Improve Your English – Lesson 10: The Difference between Impressive/Impressively/Impression/Impressed

Many students use the wrong form of the word impress.

Impressive is an adjective and modifies a noun or pronoun.
Impressively is an adverb and modifies a verb.

  • Don’t say: The movie was very impression.
  • Do say: That was a very impressive movie.
    (adjective)
  • Do say: He acted very impressively in the movie. (adverb)

Impression is a noun and is used to describe a positive influence that something or someone has made on another.

  • Don’t say: That movie made me impressed.
  • Do say: That movie made an impression on me.

Impressed is a verb and is used to indicate that something or someone has had a positive influence on someone.

  • Don’t say: I was very impressive with the movie.
  • Do say: I was very impressed by the movie.

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