Descriptive Adjectives

Definition:
Descriptive adjectives are words that describe nouns by giving more
information about them. They help us explain qualities such as size,
appearance, height, personality, or condition.

Types of Descriptive Adjectives

1. Size – describes how big or small something is.
• Example: He has a big bag for carrying his books.
2. Appearance – describes how someone or something looks.
• Example: The girl is beautiful and wants to join Miss Rwanda.
3. Height – describes how tall or short something is.
• Example: The tall building can be seen from far away.
4. Personality – describes a person’s character or behavior.
• Example: He is an intelligent boy; his name is John.
5. Condition – describes the state or quality of something.
• Example: Our college has a clean environment.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

• Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things.
• Example: This book is bigger than that one.
• Superlative adjectives are used to compare three or more things.
• Example: This is the biggest book in the library.
✅ Summary:
Descriptive adjectives make our sentences more detailed. Use
comparatives when comparing two things, and superlatives when
comparing many things.

Adverbs
Definition:
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb. It tells us how, when, where, how often, or to what degree
something happens.

Types of Adverbs
1. Adverbs of Manner – Describe how an action is done.
• Example: She speaks clearly during marketing.
• Other examples: slowly, carefully, loudly
2. Adverbs of Time – Describe when an action happens.
• Example: We submitted the work yesterday.
• Other examples: now, later, soon
3. Adverbs of Place – Describe where an action happens.
• Example: The teacher is outside.
• Other examples: here, away, everywhere
4. Adverbs of Frequency – Describe how often an action happens.
• Example: They always arrive early.
• Other examples: never, sometimes, often
5. Adverbs of Degree – Describe to what extent or how much
something happens.
 • Example: The movie was interesting.
• Other examples: too, quite, very

✅ Summary:
Adverbs add more detail to actions, adjectives, or other adverbs. They
help make sentences clearer and more precise by showing how, when,
where, how often, or to what degree something happens.

Stative Verbs

Definition:
A stative verb describes a state, condition, or perception of the subject
rather than an action. These verbs usually do not show physical activity
and are often not used in continuous (–ing) forms.

Examples of Stative Verbs

• I think he is the one.
• She has a nice car.
• She loves chocolate more than anything.

Categories of Stative Verbs

1. Emotions – show feelings or emotions
• Examples: love, hate, like, dislike, prefer, admire
• Sentence: She loves chocolate more than anything.
 2. Thoughts / Opinions / Beliefs – show what someone thinks,
believes, or knows
• Examples: think, believe, know, understand, doubt, remember
• Sentence: I think he is honest.
3. Possessions / Relationships – show ownership or relationships
• Examples: have, own, belong, possess, consist of
• Sentence: She has a nice car.
4. Senses / Perception – describe how we perceive things
• Examples: see, hear, smell, taste, feel (in terms of perception,
not physical action)
• Sentence: This cake smells delicious.

Important Notes About Stative Verbs

• Do not usually use in continuous tense:
❌ I am knowing the answer. → ❌ Incorrect
✅ I know the answer. → ✅ Correct
• They describe permanent or long-lasting states rather than actions.
• Some verbs can be stative or dynamic depending on meaning:
• Have → possession (stative): I have a car.
• Have → action (dynamic): I am having lunch.

✅ Summary:
Stative verbs describe states, conditions, feelings, possessions, or
perceptions. They are usually not used in –ing forms and are important
for talking about thoughts, emotions, relationships, and senses.
Past Experience and Present Experience

Experience in English can be expressed in different ways depending on

whether it happened in the past or is still relevant to the present.

1. Past Experience

Definition:
Past experience talks about events or actions that happened at a specific
time in the past.

a) Past Simple
• Use: To talk about completed actions in the past.
• Structure: Subject + past verb + object/time
• Example: I visited Kigali last year.
• Other examples:
• She traveled to France in 2019.
• They watched a movie yesterday.

b) Past Continuous
• Use: To describe an action that was in progress at a specific time
in the past.
• Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
• Example: I was reading when the phone rang.

c) Past Perfect
• Use: To show an action that happened before another action in
the past.
• Structure: Subject + had + past participle
 • Example: I had finished my homework before the guests arrived.

2. Present Experience

Definition:
Present experience talks about actions or events that have happened at
some point in the past but are relevant to the present.

a) Present Perfect Simple

• Use: To talk about experiences without mentioning the exact time,
or results that are relevant now.
• Structure: Subject + has/have + past participle
• Examples:
• I have visited Kigali several times.
• She has tried sushi before.

b) Present Perfect Continuous

• Use: To talk about actions that started in the past and are still
continuing or just finished.
• Structure: Subject + has/have + been + verb-ing
• Examples:
• I have been learning English for two years.
• They have been working on this project since morning.

Important Notes
• Past Simple is used when the time of action is mentioned.
• Present Perfect is used when the exact time is not important; focus
is on experience or result.
 • Use adverbs like “already,” “yet,” “ever,” “never,” “since,” and
“for” with present perfect to show experience:
• Have you ever visited Paris?
• I have never seen such a beautiful place.
• She has lived here since 2018.

✅ Summary Table:
Type Use Structure Example
Subject + past
Completed action at I visited Kigali
Past Simple verb +
specific past time last year.
object/time
Subject +
Past Action in progress at I was reading
was/were + verb-
Continuous specific past time when he called.
ing
I had finished
Action before another Subject + had +
Past Perfect before she
past action past participle
arrived.
Experience relevant to Subject + I have visited
Present
now, time not has/have + past Kigali several
Perfect
important participle times.
Present Action started in past Subject + I have been
Perfect and continues or just has/have + been learning English
Continuous finished + verb-ing for 2 years.

Modal Verbs

Definition:
Modal verbs are special auxiliary verbs used with a main verb to show:
 • Ability
• Possibility
• Permission
• Obligation
• Advice
Important Points:
• They do not change form (no -s, -ed, -ing).
• They are followed by the base form of the main verb (except
“ought to”).
• They do not need auxiliary verbs to form questions or negatives:
• Question: Can you swim? ✅
• Negative: You cannot (can’t) swim. ✅

Common Modal Verbs

1. Can
• Use:
• Ability: what someone is able to do
• Permission: what someone is allowed to do
• Examples:
• I can swim. (ability)
• You can go home now. (permission)

2. Could
• Use:
• Past ability: what someone was able to do in the past
 • Polite requests or suggestions
• Examples:
• When I was young, I could run fast. (past ability)
• Could you help me? (polite request)

3. May
• Use:
• Permission (formal)
• Possibility
• Examples:
• May I come in? (asking permission)
• It may rain tomorrow. (possibility)

4. Might
• Use:
• Slight or uncertain possibility
• Examples:
• We might win the game.
• She might come to the party later.

Additional Notes About Modal Verbs

1. Form: Modal + base verb
• She can dance. ✅
• She can dances. ❌
2. Negatives: Add not after the modal
 • You cannot (can’t) enter.
• He may not come.
3. Questions: Modal + subject + base verb
• Can you play piano?
• May I ask a question?
4. Some modals have similar meanings but differ in formality and
certainty:
• Can / May → permission (May is more formal)
• Might / May → possibility (Might is less certain)

✅ Summary Table of Key Modal Verbs

Mod
Use Example
al
Can Ability / Permission I can swim. / You can go home.
Coul Past ability / Polite I could run fast when I was young. / Could
d request you help me?
Permission /
May May I come in? / It may rain tomorrow.
Possibility
Migh
Slight possibility We might win the game.
t