ADJECTIVES! How to use them and why they are useful!

 So let's start with step 1...what in the world is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that gives a better understanding or more knowledge about a noun or pronoun. The word will help you easily identify which person, place or thing someone else is talking about. these words also usually have 'a', 'an' or 'the' before them.

So as you can imagine, adjectives are the Picasso (the painter) of the English language which brings colour to what is being said. On YouTube we have made a playlist of some basic and common English adjectives to help you identify and learn about the importance of adjectives! Feel free to check it out!

We use adjectives to create a picture for the listener or reader...so for an example, here are two stories which say exactly the same BUT you will notice that once creates a mental image for you as you read it and the other does not...

I was going to my friend's house to learn some handy skills which my mom needs me to know. my mom is planning on building an in-house type of vegetable garden and she gave some very specific instructions on what she wanted. I think that I could acquire these skills but this is something very new to me too. I find it both exciting and intimidating to be quite honest with you...maybe I will fail, I am not quite sure. The best way to find out is to keep trying and not to give up.

There are some adjectives in this story but they are not used very effectively in creating a clear picture of the whole situation...

This morning at around 10am, my mom and I were sitting in front of the fireplace, enjoying our very first coffee of the day. Suddenly she started pointing to our stoep right outside the bay-window. She was sharing her idea about closing the area off for some vegetable growth area in a very excited way. As she continued she told me how she wanted to add some metal framework so that we could enclose the stoep area with bird nets to keep the birds and other small animals away from her precious vegetables and herbs. While she was talking I noticed that her words were changing from 'we' to 'you', which puzzled me quite a bit since I've never done metal work before, unless putting a pot or pan on the stove counts...while I was puzzling over this I was suddenly called back to reality by a question. No...by THE question. She had asked me if I would be willing to learn the skills to help her with this wonderful idea of hers. To say the least, her excitement also climbed onto me and invigorated me to consider this idea as splendid! It was only later that the self-doubt and uncertainty hit me like a ton of bricks. I would say that these emotions were triggered by the fact that I nearly set my friend's garage alight during my very first training session! I have been mortified and sceptical of my ability to master what is necessary ever since. I am not one to give up though! Oh no! I think I just need to take a small break and move towards the goal of acquiring the skills after collecting all my emotions. I must say, when I wasn't setting the place alight with my enthusiasm, I was doing quite well at trying to learn this new and interesting skill! I know I failed a few times but this will not deter me from getting right back on the proverbial horse! Watch-out welding! Here I come!

As you will notice, the second story is a lot longer, the sentences are also more complex. Hopefully you also felt like you were going along the emotional ride with the person who is trying to learn a new skill!

This is what adjectives do...they describe, they give more information, then put colour into the picture and they make you feel like you're apart of the journey being experienced by the speaker or writer. When you have the mastery of adjectives you can express yourself in the most colourful ways possible and people will feel like you're making them a part of your mental picture, opinion or thought. This ability is very important when making friends, networking in business or even selling your skills to someone for a pay-check! Knowing how to describe something is the most important skill that you can master in any language.