Grammar
Adjectives: position and basic use
Compare a quiet room with The room is quiet. Quiet describes the same noun in both sentences, but its position changes with the sentence pattern.
Place a basic adjective before a noun or after be, seem, or look, and distinguish an adjective from an adverb in common sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The room looks quiet, but the children are speaking loudly. /ðə ruːm lʊks ˈkwaɪət bʌt ðə ˈtʃɪldrən ə ˈspiːkɪŋ ˈlaʊdli/
The short answer
Put a basic adjective before the noun it describes: a quiet room. Put it after be, seem, or look when it describes the subject: The room is quiet; The room seems quiet. Use an adverb when you need to describe an action, as in Speak quietly.
The new café looks busy this morning.
Why it works: Busy comes after looks because it describes the café, not the action of looking.
5 more examples
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We found a quiet corner in the library.
Quiet comes before corner because it is part of the noun phrase.
Not this:The corner
was quietafter lunch. What changes: Quiet follows was because it describes the subject corner after be. -
A heavy box stood by the door.
Heavy describes box before the noun.
Not this:The box
seems heavyto lift. What changes: Heavy follows seems because it describes the box. -
The blue screen looks clear now.
Clear gives a description of the screen after looks.
Not this:Please
look carefullyat the blue screen. What changes: Carefully is an adverb because it describes the action look. -
The children were happy after the game.
Happy describes the children after were.
Not this:The children
laughed happilyafter the game. What changes: Happily describes how the children laughed, so it is an adverb. -
We need something useful for the trip.
Useful follows something in this common pattern with an indefinite pronoun.
Not this:We need a
useful mapfor the trip. What changes: With an ordinary noun such as map, useful usually comes before the noun.
Read the full guide
Find the noun or pronoun first. If the adjective is part of the noun phrase, it usually comes before the noun. If a linking verb connects the subject to its description, the adjective follows that verb. This choice changes the shape of the sentence, not the thing being described.
Use an adjective to describe a noun
An adjective adds information about a noun. First find the person, place, or thing named by the noun. Then check which word describes it.
A small lamp stood beside the bed.
Small describes the noun lamp. It tells us what kind of lamp it is.
Her friendly neighbor carried the bags upstairs.
Friendly describes neighbor. It gives information about the person.
Which word is the adjective in a blue umbrella?
Blue. It describes the umbrella.
Put a basic adjective before a noun
The usual place for a basic adjective is before the noun it describes. This position is useful when you introduce or identify a person, place, or thing.
We booked a quiet room near the station.
Quiet comes before room and helps identify the kind of room.
Mira bought a green notebook for class.
Green comes before notebook because both words are in the same noun phrase.
Choose the natural phrase: a noisy street or a street noisy?
Use a noisy street. A basic adjective usually comes before an ordinary noun.
Use an adjective after be
After be, an adjective can describe the subject. The adjective is not inside a noun phrase here. It completes the information about the person or thing.
The street is noisy at night.
Noisy follows is because it describes the subject street.
The instructions are clear.
Clear describes instructions after are. The adjective stays the same although instructions is plural.
Complete the sentence: The keys are _____. Choose safe or safely.
Use safe. The word describes the keys after are, so an adjective is needed.
Use adjectives after seem and look
Seem and look can also link a subject to a description. Use an adjective after them when you say what the subject appears to be like.
The plan seems simple.
Simple describes the plan after seems.
Your suitcase looks heavy.
Heavy describes the suitcase after looks.
Choose the natural sentence: The meal looks good or The meal looks well?
Use The meal looks good. Good describes the meal. Well usually describes how an action is done or a person's health.
Choose an adverb for an action
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. An adverb often describes an action. This difference is clear when the same idea appears in two sentence patterns.
The speaker was clear.
Clear describes the speaker after was, so it is an adjective.
The speaker explained the schedule clearly.
Clearly describes how the speaker explained, so it is an adverb.
Choose the correct word: Please write careful or carefully.
Use carefully. It describes how someone should write.
Notice a few adjectives after a noun or pronoun
A few common patterns put an adjective after the word it describes. With something, anything, nothing, and similar words, the adjective follows: something useful or nothing serious. An adjective phrase can also follow a noun when it has extra information: the person responsible for the keys.
Is there anything important in the message?
Important follows anything in this common indefinite-pronoun pattern.
The guide suitable for beginners is on the desk.
Suitable for beginners stays after guide because the adjective has extra information after it.
Which phrase is natural: something useful or useful something?
Use something useful. In this pattern, the adjective follows the indefinite pronoun.
Before you go
Remember this
Use an adjective before a noun in a noun phrase, such as a quiet room. Use it after be, seem, or look when it describes the subject: The room is quiet; The room seems quiet; The room looks quiet. Choose an adverb when you describe an action, and remember a few fixed postpositive patterns such as something useful.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Adjectives: position and basic use"
Where do adjectives usually go in English?
A basic adjective usually comes before the noun it describes, as in a quiet room or a heavy bag. It can also come after a linking verb, as in The room is quiet. Choose the position from the sentence pattern.
We found a quiet corner in the library.
Why do adjectives come after be, seem, and look?
Be, seem, and look can connect the subject to a description. In The bag seems heavy, heavy tells you about the bag. In The screen looks clear, clear tells you about the screen. The adjective follows the linking verb in these patterns.
The corner was quiet after lunch.
How do I choose between an adjective and an adverb?
Use an adjective to describe a noun or pronoun: The explanation was clear. Use an adverb to describe an action: The teacher explained it clearly. Ask whether the word describes a thing or how an action happens.
A heavy box stood by the door.
Can an adjective come after a noun?
Yes, but only in some patterns. English uses an adjective after indefinite pronouns in phrases such as something useful or nothing serious. It can also follow a noun when the adjective has extra information, as in the person responsible for the keys.
The box seems heavy to lift.
Do adjectives change with plural nouns?
Most ordinary English adjectives keep the same form with singular and plural nouns. You can say a clear instruction and clear instructions. The noun changes from singular to plural, while clear stays the same.
The blue screen looks clear now.