Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
Adjectives and adverbs are the words that add colour, detail and feeling to your English. An adjective describes a noun (a quiet street, an old house); an adverb usually describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb (she walked quietly, it was incredibly old). Mixing them up is one of the most common B1 mistakes.
This unit shows you six things: how to order several adjectives, the difference between -ing and -ed adjectives, how to form adverbs, when to choose an adjective or an adverb, how to make comparatives and superlatives, and which intensifiers go with gradable and non-gradable adjectives.
When two or more adjectives come before a noun, English puts them in a fixed order. The safe rule: your opinion comes first, then the facts (size, age, shape, colour, origin, material). You rarely need more than three at once, but the order still matters.
| Order | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | opinion (what you think) | a beautiful ... beach |
| 2 → 4 | size → age → shape | a small old round ... table |
| 5 → 7 | colour → origin → material | a blue Chinese plastic toy |
Many adjectives come from verbs and have two forms. The -ing form describes the thing or person that causes a feeling; the -ed form describes how someone feels. This is one of the classic B1 tests.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ing (bored→boring) | the cause of the feeling | The lesson was boring. |
| -ed (bored) | the feeling a person has | The students were bored. |
| pairs | exciting/excited, tiring/tired, amazing/amazed | An amazing view left us amazed. |
An adverb of manner tells you how an action is done. Most are made by adding -ly to an adjective, but spelling changes and some common irregular forms need care.
| Rule | Change | Example |
|---|---|---|
| most adjectives | + -ly | quick → quickly, slow → slowly |
| ending in -y | -y → -ily | easy → easily, happy → happily |
| irregular / same form | no -ly | good → well; fast → fast; hard → hard |
Use an adjective to describe a noun, and an adverb to describe a verb. But be careful: after linking verbs like be, seem, look, feel, taste, smell, sound, become, we use an adjective, because it describes the subject, not the action.
| Situation | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| describes a noun | adjective | a careful driver |
| describes a verb (action) | adverb | He drives carefully. |
| after a linking verb | adjective | The cake smells delicious (not deliciously). |
Use a comparative to compare two things (with than), and a superlative to pick one out of a group (with the). The form depends on how long the adjective is.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| short (cheap) | cheaper than | the cheapest |
| long (expensive) | more expensive than | the most expensive |
| irregular | good → better; bad → worse | the best / the worst |
Most adjectives are gradable: they can be a little or a lot (cold, tired, big), so we use very, quite, a bit. Some adjectives are already extreme (non-gradable) — they mean "the maximum" (freezing, exhausted, enormous). With these we use absolutely, completely, totally, not very.
| Type | Intensifier | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gradable (cold, tired) | very, quite, a bit, extremely | It was very cold. |
| non-gradable (freezing) | absolutely, completely, totally | It was absolutely freezing. |
| both | really works with either | It was really cold / really freezing. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with adjectives and adverbs. Most come from confusing an adjective with an adverb, or using the wrong intensifier.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| She sings very good. | She sings very well. | an adverb describes the verb "sings". |
| The trip was very tiring, so I was very boring. | ... so I was very bored. | -ed for the feeling; -ing means you were dull. |
| It was a red big car. | It was a big red car. | size comes before colour. |
| This film is more better than that one. | This film is better than that one. | never use "more" with a comparative. |
| The room was very enormous. | The room was absolutely enormous. | enormous is extreme → use absolutely, not very. |
Two friends talk about a school trip. Read it twice and notice each point — the adjective order, the -ing/-ed pairs, the adverbs of manner, the comparatives and superlatives, and the intensifiers with strong adjectives.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them — with adjectives and adverbs — to describe a place you love.
Write 8 sentences describing a memorable place you have visited. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): stunning · ancient · peaceful · exhausted · fascinating · remote · gradually · carefully
Last summer, my little sister Mia and I visited the most beautiful place I have ever seen: a small, remote village high in the mountains. The journey there was long and tiring, and by the end I was completely exhausted. However, I was also incredibly excited, because everyone had told us that the view was absolutely stunning.
The idea had come from our grandmother, who had grown up in the village as a little girl. She said it was hidden so high in the mountains that clouds often covered the roofs of the houses. Mia and I had always thought this was just a funny family tale, but that summer our parents finally decided to take us there. We spent a whole week getting ready: Mum helped us pack warm clothes, and Mia, who loves taking photos, carried her little camera everywhere.
Dad drove slowly and carefully along a narrow, winding road. Gradually, the noisy modern world disappeared behind us. The air became wonderfully fresh, and the scenery grew more spectacular with every kilometre. Tall green trees covered the hills, and white clouds sat quietly below us, as if the village were floating in the sky.
Halfway up, we stopped to rest. Far below, a thin silver river moved slowly through the green valley, and some brown goats climbed calmly across the rocks. Mia laughed and said she wanted to keep one as a pet. As we climbed higher, we crossed old wooden bridges that looked hundreds of years old. There were no shops and no traffic lights anywhere, only trees, rocks and sky. It felt like a real adventure.
The village itself was ancient. Its little stone houses were far older than any building I knew, and the streets were charmingly quiet. At first, the place looked completely empty, and I felt a little nervous. Soon, though, we discovered that the local people were extremely friendly. An old woman smiled cheerfully and invited us all in for tea.
Her small kitchen was warm and full of interesting old objects. When we explained that our grandmother had once lived in the village, her eyes grew wide. "I remember your family very well," she said quietly. Then she showed us the old bakery and the tiny school, and everybody we met stopped to greet us kindly.
That evening was the best part of the whole trip. We sat outside and watched the sky change gradually from bright gold to deep purple. The food our host cooked was the most delicious I had ever tasted, so we ate slowly, enjoying every bite. It was such a fascinating, peaceful moment that nobody wanted to speak.
When night fell, I stepped outside on my own. Without the bright city lights, the sky was absolutely full of stars, more than I had ever seen in my life. The next morning, the whole village was covered in soft white cloud, exactly as our grandmother had described. Our kind host gave us a jar of honey and made us promise to come back one day.
By the time we left, I felt tired but wonderfully happy. This simple trip was far more memorable than any expensive holiday. It taught me an important lesson: the quietest, simplest places are often the most amazing of all.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE descriptive word (adjective or adverb) from the text. Mind the spelling.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. How did the writer feel at the end of the journey, and why?
2. Describe what the village and its people were like.
3. What lesson did the trip teach the writer?
Find one example in the text for each type below. (You will use the same kinds of words in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Sarah and Todd talk about all the computers and phones they own.
You will hear two friends, Sarah and Todd, talking about the many computers and phones they own and why they keep so many. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A description full of the word nice is weak B1 writing. What makes a description come alive is precise adjectives and adverbs. This unit gives you the full toolkit: adjective order, -ing/-ed pairs, adverbs of manner, comparatives and superlatives, and intensifiers. Use them — and remember the golden rule: choose the right word for the right job.
| Tool | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adjective order | describe a noun (opinion → fact) | a lovely little old town |
| -ing / -ed | the cause vs the feeling | a tiring walk left me tired |
| adverb of manner | describe how an action happens | we walked slowly and quietly |
| comparative | compare two things (+ than) | it was more peaceful than home |
| superlative | pick one out of a group (the ...) | the most beautiful place I know |
| intensifier | make an adjective stronger | absolutely stunning; very tired |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Flat, vague writing ✗ | Vivid, precise writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| We went to a nice place. It was old. The view was nice. I was tired. It was good. | We visited a lovely ancient village. The spectacular view was absolutely stunning, and although I was exhausted, it was the most peaceful place I have ever seen. |
A "memorable place" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | Name the place in one general sentence | The most beautiful place I have ever visited is a tiny mountain village. |
| 2. Body | Describe it with detail. Use adjectives in order, -ing/-ed pairs, adverbs of manner, and comparatives/superlatives. | We travelled slowly along a narrow road. The ancient stone houses were far older than any I knew, and the view was absolutely stunning. |
| 3. Closing | How you felt, or why you will remember it | I was exhausted but happy; it was the most peaceful place I have ever seen. |
Write about a place you will never forget. Describe how it looked, how it felt and why it was special, using rich adjectives and adverbs.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...