1. The "Is it describing a noun?" test:
* If the word describes a noun (person, place, thing, or idea), it is likely an adjective.
* For example: "The beautiful sunset" - "beautiful" describes the noun "sunset".
2. The "Can it be modified by an adverb?" test:
* Adjectives can often be modified by adverbs (words like very, quite, extremely, etc.).
* For example: "The very beautiful sunset" - "very" is an adverb modifying the adjective "beautiful".
Important Note:
These tests are not foolproof. Some words can function as both adjectives and other parts of speech depending on context. For instance, "blue" can be an adjective (the blue sky) or a noun (the color blue).
Example:
Let's look at the word "quick."
* Is it describing a noun? Yes, "quick" can describe a noun like "quick movement".
* Can it be modified by an adverb? Yes, "very quick movement" is a valid phrase.
Therefore, "quick" is likely an adjective in this case.