Desc. People
Desc. People
Desc. People
BUILD
HAIR
blonde/fair hair brown hair red hair black hair grey hair
blonde brunette redhead - -
EYES
grey eyes green eyes blue eyes brown eyes dark eyes
!Note!
This is a black
eye!
TYPE OF HAIR
She He has no She She
She She
hair. = He has medium has medium
has long hair. has short hair. has short hair.
is bald. length hair. length hair.
She has She has
She has She has She has
medium medium
+ long, black h short, black h -
length , blon length, red hair
short, blonde h
air. air. air.
de hair. .
She has
She has
+ She has She has medium She has
medium
long, straight, short, straight, - length, straig short, curly,
+ length, wavy,
black hair. black hair. ht, blonde blonde hair.
red hair.
hair.
Her hair
Her hair Her hair Her hair
is medium Her hair
is long, is short, is medium
orstraight and straight and
- length,
length, wavy
is short, curly
straight and and blonde.
black. black. and red.
blonde.
She wears
+
glasses.
TYPE OF COMPLEXION
She is black.
He is asian. He He is white.
She has dark She is white. She has She is white. She
has light-brown He has fair
skin. lightly tanned skin. has very pale skin.
skin. skin.
OTHER FEATURES
Can you spot the named feature?
Note !
BALD, BLACK, BLONDE, BLUE, BROWN, CURL
Y, FAT, GREY, LONG , MEDIUM,
OVERWEIGHT, PALE, PLUMP, RED, SHORT, SKIN
NY, SLIM, STOCKY, STRAIGHT, TALL, TANNED,
THIN, WAVY AND WHITE
Physical characteristics
tall
short
slim
thin
fat
obese
well-built
overweight
medium height
well-dressed
smart
scruffy
good-looking
attractive
beautiful
pretty
handsome
ugly
old
young
middle-aged
bald
bald-headed
beard
moustache
long hair
short hair
straight hair
curly hair
fair-haired
blond-haired or blonde-haired
brown-haired
dark-haired
ginger-haired
blonde
brunette
redhead
Feelings
happy
sad
miserable
worried
depressed
excited
bored
fed up
pleased
delighted
surprised
astonished
disappointed
enthusiastic
relaxed
stressed
anxious
tired
weary
exhausted
annoyed
angry
furious
livid
disgusted
Emotional characteristics
confident
sensitive
calm
hot-headed
impulsive
cheerful
generous
kind
mean
crazy
sensible
serious
honest
dishonest
good-humoured
bad-tempered
moody
hard-working
lazy
clever
intelligent
unintelligent
arrogant
snobbish
happy
unhappy
stupid
outgoing
cautious
adventurous
shy
introverted
extroverted
easy-going
rude
bad-mannered
impolite
emotional
polite
funny
witty
boring
patient
impatient
sophisticated
crude
cheeky
friendly
unfriendly
conceited
modest
brave
cowardly
absent-minded
talented
obedient
disobedient
principled
corrupt
unscrupulous
Face Shape
Square
Oval
Round
Triangular
Heart-shaped
Thin
Wide
Chiseled
Eyes
Hair
Hair color: black, brunette,
brown, chestnut-brown, blond, honey-blond, golden-
blond, ash-blond, fair, cornsilk, auburn, red, strawberry-
blond, gray, silver, white, salt-and-pepper
Facial Hair
Hair: beard, goatee, mustache, soul patch, sideburns
Body
TIP: Choose strong verbs and adjectives.
Clothing
Fabric: denim, twill, wool,
cashmere, cotton, linen, seersucker, gingham, lace,
chiffon, tulle, velvet, velveteen, fleece, flannel, tweed,
polyester, jersey, corduroy, spandex, leather
Look
absent
ADJECTIVE
showing that you are not paying attention to what is happening because you are thinking about
something else
appealing
ADJECTIVE
an appealing look, voice etc shows that you want help, approval, or agreement
beatific
ADJECTIVE
black
ADJECTIVE
bleak
ADJECTIVE
brooding
ADJECTIVE
bug-eyed
ADJECTIVE
INFORMAL very excited or interested, so that your eyes are wide open
curious
ADJECTIVE
dark
ADJECTIVE
darkly
ADVERB
deadpan
ADJECTIVE
doleful
ADJECTIVE
looking sad
downcast
ADJECTIVE
downcast eyes are looking downwards, especially because you are sad, embarrassed, or shy
dreamy
ADJECTIVE
a dreamy look, expression etc shows that you are thinking about something pleasant rather
than paying attention
etched
ADJECTIVE
MAINLY LITERARY if a feeling is etched on someones face, their expression shows clearly what they
are feeling
expressionless
ADJECTIVE
faint
ADJECTIVE
fixed
ADJECTIVE
glazed
ADJECTIVE
glowering
ADJECTIVE
grave
ADJECTIVE
haunted
ADJECTIVE
meaningful
ADJECTIVE
mild
ADJECTIVE
mischievous
ADJECTIVE
a mischievous look or expression shows that you enjoy having fun by causing trouble
mobile
ADJECTIVE
Mona Lisa
ADJECTIVE
pained
ADJECTIVE
pitying
ADJECTIVE
a pitying expression shows that you feel pity for someone, but sometimes also that shows you do
not think they deserve respect
pleading
ADJECTIVE
pleadingly
ADVERB
showing that you are confused or surprised by something, and perhaps that you think it is
rather strange and funny
radiant
ADJECTIVE
roguish
ADJECTIVE
a roguish expression suggests that someone is likely to do something that is wrong but
not harmful
sardonic
ADJECTIVE
a sardonic smile, expression, or comment shows a lack of respect for what someone else
has said or done
set
ADJECTIVE
a set smile or expression does not change, and often hides what someone is really thinking
shamefaced
ADJECTIVE
slack-jawed
ADJECTIVE
sly
ADJECTIVE
a sly smile, look, or remark shows that the person doing it knows something that other people do
not know
smiley
ADJECTIVE
sullen
ADJECTIVE
showing that you are in an unhappy mood, and do not want to talk
sullen
ADJECTIVE
taut
ADJECTIVE
used about something such as a voice or expression that shows someone is nervous or angry
thoughtful
ADJECTIVE
tight-lipped
ADJECTIVE
someone who is tight-lipped has their lips pressed tightly together because they
are annoyed about something or they do not approve of it
unblinking
ADJECTIVE
MAINLY LITERARY looking straight at someone or something without closing your eyes at all
unreadable
ADJECTIVE
MAINLY LITERARY if someones face, eyes, or expression are unreadable, you cannot guess what
they are thinking
vacant
ADJECTIVE
wan
ADJECTIVE
wide-eyed
ADJECTIVE
with an expression that shows that you are very surprised, frightened, or impressed
wild-eyed
ADJECTIVE
withering
ADJECTIVE
a withering look, expression, or remark deliberately makes you feel silly or embarrassed
wolfish
ADJECTIVE
worried
ADJECTIVE
wry
ADJECTIVE
showing that you think something is funny but not very pleasant, often by the expression on
your face
beatifically
ADVERB
deadpan
ADVERB
dolefully
ADVERB
expressionlessly
ADVERB
mischievously
ADVERB
pityingly
ADVERB
pouty
ADJECTIVE
quizzically
ADVERB
radiantly
ADVERB
sardonically
ADVERB
scowling
ADJECTIVE
shamefacedly
ADVERB
sullenly
ADVERB
sullenness
NOUN
unblinkingly
ADVERB
vacantly
ADVERB
witheringly
ADVERB
wolfishly
ADVERB
wryly
ADVERB
on someones face
straight face
if someone has a straight face, they look serious even though they
are saying something funny or are in a funny situation
To Describe Sound
Blaring Melodic Screeching
To Describe Appearance
Ablaze Distinct Quirky
Verbs like feel, sound, look, taste, appear and seem are called sense verbs. In
English, we normally use sense verbs with adjectives (I feel bad today), not
adverbs.
It looks delicious.
It sounds serious!
We can use an adverb after some of these verbs when we answer the
question How..?
He looked at me angrily.
We can also use the adverb well after look, sound, feel, appear, but the
meaning is healthy.
Compare these two sentences to see the difference in meaning between base
and ing verbs. The sense verb is saw (see).
'I saw her play football.' = I saw the whole game of football/ I saw the whole
action.
'I saw her playing football' = When I saw her she was playing. We assume that
the speaker did not watch the whole game. The game probably continued after
the speaker stopped watching.
We can use sense verbs with adjectives to describe our personal opinions and
thoughts about things:
We use subject + sense verb + like + object to compare the similarity between
two nouns. For example:
Your father (subject) + looks (sense verb) + like+ Father Christmas (object)
Physical
Vocabulary for Description
Feature
Bearing posture, bear oneself well, hold one's body upright, stooping
Build large, small, powerful, slight, heavy, slim, solid, delicate, strong, spare,
stocky, neat, sturdy, graceful
Cheeks wide, chubby, plump, hollow, sunken, with dimples, with creases,
blushing, pink, rosy, scarlet, ashen, pale, pallid, pasty, cool, smooth, soft,
flushed, hot, ruddy, tear-stained, wet, hamster, hamster-like, rouged,
stubby, unshaven
Constitution strong, feeble, vigorous, frail, rugged, delicate, iron, weak (poor)
Eye-lashes winged, straight, thin, artificial, false, thick, short, long, curling
Eyebrows amber, arched, bushy, dark, jet-black, heavy, thick, enquiring, querying,
questioning, quizzical, cynical, sardonic, sceptical, surprised, amused,
derisive, mocking, lifted, raised, pencilled, raise (knit) one's brows,
shaggy, unkempt, plucked, shaped, straight, thin, well-marked
Eyelids big, large, heavy, hooded, drooping, swollen with tears, lower, upper,
closed, half-closed, lowered
Eyes firm, blue, brown, bulging, close-set, cross-eyed, dark, deep, deep-set,
full and blood shot, gray, hazel, hazel-eyed, pale, sunken, wide-set, left /
right, green, greedy, hungry, downcast, sad, solemn, soulful, cold,
expressionless, glassy, glazed, lifeless, steely, vacant, penetrating,
piercing, intelligent, keen, sharp, shrewd, curious, prying, anxious,,
angry, cruel, fierce, mad, staring, wild, dazed, unfocused, unblinking,
half-closed, narrowed, short-sighted, sightless, unseeing, dry, cloudy,
misty, moist, rheumy, tear-filled, tearful, watery, soft, velvety, warm,
clear, limpid, liquid, bright, brilliant, luminous, lustrous, sparkling, starry,
sleepy, tired, weary, dark-ringed, exhausted, red-rimmed, bleary,
bloodshot,, baggy, puffy, swollen, beady, piggy, protuberant, sunken,
hooded, hollow, heavy-lidded, wide-apart, wide-set, close-set, narrow,
wide, enormous, large, huge, big, golden
Face dark, fair, florid, olive, pasty, sallow, pale, sunburnt, swarthy
(complexion
)
Face (in clear-cut, clean-cut, craggy, delicate, fine, prominent, striklng, indistinct,
general) vague, coarse, ugly, plain, ordinary, soft, small, regular, sharp, large,
irregular, f ull face, profile,
Face (shape) angular, oval, square, long, round, thin, wrinkled, freckled, with a beauty
spot or a mole, with a dimple in the chin, with a pointed beard and
moustache
General apearance, looks, look, look like, resemble, take after somebody, family
appearance likeness, (not) look oneself, look wretched, look one's best, look one's
age, attractive, unattractive, impressive, unimpressive, good-looking, ill
favoured, pleasant-looking, unpleasant looking, pretty, repulsive,
charming, ugly, lovely, common, beautiful, plain, nice, usu
Negative personality abrupt, alien, aloof, arid, asexual, ashen, astringent, austere,
traits: Cold, unfriendly, bad-tempered, bilious, bitter, bleak, bloody, blunt, brusque,
or irritable outlook and brutal, callous, cantankerous, catty, cheap, chilly, closed, cold,
behaviour coldblooded, cold-hearted, contemptuous, crabby, cranky,
cross, crotchety, cruel, crusty, cryptic, curmudgeonly, cursed,
curt, cussed, cutthroat, cynical, dispassionate, distant,
domineering, dour, Draconian, dry, dyspeptic, egocentric,
empty, envious, forbidding, formidable, freezing, frigid, frosty,
gelid, glacial, glowering, gray, greedy, grouchy, grudging, gruff,
grumpy, hardened, hardhearted, hateful,naughty, heartless,
hollow, huffish, humiliating, icy, ignoble, ill-humored, ill-
natured, ill-tempered, impersonal, inconsiderate, indifferent,
inhospitable, insensitive, insulting, insusceptible, intolerant,
irreconcilable, irritable, jealous, liverish, matter-of-fact, mean,
mechanical, merciless, misanthropic, miserly, nasty, niggardly,
nippy, ornery, parched, parsimonious, peckish, peevish,
penurious, petty, piercing, pinchbeck, pitiless, Procrustean,
psychopathic, reactionary, remorseless, remote, ruthless,
sadistic, salty, self-serving, sharp-tongued, shrewish, snappish,
snarly, snippety, snippy, snitty, snotty, sour, spleenful, stark,
steely, stern, still, stoical, stony, strict, surly, suspicious, testy,
tetchy, thick-skinned, tight, tight-fisted, touchy, troglodytic,
truculent, tyrannical, uncharitable, uncommunicative,
Personality Types: Vocabulary for Describing Personality Types, Character
General Categories Traits, and Temperaments
Words for describing abashed, alien, alienated, alone, aloof, anonymous, antisocial,
unsociable, introverted ascetic, asocial, austere, autonomous, awkward, bashful, chary,
and reserved donnish, claustral, cloistered, concealed, confidential, covert,
characters coy, crafty, delitescent, detached, discreet, distant, elusive,
enigmatic, estranged, evasive, ghostly, guarded, hermitic,
indirect, inhibited, inner- directed, inscrutable, insular,
introspective, introverted, invisible, inward, isolated, laconic,
latent, lone, lonely, low-profile, misty, misunderstood, modest,
monastic, monkish, mum, mute, mysterious, nebulous,
nonverbal, oblique, obscure, occult, paradoxical, passive,
phantom, private, quiescent, quiet, reclusive, reluctant, remote,
repressed, reserved, restrained, reticent, retiring, secluded,
secretive, self-absorbed, self-conscious, self-effacing, sensitive,
sequestered, shadowy, shamefaced, sheepish, short-spoken,
shy, silent, smoky, sneaky, soft-spoken, solitary, solo, spectral,
sphinxlike, spooky, standoffish, stay-at-home, stealthy, still,
stolid, strange, subterranean, surreptitious, suspicious, taciturn,
tactful, tight-lipped, tiptoe, unapproachable, unassertive,
unassuming, unclear, uncommunicative, undemonstrative,
understated, unexpressive, unfathomable, unobtrusive,
unsociable, vanishing, veiled, voiceless, wary, watchful, wistful,
withdrawn, wordless, xenophobic
Vocabulary for acrobatic, active, adroit, agile, alert, alive, ambulatory, athletic,
describing active and attentive, avid, awake, bouncy, breezy, bright-eyed, brisk,
lively characters bubbly, bustling, busy, buxom, catalytic, chipper, crisp, curious,
deft, diligent, dynamic, eager, effervescent, elusive, energetic,
energized, enterprising, errant, exhilarated, exuberant, fecund,
feisty, fervent, fleet, fleet-footed, fluent, fluid, footloose, free,
fresh, frisky, frolicsome, galvanic, go-go, gymnastic, hale, high-
spirited, high-strung, hurried, industrious, interested, intrigued,
irrepressible, itinerant jaunty, jingly, kinetic, lambent, liberated,
light, limber, lissome, lithe, lively, mercurial, mobile, motile,
nimble, nomadic, operose, outdoorsy, peppy, perky, productive,
prolific, prompt quick, quicksilver, rambunctious, rapid, ready,
renascent, saltatory, sassy, saucy, sentient, sinuous, skittish,
snappy, speedy, spirited, sprightly, springy, spruce, spry,
strenuous, supple, swift, switched-on, sylphlike, tireless,
unencumbered, up-and-coming, vibrant, vigilant, vigorous,
vital, vivacious, volant, volatile, wakeful, whippy, wide-awake,
wide-eyed, zappy, zestful, zesty, zingy
Describing happy and agrin, airy, amazed, amused, amusing, astonished, beatific,
optimistic outlook to life bemused, blissful, blithe, buoyant, carefree, cavalier, cheerful,
cheery, chipper, content, contented, convivial, delighted, devil-
may-care, droll, ebullient, ecstatic, elated, enchanted,
enraptured, enthusiastic,euphoric, expectant, exuberant,
exultant, fanciful, fancy-free, festive, flying, frolicsome, fulfilled,
fun-loving, funny, glad, gleeful, glowing, happy, happy-go-lucky,
harmonious, hilarious, hopeful, humorous, impish, infectious
jaunty, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, joyful, joyous,
jubilant, laughing, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, mischievous,
optimistic, overjoyed, perky, playful, pleased, puckish, radiant,
rapturous, ravished, relieved, rhapsodic, roguish, roseate, rosy,
sanguine, sated, satisfied, silly, sky-high, spirited, sportive,
starry-eyed, stoked, sunny, thankful, triumphant, waggish,
whimsical, wishful
What follows is a list of descriptive words for appearance. However, the words
are not just listed as belonging to one and the same category. They have been
broken up to distinguish different sorts of appearance words.
blonde
brown-eyed
blue-eyed
albino
rosy
heavy
thin
fat
thick
short
tall
muscular
cute
attractive
masculine
feminine
petite
tiny
large
small
pierced
tattooed
scarred
painted
polished
Asian
black
African American
white
Caucasian
Indian
Spanish
Irish
German
Italian
Greek
happy
moody
sad
tired
angry
grumpy
sick
ill
mean
cruel
intelligent
dumb
stupified
shocked
angered
excited
aroused
displaced
Descriptive Words For The Appearance Of Things
dirty
clean
rusty
musty
musky
dangerous
hazardous
bad
good
evil
sharp
colorful
boring
weird
angled
shaved
carved
painted
unusual
unique
horrible
terrifying
scary
calming
peaceful
tranquil
organized
disorganized
messy
harrowing
creepy
fluffy
patterned
checkered
circled
encircled
soft
hard
alive
dead
adequate
important
innocent
dark
light
black
white
blue
green
orange
red
yellow
purple
magenta
vicious
violent
adorable
alert
beautiful
bright
cloudy
rainy
snowy
icy
slippery
glowing
gleaming
glamorous
fashionable
dowdy
tacky
steep
pale
stormy
Considerations
The possibilities are almost endless for descriptive words for appearance. As
stated earlier, everything and every person has some sort of appearance that
can be described. Descriptive words are often thought of as adjectives, which is
correct. However, while all adjectives are descriptive words, not all descriptive
words are adjectives.
3. Physical Description What does he/ she look like? Height Build Age tall, short,
medium slim, thin, plump, fat, height skinny, well-built young, elderly, middle-
aged, teenager, in 20s, 30s, 40s Face Eyes Hair round, oval, square, with scars,
wrinkles, freckles, sun-tanned, pale big round blue eyes, large, small, bright,
narrow bald, straight, curly, spiky, wavy
5. Build Slim Thin Fat Heavy Overweight Well built E.g. My aunt is overweight. My
brother is well built.
6. Eyes Brown eyes Blue eyes Green eyes E.g. My little brother has got brown
eyes.
7. Hair Long straight black hair Medium length wavy black hair Medium length
curly black hair E.g. My girlfriend has got short curly black hair.
8. Hair Long wavy l blond hair Long curly blond hair Long straight blond hair E.g.
My couisins have got long curly blond hair.
9. Hair Long straight red hair Long wavy red hair E.g. My sister has got medium
length straight red hair.
10. Hair Long straight brown hair Short straight brown hair E.g. My mother has
got short straight brown hair.
11. She has got straight blond hair. Hes bald. moustache He has got a
moustache and a beard. beard
12. She is short. She is very tall. Hes old. Hes young.
14. She has got long straight red hair. She has got long straight blond hair. She
has got medium length curly black hair. He has got short spiky brown hair.
15. Look at the following example
16. Adjective Order Adjective Length type of hair colour Noun Long curly brown
hair Short wavy blond hair big/small blue/green eyes
17. Practice 1: Put the words in the correct order: 1. She has got hair wavy,
black , long. 2. She has got hair blond, short. 3. Tom has got eyes green. 4. They
have got eyes, big, beautiful, blue.
20. Describing character What is he/ she like? He is shy. She is angry.
24. What do they look like? Arnold is tall and well built. He has got green eyes
and short brown hair. He is in his 50s. Danny de Vito is short and heavy. He is
going bald and has got brown eyes. Hes in his 50s.
25. Practice 2: Now you try! Describe the famous people 1. Marcelo Salas
medium height average weight short black hair brown eyes 30s
26. Practice 2: Now you try! Describe the famous people 2. Nicole Kidman very
tall slim long curly red hair blue eyes pale skin 30s.
27. Practice 2: Now you try! Describe the famous people 3. Brad Pitt tall slim
short spiky blond hair blue eyes pale complexion 40s.
Sound Adjectives
low screechy
aromatic
balmy
briny
burnt
damp
dank
earthy
fishy
fragrant
fresh
gamy
gaseous
mildewed
moldy
musty
perfumed
piney
pungent
putrid
rancid
reek
rotten
savory
scented
sharp
sickly
sour
spicy
spoiled
stagnant
stench
sweet
tempting
agreeable
brave
calm
delightful
eager
faithful
gentle
happy
jolly
kind
lively
nice
obedient
proud
relieved
silly
thankful
victorious
witty
zealous
Touch Adjectives
boiling
breeze
broken
bumpy
chilly
cold
cool
creepy
crooked
cuddly
curly
damaged
damp
dirty
dry
dusty
filthy
flaky
fluffy
freezing
hot
warm
wet
Feeling Adjectives
B. Jesse Clarke
1. aggreived
2. afraid
3. agitated
4. agreeable
5. amazed
6. amused
7. angry
8. annoyed
9. anxious
10. apathetic
11. apprehensive
12. arrogant
13. ashamed
14. astonished
15. awful
16. bad
17. bereaved
18. bewildered
19. bored
20. brave
21. brave
22. calm
23. careful
24. certain
25. charged
26. charming
27. cheerful
28. cheery
29. clumsy
30. combative
31. comfortable
32. condemned
33. confused
34. content
35. cooperative
36. courageous
37. crazy
38. creepy
39. cruel
40. dangerous
41. defeated
42. defiant
43. delightful
44. depressed
45. determined
46. disappointed
47. disgusted
48. disinterested
49. disturbed
50. dizzy
51. dull
52. eager
53. elated
54. embarrassed
55. enchanting
56. encouraging
57. energetic
58. enthusiastic
59. envious
60. evil
61. excited
62. exuberant
63. fair
64. faithful
65. fantastic
66. fearful
67. fierce
68. fine
69. flipped-out
70. foolish
71. fortunate
72. frantic
73. friendly
74. frightened
75. frustrated
76. funny
77. generous
78. gentle
79. glad
80. gleeful
81. glorious
82. good
83. grieving
84. grumpy
85. happy
86. healthy
87. helpful
88. helpless
89. hesitant
90. hilarious
91. hungry
92. hurt
93. ill
94. indignant
95. inspired
96. interested
97. itchy
98. jealous
99. jittery
100. jolly
101. joyful
102. joyous
103. jubilant
104. kind
105. lazy
106. lively
107. lovely
108. loving
109. loving
110. lucky
111. mad
112. melancholy
113. motivated
114. mysterious
115. nasty
116. naughty
117. nervous
118. nice
119. nutty
120. obedient
121. obnoxious
122. obstinate
123. outrageous
124. panicky
125. perfect
126. petulant
127. pleasant
128. pleased
129. prepared
130. proud
131. quiet
132. ready
133. relieved
134. reluctant
135. repulsive
136. restless
137. sad
138. scared
139. scary
140. selfish
141. shocked
142. silly
143. sleepy
144. smiling
145. soothing
146. sore
147. sorry
148. splendid
149. stunned
150. successful
151. surprised
152. tense
153. terrible
154. testy
155. thankful
156. thoughtful
157. thoughtless
158. tired
159. troubled
160. unhappy
161. uninspired
162. upset
163. upset
164. uptight
165. victorious
166. vigilant
167. vivacious
168. weary
169. wicked
170. willing
171. wishful
172. witty
173. wonderful
174. worried
175. zany
176. zealous
cold
cool
crisp
damp
dry
dull
elastic
explode
feathery
firm
fishy
fleshy
fragile
furry
fuzzy
gritty
hairy
hard
hot
icy
leathery
lukewarm
moist
oily
pebbly
prickly
pulpy
rough
rubbery
sandy
satiny
sharp
silky
slimy
slippery
smooth
soft
spongy
steamy
sticky
stuccoed
tacky
tender
tepid
textured
thick
thin
tough
velvety
warm
waxy
wet
wooly
General Adjectives
hairy
dusty
melancholy
abrupt
tall
angry
grotesque
monstrous
miniscule
General Adverbs
quickly
hastily
angrily
faintly
begrudgingly
meagerly
Gerunds
walking
talking
laughing
playing
running
drinking
eating
making
taking
buying
hating
loving
driving
painting
writing
baking
cooking
mixing
biking
hiking
swimming
laughing
joking
crying
diving
tying
betting
getting
hammering
nailing
jumping
preparing
*There may be some confusion as to why gerunds belong with descriptive words. The
answer is simple: they are often used to describe the actions of an individual. Therefore,
they are descriptive words.
Colors
blue
green
yellow
red
purple
pink
magenta
orange
turquoise
Tiffany blue
baby blue
brown
black
caramel
coffee
white
gray
hot pink
lime green
strawberry red
lilac
seafoam
cyan
Shapes
oval
circle
square
triangle
pentagon
hexagon
septagon
decagon
sextagon
nonatagon
rectangle
prism
rectaungular prism
sphere
globe
Weather
raining
pouring
snowing
sunny
cloudy
hot
cold
warm
cool
freezing
humid
breezy
windy
light rain
thunderstorm
thunder
lightning
downpour
tornado
flood
hurricane
tsunami
earthquake
blizzard
torrential rains
bangbark
bedlam
blare
bleat
bluster
boom
brawl
bray
bump
caterwaul
clamor
clap
clash
crash
deafening
din
discord
earsplitting
grate
hubbub
jangle
noise
pandemonium
piercing
racket
rage
rasp
raucous
riot
roar
rowdy
rumble
scream
screech
shout
slam
smash
squawk
stamp
stomp
thud
thump
thunder
tumult
whine
whistle
yell
buzzchime
clink
crackle
faint
gurgle
harmony (musical)
hiss
hum
hush
inaudible
lilting
melody
murmur
mute
mutter
patter
peep
purr
rush
rustle
sigh
snap
speechless
still
swish
tinkle
whir
whisper
zing
acidyacrid
aromatic
balmy
briny
burnt
damp
dank
earthy
fishy
fragrant
fresh
gamy
gaseous
mildewed
moldy
musty
perfumed
piney
pungent
putrid
rancid
reek
rotten
savory
scented
sharp
sickly
sour
spicy
spoiled
stagnant
stench
sweet
tempting
alkaline
bitter
bittersweet
bland
burnt
buttery
crisp
fishy
fruity
gingery
hearty
hot
mellow
oily
oily
overripe
peppery
raw
ripe
salty
sour
spicy
spoiled
sugary
sweet
tangy medicinal
tasteless
unripe
vinegary
cold
cool
crisp
damp
dry
dull
elastic
explode
feathery
firm
fishy
fleshy
fragile
furry
fuzzy
gritty
hairy
hard
hot
icy
leathery
lukewarm
moist
oily
pebbly
prickly
pulpy
rough
rubbery
sandy
satiny
sharp
silky
slimy
slippery
smooth
soft
spongy
steamy
sticky
stuccoed
tacky
tender
tepid
textured
thick
thin
tough
velvety
warm
waxy
wet
wooly
amble
bend
crawl
creep
drag
drift
droop
edge
heave
loiter
lumber
plod
saunter
slink
slouch
sneak
stagger
stalk
stray
stroll
swagger
sway
tiptoe
waddle
bolt
bounce
careen
chase
dart
dash
drive
drop
flee
flick
fly
gallop
hope
hurl
hurry
lift
odorous
plummet
plunge
propel
race
ram
run
rush
sail
scamper
scramble
scurry
shove
skip
smash
soar
speed
spin
spring
sprint
streak
stride
swat
swerve
swing
swoop
trot
whisk
zip
zoom
Adjectives: order
Order of adjectives
When more than one adjective comes before a noun, the adjectives are normally
in a particular order. Adjectives which describe opinions or attitudes
(e.g. amazing) usually come first, before more neutral, factual ones (e.g. red):
If we dont want to emphasise any one of the adjectives, the most usual
sequence of adjectives is:
Here are some invented examples of longer adjective phrases. A noun phrase
which included all these types would be extremely rare.
She was a 1beautiful, 2tall, 3thin, 5young, 6black-
haired, 7Scottish woman.
When more than one adjective occurs after a verb such as be (a linking verb),
the second last adjective is normally connected to the last adjective by and:
Home was always a warm, welcoming place. Now it is sad, dark and cold.
And is less common when more than one adjective comes before the noun
(e.g. a warm, welcoming place). However, we can use and when there are two or
more adjectives of the same type, or when the adjectives refer to different parts
of the same thing:
We use these verbs feel, look, seem, smell, sound, & taste + an
adjective:
We can also use those verbs with adverbs like so & too, and
determiners like a little & a bit, etc plus an adjective: