What You Need to Know

An adjective describes a noun. It tells us what kind, how many, or which one. For example: the fluffy rabbit, a red apple, three birds. Adjectives make our writing more interesting and detailed.

Key Concepts

Size

big, tiny, tall, short

Colour

red, golden, purple, green

Feeling

happy, scared, excited, sad

Number

three, many, few, several

Examples in sentences:

The fluffy cat slept on the mat.
She wore a sparkly blue dress.
The hungry dog ate three biscuits.

Key Vocabulary

Adjective

A word that describes a noun — it tells us more about the person, place or thing.

Describe

To give details about something — its colour, size, shape, feeling and so on.

Noun

A naming word. Adjectives always describe a noun (e.g. a soft pillow — pillow is the noun).

Expanded Noun Phrase

A noun plus its adjective(s), e.g. the big, grey elephant. This makes writing more vivid.

Knowledge Check

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

Which word is the adjective in this sentence? "The tiny ant carried a crumb."

tiny carried ant crumb

Question 2

Which sentence uses an adjective to describe a colour?

The dog ran quickly. He picked a red apple. She ate her lunch. They went to school.

Question 3

What job does an adjective do?

It names a person, place or thing. It shows an action. It describes a noun. It joins two sentences together.

Question 4

Which option adds TWO adjectives to improve this sentence: "The dog barked."?

The dog barked loudly. The dog barked and growled. The dog barked at the cat. The big, noisy dog barked.

Adjectives: Describing Words