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Adjectives that Describe Personal Feelings

10 Words for Emotions You Didn't Even Know You Had -- Science of Us

The English language would be very dull without adjectives. They dress up our nouns whenever we need to punch things up a notch. So, that heartache you're feeling is no longer just a "heartache," it's a crippling heartache or debilitating heartache that is tearing you apart, or maybe just a small heartache that you'll get over quickly.

Whenever you're speaking or writing, you may want to get your point across with a little extra oomph. When it's time to do so, call in the big dogs: the adjectives.

Adjectives Accentuate the Point

Adjectives help express the tone, feelings, and emotions of our words by accentuating the point. Let's take our example of heartache above. It would be difficult to quickly ascertain how severe (or minor) that heartache is without the use of those adjectives.

Of course, context clues would eventually reveal more, but adjectives allow us to succinctly describe a situation so we can continue along in our story, essay, or speech. Keep reading for some examples of these adjectives or download the printable page below.

Everything you need to know about adjectives.
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about.html

60 Negative Adjectives For Describing People.
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/negative-adjectives-for-describing.html

30 Positive Adjectives For Describing People.
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/30-positive-adjectives-for-describing.html

Adjectives for Feelings

Often, feelings are something we can more visibly see or experience. Whether someone's sad, mad, happy, or ecstatic, feelings tend to house our emotions, amplifying a particular situation. For example:

  • Adjectives for Negative Feelings: The shy girl flushed with embarrassment.

  • Adjectives for Positive Feelings: The delighted girl flushed with anticipation.

Some feelings are clearly positive or negative, while others depend on the rest of the sentence to make the meaning clear. Here are some examples:

To Describe a Positive Feeling

To Describe a Negative Feeling

To Describe Other Feelings

amazed

attractive

beautiful

bold

brave

cheerful

comfortable

delightful

excited

festive

free

jolly

optimistic

proud

wonderful

aggravated

awful

chilly

depressed

dirty

dreadful

heavy

irritated

pessimistic

tearful

tense

terrible

tired

ugly

weak

anxious

awestruck

bashful

cautious

composed

easygoing

horrified

intelligent

mysterious

political

quizzical

religious

secretive

secular

shy

Tips for Using Adjectives

It can be difficult to find just the right word to describe a tone or feeling being experienced by someone. You never want to come across sounding trite or use an adjective that's too weak to express the gravity of a particular situation.

It's a bit like building your vocabulary. The more you read, the more you'll discover new words and meanings, including adjectives, and how they are used to highlight emotions.

That said, like anything else that's good in life, keep it in moderation. Don't douse every noun in sugar. Instead, sprinkle a little sweetness on the situations or words that will truly benefit from a tasty addition.

Here are three things to remember when describing tone, feelings or emotions:

  • Clarity: Adjectives should help clarify your writing, not muddy the waters. So, take a quick scan through your work. Do your adjectives illustrate the point or situation? Are they at all unnecessary? For example, do you need to say "the hot, sweaty baseball player" or just "the sweaty baseball player"?

  • Overindulgence: Again, don't pick a slew of different adjectives: "The timid, nervous teacher slowly approached the noisy classroom with fearful trepidation." If you start using too many adjectives, your writing quickly becomes flowery. Not only are you going to confuse your readers, but your writing will appear choppy and even phony.

  • Time: Don't be afraid to take some time to figure out a situation. For example, you might have to analyze the tone of a short composition. Sit back for a while and let the words really sink in.

Descriptive Adjectives for Descriptive Writing

Hopefully, these tips will help you not only use adjectives in your own writing but also teach them to your children or students. Much like their cousin, the adverb, they add so much to our writing when used properly.

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