Identify and use adjectives to enhance descriptions of characters, settings, and objects within the context of graphic novels
Descriptive language in graphic novels brings stories to life and captures readers' attention. It helps us imagine and visualise the characters, settings, and events in the story.
Whether it's a mysterious forest with ant-sized humans and human-sized bees, or a bustling city with honking cars and gleaming skyscrapers, descriptive language helps us imagine the sights, sounds, and atmosphere.
Adjectives play a crucial role in creating vivid and engaging visual images in readers' minds.
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adjectives describe people, places, objects, and ideas.
Adjectives add details and enhance the reader's understanding and visualisation of characters, settings, and objects in graphic novels.1
Watch the video below for different examples of adjectives, along with their types2:
Vid 7.1: Describing Words
In graphic novels, various types of adjectives are used to make the story more interesting and engaging. Here are some common types of adjectives found in graphic novels:
1. Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives provide specific details about a noun's appearance, characteristics, or qualities. For example, in a graphic novel, a character may be described as brave, funny, or clever.3
Fig. 7.2: Descriptive Adjective7
2. Colour Adjectives
Adjectives that describe the colour of a noun.
For instance, a graphic novel may use colour adjectives such as vibrant, bright, or dull to describe objects, settings, or characters5.
Fig. 7.3: Colour Adjective7
3. Size Adjectives
Adjectives that indicate the size or scale of a noun.
Examples of size adjectives include tiny, enormous, or medium-sized5.
Fig. 7.4: Size Adjective7
4. Emotive Adjectives
Adjectives that convey emotions or feelings associated with a noun.
In a graphic novel, emotive adjectives such as joyful, sad, or frightened can evoke specific emotions related to the characters or events.
Fig. 7.5: Emotive Adjective7
Here is the sample list of different types of adjectives you can use to enhance your writing4.
Publishing is an exciting step wherein you share your story with many people.
It involves making the final version of the story and getting it ready for others to read.
This includes checking for mistakes, ensuring the words and images look appealing, and deciding on the final presentation of the story, whether in print or online. Publishing is important because it allows the writer’s work to reach and be enjoyed by many readers6.
Step 4 & 5: Editing & Publishing
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adjectives describe people, places, objects and ideas.
Adjectives add detail and enhance the reader's understanding and visualisation of characters, settings, and objects in graphic novels.
Types of adjectives commonly found in graphic novels, such as descriptive adjectives, colour adjectives, size adjectives, and emotive adjectives.
Descriptive Adjectives: Adjectives that provide specific details about a noun's appearance, characteristics, or qualities.
Colour Adjectives: Adjectives that describe the colour of a noun.
Size Adjectives: Adjectives that indicate the size or scale of a noun.
Emotive Adjectives: Adjectives that convey emotions or feelings associated with a noun.
References
1 Adjectives: Making Everything More Interesting. Easy Bib (n.d.) (link)
2 Describing Words. Lincoln Learning Solutions (2019) (link)
3 Descriptive Adjectives. K5 Learning (2021) (link)
4 Descriptive Adjectives List. Love to Know (2022) (link)
5 Adjectives. Unam.mx (n.d.) (link)
6 The Writing process: Analyn Palugod (2021) (link)
7 Science Adventures with the Thunderbolt Kids. Siyavula and the Shuttleworth Foundation (n.d.) (link)