Adjectives are words used to describe a noun or a pronoun.
Read the following sentences:
| A | B |
|---|---|
| We finally reached the road. | We finally reached the long and winding road. |
| The sailor heard the sound of the siren. | The brave sailor heard the melodious sound of the beautiful siren. |
| The water swallowed the ship. | The angry, whirling water swallowed the gigantic ship. |
| The crew swam in the water. | The frantic crew swam in the icy water. |
Note that the sentences in column B are clearer and more appealing to the senses than the sentences in column A.
You can easily create in your mind an image of the noun or pronoun spoken about because of certain words - long, winding, brave, melodious, beautiful, angry, whirling, gigantic, frantic, icy.
These words are called descriptive adjectives.
Descriptive adjectives add color to a sentence and make it more meaningful and interesting to read. They are usually kept close to the word they describe.