Adjectives are words that are used to describe nouns. They are also known as modifiers. These common words follow two basic patterns in English. Students often ask which pattern is better or more common to use, and the answer is that they’re equally common!
Purpose
Adjectives are used to describe nouns (people, places, or things).
- green coat
- beautiful sunset
- cute puppies
- interesting lesson
Adjectives are also used to describe how someone is feeling.
- happy
- sad
- hot
- cold
Patterns
There are two basic adjective patterns in English.
Pattern 1: Adjective + Noun
An adjective often comes right before a noun. It stays right before the noun even when there are other parts of speech that are part of the pattern, such as an article, an adverb, or a preposition. This pattern is common for adjectives that describe people, places, or things.
- soft pillow (Adj + N)
- a soft pillow (Art + Adj + N)
- a really soft pillow (Art + Adv + Adj + N)
- on a really soft pillow (Prep + Art + Adv + Adj + N)
Pattern 2: Be + Adjective
An adjective can also follow the Be verb. This pattern is common for adjectives that describe feelings as well as people, places, or things.
- She is happy.
- I am tired.
- Your brother is nice.
- This pillow is soft.
Notes
Note #1
To form an adjective, a suffix is often added to the end of a noun. Some common adjective suffixes in English include -able, -al, -ant, -ed, -ent, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ing, -ive, -less, -ous, and -y. For more examples, see English Word Endings: Suffixes That Show the Part of Speech.
- logical
- important
- careful
- dangerous
Note #2
Some adjectives don’t come from a noun. These adjectives don’t have suffixes.
- big
- small
- good
- bad
Summary
It’s a good idea to give students similar examples of the two patterns so they can see that there is no difference in meaning. Both patterns are common for describing nouns. It’s their choice which pattern they want to use!
- This is delicious pizza.
- This pizza is delicious.
You may also want to remind students that for feelings, Be + Adjective is the more common pattern.
- He is happy.
- I am sick.
Related
For more materials on adjectives as well as more advanced adjective tips, see the related resources below!
- Adjectives – Grammar Practice Worksheets
- Adjectives – Fun Grammar Lessons
- Feelings
- Adjectives
- Suffixes
- Adjective Order and Punctuation
- When to Use Hyphens: Rules for Multiple-Word Adjectives
- How to Teach -ED/-ING Adjectives: 9 Simple Steps
- Look, Appear, Feel + Adjective or Adverb?
