ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS
- Proper adjectives are always written with capital letters
e.g. British pluck, Arabic language/numerals but Arabian camel
I.COMPARISON
IRREGULAR forms
Good / Better / The bestBad / Worse / The worst
Far / Farther
Further / The farthest (=distant)
The furthest (=additional)
Little / Less / The least
Much/many / More / The most
e.g. at the further end of the street, a further discussion, until further notice, nothing further to say
Older/Elder: to refer to age is older (and used predicatively)- My brother is older than me. (but My elder brother- implies seniority- my eldest son)
Latter/Latest/ Latter/ the Last: Later news says that…(recent); His latest novel (the most recent)
Latter (as opposed to Former)- the second of the two
Foremost refers to rank, quality- One can’t tell who is foremost in the list of great novelists (The first shows sequence in a series: Yours was the first).
LESS (quantity)/LESSER (quality): choose the lesser evil. I have less time for trips this year.
I.1. Monosyllabic adjectives make the comparison in –ER and –EST
I.2. Polysyllabic adjectives make the comparison by adding MORE and THE MOST
I.3. THE + COMPARATIVE when 2 changes happen in the same time
e.g. The older I get the happier I am.
I am getting fatter and fatter.
I.4. The comparative is used for a comparison between 2 elements and the superlative for a comparison between more than 2
e.g. I have two houses but I like the bigger. / Choose the lesser of two evils.
She is the most beautiful of all our colleagues.
I.5.The comparative expresses contrast: the upper/lower lip
-More/Most can have uses that are not comparative inflections:
e.g. He is more than happy about it.
He is more good than bad.
She is most unhappy/beautiful (extremely- absolute superlative: exceedingly, tremendously, oversensitive, ultramodern)
I.6. Put POSSIBLE after the noun modified by a superlative: It is the best solution possible under the circumstances.
I.7. SIMILES/set expressions
as brave as a lion as fat as a barrelas heavy as lead
as hungry as a wolf
as regular as clockwork
as sour as vinegar
as strong as a bull / to climb like a monkey
to come like whirlwind
to drink like a fish to swim like a fish
to run like the wind
to shout like a madman
to tremble like a leaf
II.THE PLACE OF ADJECTIVES
II.1. The order of adjectives
Attitude / Seize / Shape / Age / ColourPattern / Origin / Material / Purpose / Noun
Nice / Long / Tight / Antique / Black
Striped / Chinese / Nylon / Tennis / Racket
II.2. Some adjectives are never used before the noun they describe: afraid, alike, alive, alone asleep, ashamed, awake, aware, ill, upset
e.g. I have been ill for a long time. / I examined the sick person yesterday.
The animal was alive. / It was a living animal.
III.ADJECTIVE MODIFIERS
She is so nice a person. / She is such a nice person. / She is too special a girl.
III.1. Intensifying adjectives (Emphasizers) with a heightening effect: pure fabrication, a clear failure, an outright lie, a definite loss, a total nonsense, a perfect idiot, the absolute limit, the very end/person (amplifiers) as opposed to downtoners (a slight effort, a feeble joke, kind of clever).
III.2. Postmodifying adjectives can be seen as reduced relative clauses
e.g. The men present were his friends. (who were present)/ anyone intelligent can do this. (who is intelligent)/ I would like to try on something larger (which is larger). The people involved/concerned/ The hotel opposite
-Adjectives are postposed when:
a. accompanied by a phrase expressing measurement: a house five floors high/ a river two hundred miles long
b. there are two or more coordinate adjectives: he was a big man, square-shouldered and handsome
c. the adjective is followed by a prepositional phrase: a person worthy of respect/greedy for money
d. after a proper name and the definite article: Charles-the-Great
e. the A-adjectives: the house ablaze, the boats afloat
III.3. Modification of comparatives with: still, even, far, a lot, a great deal, rather, somewhat, scarcely, hardly, a little etc.
e.g. She is far more beautiful than you.
I have much more money than you. (with uncountable nouns)
I have many more friends than you. (with countable nouns)
III.4. Modification of superlatives with VERY and BY FAR
e.g. He is the very best pupil in our class. / He is by far the best pupil in our class. She is by far the best of us all.
III.5. Adjectives premodified with intensifying adverbs
e.g. unbelievably cute, amazingly calm, deeply/highly/strikingly/sharply critical (other amplifiers such as awfully sorry, downright ridiculous, totally unacceptable, entirely free, perfectly reasonable as well as downtoners such as a bit dull, nearly dark, hardly noticeable, somewhat uneasy, sort/kind of (He’s sort of clever; He spoke kind of proudly) and emphasisers such as really beautiful, all confused, just impossible.
III.6. The adverb ENOUGH postmodifies the adjectives: high enough, good enough
IV. EXPRESSIONS WITH ADJECTIVES
to keep still, to sit quiet, to remain open, to die young, to look good, to sound good
V. THE MEANING OF ADJECTIVES
V.1. Adjectives with almost similar forms
economic = connected to economyeconomical = thrifty / politic = wise, prudent
political = connected to history
historic = famous
historical = connected to history / comic = related to comedy
comical = funny
classic = standard
classical = related to language/ civilisation
V.2. Some nouns denoting materials have corresponding adjectives in –EN (proper meaning) and in –Y (figurative meaning)
e.g. a stony heart / a stone chair
a golden watch / a gold rule
VI. ADJECTIVES/NOUNS + PREFIXES
UN- / IN- / DIS- / MIS-Unavoidable
Unborn
Uncomfortable
Unconscious
Uncountable
Uneconomic
Unemployed
Unfortunate
Unhappy
Unattractive
Ungrateful
Unhealthy
Unkind
Unknown
Unlucky
Unpleasant
Unnecessary
Unofficial
Unreliable
Unprofessional
Unreasonable
Untidy
Untruthful
Unwell
Unusual
Unsafe
Unpredictable / Inaccurate
Inactive
Inadequate
Inanimate
Inarticulate
Inattentive
Incapable
Inconvenient
Incorrect
Incredible
Indecisive
Indefinite
Indirect
Inexcusable
Insane
Insecure
Insensitive
Inseparable
Insignificant
Intolerable
Invisible / Dishonest
Disloyal
Disobedient
Disorder
Distasteful
Disapproval
Disagreement
Disappearance
Discomfort
Displeasure
Disrespect
Disbelief
Disconnection
Disadvantage
Dislike / Mistaken
Mistimed
Misunderstood
Misplaced
Misspelt
Mislead
Misbehaviour
Misjudgement
Mischance
Misfortune
Misconduct
IL- / IM- / IR- / UP- / DOWN-
Illegal / Impossible / Irregular / Upsetting
Downhearted
VII. ADJECTIVES + SUFFIXES
-ABLE / -IBLE / -PROOF / -ATEAdmirable
Avoidable
Capable
Desirable
Memorable
Probable
Respectable
Taxable
Valuable
Washable / Convertible
Divisible
Edible
Flexible
Horrible
Intelligible
Possible
Responsible
Terrible / Waterproof
Soundproof
Bulletproof / Adequate
Separate
Affectionate
- Derivation with suffixes (Also see Adjectives with almost similar forms)
–ic/-ical with a difference in meaning: a classic performance (great, memorable)/ classical languages/music; a comic masterpiece (comedy)/a comical behaviour (funny, less usual); an economic miracle (economy)/an economical car (money-saving); a historic building (with a history)/ a historical research (pertaining to history); an electric light (by electricity)/ an electrical fault (of electricity); a politic behaviour (tactic)/ political parties (concerned with politics)
VIII. OTHER ADJECTIVES
VIII.1. adjectives ending in -Y: foggy, healthy, pretty
VIII.2. adjectives ending in –LY: motherly, friendly, daily, lively, homely, lovely, lively, silly. The adverbs will be such as: in a cowardly manner/way/fashion.
VIII.3. Adjectives can be Adverbs
e.g. a high mountain/flying high; deep water/swim deep (deeply hurt/highly place- have a change in meaning)
- An adjective should be used when the subject is being described: He felt good. / The tea tastes good.
-An adverb should be used when the action is being described: He felt the wall cautiously. / He is tasting the tea cautiously.
- Uses of adjectives or adverbs can make a change in meaning: He looks good (He has a good appearance). / He looks well (healthy).
IX. OTHER ADVERBS
IX.1. Adverbs of place formed with the suffix –wards: The window faces northwards/ southwards.
IX.2. Adverbs of time to emphasize: He still doesn’t understand. He still studies to become an actor. He is still abroad (continuation)
IX.3. Adverbial phrases of duration: since, for, till, until, during, by, in (in the holiday)
IX.4. Adverbs of frequency: every other day, on five occasions, a time or two (occasional frequency), commonly, normally (usual frequency), constantly, permanently, perpetually, (continuous frequency) and also high/low frequency.
IX.5. Adverbs of degree: nearly, quite, just, barely, fairly, adj+enough. (emphasizers: definitely, frankly, indeed, really, obviously, for sure/certain and intensifiers/amplifiers – fully, altogether, entirely, utterly (maximizers), enormously, highly, intensely, bitterly, deeply, badly, strongly, by far, a great
IX.6. Adverbs of manner with derivational suffixes: cowboy-style, sideways, schoolboy-fashion, clockwise
IX.7. The adverb ‘always’ preceded by CAN/COULD expresses a certainty: You can always sleep on the floor (you can certainly).
IX.8. The adverb ‘well’ preceded by modals implies probability: It may well be true. (It is quite likely to be true)
IX.9. Adverbs such as ‘in no circumstances’, ‘on no account’, ‘only in this way’, ‘at no time’ are emphasizers and take the inverted form of the verb: At no time will he be allowed to do this.
IX.10. Adverbs such as back/forward, up/down, in/out, round, over, placed in front take an inverted form: Back came John (but with a pronoun: Back he came/In she came), Down fell the apples (Down they fell).
X. OTHERS
X.1. Boosters denoting a high degree (a great deal) and downtoners
X.2. Approximators: almost, practically, nearly, all but, virtually
X.3. Compromisers: kind/sort of, enough, rather, sufficiently
X.4. Diminishers: partly, slightly, somewhat, to some extent, least of all, a bit, merely, simply
X.5. Minimizers: hardly, at all, in the least, in the slightest, a bit
X.6. The adverbs fairly/barely convey a favourable meaning, rather a negative one while pretty is neutral: It’s fairly warm in here (warm enough, approval)/ It’s rather warm in here (too warm, disapproval)/It’s pretty hot in here (stating a fact, neutrality)
X.7. Intensity of feeling: I very much hope this to be true! (I firmly believe)/ Half as much as
XI. OTHER ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS:
SUCH is an adjective, SO is an adverb: It was such a hot day /The day was so hot.
Helter-shelter: in disordered haste
Hurly-burly: commotion
Pell-mell, razzle-dazzle: spree, joy
Hee-how: ass’s bray
Shelve, ed: put aside, save
All the latest gossip
Trustworthy
Blameworthy
Now make some practice on Adjectives/Adverbs
1. ON ADJECTIVES (Mihai Zdrenghea, Anca Greere, A Practical English Grammar (with exercises), Cluj, Clusium, 1997)
EXERCISE P.072 / THE ADJECTIVE
boundless, rampant, effective, ghostly, inaudible, massy, obvious, quarrelsome, spacious, usual, temperate, regretful, penniless, legal, heroic, negligible, fabulous, dogmatic, cumbersome, affluent
Find an adjective from the list above to fit each of the following meanings:
1. having plenty of money to spend
2. without limits
3. difficult to carry
4. bold or disobedient; refusing to recognize authority
5. emphatic in expressing opinions; to do with dogmas
6. having an effect; to bring about the result intended
7. incredible or absurd; celebrated in fables
8. like a ghost; very bad causing fear
9. like or fit for a hero
10. that cannot be heard
11. authorized by law
12. solid, heavy
13. of little or no importance or size
14. easily seen or understood
15. without any money
16. quick tempered; fond of quarrels
17. sad, sorry
18. roomy, having plenty of space
19. showing temperance; behaving with temperance
20. such as commonly happens; customary
EXERCISE P.073-1 / THE ADJECTIVE
Complete the sentences with adjectives ending in -able, ible, -uble derived from the verbs given in brackets:
1. His moods are ...... (change).
2. He is in the ...... position of being completely independent. (envy)
3. Children’s minds are very ...... (impress)
4. Britain has many miles of ...... waterways. (navigate)
5. They complained of the ...... smell from the factory. (object)
6. Many currencies are now freely ...... (convert)
7. Airmen are supplied with ...... rubber dinghies to be used if they bail out over the sea. (inflate)
8. We spent a very ...... evening talking about old times. (enjoy)
9. In some countries many people live in a ...... state. (pity)
10. Only a limited number of types of fungi are ...... (eat)
EXERCISE P.073-2 / THE ADJECTIVE
By adding -ful, -ous, -ed, -ent, or -ant derive adjectives from the nouns in brackets:
1. She waited without complaining; she was very...... (patience)
2. That visit wasn’t ...... (pleasure)
3. Mary is always ...... that she is right. (confidence)
4. His behaviour was always...... (courtesy)
5. Tommy was particularly ...... (mischief)
6. I like the privacy of a ...... garden. (fence)
7. It was a ...... occasion. (moment)
8. The ...... glass windows were very attractive. (colour)
EXERCISE P.074-1 / THE ADJECTIVE
Abortive, acquisitive, deceptive, defective, discursive, evasive, excessive, lucrative, formative, indicative, intensive, persuasive, plaintive, repulsive, submissive, successive
Replace the group of words underlined by one of the adjectives mentioned above. Make any other necessary changes:
1. Efforts to put the scheme into practice proved such that they ended in failure.
2. Present-day English society is often labelled ‘wanting to gain things for itself’.
3. Would you prefer to be thought obedient or merely humble and meekly unassertive?
4. The child had come under bad influence during the years of his life that were decisive in shaping his character.
5. Appearances can often be liable to mislead.
6. The machine that didn’t work properly had to be returned.
7. The factory’s profits have increased five per cent in each of the last three years.
8. The police charged the man with using a language that was meant to be insulting.
9. Picasso exerted an influence that had a widespread effect on the art of this century.
10. We had almost given up hope of finding our cat when we heard a mournful and sorrowful miaow from a near-by tree.
EXERCISE P.074-2 / THE ADJECTIVE
Replace the words underlined by a single adjective ending in -ive making any necessary changes in word order:
1. One side of a postage is covered with a sticky substance.
2. Children are very apt to ask questions and often have memories more able to remember facts than adults.