Identifying adjectives and powerful verbs

A Year 3 English worksheet created by a primary school teacher to help your child understand and identify adjectives and verbs.

Read this adventure story. Can you identify the adjectives and powerful verbs that the author has used to make this piece of writing interesting to the reader?

What is an adjective in Year 3?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, thing or idea). 

For example, in the phrase red apple, the word red is an adjective because it tells us more about the apple. 

Adjectives can describe how something looks, feels, tastes, sounds or smells, and they can also tell us about the quantity or size of something.

In Year 3, children start learning to use adjectives to make their sentences more interesting and detailed. For example, instead of just writing dog, they might write fluffy dog or big dog. 

What is a powerful verb in Year 3?

A powerful verb is a word that describes an action in a very vivid or strong way. 

Instead of just telling what happened, a powerful verb shows the action more clearly and makes it more interesting. 

For example, instead of saying run, a child might use sprint or dash. These verbs give a better picture of how the action is happening.

In Year 3, children learn to use powerful verbs to make their writing more exciting and detailed. For example, instead of writing: The cat went up the tree, they might write: The cat scrambled up the tree. The verb scrambled helps the reader imagine exactly how the cat moved.

For more help with Year 3 English, check out our hub page, or try a new challenge such as our Using time connectives worksheet.