1.

Introduction
2. Types of adjectives
3. Formation of adjectives
3.1 Adjectives formed with suffixes
3.2 Adjectives formed with prefixes
3.3 Adjectives formed by composition
4. Position of the adjectives
5. Adjectives ending in -ed or ing
6. Degrees of adjectives
6.1 The comparative
6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives
6.1.2 The comparative for long adjectives
6.1.3 Types of comparison (equality, inequality, superiority,
inferiority)
6.1.4 Constructions with comparative
6.2 The superlative
6.2.1 The superlative for short adjectives
6.2.2 The superlative for long adjectives
6.3 Irregular comparative and superlative
7. Adjective phrases

Adjectives describe or give information about

a) nouns or
For example:
b) pronouns.
a) My sister is and amazing woman.
b) She is tall.

Adjectives do not change their form.

It does not matter if the noun is male or female,
singular or plural,
subject or object.

There are different types of adjectives in the English language:

: Black, Blue, White, Green, etc.
: Slippery, Sticky, etc.
: Happy, Sad, Angry, etc.
: Big, Small, Thin, Thick, etc.
: European, Latin, Greek, etc.
: Triangular, Rectangular, Square, Circular, etc.
: Good, Bad, Average, etc.
: Yearly, Monthly, etc.
: Young, Ancient, Old, etc.
: Wooden, Gold, Silk, etc.
: Pretty, hot, expensive, etc.
: six, one hundred and one
: more, all, some, half, more than enough
: my, his, their, your
: which, whose, what
: this, that, those, these

This
classification will
come in handy
when you will
have to put in
order a number
of adjectives
that determine
one noun.
See slide 17

Adjectives can be formed from

Some adjectives are formed from

Boy: boyish
Care: careful
Hope: hopeful
Shame: shameless
Sense: senseless
Silk: silken
Dirt: dirty
Gold: golden
Glory: glorious
Man: manly
King: kingly

Adjectives can also be formed from other

.

Talk (verb): talkative (adjective)

Move (verb): movable (adjective)

Black (adjective): blackish (adjective)

White (adjective): whitish (adjective)
Sick (adjective): sickly (adjective)

Common suffixes noun to adjective word form

SUFFIX

NOUN

ADJECTIVE

accident

accidental

-(I)AN (historical period, etc)

Victoria

Victorian

-ARY (relating to quality or place)

custom

customary

-FUL (full of)

beauty

beautiful

-IC (having the nature of; caused by)

athlete

athletic

-ICAL (having the nature of)

magic

magical

-ISH (origin, nature, have the quality of)

fool

foolish

-LESS (without)

power

powerless

-LIKE (like)

life

lifelike

-LY (like, have this quality)

friend

friendly

-OUS (quality, nature)

poison

poisonous

-Y (like)

rain

rainy

-AL

(relating to)

Practice:

brute

brutal

region

regional

moment

momentary

caution

cautionary

wonder

wonderful

awe

awful

base

basic

history

historic

logic

logical

self

selfish

child

childish

worth

worthless

friend

friendly

war

warlike

lady

ladylike

month

monthly

cost

costly

nerve

nervous

danger

dangerous

dirt

dirty

fun

funny

universe

universal

NOUN

CHILD

CONFIDE
CRISP
FUN
TACT

TASTE
WORTH

SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS

It was
It was

behavior (behavior). having immature behavior, negative

behavior. qualities like a child, positive

We are
The message is
It is a
It is a
We had a
We saw a

about winning. sure

. private

day, today. cool and dry

cracker. thin and crunchy (makes a pleasant sound)
time at the movies. amusing
movie. causing laughter

The general made a

advance. military move
He is a
politician. having skills handling situations

Your food is
You are a
He is a
He is a

. having a good taste

dresser. having good judgment for fashion
competitor. having good value, character
competitor. having no value or importance

Common suffixes verb to adjective word form

SUFFIX

VERB

ADJECTIVE

-ABLE (capable, can do)

agree

agreeable

-IBLE (capable, can do)

access

accessible

-ANT

please

pleasant

-ENT

excel

excellent

-FUL (full of)

boast

boastful

-IVE causing effect

attract

attractive

-ING causing effect

amuse

amusing

-ED receiving effect

amuse

amused

-EN receiving effect

freeze

frozen

Practice:

expand

expandable

resist

resistant

force

forcible

urge

urgent

rely

reliable

possess

possessive

create

creative

relax

relaxing

excite

exciting

remark

remarkable

sense

sensible

differ

different

ignore

ignored

surprise

surprised

confide

confidant

shorten

shortened

select

selective

widen

widened

confuse

confused

darken

darkened

flex

flexible

prevent

preventive

VERB

AWE
DEPEND

SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS

It was an
It was an
We have two
We have two
promises

movie. having a great quality, inspiring

movie. having a terrible quality
children. needing someone for care
children. having a nature of completing

The
The
about

child was playing. having a good nature

car was powered with tequila. impossible to be serious

LIGHT

She has
She has

hair. a natural quality

hair. an unnatural/changed quality

LOVE

He is a
He is a

son. having a quality of giving love

son. having a nature of attracting love

LAUGH

SELECT
SENSE

He is
a bout what he eats. having a quality of being choosy
They are selling
items. particular, carefully chosen

He is a
He is a

person. reasonable
person. easily irritated or hurt

-a

typical

atypical

-an

hydrous

anhydrous

-anti

social

antisocial

-dis

honest

dishonest

-il

legal

illegal

-im

possible

impossible

-in

active

inactive

-ir

regular

irregular

-non

existent

nonexistent

-un

kind

unkind

In most cases, these prefixes are not interchangeable, so we do not have *unlegal
or *apossible, for instance.

Practice by rephrasing the following sentences,

as in the given model:
The program has one step.

It is a one-step program.

This ladder has only five steps.

This is a five-step ladder.

The book has two hundred pages.

It is a two-hundred pages book.

Bruce worked out for five minutes.

Bruce had a holiday for ten days.

I would like two eggs for breakfast.

Bruce had a five-minute work out.

Bruce had a ten-day holiday.

He weighted nine pounds at his birth.

I would like a two-egg breakfast.

Their car has two doors.

He was a nine-pound baby at his birth.

This cake has three layers of cream.

Theirs is a two-door car.

Her heels were four inches high.

She cooked us a dinner with five
courses.

He lifted a weight of 300 pounds .

This is a three-layer-cream cake.

She cooked us a five-courses dinner.

He lifted a 300-pound weight .

The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing for people
learning English as a second language. It takes a lot of practice with a language before
this order becomes instinctive, because the order often seems quite arbitrary.

Practice by ordering these words :

1. My smelly old Maths teacher

2. A perfect new system

3. A small old black Turkish box
4. A fantastic 18th century Scottish castle
5. A friendly fat young man
6. A horrible greedy businessman
7. Our boring tall headmaster
8. A big old brown bear
9. A long dark wodden table

10. An arrogant middle-class student

11. A beautiful old Spanish city

12. A nasty spoilt little boy

13. Our nice French arts teacher
14. A gorgeous green-eyed girl

Practice:

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5. Adjectives ending in -ed or ing

-ed adjectives

-ing adjectives

Adjectives that end -ed describe

emotions they tell us

Adjectives that end -ing describe

a
boring lesson makes you feel bored.

I was very
in the Maths lesson. I
almost fell asleep.

Have you seen that film? Its absolutely

.

He was
to see Helen. Shed
told him she was going to Australia.

I could listen to him for hours. Hes one

of the most
people Ive ever
met.

Feeling
bed.

and

, he went to

I cant eat this! Its

it?

! What is

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6. Degrees of adjectives

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

6.1.2 The comparative for long adjectives
6.1.3 Types of comparison
(equality, inequality, superiority,
inferiority)

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

A) Adjectives with one syllable:

positive

comparative

clean

clean

new

new

cheap

cheap

small

small

strong

strong

France is

Argentina.

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

B) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in

positive

comparative

nice

nic

late

lat

simple

simpl

safe

saf

rude

rud

His brother is

him.

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

C) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in

positive

comparative

happy

happi

heavy

heavi

lucky

lucki

friendly

friendli

You are

most.

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

D) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in a

positive

pattern:

comparative

big

bigg

thin

thinn

fat

fatt

sad

sadd

hot

hott

Yesterday was

today.

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

E) Irregular Adjectives:
positive

comparative

good
bad

far
little*
many/much

The first Ice Age film

The third Ice Age film was
I got lost. The hotel was

than the second one.

the second one.
I thought.

6.1.2 The comparative for long adjectives

positive

comparative

expensive

expensive

pleasant

pleasant

interesting

interesting

dangerous

dangerous

beautiful

beautiful

The Da Vinci Code is

Tokyo is

Angels and Demons.

New York.

Positive Form

Comparative

wise

wiser than

famous

more famous than

bright

brighter than

rich

richer than

hungry

hungrier than

high

higher than

jealous

more jealous than

polite

more polite than

strong

stronger than

difficult

more difficult than

boring

more boring than

crazy

crazier than

dull

duller than

fancy

fancier than

exciting

more exciting than

annoyed

more annoyed than

Fill in the blanks with the comparative forms of the adjectives indicated
in brackets:

1. The pears are _______________ than the plums. (hard)

2. The roses are ______________ than the nasturtiums.
(beautiful)
3. The tomatoes are _______________ than the apples.
(expensive)
4. My bicycle is _______________ than yours. (new)
5. Cold lemonade is _______________ than water.
(refreshing)
6. The front yard is _______________ than the back yard.
(big)
7. This map is _______________ than that one. (good)
8. Spinach is ______________ than Swiss chard. (delicate)
9. His room is _______________ than yours. (tidy)
10. Her report is _______________ than ours. (accurate)

6.1.3 Types of comparative

+
as + adjective + as

a) She is as tall as me.

b) He is as intelligent as me.

Comparatives of Equality

Mary

is as

as

is as

tall

as

Mary is as tall as Sandra.

Sandra

6.1.3 Types of comparative

not as + adjective + as

a) She is not as tall as me.

b) He is not as intelligent as me.

Comparatives of Inequality

Mary

is not as

as

is not as

tall

as

Mary is not as tall as Sandra.

Sandra

Fill in the comparison with as ... as.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

John is (tall)
Glen.
Janet is (beautiful)
Jeniffer.
You are (crazy)
my sister.
We can run (fast)
they can.
My mom is (not / strict)
your mum.
Your mobile phone is (not / trendy)
mine.
Matrix II was (not / interesting)
Matrix I.
This yoghurt (not / taste / good)
the
one I bought yesterday.
9. I can do (many / press-ups)
you.
10. I (not / earn / much /money)
you
do.

not as thin as

as thin as

not as high as

as old as

as tired as

not as rich as

not as warm as

as big as

not as small as

not as smart as

as nervous as

not as young as

as cheap as

not as responsible as

as boring as

as beautiful as

not as important as

not as easy as

as interesting as

as happy as

Someone whose vision is

very poor, or who is unable to
see anything, is (as) blind as
a bat.

Without his glasses, the old man is as blind as a bat.

Something as clean
as a whistle is
extremely clean.
This can also mean
that a person's
criminal record is
clean.

Bob spent the afternoon washing and shining his car until it was as clean
as a whistle.

A person who is as cool as a

cucumber is not anxious, but relaxed
and non-emotional.

The bride's mother stayed as cool as a cucumber all through

the ceremony.

Two people who are as

different as chalk and
cheese are completely
different from each other.

I'm surprised they get on so well. They're as different as chalk

and cheese.

A person who is as fit as a fiddle is in an

excellent state of health or physical
condition.

My grandfather is nearly ninety but he's as fit as a fiddle.

If someone is as free
as a bird, they are
completely free to do
as they please.

My dad's very happy - he's as free as a bird since he retired.

A person who is always alert

and ready to go.

How can you be fresh as a daisy so early

in the morning?

If someone is as keen as
mustard, they are very
eager, enthusiastic or
motivated.

We should ask Emily to join the team. She's as keen as mustard.

To say that someone

is as mad as a hatter
means that they are
very strange or insane.

The old lady next door is as mad as a hatter. She says the strangest things!

A person who is as
proud as a peacock is
extremely proud.

When his son won first prize, Bill was as proud as a peacock.

Someone who is as sly

as a fox is cunning and
clever at getting what
they want, especially by
deceiving or tricking
people.

Be wary of that insurance salesman. He's as sly as a fox.

If someone is as
stubborn as a
mule, they are
very obstinate and
unwilling to listen
to reason or
change their
mind.

His friends advised him to accept the offer, but you know Larry - he's as
stubborn as a mule!

Two people who fight or argue like cat and

dog frequently have violent arguments,
even though they are fond of each other.

They fight like cat and dog but they're still together after 30 years.

To say that a person is attracted to

someone or something like a moth to a
flame means that the attraction is so strong
they cannot resist.

He's drawn to the casino like a moth to a flame.

Two people who are like two

peas in a pod are very similar in
appearance.

The two brothers are very alike - they're like two peas in a pod!

as hungry as a bear

as innocent as a lamb

as quiet as a mouse

6.1.3 Types of comparative

much + (comparative) + than

a) She is much taller than me.

b) He is much more intelligent than
me.

6.1.3 Types of comparative

INFERIORITY

Less + adjective + than

a) July is less cold than January.

b) He is less intelligent than me.

6.1.4 Constructions with comparative

a) Gradual increase:
Those exercises are getting EASIER AND EASIER. OR
Those exercises are getting MORE AND MORE EASY.
The weather is getting NICER AND NICER. OR
The weather is getting MORE AND MORE NICE.
The rent of our flat is getting MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE.

b) Parallel increase: (THE + comparative ...... THE + comparative).

THE MORE I see you THE MORE I want you.
THE HOTTER, THE BETTER.
THE MORE he studies, THE BETTER he becomes.

6. Degrees of adjectives

6.2.1 The superlative for short adjectives

6.2.2 The superlative for long adjectives

6.2.1 The superlative for short adjectives

A) Adjectives with one syllable:

positive

comparative

clean

the clean

new

the new

cheap

the cheap

small

the small

strong

the strong

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world.

6.2.1 The comparative for short adjectives

B) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in

positive

comparative

nice

the nic

late

the lat

simple

the simpl

safe

the saf

rude

the rud

His brother is the

6.1.1 The comparative for short adjectives

C) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in

positive

comparative

happy

the happi

heavy

the heavi

lucky

the lucki

friendly

the friendli

You are the

person in the world.

6.2.1 The comparative for short adjectives

D) Adjectives with one syllable, ending in a

positive

pattern:

Comparative

big

the bigg

thin

the thinn

fat

the fatt

sad

the sadd

hot

the hott

Yesterday was the

day ever.

6.2.1 The comparative for short adjectives

E) Irregular Adjectives:
positive

good
bad

far

comparative

the
the

the

little*

the

many/much

the

The first Ice Age film is the

of all the three.

6.2.2 The superlative for long adjectives

positive
expensive
pleasant

comparative
the
the

expensive
pleasant

interesting

the

interesting

dangerous

the

dangerous

beautiful

The English Patient is the

Tokyo is the

the

beautiful

film Ive ever seen.

city in the world.