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Adjective Phrase Examples

An adjective phrase is a group of words that describe a noun or pronoun in a sentence. The adjective in an adjective phrase can appear at the start, end or middle of the phrase. The adjective phrase can be placed before or after the noun or pronoun in the sentence.

adjective phrase example showing man scratching head

Adjective Phrase Examples

Adjective phrases can be used to describe people, or any other nouns or pronouns, within sentences. The term adjectival phrase means the same thing as the term adjective phrase.

Adjective Phrases Describing People

Examples of adjective phrases used to describe people include:

A person smarter than me needs to figure this out.
Everyone was extremely delighted when the winner was announced.
Mom said the cost of a car is way too high.
Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman saved the day.
Her eyes were incredibly mesmerizing to the young man.
The highly emotive actor gave a wonderful performance.
She is rather fond of skiing.
By the end of the date, I was fairly bored with him.
The overly enthusiastic fans painted their bodies with the team's colors.
The valedictorian was far too serious about her GPA.
Weathered, muscular cowboys are featured in most western movies.
The exhausted and overworked man took a well-deserved break.
My remarkable and talented brother won a scholarship.
I am very much enamored with him.
Jorge was merely anxious to get on his way.
Beaming with joy, her face lit up the room.
She is the chief pediatric surgeon at the institute.
Frustrated, overworked and underpaid employees picketed for hours.
Young, otherwise healthy people are most likely to recover quickly.

Adjective Phrases Describing Other Nouns

Examples of adjective phrases used to describe nouns other than people include:

The movie was not too terrible.
The final exams were unbelievably difficult.
This pie is very delicious and extremely expensive.
The new outfit was very pricey but really beautiful.
Students upset about the rising cost of tuition staged a rally.
That complex has quite small but cheap apartments.
That apple pie smells very tempting.
Dining out is usually not very healthy.
The extremely tired kitten fell asleep by her food dish.
A dog covered in sticky and disgusting mud makes a mess in a car.
A tapestry beautifully stitched by hand is worth the cost.
That movie is absolutely unbelievably bad.
I really wanted to paint the living room a deep eggplant shade of purple.
Grass-fed organic beef is the best choice.
She was proud of her son's incredible, groundbreaking experiment that won the science fair.
The animal cowering in the corner was rescued and given a good home.
The music from next door was annoyingly loud.
I love the taste of a sweet juicy peach.
The boys were annoyed about the excessively long lines.
The dancing was exquisitely graceful.
The candy was dark chocolate brown.
That old food tastes awfully bad.
The very small puppy carried the big stick.
The cost of the car was quite affordable.

Adjective Phrases in Literature

Using adjective phrases in prose can be a great way to engage readers. Adjective phrases are often used in great literature as well as other works of writing.

"It was cold, bleak, biting weather." - Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol
"He's an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I can really name nothing out of the way." - Robert Louis Stevenson in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
"And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor." - Edgar Allan Poe in "The Raven"

Adjective Phrase Exercises

Test your knowledge by identifying the adjective phrases in the practice questions listed below.

Practice Questions: Find the Adjective Phrases

Decide which words in the sentences below are adjective phrases, then review the answers to check your work.

The sour, tart lemon made me pucker my lips.
The earnest, pleading tone makes me believe she's telling the truth.
The incredibly beautiful scenery was breathtaking.
The new kittens are so tiny and delicate.
It was a lengthy, exhausting and eventful trip.

Answers to Practice Questions

Once you have worked through the items above, check your work here. The adjective phrases are bold.

The sour, tart lemon made me pucker my lips.
Her earnest, pleading tone makes me believe she's telling the truth.
The incredibly beautiful scenery was breathtaking.
The new kittens are so tiny and delicate.
It was a lengthy, exhausting and eventful trip.

Enhance Your Writing With Descriptive Language

As you can see from the examples, an adjective phrase can be a very helpful grammar tool to better describe the subject of the sentence and add some interest to your writing. For more ideas, spend some time reviewing examples of prepositional phrases, particularly how they can be used as adjectives. From there, explore other kinds of descriptive words.