Adjectives (Adjectives) – how to color your English sentences
Adjectives are words that give our language colors, flavors, and shapes. They answer the questions: what? which? (e.g. good, tall, interesting). Although in English they are quite simple to handle (because they do not decline by cases or genders!), they hide a few interesting traps.
Part 1: For beginners (Fundamentals)
Let’s start with the best news: English adjectives are „invariable”. Regardless of whether we are talking about one small boy or three small girls, the word „small” (small) always looks the same.
1. Where do we place the adjective in the sentence?
We have two main options:
- Before the noun: just like in Polish.
- It is a beautiful house. (To jest piękny dom).
- She has blue eyes. (Ona ma niebieskie oczy).
- After the verb to be (być) and sense verbs (e.g. look, feel, smell):
- This house is beautiful. (Ten dom jest piękny).
- You look tired. (Wyglądasz na zmęczonego).
2. Comparison of adjectives (Comparison of adjectives)
When we want to compare something, we must „compare” the adjective (e.g. big -> bigger -> biggest). This depends on the length of the word:
| Type of adjective | Positive degree | Comparative degree | Superlative degree („the most”) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short (1-2 syllables) Add -er and -est |
tall (wysoki) | taller (wyższy) | the tallest (najwyższy) |
| Long (3+ syllables) Use more and the most |
expensive (drogi) | more expensive (droższy) | the most expensive (najdroższy) |
| Irregular Must be memorized |
good (dobry) / bad (zły) | better (lepszy) / worse (gorszy) | the best (najlepszy) / the worst (najgorszy) |
Part 2: For advanced learners (Nuances and contexts)
At an advanced level, adjectives require a bit more precision, especially when we start arranging them in longer sequences or playing with their endings.
1. Endings -ed and -ing (Catch the difference!)
Many adjectives come in two versions. Although they look similar, they mean completely different things. This is one of the most common mistakes!
- Ending -ed (feelings): Describes how someone feels (usually refers to people).
- Ending -ing (causes): Describes what thing, person, or situation causes that feeling.
Compare:
- I am bored. (Jestem znudzony. -> Tak się wewnątrz czuję).
- This movie is boring. (Ten film jest nudny. -> Film emanuje nudą, jest jej przyczyną).
- She is an interesting person. (Ona jest interesującą osobą. -> Wzbudza zainteresowanie innych).
- She is interested in history. (Ona interesuje się historią. -> Takie jest jej wewnętrzne odczucie).
2. Order of adjectives before a noun (Adjective Order)
What happens when we want to describe a table, saying it is: wooden, old, beautiful, big, round, and brown? In Polish, the order is quite flexible. In English, there is a strict rule! Native speakers apply it instinctively.
This rule is often shortened to the acronym DOSASCOMP (though „D” stands for Determiner, i.e. a/an/the):
- Opinion (Opinion) – e.g. beautiful, ugly, nice
- Size (Size) – e.g. big, small, tall
- Age (Age) – e.g. old, new, young
- Shape (Shape) – e.g. round, square
- Color (Color) – e.g. red, black, blue
- Origin (Origin) – e.g. Polish, Italian, lunar
- Material (Material) – e.g. wooden, metal, plastic
- Purpose (Purpose) – e.g. sleeping (bag), riding (boots)
Extreme example (you probably won’t encounter such a thing in nature, but it illustrates the principle):
I bought a beautiful (opinion) big (size) old (age) round (shape) brown (color) Italian (origin) wooden (material) dining (purpose) table.
3. Adjectives turning into nouns
When we want to describe an entire social group characterized by a given trait, we can use the determiner the in combination with the adjective. Such a word then behaves like a plural noun.
- The rich should pay higher taxes. (Bogaci [ludzie] powinni płacić wyższe podatki).
- We need to help the homeless. (Musimy pomóc bezdomnym).
- This home is for the elderly. (Ten dom jest dla starszych osób).