ShmoopTube

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

We all know that adjectives exist, and that they’re important. [Statue of man sitting on a rock]

00:17

The really knowledgeable monster living in our bedroom closet told us so.

00:21

That guy really does get a bad rap… [Monster appears in boys closet]

00:23

But…why are adjectives important?

00:25

Well, for one thing, they can spice up our narrative writing.

00:28

Without adjectives, we can’t always paint a clear or vivid picture of the events of a story. [Girl painting a picture of a girl standing on one leg with a rose in her mouth]

00:32

We can tell our readers that a cat is walking across a street…and that’s about it.

00:36

What a yawner. [Cat walks across street]

00:38

However, if we change our language, and tell our readers that a “nervous cat is walking

00:42

carefully across a crowded street”…

00:44

…we suddenly have a very clear idea of what’s happening. [People walking down the street as cat walks by]

00:47

And can probably safely assume that a good deal of hissing is taking place.

00:50

If we say, “The boy is wearing a shirt,” our readers are left asking, “So what?” [Boy standing in a corridor]

00:55

We’ve seen people wearing shirts before.

00:57

Not too interesting.

00:58

But if we say, “The sullen boy is wearing a bunny-print shirt”…

01:01

…we suddenly have a pretty good idea of our character’s feelings about bunny-print shirts. [Person reading a book in a library]

01:06

Unless he’s just sullen because someone stole his hamster-print pants.

01:09

The thing about narrative writing is that we always want to give our readers a clear,

01:13

vivid image when we write it. [Dino discussing narrative writing]

01:15

There are many different ways to achieve that purpose…

01:17

…but adjectives are a tried-and-true tool for taking our bland writing and making it…

01:22

tasty. [Person using adjective spice for food]

01:23

If we’re out of adjectives, ranch dressing will work in a pinch, too.

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