What is an adjective?
The words that tell you what a noun is like, where they can go in a sentence, and how to test for one.
The answer
An adjective is a word that tells you more about a noun, such as what it looks, sounds or feels like, or how big it is.
Examples
The tiny kitten hid under a wooden box.
The soup was hot.
An adjective can come after is or was, as well as before a noun.
We walked through a dark, gloomy forest.
Mum seemed tired after the long journey.
How to spot it
- It can go before a noun (a cold day) or after is, was or seems (the day was cold).
- Most adjectives can take very in front: very cold. Many can add -er and -est: colder, coldest.
- It answers the question ‘what kind?’ about a noun.
The common mistake
Calling every describing word an adjective.
In ‘She ran quickly’, quickly describes how she ran, so it is an adverb. And in ‘a football match’, football is a noun doing a describing job, not an adjective: you cannot say ‘a very football match’.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 1
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “adjective”
Year 1 uses un- to change the meaning of adjectives (kind, unkind). Year 2 names the word adjective, adds -er and -est (bigger, biggest), and builds adjectives with -ful and -less (hopeful, hopeless).
Try a question
Circle the adjective.
The hungry fox crept towards the henhouse.
Show the answer
Answer: hungry
It tells us about the fox, and it passes the test ‘the fox was hungry’. Crept is a verb and towards is a preposition.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Classify a word in context
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is the an adjective?
No. The, a and an are articles, which the national curriculum treats as a kind of determiner. Older grammar books called them adjectives, but children are now taught determiner.
What are comparative and superlative adjectives?
The -er form compares two things (taller). The -est form picks out the most of a group (tallest). Longer adjectives use more and most instead: more careful, most careful.
Can a noun describe another noun?
Yes. In ‘a football match’ or ‘an English teacher’, the first word is a noun telling you what kind of match or teacher. It is still a noun, not an adjective.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.