Basic Adjectives

Adjectives are describing words. They tell us more about a noun, like how it looks, feels, or sounds. You already know words like "big", "red", and "happy". Now you will learn even more describing words, their opposites, and special adjectives that show who owns something.

What You'll Learn

Use more describing words for shape, texture, weather, and taste
Match adjectives with their opposites (antonyms)
Use possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) to show who owns something

When to Use

Describing things around you: "The rough wall feels funny."
Describing feelings and people: "My grandmother is very kind."
Telling the opposite: "This bag is not heavy. It is light."
Showing who owns something: "I forgot my water bottle at school."

How to Form

More Describing Words

In P1, you learnt colours (red, blue), sizes (big, small), and feelings (happy, sad). Now let us add more types of adjectives.

Type	Adjectives	Example
Shape	round, flat, square, long	The round ball rolled away.
Texture	rough, smooth, soft, hard	The kitten has soft fur.
Weather	hot, cold, warm, cool, rainy	It was a rainy day.
Taste	sweet, sour, salty, bitter	The kaya toast was sweet.
Sound	loud, quiet, noisy	The canteen was very noisy.
Speed	fast, slow, quick	The quick boy ran to class.

Adjective Opposites (Antonyms)

Many adjectives come in pairs. Knowing the opposite helps you describe things better.

Adjective	Opposite
big	small
tall	short
long	short
hot	cold
fast	slow
loud	quiet
heavy	light
hard	soft
clean	dirty
wet	dry
happy	sad
kind	mean
full	empty
old	new
thick	thin

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives come before a noun to show who owns it. They are different from pronouns because they always have a noun after them.

Person	Possessive Adjective	Example
I	my	My bag is blue.
you	your	Is this your pencil?
he	his	His father is a teacher.
she	her	Her cat is sleeping.
it	its	The bird spread its wings.
we	our	Our classroom is on the second floor.
they	their	Their house is near the MRT station.

Key Rules

Adjectives describe nouns: They tell us about the size, shape, colour, feeling, or type of a person, animal, or thing. Ask: "What kind? Which one? How does it look or feel?"
Opposites have different meanings: "Hot" and "cold" mean very different things. Do not mix them up. If something is not hot, think about whether it is cold, warm, or cool.
Possessive adjectives need a noun after them: Always say "my book", not just "my". If there is no noun after it, you need a possessive pronoun instead (mine, yours, his, hers).
"Its" has no apostrophe: When you mean "belonging to it", write its (no apostrophe). "It's" means "it is".

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
The blanket is rough and soft.	The blanket is soft and smooth.	Rough and soft are opposites. Pick one that fits.
He lost her pen.	He lost his pen.	"He" matches with "his", not "her".
The dog wagged it's tail.	The dog wagged its tail.	"Its" (no apostrophe) shows ownership. "It's" means "it is".
This is my.	This is mine.	"My" needs a noun after it. Use "mine" when it stands alone.

Clue Words

For adjective opposites

When you see words like not or but, the sentence may need an opposite adjective.

"The box is not heavy. It is ___." (light)
"The water is cold but the tea is ___." (hot)

For possessive adjectives

When a sentence asks who owns something, look for a person and match the possessive adjective.

I, me -> my
you -> your
he, him -> his
she, her -> her
it -> its
we, us -> our
they, them -> their

Tip: To find the right possessive adjective, first find who owns the thing. Then match: "I" goes with "my", "he" goes with "his", "she" goes with "her".

Practice Tips

Opposite pairs game: Think of an adjective and say its opposite. For example, "tall" -> "short", "clean" -> "dirty". Try to do ten pairs!
Match the owner: When you see a possessive adjective question, circle the person first, then pick the matching word (my, your, his, her, its, our, their).
Describe your day: Pick five things you saw today and describe each with two adjectives. For example, "I ate a warm, crispy prata for breakfast."

Quick Reference

Type	What It Does	Examples
Describing words (adjectives)	Tell us more about a noun	round, smooth, noisy, sweet
Opposites (antonyms)	Show the other meaning	big/small, hot/cold, fast/slow
Possessive adjectives	Show who owns something	my, your, his, her, its, our, their

Possessive Adjective Matching

Person	Possessive Adjective
I	my
you	your
he	his
she	her
it	its
we	our
they	their

Basic Adjectives (P2) (Primary 2)