "the ___ cat". Does it sound right? Then it is a describing word!

Practice Tips

1. Colour hunt: Look around your classroom or home. Say what you see using a colour word. "I see a white wall. I see a brown table."
2. Describe your friend: Pick a friend and say three adjectives about them. "She is kind. She is tall. She is happy."

Quick Reference