Foundation grammar · Unit 85 · A1

old/nice/interesting etc. (adjectives)

Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives describe nouns. They go before a noun, after be, and after look, feel, smell, taste and sound.

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A adjective + noun (warm coat / green eyes)

An adjective tells you more about a noun. It goes before the noun:

adjective noun
We've got a small garden.
Kemi has got dark hair.
There's a very old church near the station.
Do you like Indian food?
I can't speak any foreign languages.
There are some lovely red apples in the bowl.

Say a modern flat, not 'a flat modern'. Say famous people, not 'people famous'.

The adjective never changes. It has no plural: an old car, two old cars (not 'olds').

  • They live in a modern flat.
  • Have you ever met any famous people?
  • It's a different town now.
  • We stayed in three different towns.

B be (am/is/was etc.) + adjective

An adjective can also come after be. Here it describes the subject of the sentence.

  • The water is warm today.
  • These shoes are very comfortable.
  • Are you hot? Shall I open the door?
  • I'm thirsty. Is there any juice?
  • The match wasn't very exciting. It was boring.
  • Please be careful. The floor is wet.

C look/feel/smell/taste/sound + adjective

Use an adjective after look, feel, smell, taste and sound. They work like be, but they also tell you how you know.
She is / feels / looks cold.
They are / look / sound Welsh.
It is / smells / tastes delicious.
  • "You look cold." "Yes, I feel cold."
  • Hannah told me about her holiday in Cornwall. It sounds lovely.
  • Don't drink that milk. It doesn't smell very good.
  • This bread tastes a bit strange.

Exercises

85.1 Put the words in the right order to make a sentence.

  1. (small / live in / flat / we / a)

    We live in a small flat.

    We live in a small flat.

  2. (like / shoes / those / red / I)

  3. (food / like / do / spicy / you?)

  4. (had / lovely / a / weekend / we)

  5. (stayed in / hotel / a / cheap / they)

85.2 The box contains adjectives (warm, heavy etc.) and nouns (coat, rain etc.). Use one adjective and one noun to complete each sentence.

cleancoatcoffeeemptyheavyoldphotosquietrainroomseatstrongtowelwarm

  1. It's freezing outside. Take a warm coat.

    It's freezing outside. Take a warm coat.

  2. Take an umbrella. They've forecast for this afternoon.

  3. I was awake half the night. I need a cup of .

  4. I've got an exam tomorrow. Is there a in this library?

  5. The bus was full. There wasn't a single .

  6. I've just had a shower. Could you pass me a ?

  7. My gran showed us some of Grandad when he was young.

85.3 Write a sentence for each scene. Use one word from box A (feel, look etc.) and one from box B (excited, old etc.).

feel(s)look(s)smell(s)sound(s)taste(s)awfulexcitedlovelyoldsickworried

  1. Ruth rings her friend and tells her, very fast, that she has just passed her driving test.

    You sound excited.

    You sound excited.

  2. A man is showing his friend a car. It is rusty, dented and has a very old number plate.

    It .

  3. A boy is on a small boat in rough sea. He is holding his stomach and he is a bit green.

    I .

  4. A woman is reading a letter from the bank and biting her nails.

    You .

  5. A man walks past a bakery and breathes in. There are warm bread rolls in the window.

    They .

  6. A man takes a sip of old milk from the fridge and pulls a face.

    It .

85.4 A and B do not agree. Complete what B says, using the verb in brackets in the negative.

  1. A: You look hungry. B: Do I? I don't feel hungry. (feel)

    You look hungry. Do I? I don't feel hungry.

  2. A: This is an expensive watch. B: Is it? It . (look)

  3. A: I'm from Scotland. B: Are you? You . (sound)

  4. A: You look ill. B: Do I? I . (feel)

  5. A: This box is empty. B: Is it? It . (look)

  6. A: This curry smells nice. B: Does it? It . (taste)

See also