Describing People and Things
A1 · Writing Lab · about 20 minutes
1 · Learn
Adjectives describe nouns. In English they go in two places: before the noun (“a tall man”, “a red car”) or after the verb be (“The man is tall”, “The car is red”). Both are correct — mixing them up is the classic beginner mistake.
Describe in a helpful order: first say what the thing is, then size, then color, then one detail about how it feels or what it does. Two or three good adjectives are enough.
2 · See an Example
My Grandmother
My grandmother Rose is a kind woman. She is short, and she has white hair and warm brown eyes. She wears a blue dress and a big smile.
Her house is small and quiet. She cooks delicious food, and her kitchen always smells wonderful.
3 · Analyze the Example
- Adjective before the noun. “a kind woman”, “a blue dress”, “delicious food” — adjective first, noun second.
- Adjective after “is”. “She is short.” “Her house is small and quiet.” Same adjectives, second position.
- Two adjectives with “and”. “small and quiet” — join two adjectives after “be” with “and”.
- A detail that shows, not tells. “Her kitchen always smells wonderful” shows she is a great cook without saying it.
Useful Vocabulary
My teacher is very kind.
The library is quiet.
This soup is delicious.
She wears a red hat.
Blue is my favorite color.
Useful Expressions
- He / She is tall / short / kind.
- He has … hair / eyes.
- It is big / small / new / old.
- My favorite … is …
- It looks / smells / feels …
Common Mistakes
✗ She is a woman kind.
✓ She is a kind woman.
Before a noun, the adjective comes first: a kind woman.
✗ He has eyes blue.
✓ He has blue eyes.
Adjective before noun: blue eyes, black hair.
✗ The house is very much big.
✓ The house is very big.
“Very” goes directly before the adjective: very big.
4 · Guided Practice
Put the words in order: car / a / red / old
See a model answer
an old red car (age before color).
Make two sentences about a dog: big / friendly — once with the adjective before the noun, once after “is”.
See a model answer
It is a big, friendly dog. / The dog is big and friendly.
Fix the sentence: “My brother is a man tall with hair black.”
See a model answer
My brother is a tall man with black hair.
5 · Write — Your Task
✍️ Describe a person in your family or a good friend: what they look like, two adjectives for their personality, and one thing they do that shows it.
Goal: 5–7 sentences · Length: 45–65 words
- Use adjectives before nouns (a kind woman) and after “is” (She is kind).
- Give looks first, then personality.
- Finish with one small action that shows the personality.
6 · Check — Self-Check
Work through your checklist honestly, then run the Self-Check. It counts words and sentences and spots mechanical points — it does not grade your English. You are the editor.
Read a model answer for the task
My friend Jack is a tall, funny man. He has black hair and glasses. He is friendly to everyone.
Jack works in a café. He tells jokes to the customers, and they laugh a lot. He is my best friend.
7 · Improve & Rewrite
Weak version — rewrite it in your notebook first, then compare:
my car is a car small. it is color red. it very old but good.
See an improved version
My car is a small car. It is red. It is very old, but it is good.
Quick Quiz
Keep going
📘 Grammar deep-dive: Adjectives: Describing Words & Their Place🌱 Vocabulary Builder: the A1 Describing 1 set← Previous lesson · A1 — all lessons · Next: Capital Letters and Periods: Sentence Basics →
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