Adjectives and adverbs
Describing words that add colour: adjectives that describe nouns, adverbs that describe verbs, and where each one goes
About four lessons of 40 to 50 minutes
Words that add colour
Read this sentence: 'The dog ran.' It tells you something, but it is grey and flat. Now read this one: 'The huge, shaggy dog ran wildly.' Suddenly you can picture it. The extra words did not change who did what, they added colour, so the same simple sentence paints a whole scene.
Those colour-adding words come in two kinds. Adjectives describe nouns: they tell you more about a person, place or thing (the huge, shaggy dog). Adverbs describe verbs: they tell you more about how, when or where something happens (ran wildly). Today you will learn what each one does, where it goes, and how to use both to turn a grey sentence into a vivid one.
- Adjective: describes a nounthe huge, shaggy dog, tells you more about the dog
- Adverb: describes a verbran wildly, tells you more about how it ran
- Adverbs also tell when and whereshe left early (when), he waited outside (where)
- Together they make writing vivid'The dog ran' becomes 'The huge dog ran wildly'
What students will be able to do
Students will understand that adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs, will identify each in a sentence and say which word it is describing, will know that many adverbs end in -ly and can tell how, when or where, will place an adjective and an adverb correctly in a sentence, and will use both to make plain writing more vivid, extending to comparative forms.
- I can explain that an adjective describes a noun and an adverb describes a verb.
- I can find the adjectives and adverbs in a sentence and say which word each one describes.
- I can recognise that many adverbs end in -ly and can tell how, when or where.
- I can put an adjective before its noun and an adverb in a sensible place in a sentence.
- I can add adjectives and adverbs to make a plain sentence more vivid.
Standards this unit teaches
- L.3.1.aCommon Core (US)Explain the function of adjectives and adverbs
Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
- L.3.1.gCommon Core (US)Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs
Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
- L.4.1Common Core (US)Command of standard English grammar and usage
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- AC9E4LA08Australian Curriculum v9 (ACARA)How adverb groups give details about an activity
Understand how adverb groups and phrases and prepositional phrases work in different ways to provide circumstantial details about an activity.
- AC9E5LA06Australian Curriculum v9 (ACARA)Expanding noun groups for a fuller description
Understand how noun groups can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of a person, place, thing or idea.
Prior knowledge
This unit builds on skills students should already have met. Revisit any that are shaky first.
- Nouns, verbs and building a sentencestudents must know nouns and verbs first, because adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs
- Verb tensesverbs are the doing words that adverbs describe, so a secure sense of verbs helps
- Synonymschoosing a stronger describing word (huge for big, whispered for said quietly) makes writing vivid
- Building a paragraphvivid describing words bring the detail sentences of a paragraph to life
Words to teach and display
- Adjective
- a describing word that tells you more about a noun, like huge, red or shaggy
- Adverb
- a describing word that tells you more about a verb: how, when or where something happens
- Noun
- a naming word for a person, place, thing or idea; adjectives describe nouns
- Verb
- a doing or being word; adverbs describe verbs
- Modify
- to describe or change the meaning of another word; adjectives and adverbs both modify
- Comparative
- the -er or more form that compares two things, like taller or more quickly
- Superlative
- the -est or most form that compares three or more, like tallest or most quickly
Teach it: model, guided practice, independent
The lesson moves from what each describing word does, to spotting them in sentences, to using them to make writing vivid. Every example is a real sentence students read, sort and improve, so the grammar is practised in writing rather than only labelled. Build and improve sentences together on the board before students try their own.
1. Adjectives describe nouns
Begin with the describing word students meet first: the adjective. An adjective describes a noun. It tells you more about a person, place or thing: what it looks like, how many there are, what it is like. Take the noun dog and add adjectives (a huge, shaggy, friendly dog) and the picture sharpens.
Teach the test for an adjective: it answers a question about a noun, such as 'what kind?', 'which one?' or 'how many?'. The huge dog answers 'what kind of dog?'. Three dogs answers 'how many dogs?'.
Show that an adjective always has a noun it is describing. To find that noun, ask 'huge what? shaggy what?'. The answer, dog, is the noun the adjective is attached to.
Find the adjectives in this sentence and say which noun each one describes. 'The old wooden bridge crossed a wide river.'
- Look for words that describe a noun: old and wooden both describe the bridge, and wide describes the river.
- Check each by asking 'what kind?': an old, wooden bridge and a wide river.
- Name the noun each adjective is attached to.
Answer: Adjectives: old and wooden (describing bridge) and wide (describing river). Each one tells you more about its noun.
- What kind of word does an adjective describe?
- In 'the red balloon', which word is the adjective and which is the noun?
- What questions can an adjective answer about a noun?
2. Adverbs describe verbs (often ending in -ly)
Next comes the adverb. An adverb describes a verb: it tells you more about the action. Most often it answers 'how?' (she sang beautifully), but it can also answer 'when?' (he arrived late) or 'where?' (they played outside). Many adverbs that tell how are made by adding -ly to an adjective: quick becomes quickly, loud becomes loudly.
Teach the -ly clue: a great many how-adverbs end in -ly, so -ly is a useful signpost. But warn that not all adverbs end in -ly (fast, well, soon, here) and not every -ly word is an adverb (friendly and lovely are adjectives), so the real test is the job the word does.
Show that an adverb has a verb it is describing. To find it, ask 'did what?'. In she sang beautifully, ask 'sang how?', and beautifully is describing the verb sang.
Find the adverb in each sentence and say which verb it describes, and whether it tells how, when or where. 'The runner finished quickly.' and 'We will leave soon.'
- In the first sentence, ask 'finished how?': quickly, describing the verb finished, telling how.
- In the second, ask 'leave when?': soon, describing the verb leave, telling when.
- Note that quickly ends in -ly but soon does not, yet both are adverbs because of the job they do.
Answer: quickly describes finished and tells how; soon describes leave and tells when. Both are adverbs, even though only one ends in -ly.
- What kind of word does an adverb describe?
- How do you often make a how-adverb from an adjective?
- Is every word that ends in -ly an adverb? Give an example.
3. Where each one goes
Now look at position, because where a describing word sits helps you tell the two apart. An adjective usually goes right before the noun it describes (a loud noise) or after a being verb (the noise was loud). An adverb sits near the verb it describes, and it can move around the sentence more freely (Quietly she closed the door. She quietly closed the door. She closed the door quietly).
Model the adjective slot: right in front of its noun, or after is, was, seems and other being verbs. The tall tower. The tower is tall. Both describe the noun tower.
Model the adverb's freedom: many adverbs can slide to the front, middle or end of a sentence without changing the meaning much. This movability is a good test: if a describing word can move around the verb, it is behaving like an adverb.
Sort the describing words in this sentence into adjective and adverb, and say where each sits. 'The nervous speaker spoke slowly.'
- Find the word before a noun: nervous sits before speaker, so it is an adjective describing the noun speaker.
- Find the word near the verb: slowly sits after spoke, so it is an adverb describing the verb spoke.
- Test movement: 'Slowly, the nervous speaker spoke' still works, which confirms slowly is the adverb.
Answer: Adjective: nervous, before the noun speaker. Adverb: slowly, next to the verb spoke. The adjective is fixed before its noun; the adverb can move around the verb.
- Where does an adjective usually sit in relation to its noun?
- Why can moving a word around the verb help you decide it is an adverb?
4. Making writing vivid
Here is why describing words matter: they turn grey writing into a picture. Take a plain sentence with just a noun and a verb, and add a well-chosen adjective and adverb, and the reader can suddenly see and hear it. Teach students to add describing words on purpose, and to choose strong ones rather than piling up weak ones.
Model the upgrade: start with 'The bird sang.' Add an adjective to the noun and an adverb to the verb: 'The tiny bird sang sweetly.' Same sentence, far more vivid.
Warn against overloading. One strong adjective beats three weak ones. 'A nice, good, lovely day' is weaker than 'a glorious day'. Choose describing words that add real information, and use synonyms to reach for a stronger word.
Make this plain sentence vivid by adding one adjective and one adverb. 'The wind blew.'
- Add an adjective to the noun wind: what kind of wind? An icy wind.
- Add an adverb to the verb blew: how did it blow? It blew fiercely.
- Read the new sentence and check each describing word adds real information.
Answer: 'The icy wind blew fiercely.' The adjective icy describes the noun wind, and the adverb fiercely describes the verb blew, so the reader can feel the scene.
- Which word would you add to describe a noun, and which to describe a verb?
- Why is one strong adjective often better than three weak ones?
5. Comparing with adjectives and adverbs
Finish with a quick look at comparing. Describing words change form when you compare things. To compare two, use the comparative (the -er form, or more): taller, faster, more careful. To compare three or more, use the superlative (the -est form, or most): tallest, fastest, most careful. Short words usually take -er and -est; longer words usually take more and most.
Model the two steps: comparing two takes the -er form (Sam is taller than Ben), comparing three or more takes the -est form (Sam is the tallest in the class). For longer words, swap to more and most (more careful, most careful).
Warn against doubling up: it is taller, not more taller, and fastest, not most fastest. You use one method or the other, never both at once. A few common words are irregular (good, better, best; bad, worse, worst) and are learned by heart.
Complete the comparison with the right form. 'This ribbon is long. That ribbon is ___ (comparing two). The third ribbon is the ___ of all (comparing three).'
- Comparing two things uses the comparative: long becomes longer.
- Comparing three or more uses the superlative: long becomes longest.
- Because long is a short word, it takes -er and -est, not more and most.
Answer: 'That ribbon is longer. The third ribbon is the longest of all.' Comparative for two, superlative for three or more.
- Which form compares two things, and which compares three or more?
- Why is 'more taller' wrong?
Common misconceptions and how to address them
MisconceptionAdjectives and adverbs are the same thing, just describing words.
Why it happens: Both add description, so students lump them together without noticing what each one describes.
How to address it: Keep the two jobs sharp: an adjective describes a noun, an adverb describes a verb. Ask 'is it describing a thing or an action?'. The huge dog (adjective, a thing) against ran wildly (adverb, an action).
MisconceptionEvery word that ends in -ly is an adverb.
Why it happens: The -ly ending is a common signpost for adverbs, so students turn it into a rule.
How to address it: Test the job, not the ending. Friendly, lovely and silly end in -ly but describe nouns (a friendly face), so they are adjectives. The ending is a clue, but what the word describes is the real test.
MisconceptionAn adverb only ever describes how something is done, and always ends in -ly.
Why it happens: The how-adverbs made from adjectives (quickly, loudly) are the ones students meet first.
How to address it: Widen it: adverbs also tell when (soon, later, yesterday) and where (here, outside, everywhere), and many do not end in -ly (fast, well, soon). Sort adverbs by whether they tell how, when or where.
MisconceptionYou should add as many adjectives and adverbs as you can to make writing better.
Why it happens: Students hear that describing words improve writing and assume more is always better.
How to address it: Show that one strong describing word beats a pile of weak ones. 'A glorious day' is stronger than 'a nice, good, lovely day'. Choose words that add real information and cut the rest.
MisconceptionTo compare things you always add -er and -est, so it is beautifuller and beautifullest.
Why it happens: Students learn the -er and -est pattern on short words and apply it to every word.
How to address it: Short words take -er and -est (taller, tallest); longer words take more and most (more beautiful, most beautiful). Say the word aloud: if -er sounds clumsy, use more instead.
MisconceptionYou can use more and -er together for a stronger comparison, like more faster.
Why it happens: Students double up to sound more emphatic, not realising the two methods do the same job.
How to address it: You use one method or the other, never both. It is faster or more careful, never more faster. Pick the single correct form for the length of the word.
Guided practice (with answers)
1. Find the adjective and the noun it describes: 'A bright light shone.'
Answer: Adjective: bright, describing the noun light.
2. Find the adverb and the verb it describes, and say if it tells how, when or where: 'The children waited patiently.'
Answer: Adverb: patiently, describing the verb waited, telling how they waited.
3. Is the word 'lovely' an adjective or an adverb in 'a lovely garden'? How do you know?
Answer: An adjective. It describes the noun garden (what kind of garden), even though it ends in -ly.
4. Add one adjective and one adverb to make this vivid: 'The car stopped.'
Answer: Any sensible pair, for example 'The red car stopped suddenly.' The adjective red describes the noun car and the adverb suddenly describes the verb stopped.
5. Choose the right form: 'Of the two brothers, Jack is (tall / taller / tallest).'
Answer: taller. Comparing two things uses the comparative -er form.
6. Correct this sentence: 'She ran more quicker than me.'
Answer: 'She ran more quickly than me' or 'She ran quicker than me.' You use one comparative form, not more and -er together.
Independent practice worksheets
Set the matching ChalkBee grammar worksheets for independent work. Start by spotting and sorting adjectives and adverbs, then use them to improve sentences, and finish with comparative forms.
Differentiation
- Colour-code a sentence: underline nouns and their adjectives in one colour, verbs and their adverbs in another, so the two jobs are visible.
- Give a word bank of adjectives and adverbs to choose from before asking students to think of their own.
- Work with sentences that have just one describing word to find, before moving to sentences with several.
- Use the questions as prompts: 'what kind?' finds the adjective, 'how, when or where?' finds the adverb.
- Rewrite a plain paragraph, adding well-chosen adjectives and adverbs to make it vivid without overloading it.
- Sort adverbs into three groups by whether they tell how, when or where.
- Explore adverbs that describe adjectives or other adverbs (very tall, quite quickly) as a stretch beyond describing verbs.
- Write comparative and superlative forms for a mix of short and long words, and spot the irregular ones (good, better, best).
Assessment: exit ticket
A three-question exit ticket done on a slip in the last few minutes. It samples telling an adjective from an adverb, using both, and choosing a comparative form.
1. In 'The clever fox escaped easily', name the adjective and the adverb and say which word each describes.
Answer: Adjective: clever, describing the noun fox. Adverb: easily, describing the verb escaped.
2. Add one adjective and one adverb to this sentence: 'The rain fell.'
Answer: Any sensible pair, for example 'The heavy rain fell steadily.' Adjective heavy describes rain; adverb steadily describes fell.
3. Choose the right form: 'This is the (good / better / best) book I have ever read.'
Answer: best. Comparing with all the books ever read uses the superlative, and good is irregular: good, better, best.
Teacher notes and timings
- Rough timing across four lessons: Lesson 1 adjectives plus adverbs (sections 1 and 2), Lesson 2 where each one goes (section 3), Lesson 3 making writing vivid (section 4), Lesson 4 comparing plus the exit ticket (section 5 and assessment).
- Language to keep saying: an adjective describes a noun, an adverb describes a verb; is it describing a thing or an action; one strong word beats three weak ones. These phrases pre-empt most of the misconceptions.
- The -ly ending is a helpful signpost for adverbs but not a rule. Teach the job the word does, so students are not caught out by friendly (adjective) or fast (adverb with no -ly).
- Students must know nouns and verbs first. If those are shaky, revisit the grammar unit on nouns, verbs and building a sentence before this one, because adjectives and adverbs are defined by the nouns and verbs they describe.
- In ACARA v9, describing words are framed as expanding noun groups (adjectives) and adverb groups (adverbs); the noun-group expansion descriptor sits at Year 5 (AC9E5LA06), so this unit maps to US Grade 4 and reaches slightly into the Australian Year 5 language content.
- Present mode and print both work: use the Print button for a clean teacher copy or a student handout, and project the sentences to sort and improve them together on the screen.