Telling more about a naming word
Read this.
“Ava flew a kite.”
You know what happened. You have no idea what the kite looked like. Now read this.
“Ava flew a red kite.”
One word, and now you can picture it.
A describing word tells you more about a naming word. Older students call it an adjective.
What describing words tell you
| Describing word | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| red | the color | a red kite |
| big | the size | a big kite |
| round | the shape | a round kite |
| wet | what it feels like | a wet kite |
All four words are about the same kite. Each one tells you something different.
Finding the describing word
Ask yourself: which word tells me what the thing is like?
In “the tall tree” the naming word is “tree”. The word “tall” tells you what kind of tree, so “tall” is the describing word.
In “a small bowl” the naming word is “bowl” and the describing word is “small”.
A mistake to watch for
A describing word is not a naming word. It does not name anything.
You can have “a red kite”, but you cannot hold a “red” on its own. The color needs something to belong to.
Try the test you learned with nouns. “the kite” sounds right. “the red” leaves you waiting for the rest.
Words to know
- describing word: a word that tells more about a naming word
- adjective: what older students call a describing word
Your turn
Name the describing word.
- “a green frog”
- “the long road”
- “a wet dog”
- “the round plate”
Check your answers
- “green”
- “long”
- “wet”
- “round”
Remember
- A describing word tells more about a naming word.
- Ask which word tells what the thing is like.
- A describing word does not name anything by itself.