Learn about adjectives in English: positions, functions, order of adjectives (OSASCOMP), and correct usage.
Position of adjectives: - Before nouns: a beautiful flower - After linking verbs (be, seem, look...): She is beautiful. - After objects: The news made me happy. Order of adjectives (OSASCOMP): Opinion - Size - Age - Shape - Color - Origin - Material - Purpose
Adjectives are words used to describe or modify nouns and pronouns. Using adjectives in the correct position and order will make your sentences more natural and accurate.
An adjective is a word that describes the quality, characteristic, or state of a noun or pronoun.
| Adjective | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | a beautiful flower | a lovely flower |
| tall | He is tall. | He has great height. |
| happy | They are happy. | They feel joy. |
| expensive | an expensive car | a costly car |
| Function | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Modify nouns | a big house | Describes the noun “house” |
| Subject complement | She is intelligent. | After the verb “be” |
| Object complement | The news made me sad. | Describes the object “me” |
Adjective + Noun
Subject + Linking Verb + Adjective
Common linking verbs:
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| be | She is beautiful. (She has beauty.) |
| look | You look tired. (You appear exhausted.) |
| feel | I feel happy. (I experience happiness.) |
| seem | He seems angry. (He appears to be upset.) |
| appear | She appears nervous. (She looks anxious.) |
| become | The weather became cold. (It turned cold.) |
| get | I’m getting tired. (I’m becoming exhausted.) |
| sound | That sounds interesting. (It seems intriguing.) |
| smell | The food smells delicious. (It has a good aroma.) |
| taste | The cake tastes sweet. (It has a sweet flavor.) |
Note: After sense verbs (look, feel, smell, taste, sound), use an adjective, not an adverb.
- ✅ The food smells good. (adjective)
- ❌ The food smells well. (incorrect)
Verb + Object + Adjective
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| make + O + Adj | The news made me happy. (The news caused me to feel happy.) |
| keep + O + Adj | Keep your room clean. (Maintain cleanliness.) |
| find + O + Adj | I find this book interesting. (I think it’s engaging.) |
| consider + O + Adj | They consider him intelligent. (They think he’s smart.) |
| leave + O + Adj | Don’t leave the door open. (Close the door.) |
Only before nouns:
Only after verbs:
When multiple adjectives come before a noun, arrange them in this order:
| Order | Category | Abbreviation | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opinion | O | beautiful, nice, ugly, lovely |
| 2 | Size | S | big, small, large, tiny |
| 3 | Age | A | old, young, new, ancient |
| 4 | Shape | S | round, square, long, flat |
| 5 | Color | C | red, blue, green, black |
| 6 | Origin | O | Vietnamese, Japanese, American |
| 7 | Material | M | wooden, silk, plastic, metal |
| 8 | Purpose | P | sleeping (bag), running (shoes) |
| Mixed adjectives | Correct order |
|---|---|
| wooden / old / round / a / table | an old round wooden table |
| Japanese / young / an / interesting / writer | an interesting young Japanese writer |
| red / beautiful / silk / a / dress | a beautiful red silk dress |
| big / brown / two / old / bears | two big old brown bears |
| sleeping / blue / a / new / bag | a new blue sleeping bag |
“OSASCOMP” or “Opinion Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose”
Another way: “Old Silly Apes Sometimes Cook Onion, Meat, Pasta”
| -ing ending | -ed ending |
|---|---|
| Describes the cause of a feeling | Describes the person experiencing the feeling |
| The movie is boring. (It causes boredom.) | I am bored. (I feel boredom.) |
| She is interesting. (She causes interest.) | I am interested in her. (I feel interest.) |
| -ing (causes) | -ed (experiences) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| interesting | interested | arousing curiosity |
| boring | bored | lacking excitement |
| exciting | excited | causing enthusiasm |
| tiring | tired | causing fatigue |
| surprising | surprised | causing astonishment |
| confusing | confused | causing bewilderment |
| disappointing | disappointed | causing letdown |
| frightening | frightened | causing fear |
| annoying | annoyed | causing irritation |
| embarrassing | embarrassed | causing self-consciousness |
| -ing | -ed |
|---|---|
| The book is boring. (It causes boredom.) | I am bored with this book. (I feel bored.) |
| The news was shocking. (It caused shock.) | We were shocked by the news. (We felt shocked.) |
| He is an amusing person. (He causes amusement.) | I was amused by his jokes. (I felt amused.) |
| Suffix | Noun | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| -ful | beauty | beautiful |
| -less | care | careless |
| -ous | danger | dangerous |
| -y | sun | sunny |
| -al | nation | national |
| -ive | act | active |
| -ic | history | historic |
| Suffix | Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| -able/-ible | comfort | comfortable |
| -ive | create | creative |
| -ing | interest | interesting |
| -ed | interest | interested |
| Mistake | Correction | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| She is a beautifully girl. | She is a beautiful girl. | Before nouns, use adjectives |
| The food smells well. | The food smells good. | After sense verbs, use adjectives |
| I am boring with this movie. | I am bored with this movie. | Person feeling → use -ed |
| The movie is very bored. | The movie is very boring. | Thing causing feeling → use -ing |
| a wooden old big table | a big old wooden table | Follow OSASCOMP order |
| I feel happily today. | I feel happy today. | After “feel”, use an adjective |
Use varied adjectives to describe things.
Use precise adjectives to demonstrate vocabulary range.
Avoid overly general adjectives like “good”, “bad”, “nice”. Replace with: