Course on Adjectives - TOEIC® Preparation

In English, an adjective is used to describe or modify a noun (or a pronoun). It adds information about a characteristic of the noun: the shape, the color, the size, origin, etc.

• A red car
• A funny joke
• She is generous

In English, the adjective does not agree in gender (masculine/feminine) or in number (singular/plural). It remains invariable (unlike in French).

• A happy child
• Two happy children

The word "happy" does not change, whether it is a singular child or several plural children.

1. How to form an adjective?

Adjectives can be formed in several ways: from existing words (nouns, verbs, prefixes, suffixes) or by using past and present participles. Here are the different ways to form an adjective.

A. Adjectives derived from nouns

Some adjectives are formed from nouns by adding suffixes like -able / -ible, -ous, -ful, -less, -ic, -ive, -al.

B. Adjectives derived from other adjectives

Prefixes can also be added to existing adjectives to change the meaning, usually creating an opposite.

• He is unhappy with his results.
• That's an impossible task!
• She was dishonest about her past.

The choice of prefix often depends on the original adjective:

• im- before a word starting with m or p (impossible, impatient).
• ir- before a word starting with r (irregular, irresponsible).
• il- before a word starting with l (illegal, illogical).

C. Adjectives derived from verbs

Some adjectives are derived from verbs, often by adding suffixes like -ing or -ed.

• Adjectives ending in -ing describe something that causes an emotion.
  • This movie is interesting
  • The lecture was boring
• Adjectives ending in -ed describe what someone feels
  • I am interested in this book
  • She felt bored during the lesson

Tip : A person is "bored" because something is "boring".

• I feel tired because the trip was tiring.
• She is excited about the exciting news.

D. Past participles used as adjectives

In addition to the previous section on adjectives derived from verbs, some adjectives are actually past participles of verbs.

• A broken window
• A closed door
• An interested student
• A tired worker

These adjectives are often used after the verb to be:

• The window is broken.
• I feel tired today.

E. Compound adjectives

In English, you can also form compound adjectives by combining several words with a hyphen (-).

• He is a well-known actor.
• They bought a second-hand car.
• She has a blue-eyed cat.

Different structures of compound adjectives:

Attention to hyphens

When these adjectives are used before a noun, they retain the hyphen (a five-year-old boy). But when they are used after a verb like "to be", the hyphen disappears:

• The boy is five years old.
• The five-year-old boy.

Compound adjectives are invariable

Compound adjectives do not take an "s" in the plural, even if the integrated noun is a number.

• ✅ A five-year-old boy
• ✅ Five-year-olds
• ❌ A five-years-old boy

F. Adjectives that look like adverbs

Some adjectives ending in -ly look like adverbs but are indeed adjectives!

• A friendly dog
• A lovely place
• An elderly person

Attention!

• He speaks fluently. → Adverb (because it describes the verb speaks)
• He is a fluent speaker. → Adjective (because it describes the noun speaker)

Special case of "very"

In English, the adverb "very" is commonly used to intensify an adjective.

• She is very tired.
• This book is very interesting.
• It's very cold outside.

However, it is important to note that its use varies depending on the type of adjective it modifies. Indeed, it is not used with extreme adjectives (like incredible, freezing, huge, exhausted, amazing…). For these adjectives, we use intensifiers like « absolutely », « completely », « totally » or « utterly » instead of "very".

• ❌ She is very exhausted. ✅ She is absolutely exhausted.
• ❌ It's very freezing outside. ✅ It's completely freezing outside.

2. Where to place an adjective in the sentence?

A. Before the noun (attributive adjective)

The adjective is placed before the noun it qualifies.

• A beautiful garden
• An interesting book
• A tall building

General rule: Adjectives expressing a temporary state (afraid, asleep, awake, alive, alone, ill, glad, worth), a personal feeling (glad, sorry, ashamed, sure), or something subjective (worth, aware, due, liable) cannot be placed before a noun. They appear only after a state verb (to be, to seem, to become…).In summary:

• If the adjective describes a permanent characteristic, it is placed before the noun
  • a happy child
• If it describes a temporary condition or feeling, it comes after a state verb
  • The child is afraid

B. After a state verb (predicative adjective)

The adjective can also be placed after a verb, usually a state verb (to be, to become, to seem, etc.). It is then said to be predicate of the subject.

• The house is beautiful
• He became famous
• They seem happy

To learn more about state verbs, click here

C. In a specific order

When several adjectives are used to describe a single noun, they must follow a specific order in English. This order is generally as follows:

1. Opinion (lovely, beautiful, boring, interesting, nice…)
2. Size (big, small, tall, tiny…)
3. Quality / State (new, old, clean, dirty, broken…)
4. Shape (round, square, thin, flat…)
5. Color (red, blue, green, yellow…)
6. Origin (French, American, Italian…)
7. Material (wooden, metal, plastic, leather…)
8. Purpose (sleeping bag, running shoes…)
9. Noun (the object itself)

• A beautiful big old round blue French wooden dining table.
  • Opinion: beautiful
  • Size: big
  • Age: old
  • Shape: round
  • Color: blue
  • Origin: French
  • Material: wooden
  • Type: dining
  • Noun: table

Tip to remember: We often use the acronym OSACOMP (Opinion, Size, Age, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose).

3. Invariability of the adjective in English

As highlighted earlier, the adjective in English does not vary in gender or number.

• She is a tall woman
• They are tall women
• He is an honest man
• They are honest people

In all these cases, the adjective remains the same ("tall", "honest") despite the change in number or gender.

4. Non-exhaustive list of common adjectives

Here is a list of useful adjectives that you will often see, either in everyday life or in the TOEIC®:

1. Big / Small
   • I live in a big house.
   • She has a small car.
2. New / Old
   • He bought a new phone.
   • I have an old computer.
3. Young / Old (for a person's age)
   • He is very young.
   • My grandfather is old but very active.
4. Happy / Sad
   • They look happy today.
   • She seems sad.
5. Beautiful / Ugly
   • What a beautiful sunset!
   • He thinks his painting is ugly.
6. Important / Unimportant
   • This document is important.
   • Don't worry about unimportant details.
7. Expensive / Cheap
   • This watch is too expensive.
   • They found a cheap hotel.
8. Easy / Difficult
   • That test was easy.
   • This exercise is difficult.
9. Interesting / Boring
   • The film was interesting.
   • I found the lecture boring.
10. Famous / Unknown
    • He is a famous singer.
    • The author is relatively unknown.

Conclusion

Adjectives in English are relatively simple to master once you know:

1. Their position (before the noun or after a state verb).
2. The fact that they do not agree in gender or number.
3. The conventional order when chaining several.
4. Their formation in the comparative and superlative, including irregular forms.

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