ADJECTIVES
Adjectives Main Point,
1 FORM AND FUNCTION OF ADJECTIVES
Form of Adjectives
Rules
1. Adjectives are
invariable:
They do not change their form
depending on the gender or number of the noun.
A hot potato Some hot potatoes
2. To emphasise or
strengthen the meaning of an adjective use 'very' or 'really':
A very hot potato Some really hot potatoes.
Position of adjectives
a) Usually in front
of a noun: A beautiful
girl.
b) After verbs like "to be", "to seem"
, "to look", "to taste":
Examples
The girl is beautiful
You look tired
This meat tastes funny.
c) After the noun: in
some fixed expressions:
Examples
The Princess Royal
The President elect
a court martial
d) After the noun
with the adjectives involved, present, concerned:
Examples
I want to see the people involved/concerned (= the people who
have something to do with the matter)
Here is a list of the people present (= the people who were in the
building or at the meeting)
Be
careful! When these adjectives are used before the noun they have a different
meaning:
An, involved discussion = detailed, complex
A , concerned father = worried, anxious
The, present situation = current, happening now
2 Function
of Adjectives
Adjectives
can:
·
Describe feelings or qualities:
Examples
He is a lonely man
They are honest people
·
Give nationality or
origin:
Examples
Pierre is French
This clock is German
Our house is Victorian
·
Tell more about a
thing's characteristics:
Examples
A wooden table.
The knife is sharp.
·
Tell us about age:
Examples
He's young man
My coat is very old
·
Tell us about size
and measurement:
Examples
John tall man.
This is a very long film.
·
Tell us about colour:
Examples
Paul wore a red shirt.
The sunset was crimson and gold.
·
Tell us about
material/what something is made of:
Examples
It was a wooden table
She wore a cotton dress
·
Tell us about shape:
Examples
A rectangular box
A square envelope
·
Express a judgement
or a value:
Examples
A fantastic film
Grammar is boring
3 Order of Adjectives
Rules
Where a number of adjectives are used
together, the order depends on the function of the adjective. The usual order
is:
Value/opinion,
Size, Age/Temperature, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material
Value/opinion delicious, lovely, charming
Size small, huge, tiny
Age/Temperature old, hot, young
Shape round, square, rectangular
Colour red,
blonde, black
Origin Swedish,
Victorian, Chinese
Material plastic,
wooden, silver
Examples:
a lovely
old red post-box
some small round plastic tables
some charming small silver ornaments
COMPARISON OF
ADJECTIVES
FORMING THE COMPARATIVE
AND SUPERLATIVE
Using the comparative of adjectives in
English is quite easy once you have understood the few simple rules that govern
them.
Below you will find the rules with
examples for each condition.
If you are not sure what a syllable or
a consonant is - have a look here.
Rules
Number
of syllables Comparative Superlative
(see rule)
one
syllable + -er +
-est
tall taller tallest
one syllable with the spelling consonant + single vowel + consonant:
double the final consonant:
fat fatter fattest
big bigger biggest
sad sadder saddest
Number
of syllables Comparative Superlative
two syllables +
-er OR more + adj + -est OR most + adj
ending in: -y, -ly, -ow
ending in: -le, -er or -ure
these common adjectives - handsome,
polite, pleasant, common, quiet
happy happier/
more happy happiest/
most happy
yellow yellower/
more yellow yellowest/
most yellow
simple simpler/
more simple simplest/
most simple
tender tenderer/
more tender tenderest/
most tender
If you
are not sure, use MORE + OR MOST +
Note: Adjectives ending in '-y' like
happy, pretty, busy, sunny, lucky etc:. replace the -y with -ier or -iest in
the comparative and superlative form
busy busier busiest
Number of syllables Comparative Superlative
three syllables or more more + adj
most + adj
important more important most
important
expensive more expensive
most expensive
Examples
·
A
cat is fast, a tiger is faster but a cheetah is the fastest
·
A car is heavy,
a truck is heavier, but a train is
the heaviest
·
A park bench is comfortable, a restaurant chair is more comfortable, but a sofa is the most comfortable
4 IRREGULAR COMPARATIVES AND
SUPERLATIVES
These adjectives have completely
irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Adjective Comparative Superlative
good better best
bad worse worst
little less least
much more most
far further
/ farther furthest / farthest
NOT AS + ADJECTIVE +
AS
Difference can also be shown by using
not so/as ...as:
Examples
·
Mont Blanc is not as high as Mount Everest
·
Norway is not as sunny as Thailand
·
A bicycle is not as expensive as a car
·
Arthur is not as intelligent as Albert
5 COMPARISONS OF QUANTITY
·
To
show difference: more, less, fewer + than
·
To
show no difference: as much as , as many as, as few as, as little as
·
COMPARISONS OF
QUANTITY
To show difference: more, less, fewer
+ than
Examples:
With
countable nouns: more / fewer
·
Eloise
has more children than Chantal.
·
Chantal has fewer children than
Eloise.
·
There are fewer
dogs in Cardiff than in Bristol
·
I have visited fewer countries than my
friend has.
·
He has read fewer books than she
has.
·
With
uncountable nouns: more / less
·
Eloise
has more money than Chantal.
·
Chantal has less money than Eloise.
·
I spend less
time on homework than you do.
·
Cats drink less water than dogs.
·
This new dictionary gives more information than
the old one.
·
·
So, the rule
is:
MORE + nouns that are
countable or uncountable
FEWER + countable nouns
LESS + uncountable nouns
COMPARISONS OF
QUANTITY
Rules
To show no difference: as much as , as many as, as few as, as little as
as many as / as few as + countable
nouns
as much as / as little as +
uncountable nouns
Examples:
With
countable nouns:
·
They have as many children as us.
·
We have as many customers as them.
·
Tom has as few books as Jane.
·
There are as few houses in his village as in
mine.
·
You know as many people as I do.
·
I have visited the States as many times as he
has.
·
With
uncountable nouns:
·
John eats as much food as Peter.
·
Jim has as little food as Sam.
·
You've heard as much news as I have.
·
He's had as much success as his brother has.
·
They've got as little water as we have.
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