Understanding Adjectives in English
Adjective Position: Before
Nouns
● Adjectives often come before the
noun they describe
● We call this the "attributive
position"
● Examples:
● "There is a small dog in the
garden."
● "I have some new shoes."
● Can you think of three adjectives
to describe your school?
Adjective Position: After Link Verbs
● Adjectives can also come after certain verbs called
"link verbs"
● We call this the "predicative position"
● Common link verbs: be, seem, look, feel, smell, taste
● Examples:
● "The car is old."
● "Jane is feeling cold."
● "The flower smells nice."
Adjectives Don't Change
for Plural Nouns
● In English, adjectives stay the
same for both singular and plural
nouns
● Example:
● Singular: "a red apple"
● Plural: "red apples"
● The adjective "red" doesn't
change
● Can you spot the adjective in this
sentence: "The tall trees sway in
the wind"?
Special Cases: Adjectives Only Before Nouns
● Some adjectives are only used before nouns
● Common examples: elder, eldest, live, main
● Correct: "My elder sister is a teacher."
● Incorrect: "My sister is elder."
● Try using "main" in a sentence before a
noun!
Special Cases: Adjectives
Only After Link Verbs
● Some adjectives are only used after link
verbs
● Common examples: afraid, alone,
ashamed, asleep, awake
● Correct: "The baby is asleep."
● Incorrect: "The asleep baby"
● What other words can you use instead of
"afraid" before a noun?
Adjectives with Find, Make, and Keep
● Adjectives can come after the verbs find, make, and keep
● They describe the object of the sentence
● Examples:
● "He found the article interesting."
● "Alcohol makes him tired."
● "Coffee keeps me awake."
● What keeps you happy?
Adjectives After Indefinite Pronouns
● Adjectives always go after indefinite pronouns
● Indefinite pronouns: anything, something, nothing,
everything, etc.
● Examples:
● "Did you do anything exciting yesterday?"
● "I want to go somewhere quiet."
● Can you make a sentence using "something" and an
adjective?
Adjectives Without
Nouns
● Sometimes we use "the + adjective"
to describe groups of people
● This is used for generalizations and
is always plural
● Examples: the unemployed, the
blind, the rich, the poor
● "Mark often gives money to the
poor."
● What other groups can you describe
using "the + adjective"?
Review: Why Are Adjectives Important?
● Make our language more descriptive and
interesting
● Help us give more specific information
● Can be used in different positions in sentences
● Have some special rules to remember
● What's the most interesting thing you learned
about adjectives today?
