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What are adjective phrases? A collection of common adjective phrases

Adjective phrases are one of the important grammar items in English that you must have a firm grasp of before advancing to more advanced knowledge. Beyond just using single adjectives to describe objects and phenomena, we will need adjective phrases for more sophisticated usage. In this article, PREP would like to share with you a complete overview of adjective phrases in English. Let’s keep updated!

I. Adjective phrase definition
II. The structures and positions of adjective phrases in a sentence
1. 1. The adjective phrases come before the main noun of the sentence
2. 2. The adjective phrases come after the main noun of the sentence
III. The functionalities of adjective phrases
IV. Types of adjective phrases
V. A collection of common adjective phrases
VI. Exercises on adjective phrases with detailed answers
VIII. Master IELTS Skills for a High Band Score

I. Adjective phrase definition

Adjective phrases refer to groups of words that include an adjective and other supporting or supplementary words. Together these form a unit that functions as an adjective. Adjective phrases are commonly used to describe nouns or noun phrases. In particular, adjective phrases are often employed in IELTS Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2 to boost scores on the Lexical Resource criteria.

Below are some examples of adjective phrases:

IELTS Writing Task 1: Miami is one of the most world-famous tourist destinations in 2021.
IELTS Writing Task 2: It is widely believed that strict gun control laws contribute to a safer society.

Adjective phrase definition — What are adjective phrases?

II. The structures and positions of adjective phrases in a sentence

Where do adjective phrases typically appear in sentences? What are the common components of an adjective phrase? Let's find the answers to these important questions together with PREP!

1. The adjective phrases come before the main noun of the sentence

When an adjective phrase is placed before the main noun in a sentence, it serves to give the reader or listener helpful contextual information about the qualities and characteristics of that noun.

For example:

They took an intense, time-consuming physics course
After the presentation, she receives a loud, thunderous applause.
She feels scared because of his icy cold stare.
She is wearing an old-fashioned dress.
My family has lived in a four-bedroom apartment.

The adjective phrases come before the main noun of the sentence

2. The adjective phrases come after the main noun of the sentence

In English sentences, adjective phrases that come after the main noun are commonly used to supplement, describe, or give extra insight about the noun mentioned before.

For example:

She wore a beautiful dress, adorned with intricate embroidery, to the wedding.
The bookshelf, filled with old and dusty books, was a treasure trove of knowledge.
The fire has made the room much warmer.

The adjective phrases come after the main noun of the sentence

III. The functionalities of adjective phrases

Let's work together with PREP to explore the different roles that adjective phrases can serve within sentences. One key function is modifying the meaning of the sentence.

Functionality	Meaning	Example
Change or add information to nouns	Adjective phrases that go with nouns change or add information to their meaning.	My brother is a tall, slim man. My father have sold an old, wooden table.
Add meaning to verbs of association (be, seem, become, feel, smell, taste	When adjective phrases modify verbs, this is called their prediction function.	She thought this soup smelled really wonderful. She feels that coffee tastes too strong.
Add more detailed information to the complement	Adjective phrases are often used to add information to the subject (bolded and underlined) acting as complements in the sentence.	Sitting in traffic drives me crazy. Money doesn’t always make us happy.

IV. Types of adjective phrases

Let's explore the key elements that frequently comprise adjective phrases with PREP!

1. Adjective phrases are made up of many simple adjectives

Adjective phrases can be combined from many simple adjectives. Using single adjectives in the same adjective phrase helps describe the properties of the main noun in more detail.

For example:

She is wearing a beautiful, long, silk dress.
The old, wooden, cozy cabin is nestled in the mountains.
It was a delicious, aromatic, spicy curry.

2. Adjective phrases with comparative and superlative forms

When we compare objects in English using adjective phrases, we typically employ the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. Check out the examples below for a clearer understanding!

Comparative:

This book is more interesting than that one.
We ordered a much cheesier pizza last week.
He runs faster than his friends.

Superlative:

This is the most interesting book I’ve ever read.
She is the tallest person in her family.
They saw only the brightest stars through their telescope.

3. Adjective phrases and a preposition

Adjective phrases can be effectively combined with prepositions to provide deeper description and meaning. Here are some common adjective combinations used with prepositions:

Adjective phrase + Preposition	Meaning	Example
Afraid of	feeling fear or worry about something, or about something bad that might happen	She is afraid of spiders. He is afraid of heights.
Interested in	Someone might ask if they can interest you in something when that person is trying to persuade you to buy something or is offering you something	I am interested in learning languages. They are interested in photography.
Excited about	feeling very happy and enthusiastic	She is excited about her upcoming trip. They are excited about the new movie release.
Happy with	feeling, showing, or causing pleasure or satisfaction	He is happy with his new job. They are happy with their decision.
Proud of	feeling pleasure and satisfaction because you or people connected with you have done or got something good	She is proud of her academic achievements. He is proud of his daughter’s accomplishments.
Angry at	having a strong feeling against someone who has behaved badly, making you want to shout at them or hurt them	He is angry at his friend for breaking his phone. She was angry at herself for making the mistake.
Surprised by	feeling or showing surprise because something has happened that you did not expect	They were surprised by the unexpected news. He was surprised by the gift from his colleagues.
Similar to	looking or being almost, but not exactly, the same	Her dress is similar to mine. The two paintings are similar to each other.
Different from	not the same as something else	His opinion is different from mine. The new model is different from the old one.
Dependent on	needing the support of something or someone in order to continue existing or operating	The success of the project is dependent on proper planning. Our travel plans are dependent on the weather.

With each adjective phrase, prepositions are used to connect and express the relationship between adjectives and other sentence components. Using the right and appropriate prepositions helps supplement meaning and convey information more accurately.

4. Adjective phrases with adverbs

Adjectives in English can be combined with adverbs to form adjective phrases that are more descriptive and add more meaning. Below are some common adverbs that are used with adjectives that PREP would like to introduce to you. Please take a look!

Adjective phrases with adverbs	Meaning	Example
Very (adv)	to a great degree or extremely	They were very happy to see each other after a long time.
Quite (adv)	completely	The exam was quite challenging, but I managed to do well
Extremely (adv)	very	The dancers were extremely talented and captivating.
Remarkably (adv)	in a way that is unusual or surprising and causes people to take notice	The child displayed a remarkably intelligent behavior at a young age.
Incredibly (adv)	extremely	She looked incredibly beautiful in her wedding gown.
Exceptionally (adv)	used before an adjective or adverb to emphasize how strong or unusual the quality is	The food at that restaurant is exceptionally delicious.

V. A collection of common adjective phrases

No	Adjective phrase	Meaning	No	Adjective phrase	Meaning
1	Ashamed of	feeling guilty or embarrassed about something you have done or about a quality in your character	51	Favorable to	showing that you like or approve of someone or something
2	Afraid of	feeling fear or worry about something, or about something bad that might happen	52	Famous for	known and recognized by many people
3	Ahead of	in front of someone or something	53	Fit for	suitable for a particular purpose or activity
4	Aware of	knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing	54	Familiar (to/with) st	easy to recognize because of being seen, met, heard, etc. before
5	Able to	to have the necessary physical strength, mental power, skill, time, money, or opportunity to do something	55	Grateful to sb	showing or expressing thanks, especially to another person
6	Acceptable to	satisfactory and able to be agreed to or approved of	56	Greedy for	wanting more money, power, food, etc. than you really need
7	Accustomed to	familiar with something	57	Good for	healthy or well
8	Agreeable to	pleasant or pleasing	58	Hopeful of	having hope
9	Addicted to	unable to stop taking drugs, or doing something as a habit	59	Harmful to sb	causing damage or injury to somebody/something, especially to a person’s health or to the environment
10	Available to sb	that you can get, buy or find	60	Harmless to sb	unable or unlikely to cause damage or harm
11	Available for sth	that you can get, buy or find	61	Helpful for	able to improve a particular situation
12	Anxious for, about	feeling worried or nervous	62	vital to	necessary or essential in order for something to succeed or exist
13	Angry with sb	having strong feelings about something that you dislike very much or about an unfair situation	63	Independent of	having its own government
14	Bad for	unpleasant; full of problems	64	Identical to sb	similar in every detail
15	Dissatisfied with	not happy or satisfied with somebody/something	65	Important to	having a great effect on people or things; of great value
16	Disgruntled with	annoyed or disappointed because something has happened to upset you	66	Essential to	completely necessary; extremely important in a particular situation or for a particular activity
17	Busy with st	having a lot to do; perhaps not free to do something else because you are working on something	67	Crucial to	extremely important, because it will affect other things
19	Capable of	having the ability or qualities necessary for doing something	69	Involved in st	taking part in something; being part of something or connected with something
20	Confident of	feeling sure about your own ability to do things and be successful	70	Kind to	caring about others; gentle, friendly and generous
21	Clear to	easy to understand and not confusing	71	Likely to	having a good chance of happening or being something; probable or expected
22	Contrary to	different from something; against something	72	Lucky to	having good luck
23	Convenient for	useful, easy or quick to do; not causing problems	73	Liable to	legally responsible for paying the cost of something
24	Curious about st	having a strong desire to know about something	74	Late fo	arriving, happening or done after the expected, arranged or usual time
25	Consistent with st	always behaving in the same way, or having the same opinions, standards, etc.	75	Nervous of	anxious about something or afraid of something
26	Content with st	happy and satisfied with what you have	76	Necessary to sth/sb	that is needed for a purpose or a reason
27	Crowded with	having a lot of people or too many people	77	Next to	coming straight after somebody/something in time, order or space
28	Doubtful of	not sure; uncertain and feeling doubt	78	Necessary for	that is needed for a purpose or a reason
29	Delightful to sb	very pleasant	79	Open to	allowing things or people to go through; not closed or blocked
30	Difficult for	not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand	80	Pleasant to	fun, attractive, or giving pleasure
31	Dangerous for	likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something	81	Preferable to	more attractive or more suitable; to be preferred to something
32	Reluctant about	hesitating before doing something because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do	82	Profitable to	that makes or is likely to make money
33	Keen on	wanting to do something or wanting something to happen very much	83	Responsible to sb	having the job or duty of doing something or taking care of somebody/something, so that you may be blamed if something goes wrong
34	Fond of	having warm or loving feelings for somebody, especially somebody you have known for a long time	84	Rude to	having or showing a lack of respect for other people and their feelings
35	Good at	of high quality or an acceptable standard	85	Ready for sth	fully prepared for what you are going to do and able to start it immediately
36	Delighted in st	very pleased	86	Quick off	done with speed; taking or lasting a short time
37	popular with	liked or enjoyed by a large number of people	87	Sick of	bored with or annoyed about something that has been happening for a long time, and wanting it to stop
38	impressed with/by	admiring somebody/something because you think they are particularly good, interesting, etc.	88	Scared of	frightened of something or afraid that something bad might happen
39	Dependent on sth/sb	needing somebody/something in order to survive or be successful	89	Suspicious of	feeling that somebody has done something wrong, illegal or dishonest, without having any proof
40	Equal to	the same in size, quantity, value, etc. as something else	90	Responsible for sth	having the job or duty of doing something or taking care of somebody/something, so that you may be blamed if something goes wrong
41	Exposed to	not protected from the weather by trees, buildings or high ground	91	Suitable for	right or appropriate for a particular purpose or occasion
42	Emerge from st	to become known	92	Sorry for	feeling sad and ashamed about something that has been done
43	fortunate in	having or bringing an advantage, an opportunity, a piece of good luck, etc.	93	Safe from st	protected from any danger, harm or loss
44	Jealous of	feeling angry or unhappy because somebody you like or love is showing interest in somebody else	94	Proud of	feeling pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with
45	Famous for	known about by many people	95	Guilty of	feeling ashamed because you have done something that you know is wrong or have not done something that you should have done
46	Experienced in st	having knowledge or skill in a particular job or activity	96	Tired of	feeling that you would like to sleep or rest; needing rest
47	Enthusiastic about sth	feeling or showing a lot of excitement and interest about somebody/something	97	Terrified of	very frightened
48	attractive to	pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way	98	Useful to sb	that can help you to do or achieve what you want
49	Fond of	having warm or loving feelings for somebody, especially somebody you have known for a long time	99	Weak in st	not physically strong
50	Full of	containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space	100	Willing to	not objecting to doing something; having no reason for not doing something

VI. Exercises on adjective phrases with detailed answers

Exercise: Fill in suitable prepositions with the following adjectives to form correct adjective phrases

The success of the project is dependent ______ the availability of funding.
She is afraid ______ spiders and always screams when she sees one.
She is happy ______ the results of her hard work and feels accomplished.
The customer was angry ______ the poor service and demanded a refund.
She was surprised ______ the unexpected gift from her best friend.
He is interested ______ learning about astronomy and spends hours reading books on the subject.
They are excited ______ their upcoming vacation to Hawaii and can’t wait to relax on the beach.
He is proud ______ his daughter for graduating with honors
Her approach to problem-solving is different ______ her colleagues’ methods.
The two houses are similar ______ each other in terms of architecture and design.

Answer key:

on
of
with
at
by
in
about
from
to

VIII. Master IELTS Skills for a High Band Score

Adjective phrases are not difficult at all thanks to PREP. Hopefully, this article about adjective phrases has helped you understand deeply and thoroughly all the knowledge related to this topic. If band 7+ is your goal, our expert strategies will get you there—check them out:

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Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.