8.

Adjectives

Definition of Adjective:

 It is a word that modifies a noun that could be a

pronoun; a person; a place or a thing).

e.g.1. The new student has arrived.

e.g.2. she is nice.
 In English, we should start with the size or the shape
ten the color unlike other languages.
e.g. Big black cat. (it describes what does the noun look
like).

Categories of Adjectives:

1.Predicative Adjective( pred. adj.): comes after the verb,

separated from the subject by the verb.

e.g. she is beautiful.

2. Possessive Adjective( poss.adj.):

 it is related to the pronoun “my, your, their, ours, hers.

e.g. My time is over.

3.Demonstrative Adjective(Dem.Adj.): that /this /these/ those.

 E.g. These questions have been answered.

Adjectives can be either fact adjectives or opinion adjectives.

a)Fact Adjectives/ or factual:

They give us factual information, truth information about the noun.

They qualify color, age, size, shape. E.g. little, yellow cat.

b) Opinion Adjectives:

1. They express an opinion” subjectivism”.

2. We always put opinion adjective then fact adjective when we

deal with two adjectives in one sentence ( multiple adjectives).

e.g. This is beautiful blue car.

3. When we have more than one fact adjective used with the same
noun, we generally follow this order:

1. How big size

1. How long Length

2. How old age

3. What color color

4. What shape shape

5. Where from origin

 7.what is it made of material

Example:

This is a beautiful, large, round, wooden table.

Note:

When there are two or more colors adjectives used with the same
noun, we use “and” at the end of the list of color adjectives.

E.g. She is carrying a green, white and red flag.

2. Compound Adjectives:

Are two or more words used to form a single adjective generally

joined by a hyphen.

E.g. She is a twenty- two years old.

Some adjectives are followed by one or more prepositions.

e.g. angry with, proud of, absent from, familiar with.

Note:

The form of the adjective is the same for singular nouns and plural
nouns.
E.g.1. Paul is holding a red apple.

E.g.2. There is some red apples in the plate.

9. Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

a) Comparative Adjectives:
1. When we compare two or more things, people in the group
we use the comparative form.
E.g. Africa is hotter than America. “Than” is used in here
because we are comparing two things.
2. When the adjective is less than two syllables (one- syllable
adjective) the comparative is formed by adding “er” to the
adjective.
e.g . It is easier than the other test. (Comparison of two tests)

Adjective comparison

Small Smaller

Fast Faster

Tall Longer

Short Shorter

Long Higher

cheap cheaper
3. The comparative of a one-syllable adjective ending in a
consonant is formed by adding another consonant+ er.
e.g. bigger, hotter, fatter, slimmer.
 Exception: adjectives ending in “w” and “y” do not double
their last consonant. Slower, narrower, newer, gayer.
4. The comparative of two-syllable adjectives ending in “y”
take “er” and the “y” is changed to “I”.
5. Comparative of equality:
a) Affirmative form: it is formed by adding “as” before and
after the adjective. E.g. My time is as expensive as yours.
b) Negative form: it is formed by adding “ not as” or “not
so” before the adjective and “as” after the adjective.
E.g. your handwriting is not as good as mine.
Examples:

heavy heavier

healthy healthier

muggy muggier

b) Superlative Adjectives:
It is used to compare one thing in a group with all of the other
things in a group.

Example: john is the smallest person in the family.

 Note that there is “the” the definite article before the
superlative adjective because we are referring to one
specific thing which is john and comparing it with the
others.
a) How to modify a superlative adjective:
1. “One of the+ superlative adjective+ plural noun”.
E.g. Great Britain is one of the richest countries in the world.
2. “Some of the+ superlative+ plural”.
Example: London and Paris are some of the most expensive
cities in the world.
3. We can also modify superlative with an ordinal number.

Cardinal number Ordinal number

one first

two second

three third

four fourth

Example: john is the second smallest person in the group.

 4. We can replace “the” with a possessive pronoun.(possessive+
superlative). E.g. Math is her hardest module.
b) Form:
1. One syllable adjective add “est” +the definite article  
“the” before the adjective.

Adjective Superlative

Small The smallest

Tal l The tallest

short The shortest

Fast The fastest

Long The longest

Hot The hotest

High The highest

Example: Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.

2. For one syllable adjective ending in “e”: we add “st” to

form superlative like: finest and rarest.
E.g. Susan is the nicest girl in the classroom.
3. For one syllable adjective ending in (c.v.c) a consonant,
vowel and consonant we double the last consonant and
add “est”.
 E.g. Spain is the hottest country in Europe.
4. For most two syllables adjectives, we use “the most+
adjective”.

Adjective Superlative

Famous The most famous

Pleasant The most pleasant

Beautiful The most beautiful

Useful The most useful

Careful The most careful

Dangerous The most dangerous

Interesting The most interesting

5. Two syllable adjective ending in “y”: we change the “y”

to “I” and we add “est”.

Adjective Superlative

Busy Busiest

Funny funniest

Easy Easiest
 6. Two syllable adjective ending in “er”, “ie”, “ow” we
usually add “est”.

Adjective Superlative

Healthy The healthiest

Clever The cleverest

Gentle The gentlest

narrow The narrowest

wealthy The wealthiest

Heavy The heaviest

Scanty The scantiest

Example: Islam is the cleverest boy in the class.( this means that
he is the most intelligent.

7. Long adjectives with three (3) or more syllables, we

always use “the most+ adjective”. This is called the
superlative of superiority.

Adjective Superlative

Complicated The most Complicated

Enjoyable The most Enjoyable

 Interesting The most Interesting

Comfortable The most Comfortable

Powerful The most Powerful

Example: This is the most interesting book that I have ever read.

8. The superlative of inferiority: it is formed by putting

“the least” before the adjective. E.g. the least powerful, the
least dangerous, the least interesting.

Note: There are irregular superlative adjectives where there are no

rules and therefore, we have to learn them.

Little The least

Good The Best

Bad The Worst

Many The most

Exercise01: Complete the following table.

Positive words Comparative Superlative

Describe one Compare two Compare three

noun only nouns or more nouns

Smart

Happier than

The best

funny

Bigger than

Worse than

Old

Fast

Heavy

the prettiest

Bad

Many

Less

Most dangerous

More famous

farthest
 Much

Little

Exercise02: Circle the correct option to express the superlative.

1. This idea is….. than the previous one.

a) Useful; b) useful as; c) more useful.
2. Can you name some of ….. buildings in the world.
a) So high; b) higher; c) the highest.
3. My brother is three years….. than me.
a) Young; b) younger; c) the youngest.
4. I think spring is….. Season of the year.
a) Beautiful; b) more beautiful; c) the most beautiful.