What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (the name of a thing or a place).
It was a terrible book.
The word terrible is an adjective. It tells us what the book (the noun) was like.
Where can I put an adjective?
Adjectives can come before or after the noun.
The book he read on holiday was terrible.
Try putting adjectives in different places in your sentences to make your writing more interesting.
Using more than one adjective
If you want to describe a noun in detail, you can use more than one adjective.
He had a mouldy, smelly, overpriced sandwich for lunch.
When you have a list of adjectives like this, separate them with commas.
2. Adverbs
What is an adverb?
An adverb is a word that describes a verb (an action or a doing word).
He ate his breakfast quickly.
The word quickly is an adverb – it tells us how he ate (the verb) his breakfast.
What’s an adverbial phrase?
Sometimes more than one word can do the adverb’s job. This is called an adverbial phrase.
He ate his lunch really quickly.
The words really quickly are an adverbial phrase. Words like very, more, really and extremely are often used to make an adverb even stronger.
Where can I put an adverb?
Adverbs and adverbial phrases don’t always come after the verb.
He quickly ate his lunch.
Try putting adverbs and adverbial phrases in different places in your sentences to make your writing more interesting.
Lessons in this series:
