Desccribing Words Notes, Quizzes & Revision

What are describing words?

Describing words give more information about people, places, things or actions. They tell us qualities such as size, colour, number, feeling, origin or purpose. In many languages these are called adjectives and adverbs (or equivalent grammatical categories).

Common types and examples

• Size: big, small, tall — e.g., a tall giraffe
• Colour: red, green, black — e.g., bright yellow maize
• Shape: round, long, flat — e.g., a round chapati
• Age: young, old, new — e.g., an old town
• Opinion/quality: good, tasty, dangerous — e.g., a dangerous road
• Number: one, two, many — e.g., three cows
• Origin: Kenyan, African, foreign — e.g., Kenyan coffee
• Material: wooden, metal, cotton — e.g., a wooden stool

Where describing words appear (position)

Describing words can appear:

1. Before a noun (attributive): a hot soda, a red shirt
2. After a linking verb (predicative): The tea is hot. The children are happy.
3. As part of a phrase: very tall, more careful, full of sugar

Comparative and superlative forms

To compare we use comparative and superlative forms:

• Short adjectives (one syllable): add -er / -est — tall, taller, tallest
• Adjectives with two syllables or more: use more / most — beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful
• Irregular forms: good → better → best; bad → worse → worst

Examples: Mt. Kenya is higher than the nearby hill. That is the highest peak in the region.

Order of multiple describing words

When several describing words come before a noun, they often follow this common order:

opinion → size → age → shape → colour → origin → material → purpose → noun
(e.g. a lovely small old round red Kenyan clay pot)

Note: Not all languages keep the same order; the learner should check rules for subject_replace if it differs from English.

Common errors to avoid

• Using the wrong form (e.g., "more tall" instead of "taller").
• Wrong placement: putting adjectives in the wrong position for the language (check subject_replace grammar).
• Mixing too many adjectives without commas where needed: use commas for equal adjectives (a bright, sunny day).

Short practice — try these (answers below)

1. Change to comparative: "The road is narrow." → The road is ________.
2. Choose the correct form: "This is the (good / better / best) ugali in Nairobi."
3. Add two appropriate describing words: "a ______ ______ car" (think of a vehicle you see in Kenya).
4. Identify the adjective in: "The Maasai market sells colourful beads."

Learning goals (use in lessons)

• Explain what describing words are and give Kenyan examples.
• Use adjectives before nouns and after linking verbs correctly.
• Form comparatives and superlatives accurately.
• Choose correct adjective order when using more than one description.