Describing Words — Noun Description Using Colour, Numbers and Cardinal Values

Subject: English • For age: 6 (Kenya) • Focus: How colour words and number words describe nouns

What is a noun?

A noun is a naming word. It names people, animals, places or things. Example: mango, dog, school, ball.

What is a describing word?

A describing word (adjective) tells us more about a noun. We will use colour words and numbers to describe nouns.

Colours describe a noun

Colour words come before the noun in English.

  • red apple 🍎 — "red apple"
  • yellow banana 🍌 — "yellow banana"
  • green shirt 👕 — "green shirt"
  • blue ball ⚽ — "blue ball"

Right: "red ball"    Not: "ball red"

Numbers (Cardinal numbers) describe how many

Cardinal numbers tell how many of a noun. The number word comes before the noun.

1 — one mango 🥭 : "one mango"
2 — two mangoes 🥭🥭 : "two mangoes"
3 — three goats 🐐🐐🐐 : "three goats"
4 — four cars 🚗🚗🚗🚗 : "four cars"
5 — five balls ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽ : "five balls"

Note: When we say more than one, many nouns add -s: dog → dogs, mango → mangoes.

Simple rules to remember
  1. Adjectives (colour, number) come before the noun: "green shirt", "three cows".
  2. Use the singular (no -s) after "one": "one child". Use plural (-s) after numbers greater than one: "two children" (note: some words change in other ways).
  3. Say the number first, then the colour (if you use both): "two red balls".
Try these activities
Count and say (say out loud):
⚽ ⚽ ⚽

Say: "three balls"

🍌 🍌

Say: "two bananas"

Match the colour and noun:
_____ apple
_____ shirt
_____ ball

Write colour words: red, green, blue

Fill in the blanks
  1. One _____ (mango) → One mango
  2. Two _____ (dog) → Two dogs
  3. Three _____ (red, ball) → Three red balls
  4. One _____ (white, goat) → One white goat
Answers

Colour match: red apple, green shirt, blue ball.
Fill in blanks: 1) mango 2) dogs 3) three red balls 4) one white goat

Tip for parents/teachers: Use items from around the home or classroom — mangoes, bananas, balls, shirts — to practice saying colour words and counting out loud. Repeat and make it fun!


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