Describing People and Things
Chapter in 30 Seconds
Paint a picture with words by learning how to describe the people and things around you.
- Use adjectives to describe people, places, and objects.
- Express how often you do things and how you perform actions.
- Compare two things and identify the best or biggest in a group.
What You'll Learn
How do you describe the world around you? This chapter teaches you adjectives to say what things are like, adverbs to say how often or how something is done, and how to compare two things or talk about the best of all.
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Basic Adjectives: Describing People and ThingsAdjectives describe nouns. In English, adjectives go BEFORE the noun: a big house, a happy girl. They never change for plural.
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Adverbs of Frequency: Always, Usually, Sometimes, NeverAdverbs of frequency say how often something happens. They go BEFORE the main verb but AFTER the verb be.
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Adverbs of Manner: Slowly, Quickly, WellAdverbs of manner say HOW something is done. Most are formed by adding -ly to the adjective. They go after the verb.
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Comparative Adjectives: Older Than, More Important ThanUse comparative adjectives to compare two things. Short adjectives add -er + than. Long adjectives use more + adjective + than.
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Superlative Adjectives: The Oldest, The Most ImportantUse superlative adjectives to say which is the most extreme in a group. Always use THE before the superlative.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
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1
By the end you will be able to describe a person's appearance and personality using basic adjectives.
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2
By the end you will be able to talk about your daily routines using adverbs of frequency.
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3
By the end you will be able to modify verbs to explain how an action is done.
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4
By the end you will be able to compare two items using comparative structures.
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5
By the end you will be able to identify the extreme member of a group using superlatives.
Key Examples (8)
She has a beautiful house.
He is very tall.
I always brush my teeth before bed.
She usually takes the bus to work.
She speaks English slowly.
He runs fast.
My brother is taller than me.
This bag is cheaper than that one.
Tips & Tricks (4)
Don't pluralize
The 'To Be' Rule
Check the ending
Check the syllables
Key Vocabulary (7)
Real-World Preview
Shopping for a New Phone
Review Summary
- Subject + Be + Adjective / Adjective + Noun
- Subject + Adverb + Verb
- Verb + Adverb (usually -ly)
- Adjective + -er than / More + Adjective + than
- The + Adjective + -est / The most + Adjective
Common Mistakes
For short, one-syllable adjectives, we add '-er' instead of using 'more'.
Frequency adverbs go AFTER the verb 'to be', even though they go BEFORE other verbs.
'Good' is an adjective; 'well' is the adverb form. Use adverbs to describe verbs.
Rules in This Chapter (5)
Next Steps
You've just unlocked a huge part of the English language. Being able to describe and compare makes your conversations much more engaging. Keep practicing these descriptions every day!
Look around your room and find two objects to compare using 3 sentences.
Write down your schedule for a typical Monday using at least 4 frequency adverbs.
Quick Practice (10)
He walks ____.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adverbs of Manner: Slowly, Quickly, Well
Which is correct?
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Superlative Adjectives: The Oldest, The Most Important
Which is correct?
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Adjectives: Describing People and Things
The car is ___.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Adjectives: Describing People and Things
I ___ eat breakfast.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adverbs of Frequency: Always, Usually, Sometimes, Never
Find and fix the mistake:
The house big is.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Adjectives: Describing People and Things
Find and fix the mistake:
He runs quick.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adverbs of Manner: Slowly, Quickly, Well
Are they ___?
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Adjectives: Describing People and Things
Find and fix the mistake:
It is the most big house.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Superlative Adjectives: The Oldest, The Most Important
She plays tennis ____.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adverbs of Manner: Slowly, Quickly, Well
Score: /10
