Adjectives: Describing Words
Adjectives describe or modify nouns and pronouns.
Position of Adjectives
Attributive (before noun)
- a big house
- the red car
- an interesting book
Predicative (after linking verb)
- The house is big.
- The car looks red.
- The book seems interesting.
Order of Adjectives
When using multiple adjectives, follow this order:
- Opinion: beautiful, ugly, nice
- Size: big, small, tall
- Age: old, new, young
- Shape: round, square, long
- Color: red, blue, green
- Origin: British, Japanese, American
- Material: wooden, plastic, metal
- Purpose: sleeping (bag), running (shoes)
Examples:
- a beautiful old Italian car
- a big round wooden table
- comfortable new running shoes
Comparative and Superlative
Short Adjectives (1-2 syllables)
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| tall | taller | tallest |
| big | bigger | biggest |
| happy | happier | happiest |
| nice | nicer | nicest |
Long Adjectives (3+ syllables)
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
| expensive | more expensive | most expensive |
| interesting | more interesting | most interesting |
Irregular Adjectives
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much/many | more | most |
Using Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparative (comparing two things):
- She is taller than her brother.
- This book is more interesting than that one.
Superlative (comparing three or more):
- She is the tallest in her class.
- This is the most interesting book I’ve read.
When stacking multiple adjectives, English follows a fixed order: opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose. Saying “a lovely little old wooden box” sounds natural; reversing the order sounds odd.