Writing with Adjectives
Adjectives for Thanksgiving: Words for the Food, the Table and the Feeling
Good adjectives for Thanksgiving depend on what you are describing. For the meal, try golden, savory, buttery, hearty and homemade.…
The right word, for whatever you are trying to describe
Adjective lists for every subject you might write about, and plain-English guides to using them well. Free, and written to be read in a couple of minutes.
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240 guides
Writing with Adjectives
How adjectives behave in a sentence — the order they fall into, how they compare, when they carry opinion rather than fact, and how to reach for a vivid word without overreaching.
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Adjectives by Subject
Curated describing words for people, food, places, feelings, work and more — each list sorted by shade of meaning, with example sentences so you can hear how the word behaves.
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Nature & Environment
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Writing with Adjectives
Words to Describe Affect: Flat, Blunted, Labile and More
In psychology and medicine, affect (stressed on the first syllable: AF-fect) is a person’s visible emotional expression: what you can…
Writing with Adjectives
Limiting Adjectives: Definition, Types and Examples
Limiting adjectives are words that come before a noun and narrow down which thing or how many you mean, without…
Writing with Adjectives
Adjectives Anchor Chart: What to Put on It, With Ready-to-Copy Examples
A good adjectives anchor chart does one job: it reminds students that an adjective is a word that describes a…
Writing with Adjectives
Adjective + Infinitive: Easy to Read, Happy to Help
An adjective followed by a to-infinitive is one of the most common patterns in English: happy to help, easy to…
Writing with Adjectives
Adjectives Ending in -ly: Friendly, Lovely, Costly and More
Most words ending in -ly are adverbs (quickly, slowly), but a few dozen common ones are adjectives: friendly, lovely, lonely,…
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Editors’ picks
Arts & Entertainment
Describing Laughter: A Comprehensive Guide to Adjectives
The most useful adjectives for a laugh are loud, quiet, hearty, warm, nervous, forced, bitter, infectious and hysterical, and each…
Objects & Everyday Things
Descriptive Adjectives: A Guide to Describing Tools
Describing tools effectively enhances communication in various contexts, from instruction manuals to everyday conversations. Understanding how to use adjectives to…
Nature & Environment
Describing Skies: A Guide to Adjectives for Clouds
Clouds, those ever-shifting masses of water vapor in the sky, evoke a range of emotions and inspire vivid imagery. Understanding…
Writing with Adjectives
Splitting Infinitives Has Always Been Fine
The rule against it was invented in the nineteenth century by people who thought English should behave like Latin. It…
Most read
Grammar essentials
01
Adjectives for the Future: Predicting and Describing What’s to Come
Writing with Adjectives · 15 min
02
Describing Time: Mastering Adjectives for Years in English
Writing with Adjectives · 12 min
03
Terrific Tuesday: Mastering Adjectives for the Second Day of the Week
Writing with Adjectives · 13 min
04
“Irregardless” and the Words People Insist Are Not Words
Writing with Adjectives · 2 min
05
The Phrases That Say the Same Thing Twice
Writing with Adjectives · 2 min
06
140 Adjectives That Start With H
Writing with Adjectives · 9 min
07
Mood Words: Words to Describe Mood in Writing, With Examples
Writing with Adjectives · 6 min
08
Describing Homes: Mastering Adjectives for Houses
Writing with Adjectives · 16 min
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Plain-English grammar guides and curated adjective lists. Free to read, checked against Merriam-Webster, Chicago and AP before publication.
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