What is an Adjective?
A word describing or modifying a noun or pronoun.
Adjectives: Creative Descriptors of Nouns and Pronouns
An adjective is a type of word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun in a sentence, often answering the questions: What kind? Which one? How many? How much? Where?
Adjectives can range from simple to complex, from colors to emotions, building vivid descriptions that enable readers to visualize a scene or character.
With their myriad of possibilities, from the simple ‘red’ to the more intense ‘vermillion’, adjectives lend creative flair to a writer’s toolbox, encouraging writers to explore the full extent of the English language and to leave a lasting impression with their readers.
Adjectives are a staple of descriptive writing, found in nearly every sentence, and two literary examples stand head and shoulders above the rest as prime examples of their use.
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.” - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen