Adjectives
A complete A1 guide to adjectives — what they are, where they go in a sentence, common examples, opposites, and interactive practice.
What Is an Adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, or thing).
Adjectives tell us what something is like.
a big house
a happy girl
cold water
In these examples, big, happy, and cold are adjectives. They describe the nouns house, girl, and water.
Where Do Adjectives Go?
In English, adjectives have two common positions.
1. Before the Noun
The adjective comes before the noun it describes.
| Adjective + Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|
a red car | the car is red |
a small dog | the dog is small |
an old house | the house is old |
a beautiful day | the day is beautiful |
She drives a fast car.
I like funny movies.
2. After the Verb “be”
The adjective comes after the verb be (am, is, are).
| Subject + be + Adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|
My brother is happy. | my brother feels good |
The soup is hot. | the soup has high temperature |
They are tired. | they need rest |
This book is interesting. | the book is fun to read |
The baby is sleepy.
Those shoes are expensive.
Common A1 Adjectives
Here are useful adjectives organized by topic.
Colors
| red | blue | green |
| yellow | black | white |
| brown | orange | purple |
| pink | gray | dark |
| light |
Size
| big | small | large |
| little | tall | short |
| long | thin | thick |
| heavy | light | wide |
Feelings & Opinions
| happy | sad | angry |
| tired | hungry | thirsty |
| scared | nervous | excited |
| bored | surprised | worried |
| good | bad | nice |
| beautiful | ugly | easy |
| difficult | important | funny |
Description
| old | new | young |
| clean | dirty | cold |
| hot | warm | cool |
| dry | wet | fast |
| slow | loud | quiet |
| strong | weak | soft |
| hard | sweet | salty |
| fresh | healthy | sick |
| busy | lazy | friendly |
| careful | dangerous | safe |
Opposites
Many adjectives have an opposite word.
| Adjective | Opposite |
|---|---|
| big | small |
| hot | cold |
| happy | sad |
| tall | short |
| fast | slow |
| good | bad |
| clean | dirty |
| easy | difficult |
| old | new / young |
| heavy | light |
| strong | weak |
| open | closed |
| rich | poor |
| full | empty |
| early | late |
| right | wrong |
| dry | wet |
| hard | soft |
| loud | quiet |
| beautiful | ugly |
| expensive | cheap |
| same | different |
| boring | interesting |
Important A1 Rules
Adjectives Do Not Become Plural
In English, adjectives stay the same for singular and plural nouns.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
a red apple | two red apples |
a small room | three small rooms |
an old book | many old books |
Do not add -s to the adjective: reds apples is incorrect.
Very, Really, and Too
Use small words before adjectives to make the meaning stronger.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
very | strong | The room is very cold. |
really | strong, conversational | This book is really interesting. |
too | more than is good | The coffee is too hot to drink. |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
I have two reds pens. | I have two red pens. | Adjectives do not become plural. |
The car red. | The car is red. | Use be before an adjective after the noun. |
She is a student smart. | She is a smart student. | Put the adjective before the noun. |
The coffee is very hot to drink. | The coffee is too hot to drink. | Use too when the adjective creates a problem. |
Practice
Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Adjective
Choose the adjective that best completes the sentence: 'The weather today is _____.'
Summary
- An
adjectivedescribes a noun. - Adjectives usually go before the noun:
a big house. - Adjectives can also go after
be:The house is big. - Many adjectives have opposites:
hot→cold,happy→sad.
Keep practicing by describing things you see every day!