Meeting 3: Describing People or Things - Adjectives

Introduction

Adjectives are words that describe nouns.
They tell us what someone or something looks like, feels like, sounds like, tastes like, or acts like.
We use adjectives to make our sentences more detailed and interesting.

Examples:

• The sky is blue.
• The teacher is kind.
• This movie is boring.
• My bag is heavy.

1. Adjectives after a “Be” Verb

Adjectives often come after a “Be” verb (am, is, are, was, were) to describe the subject.

Examples:

• He is funny.
• It is hot today.
• My house is old.
• You are so nice!

👉 In these sentences, the adjective follows the “Be” verb and gives information about how someone or something is.

More examples:

• The coffee is cold.
• We are tired.
• The movie is interesting.
• I am happy today.

2. “Be” Verb Tenses + Adjectives (Adjective Does Not Change)

The “Be” verb can change to show past, present, or future,
but the adjective itself stays the same.

Examples:

• He was happy. (past)
• It will be hot tomorrow. (future)
• My house was old and cold. (past)
• You can be nice at times. (modal use)

💡 Note: adjectives never change form — “happy” stays “happy” no matter the time.

More examples:

• I am busy today.
• I was busy yesterday.
• I will be busy tomorrow.

3. Using “Very” and “Really” for Stronger Meaning

We often add very or really before an adjective to show greater intensity or emotion.

Examples:

• Tokyo is really crowded.
• Rome is very old.
• She is really nice.
• He is very strict.

More examples:

• The test was very difficult.
• This cake is really delicious.
• The weather is very cold.
• I am really tired after work.

Tip:

• Very = formal or neutral emphasis.
• Really = common in conversation and sounds natural.

4. Adjectives Before Nouns

Adjectives can also come before a noun to describe it directly.
When the noun has a determiner (a, an, the, my, some, this, that) or a quantifier (many, few, several),
the adjective goes between the determiner and the noun.

Examples:

• Russia is a big country.
• She is a nice lady.
• It was a difficult test.
• I bought some really nice shoes.

More examples:

• That small dog is cute.
• My new phone is expensive.
• We live in an old house.
• There are many interesting books in the library.

5. Common Adjectives for Descriptions

Here are some everyday adjectives you can use when describing people or things:

People: tall, short, kind, friendly, smart, funny, shy, polite, lazy, serious
Things/Places: big, small, new, old, beautiful, noisy, quiet, cold, warm, clean

Examples:

• The teacher is friendly.
• The restaurant is quiet and clean.
• My friend is tall and smart.
• The city is noisy but beautiful.

6. Summary

• Adjectives describe nouns and tell us what something is like.
• They often come after a “Be” verb (She is happy) or before a noun (a happy girl).
• The adjective does not change with tense.
• Use very or really for stronger feeling.

Example recap:

• He is funny.
• She was tired.
• They are really nice.
• It’s a beautiful day.