Guide to English Adjectives – TOEIC® Preparation

In English, an adjective is used to describe or characterize a noun (or a pronoun). It provides details about a property of the noun: its size, its color, its age, its origin, etc.

• A blue sky (Un ciel bleu)
• A smart decision (Une décision intelligente)
• He is reliable (Il est fiable)

In English, the adjective remains invariable: it changes neither according to gender (masculine/feminine) nor according to number (singular/plural). This characteristic radically distinguishes it from French.

• A smart student (Un étudiant intelligent)
• Two smart students (Deux étudiants intelligents)

The term "smart" remains identical, whether it describes one student or several students.

1. How to Form an Adjective?

Adjectives can be formed in multiple ways: by transforming existing words (nouns, verbs, with prefixes or suffixes) or by using participles. Here are the main methods for forming an adjective.

A. Adjectives Derived from Nouns

Many adjectives come from nouns to which suffixes such as -able / -ible, -ous, -ful, -less, -ic, -ive, -al are added.

B. Adjectives Derived from Other Adjectives

Negative prefixes can be added to adjectives to reverse their meaning, thus creating an antonym.

• She felt uncomfortable in that situation. (Elle s'est sentie mal à l'aise dans cette situation.)
• That's an impolite remark! (C'est une remarque impolie !)
• He's irresponsible with money. (Il est irresponsable avec l'argent.)

The choice of prefix generally follows phonetic rules:

• im- before a word starting with m or p (immature, impossible).
• ir- before a word starting with r (irrelevant, irrational).
• il- before a word starting with l (illegible, illiterate).

C. Adjectives Derived from Verbs

Many adjectives are formed from verbs, particularly with the -ing or -ed endings.

• -ing adjectives express what generates a sensation or reaction.
  • This presentation is fascinating. (Cette présentation est fascinante.)
  • The journey was exhausting. (Le voyage était épuisant.)
• -ed adjectives convey what someone feels.
  • I am fascinated by this topic. (Je suis fasciné par ce sujet.)
  • She felt exhausted after the meeting. (Elle s'est sentie épuisée après la réunion.)

Tip: A person is "confused" because something is "confusing".I feel confused because the instructions are confusing. He is amazed by the amazing performance.

D. Past Participles Used as Adjectives

To complete the previous section on adjectives derived from verbs, some adjectives actually correspond to past participles.

• A damaged product (Un produit endommagé)
• A locked safe (Un coffre verrouillé)
• An inspired leader (Un leader inspiré)
• A worried manager (Un responsable inquiet)

These adjectives are frequently used after the verb to be:

• The product is damaged. (Le produit est endommagé.)
• I feel worried about this situation. (Je me sens inquiet de cette situation.)

E. Compound Adjectives

In English, you can also create compound adjectives by combining several terms with a hyphen (-).

• He's a world-famous designer. (C'est un designer mondialement connu.)
• They purchased a pre-owned vehicle. (Ils ont acheté un véhicule d'occasion.)
• She owns a green-eyed dog. (Elle possède un chien aux yeux verts.)

The different configurations of compound adjectives:

Watch out for hyphens

When these adjectives precede a noun, they keep the hyphen (a three-hour meeting). But when they appear after a verb such as "to be," the hyphen disappears:

• The meeting is three hours long.
• The three-hour meeting.

Compound adjectives remain invariable

Compound adjectives never take an "s", even if the noun integrated designates a plural quantity.

• ✅ A three-hour session
• ✅ Three-hour sessions
• ❌ A three-hours session

F. Adjectives that look like adverbs

Some adjectives ending in -ly have the appearance of adverbs but are indeed adjectives!

• A lively discussion (Une discussion animée)
• A cozy apartment (Un appartement confortable)
• An elderly gentleman (Un monsieur âgé)

Attention!She writes clearly. (Elle écrit clairement.) → Adverb (because it describes the verb writes) She is a clear writer. (C'est une rédactrice claire.) → Adjective (because it describes the noun writer)

Special case of "very"

In English, the adverb "very" is frequently used to intensify an adjective.

• He is very busy. (Il est très occupé.)
• This report is very detailed. (Ce rapport est très détaillé.)
• It's very hot today. (Il fait très chaud aujourd'hui.)

However, its usage varies depending on the nature of the adjective it modifies. It is not used with extreme adjectives (such as incredible, freezing, enormous, exhausted, brilliant…). For these adjectives, we favor intensifiers such as "absolutely", "completely", "totally" or "utterly" instead of "very".

• ❌ She is very exhausted. ✅ She is completely exhausted.
• ❌ It's very enormous. ✅ It's absolutely enormous.

2. Where to position an adjective in the sentence?

A. Before the noun (attributive adjective)

The adjective is placed before the noun it describes.

• A modern office (Un bureau moderne)
• An efficient method (Une méthode efficace)
• A spacious room (Une pièce spacieuse)

Important rule: Adjectives expressing a temporary state (afraid, asleep, awake, alive, alone, ill, glad, worth), a subjective feeling (glad, sorry, ashamed, sure), or an evaluative notion (worth, aware, due, liable) cannot precede a noun. They only appear after a linking verb (to be, to seem, to become…).In summary: If the adjective describes a stable characteristic, it precedes the noun → a reliable colleague If it describes a momentary condition or feeling, it follows a linking verb → The colleague is afraid

B. After a linking verb (predicative adjective)

The adjective can also be located after a verb, typically a linking verb (to be, to become, to seem, etc.). This is called a subject complement.

• The office is modern. (Le bureau est moderne.)
• She became successful. (Elle est devenue prospère.)
• They appear confident. (Ils paraissent confiants.)

To learn more about linking verbs, consult our dedicated guide

C. In a specific order

When several adjectives are used to describe a single noun, they must follow a conventional order in English. This sequence is generally as follows:

1. Opinion (wonderful, terrible, excellent, awful…)
2. Size (large, tiny, huge, short…)
3. Quality / Condition (modern, ancient, pristine, damaged…)
4. Shape (circular, rectangular, narrow, wide…)
5. Color (black, white, silver, golden…)
6. Origin (Japanese, German, British…)
7. Material (cotton, steel, glass, ceramic…)
8. Purpose (conference room, training program…)
9. Noun (the item itself)

• An excellent small modern rectangular white Italian marble conference table.
  • Opinion: excellent
  • Size: small
  • Age: modern
  • Shape: rectangular
  • Color: white
  • Origin: Italian
  • Material: marble
  • Type: conference
  • Noun: table

Mnemonic tip: The acronym OSASCOMP (Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose) is often used.

3. Invariability of the Adjective in English

As mentioned previously, the adjective in English does not change neither according to gender nor according to number.

• He is a skilled professional. (C'est un professionnel compétent.)
• They are skilled professionals. (Ce sont des professionnels compétents.)
• She is a creative designer. (C'est une designer créative.)
• They are creative people. (Ce sont des gens créatifs.)

In all these examples, the adjective remains identical ("skilled", "creative") regardless of number or gender.

4. Non-exhaustive list of frequent adjectives

Here is a selection of useful adjectives you will encounter regularly, both in professional communication and in the TOEIC®:

1. Large / Tiny
   • We need a large conference room.
   • She works in a tiny office.
2. Recent / Ancient
   • He shared a recent report.
   • I visited an ancient building.
3. Junior / Senior (for hierarchical level)
   • She is very junior in the team.
   • My colleague is senior but very approachable.
4. Satisfied / Disappointed
   • They look satisfied with the results.
   • He seems disappointed.
5. Attractive / Unattractive
   • What an attractive proposal!
   • She finds the offer unattractive.
6. Critical / Trivial
   • This issue is critical.
   • Don't focus on trivial matters.
7. Costly / Affordable
   • This solution is too costly.
   • They discovered an affordable alternative.
8. Straightforward / Complex
   • That procedure was straightforward.
   • This challenge is complex.
9. Relevant / Irrelevant
   • The data was relevant.
   • I found the comment irrelevant.
10. Renowned / Obscure
    • He is a renowned consultant.
    • The author remains relatively obscure.

Conclusion

Adjectives in English are relatively easy to master once you know:

1. Their placement (before the noun or after a linking verb).
2. The principle of invariability (no agreement in gender or number).
3. The conventional order when several adjectives follow one another.
4. Their formation and derivations, particularly via suffixes and prefixes.

Knowing these fundamental rules will allow you to gain precision and fluency in your answers for the TOEIC®, especially in parts 5 and 6 which test grammar and vocabulary in context.

Other lessons on adjectives

• 🔗 Guide on adjectives followed by prepositions

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