Use Adjectives to Colour Your World

Hi,

Issue # 007, 1st May, 2009

Colour your world with adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun. An adjective answers the questions:

“How does it look like?” and “How is it like?”

Here are a few examples of adjectives:

And here are a few examples of sentences in which adjectives are used:

The boat was large and heavy.

My friend’s father is burly.

The chair upon which she sat was very soft.

Sometimes, several adjectives can be used to qualify the same noun. If these adjectives are of equal force, they are separated by commas:

Mrs. Anne was a short, stout lady.

However, if the adjectives are not of equal strength, no comma should be inserted between them:

The little white house belonged to Mr. Tigers.

Do not confuse adjectives with adverbs. Adverbs describe or qualify a verb. In other words, they describe how the action is performed. For example:

The ferocious dog fiercely chased the cat.

While most adverbs end with –ly, some adjectives can also have this form:

The manly hunter killed an antelope.

Adjectives are important in writing, especially fiction, as they help the reader to visualize the scene and the characters. As you write, try to touch all the five senses. Describe how it smells (e.g. pungent), how it feels (e.g. soft), how it sounds, (e.g. loud), how it appears (e.g. tiny), or how it tastes (bitter).

It is possible to create pictures using only words, and that is what good writers do. But they are able to do this because they make good use of adjectives. So go ahead and colour your world with some adjectives!

Spread the Word

Spread the word; let all your friends know about Writer Digest! Forward this Zine to a friend. If a friend forwarded it to you, follow the link below to get your own subscription. Plus, you get a free ebook with the subscription!

http://www.writing-lovers.com/e-zine.html

Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this zine and tell me what you think!

©2009 Writer Digest WD07