Understanding Adjectives

Imagine a world without color, size, or emotion. You couldn’t say red apple, big house, or happy feeling. You could only say apple, house, and feeling. Boring, isn’t it?

That is where Adjectives play their role. They add color, size, shape, and emotion to our language.

What is an Adjective?

An Adjective is a word used to describe, modify, or provide more information about a noun or a pronoun.

The main purpose of an adjective is to answer specific questions about an object, such as:

  • What kind? -> Blue car
  • How many? -> Three books
  • Which one? -> That boy

Position of Adjectives in a Sentence

In English, the general rule is that the modifier comes before the word it modifies.

Generally, there are two main positions for adjectives in an English sentence:

1. Attributive Position (Before a Noun)

The adjective is placed directly in front of the noun it describes. This is the most common placement.

  • He is a smart student.
  • I bought a red apple. (Not apple red).

2. Predicative Position (After a Linking Verb)

The adjective is placed after linking verbs (such as is, am, are, look, feel, seem). In this position, the adjective functions to describe the subject of the sentence.

  • The student is smart.
  • The apple looks red.
  • I feel happy.

Types of Adjectives

The world of adjectives is vast. To make learning easier, adjectives are divided into several main categories based on the type of information they provide:

Let’s dive into them one by one, starting with the category we use most often every day: Descriptive Adjectives.