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Describing and comparing, part 1 of 5
Adjectives in English: Where They Go and Why They Have No Plural
An adjective goes before the noun and does not change in the plural: a red car, two red cars, she is tall, he is tall.
The idea
What an adjective is
An adjective says what something is like. It goes before the noun or after be, and it never takes -s.
- Before the noun. a quiet room
- After be. The room is quiet.
- No -s in the plural. two quiet rooms
When to use it
To describe people, things, and places, and to say what you think of something. These expressions go with it:
To describe people
- a nice guy
- a good friend
- she is smart
- they are busy
To describe things
- a cheap ticket
- a long day
- it is broken
To give an opinion
- great idea
- that is weird
- so cool
Examples
- Before the noun
She has a blue bike.
- After be
The museum is free.
- The same in the plural
We have two old cats.
- The same for she or he
My aunt is funny. My uncle is funny too.
- With very
This is a very easy test.
How to build it
3 steps
- Find the nounThe thing or the person:a house
- Put the adjective firstBetween a and the thing:a white house
- Plural: only the nounNo -s on the adjective:two white houses
Before the noun
- a / an / thea
- adjectivequiet
- nounstreet
After be
- SubjectThe street
- am / is / areis
- adjectivequiet.
The rule
Spanish and English
| Spanish | English | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| before the noun | a white house | the adjective comes first |
| plural | two white houses | only house takes -s |
| she or he | the girl is tall / the boy is tall | one form for everyone |
How to pronounce it
beautiful
/ˈbjutəfəl/The first syllable is /bju/, and the t sounds like a soft d.
small
/smɔl/It starts with /s/ right away, with no vowel before it.
Check
My parents have two (blank). Which one goes in the blank?
What about two adjectives?
a red car
One: before the noun
a small red car
Two: size before color
With two or more adjectives they also go first, but in an order: opinion and size first, color last.
Adjective orderIn real life
If in doubt, say what it is like first and what it is last: a long day.
Frequently asked questions
Does the adjective change in the plural?
No. Only the noun takes -s: one old car, two old cars.
Can an adjective go after the noun?
Almost always it goes first. After the noun only with be or verbs like look and feel: The car looks new.
What does very do?
It goes before the adjective to make it stronger: very hot, a very nice place.
In short
- Before the noun: a red car.
- After be, alone: the car is red.
- No -s: two red cars.
- Same for boy or girl: a tall boy, a tall girl.