Adjectives are describing words. They tell us which one, what kind, and how many — turning a plain noun into a vivid picture. Learn the types, then test yourself!
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun. It adds detail by answering one of three questions: Which one?, What kind?, or How many?
Without adjectives, that sentence would just be "The puppy chased a ball." Adjectives are what make writing colorful and exact.
Wondering if a word is an adjective? Try putting it right before a noun, like "a ___ dog." If it makes sense — "a fluffy dog," "a loud dog" — it's probably an adjective!
Adjectives come in several flavors, depending on the job they do:
Tell what kind: soft, purple, enormous, delicious
Tell how many or how much: three, many, few, some
Point out which one: this, that, these, those
Show who owns it: my, your, his, her, our, their
Made from proper nouns, always capitalized: Italian, American, Shakespearean
Some possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her) look just like pronouns. The trick: if the word sits right before a noun and describes it ("my book"), it's working as an adjective. You'll see these again when we explore Pronouns.
There are only three articles in English: a, an, and the. They're technically adjectives, because they sit in front of a noun and tell us something about it — but they're special enough to get their own group.
"Indefinite" — any one of something. Use an before a vowel sound: a cat, an apple
"Definite" — one specific thing we both know about: the moon, the winner
Why are articles special? A few reasons:
Most adjective groups have hundreds of words. Articles are a tiny, closed club — just a, an, and the.
"Red" or "tall" tells you what something is like. Articles only tell you whether a noun is general (a/an) or specific (the).
It's an hour (the h is silent, so it sounds like a vowel) but a unicorn (it sounds like "yoo"). Listen, don't just look!
Because articles are so common and so different from describing words, many grammar books list them separately. In the practice game below, we'll leave articles out so you can focus on the describing adjectives.
Adjectives usually show up in one of two spots in a sentence:
The most common spot — right in front of the word it describes. "She drove a shiny blue car."
An adjective can also follow a linking verb like is, are, was, feels, seems. "The car is blue." This is called a predicate adjective.
Predicate adjectives only work because of linking verbs — verbs that join the subject to a description instead of showing action. If you'd like a refresher, the Verbs page covers linking verbs.
Adjectives can change form to compare things. There are three levels:
Describes one thing on its own: "a tall tree."
Add -er or use more: "a taller tree," "a more beautiful tree."
Add -est or use most: "the tallest tree," "the most beautiful tree."
| Rule | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short word: add -er / -est | tall | taller | tallest |
| Ends in -y: change to -ier / -iest | happy | happier | happiest |
| One syllable, vowel-consonant: double it | big | bigger | biggest |
| Long word: use more / most | beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
| Irregular (just memorize!) | good | better | best |
| Irregular | bad | worse | worst |
Use -er OR more — never both. "More taller" is incorrect. Pick one!
When you stack two or more adjectives in front of a noun, English has a secret order that sounds right to your ear. "A big old red barn" sounds natural, but "a red old big barn" sounds strange — even though all the words are the same!
| # | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opinion | lovely, ugly, delicious |
| 2 | Size | big, tiny, tall |
| 3 | Age | old, new, ancient |
| 4 | Shape | round, square, flat |
| 5 | Color | red, blue, golden |
| 6 | Origin | French, Martian, local |
| 7 | Material | wooden, metal, silk |
| 8 | Purpose | sleeping (bag), racing (car) |
Native speakers follow this order automatically — without ever learning the list. If a string of adjectives "sounds funny," it's usually because the order is off. Two or three adjectives in a row is plenty; more than that gets clunky.
Click or tap every adjective in each sentence — the describing words, the numbers, the demonstratives, and the possessives. When you've found them all, check your answer!
Skip the articles a, an, and the. They're adjectives too, but we're focusing on the describing words here — tapping an article won't help or hurt your score.