Learn Adjectives Fast: Definitions, Examples, and Practice for IELTS & TOEFL

Adjectives: A Complete Guide for English Learners

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They add detail about people, places, and things—making your English clearer and more interesting.

Table of Contents

1) What Are Adjectives? 2) Kinds of Adjectives 3) The Order of Adjectives 4) Common Adjective Endings 5) Describing What Something Is Made Of 6) Describing What Something Is Like 7) Comparison: Comparative & Superlative 8) Adjective Phrases 9) Practice: Exercises (with key)

1) What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives tell us what kind, how many, or which one.

Examples
a beautiful garden · a tall building · the first prize · three books

2) Kinds of Adjectives

Descriptivequality
happy, tall, beautiful

Quantitativeamount
some, many, few, much

Demonstrativepointer
this, that, these, those

Possessiveownership
my, your, his, her, their

Interrogativequestion
which, what, whose

Properfrom nouns
Indian, American, Shakespearean

3) The Order of Adjectives

When you use multiple adjectives before a noun, follow this natural order:

1	Quantity / Number
2	Opinion (lovely, beautiful)
3	Size (small, large)
4	Age (new, old)
5	Shape (round, square)
6	Color (blue, green)
7	Origin (Italian, Indian)
8	Material (wooden, plastic, gold)
9	Purpose (dining, running) + noun

Example: three beautiful large old round blue Italian wooden dining tables

4) Common Adjective Endings

• -ful → beautiful, helpful
• -ous → famous, generous
• -able / -ible → comfortable, possible
• -y → happy, tasty

5) Describing What Something Is Made Of

Some nouns can be used like adjectives to show material:

a plastic chair · a gold watch · a cotton shirt

6) Describing What Something Is Like

Use adjectives for appearance, personality, taste, sound, etc.

She is intelligent. · The soup tastes delicious. · It sounds amazing.

7) Comparison of Adjectives

Comparative (two items)

Usually add -er or use more:

tall → taller · happy → happier · careful → more careful

Superlative (three or more)

Usually add -est or use most:

tall → tallest · happy → happiest · careful → most careful

8) Adjective Phrases

A group of words acting as an adjective.

The girl with the red dress is my cousin. · A box full of old photos lay under the bed.

9) Practice: Exercises

A) Fill in the blanks with suitable adjectives:

1. She wore a ______ dress. (color)
2. The ______ building was destroyed in the storm. (size)
3. My mother is the ______ cook in our family. (superlative)
4. He bought a ______ table made of oak. (material + noun)
5. We visited a ______ museum yesterday. (opinion)

B) Put adjectives in natural order:

Write the correct order: Italian / three / beautiful / wooden / chairs

Answer pattern: Quantity → Opinion → Material/Origin → Noun

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FAQs

Should I use “more” or “-er” for comparatives?

Short adjectives usually take “-er” (smart → smarter). Longer adjectives use “more” (more careful, more interesting).

Can I use two opinion adjectives together?

Yes, but keep the flow natural and follow the general order (e.g., a lovely, charming old house).

What if I’m not sure about the order?

Use fewer adjectives, or split the description into two parts: “a beautiful Italian table made of oak.”

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