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Ch 8

Adjectives

red car · happy people · she is tired

What are adjectives?

Adjectives describe nouns. They tell us about colour, size, shape, age, feeling, and more.

Colour
red · blue · green · black
Size
big · small · tall · short
Age
young · old · new
Feeling
happy · sad · tired · hungry
Opinion
nice · good · bad · beautiful

Position 1: before the noun

English adjectives go BEFORE the noun they describe

Adjective + Noun  →  a big house, an old car
Example
She has a red car.
Example
He is a tall boy.
Example
It's a beautiful day.
Note: In many languages the adjective comes after the noun. In English it always comes BEFORE: a big house, NOT a house big.

Position 2: after to be

After am / is / are, adjectives come AFTER the verb

be + adj
The house is big.
be + adj
She is happy.
be + adj
They are tired.
be + adj
I am hungry.

No plural form

Adjectives in English NEVER change for plural

Correct
two big dogs
three old cars
The children are happy.
Wrong
two bigs dogs
→ never add -s to adjective
three olds cars
→ never agree with plural noun

Common mistakes

Where learners go wrong most often

She is beautifull.
→
She is beautiful.
One l only: beau-ti-ful
A excited student.
→
An excited student.
"An" before a vowel sound
The cats are bigs.
→
The cats are big.
Adjectives never take -s
I have a car red.
→
I have a red car.
Adjective BEFORE the noun

Your turn

Answer out loud — full sentences

Describe with adjectives — before the noun or after be.

1
Describe your home: It's a … house / flat. It is…
2
Describe a friend: He / She is tall, funny…
3
Describe the weather today in two sentences.
4
Describe your favourite thing: a red…, an old…

Recap

Before a noun
adjective + noun
a big house · a red car
After be
am / is / are + adjective
The house is big.
No plural
adjectives never take -s
two big dogs
a / an
an before a vowel sound
an old car · a new car
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