Descriptive Adjectives: Definition, Forms, Types, Usage, and Examples

Imagine telling someone about your delicious cake, your exciting trip, or your beautiful garden. The words’ delicious’, ‘exciting’, and ‘beautiful’ make your sentences colourful and expressive. These words are called descriptive adjectives, and they help us describe people, places, things, and ideas in detail. Let’s explore what descriptive adjectives are, how to use them, and some examples to help you master them!

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Descriptive Adjective?

2. Definition of a Descriptive Adjective

3. List of Descriptive Adjectives

4. How to Use Descriptive Adjectives in Sentences

5. Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

6. Rules and Best Practices

7.Check Your Knowledge of Descriptive Adjectives

8. Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Descriptive Adjective?

A descriptive adjective is a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun. These adjectives describe the size, colour, shape, quality, or condition of something. For example:

• • The sky is blue.
  • The large elephant walked slowly.

Descriptive adjectives add detail and make our sentences more interesting.

Definition of a Descriptive Adjective

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a descriptive adjective is “a word that describes a quality or characteristic of a noun or pronoun.”

For example:

• • The word red in “red apple” tells us the colour of the apple.
  • The word tall in “tall building” tells us the height of the building.

List of Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives can describe many different qualities. Here are some common examples:

Size

• • Big, small, tiny, enormous, huge, narrow, wide

Colour

• • Red, blue, green, yellow, pink, white, black

Shape

• • Round, square, oval, flat, crooked, straight

Quality

• • Beautiful, ugly, fancy, plain, smart, silly, brave

Texture

• • Soft, rough, smooth, bumpy, silky, sticky

Condition

• • Clean, dirty, broken, fresh, old, new

How to Use Descriptive Adjectives in Sentences

Descriptive adjectives can be placed:

1. Before the Noun

• • • We saw a tall tree.
    • He wore a clean shirt.

2. After a Linking Verb

• • • The cake smells delicious.
    • Her smile is bright.

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

Example 1:

The fluffy cat purred softly.
(Fluffy describes the cat and tells us about its fur.)

Example 2:

We enjoyed the warm sunshine.
(Warm describes the sunshine and tells us how it feels.)

Example 3:

He bought a shiny red car.
(Shiny and red both describe the car, giving us information about its condition and color.)

Rules and Best Practices

1. Order of Adjectives Matters

• • When you use multiple adjectives, follow the correct order: size, shape, colour, quality, etc.
  • Example: A small, round, red ball (correct)
  • A red, small, round ball (incorrect)

2. Descriptive Adjectives Follow Limiting Words

• • Words like some, this, and many (limiting adjectives) come before descriptive adjectives.
  • Example: I bought some tasty apples.

3. Comparative and Superlative Forms

• • Most descriptive adjectives can compare things.
    • This room is brighter than that one. (Comparative)
    • This is the brightest room in the house. (Superlative)

4. Be Specific

• • Use descriptive adjectives to provide clear and vivid details. Instead of saying, ‘I saw a car,’ say, ‘I saw a shiny red sports car.’

Check Your Knowledge of Descriptive Adjectives

Fill in the blanks with the correct descriptive adjective:

1. The __________ puppy wagged its tail. (cute, small, loud)

2. We stayed in a __________ hotel. (beautiful, old, tall)

3. She wore a __________ dress to the party. (red, fancy, shiny)

4. The weather today is __________. (hot, sunny, perfect)

5. He gave me a __________ smile. (kind, happy, big)

Beginner-Level Adjectives (Common Use)

Intermediate-Level Adjectives (IELTS-Friendly)

Advanced-Level Adjectives (High IELTS Band Descriptors)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is a descriptive adjective?
A descriptive adjective is a word that describes the qualities, characteristics, or features of a noun or pronoun. Example: The cold breeze made me shiver.

Q2: What are some examples of descriptive adjectives?
Examples include big, blue, soft, shiny, beautiful, clean, rough, and exciting.

Q3: How are descriptive adjectives different from limiting adjectives?
Descriptive adjectives describe the qualities or characteristics of a noun. Limiting adjectives like this, some, and few indicate which or how many without describing qualities.

Q4: Can descriptive adjectives compare things?
Yes, they can be used in comparative (bigger, brighter) and superlative (biggest, brightest) forms to compare two or more things.