ADJECTIVES

Adjectives describe or give information about nouns or pronouns. The grey dog barked. (The adjective grey describes the noun "dog".)

Some adjectives give us factual information about the noun - age, size colour

etc (fact adjectives - can't be argued with). Some adjectives show what somebody thinks about something or somebody - nice, horrid, beautiful etc (opinion adjectives - not everyone may agree).

Adjectives are either attributive or predicative. Attributive adjectives

appear before the noun (the red car), while predicative adjectives appear after the noun and a linking verb (the car is red). Almost every adjective can be attributive and predicative, with a few exceptions (main, only, etc.) There are different types of adjectives in the English language:

Numeric: six, one hundred and one Quantitative: more, all, some, half, more than enough Qualitative: (colour, size, smell etc.) Possessive: my, his, their, your Interrogative: which, whose, what Demonstrative: this, that, those, these

Only Gradable Adjectives can have comparative and superlative forms

(faster,fastest, older, oldest); Non-gradable Adjectives (like male, female, unique, etc.) can only occur in their basic form, called the positive form (fast, old, male,female).

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES
The "ugly red wooden box" sounds correct, but the "wooden red ugly box" sounds wrong. There is a "rule" describing the order English adjectives are used in:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Opinion or judgment -- beautiful, ugly, easy, fast, interesting Size -- small, tall, short, big Age -- young, old, new, historic, ancient Shape -- round, square, rectangular Color -- red, black, green, purple Nationality -- French, Asian, American, Canadian, Japanese

7. Material -- wooden, metallic, plastic, glass, paper 8. Purpose or Qualifier -- foldout sofa, fishing boat, racing car

GRADATION(*)/COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
There are three forms of comparison(*): POSITIVE, COMPARATIVE, SUPERLATIVE. A - Comparison with -er/-est 1) adjectives with one syllable clean new cleaner newer cleanest newest

2) adjectives with two syllables and the following endings: 2 - 1) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y dirty dirtier dirtiest

2 - 2) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -er clever cleverer cleverest

2 - 3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -le simple simpler simplest

2 - 4) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -ow narrow narrower narrowest

Spelling of the adjectives using the endings -er/-est large big sad dirty shy larger bigger sadder dirtier shyer largest biggest saddest dirtiest shyest leave out the silent -e Double the consonant after short vowel Change -y to -i (consonant before -y) Here -y is not changed to -i.

B - Comparison with more - most difficult - more difficult - (the) most difficult all adjectives with more than one syllable (except some adjectives with two syllables - see 2 - 1 to 2 4) 3

C - Irregular adjectives good bad much many little little better worse more more less smaller best worst most most least smallest uncountable nouns countable nouns

D - Special adjectives Some adjectives have two possible forms of comparison. common likely pleasant polite simple stupid subtle sure commoner / more common likelier / more likely pleasanter / more pleasant politer / more polite simpler / more simple stupider / more stupid subtler / more subtle surer / more sure commonest / most common likeliest / most likely pleasantest / most pleasant politest / most polite simplest / most simple stupidest / most stupid subtlest surest / most sure

Difference in meaning with adjectives: farther far further later late latter x old near older elder nearer x farthest furthest latest x last oldest eldest nearest next people and things people (family) distance order distance distance or time

COMPARISON
1) as (POSITIVE) as not as (POSITIVE)as not so (POSITIVE) as

e. g.

The boy is (not) as good as I expected him to be.

2) - COMPARATIVE than e. g. My mom is better(more interesting/less interesting) than yours.

- much/a bit/ far/ any + COMPARATIVE e. g. Why, isn't that essay much (a bit/far) worse that the rest of them? Is that any better? 3) SUPERLATIVE + context e. g. ever! That's the best (the least appealing/the most attractive) idea

COMPARISON IN EXPRESSIONS
* COMPARATIVE + and + COMPARATIVE e. g. Oh, this is better and better!

* the + COMPARATIVE... the + COMPARATIVE e. g. The more educated you are, the more respected you become!

PARTICIPLE ADJECTIVES (-ed/-ing)

a) ING adjectives (present participles as adjectives) describe the doer e. g. That's an amusing film. /That film is amusing.

b) ED adjectives (past participles as adjectives) describe the sufferer of the action e. g. I've found two stolen DVD players in my brothers' room!