A word such as “happy” or “blue” that describes a noun is an adjective. In “a happy child” and “a blue sky,” the adjectives add information about the nouns they modify. Adjectives can also appear after a linking verb, as in “the child is happy” or “the sky looks blue.”
Adjectives are one of the major word classes in English. They commonly express qualities, size, color, age, or condition, and they can often be intensified or compared: “very happy,” “happier,” and “happiest.” In English, adjectives usually do not change form to agree with a noun’s gender or number, unlike adjectives in languages such as Spanish or French.
The most common confusion is between an adjective and an adverb. An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun, while an adverb generally modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. For example, “a fast car” uses “fast” as an adjective, but “the car moves fast” uses it adverbially. Some words can perform both roles depending on context.