Summary
In-depth Explanation
Adjectives describe or modify nouns. Here are a few examples:
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green apple
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tall building
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three cats
Unlike some other languages, English adjectives do not change based on the gender or number of the noun they describe. For example:
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a red shirt
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red cars
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a young boy
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a young girl
Adjective Placement
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Adjectives usually come before the noun they describe. For example:
I like the blue car.
In this example, “blue” is the adjective describing the noun “car.”
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Sometimes, adjectives come after the verb, especially when using verbs like “to be” (am, is, are, was, were) or “to seem.” For example:
The car is blue.
In this example, “blue” describes the car and comes after the verb “is.”
Word Order with Adjectives
When you use more than one adjective to describe a noun, they usually follow a specific order:
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Opinion: lovely, interesting, boring
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Size: big, small, tall
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Age: old, young, new
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Shape: round, square, thin
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Color: blue, red, green
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Origin: American, Chinese, French
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Material: wooden, plastic, metal
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Purpose: sleeping (as in sleeping bag)
For example:
A big old house (size, age)
A beautiful wooden bowl (opinion, material)