Unit – 3 Adjectives and Determiners

1. Definition
2. Kinds of Adjectives
Adjectives of quality
3. Degrees of Comparison
Comparative degree
Superlative degree
4. Comparatives and Superlatives
5. Comparison: structure
6. Determiners
7. Categories of Determiners
8. Differences between Adjectives and Determiners
9. Determiners: Usage
Definition
Adjective says something more about a noun. It has comparative and superlative forms as well.
Adjectives in English are not affected by number or gender or case because they do not have to
agree with the noun they modify.
Kinds of Adjectives- Adjectives are of five kinds.
1. Adjective of Quality
2. Adjective of Quantity
3. Adjective of Number
4. Demonstrative Adjective
5. Distributive Adjective
6. Interrogative Adjective
7. Possessive Adjective
8. Emphasizing Adjective
9. Exclamatory Adjective
10. Proper Adjective
1. Adjectives of quality- They describe the shape, or size, or colour etc. of a person or
thing. Examples- black, white, long, short, good, bad, hot, cold etc.
 Milk is white.
 Today is a cold day.
 Fire is hot.

2. Adjectives of Quantity: Quantitative Adjectives answer the question how much?

 I need little milk.
 I had some tea.
3. Adjectives of Number: As the name implies, Adjectives of number denote numbers.
They can be:
 i) Definitive Numeral Adjectives: Used to denote exact numbers.
 Give me five pencils.
 I have one pencil with me.
ii) Indefinite Numeral Adjectives: Do not denote a specific number.
 Give me some pens.
 Several students attended the meeting.
 Some of the players were tired after the match.
 A few people wanted to get the tickets.
 Many people feel that the law should be changed.
4. Demonstrative Adjectives: Demonstrative Adjectives point at a specific person or thing.
 This boy is my brother. (Which boy?)
 That dog is so adorable.
 He lives in this house.
 My friend preferred those plates.
 These books are too expensive.
 These fruits are spoiled.

5. Distributive Numeral Adjectives: Distributive Adjectives refer to each one of a number.

Words like each, every, either and neither fall in this category.
 The answers are worth 20 points each.
 Every day is a good day if you think of positive changes.
 you can park on either side of the street.
 Each of the students is to pay a fine.
 Our country expects every man to do his duty.
 Each student must take his turn.
 Every boy, girl, man, and woman was enjoying the fine weather.
 Neither side was secured.
 Mohammed wanted everyone to do his duty honestly & efficiently.
 Either reference will meet my need

6. Interrogative Adjectives: When words like what, which, whose are used with nouns to
ask questions; they are known as Interrogative Adjectives.
 Whose car is this?
 Which of the applicants has got the job?
 It’s the house whose door is painted red.
 What is your name?
 Which lecture did you attend?

 7. Possessive Adjectives: A possessive adjective ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our,"
"their") is similar or identical to a possessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective
and modifies a noun or a noun phrase, as in the following sentences:
 I can't complete my assignment because I don't have the textbook.
 Where’s my passport?
 The cat is sitting on its tail.
 please concentrate on your mistakes.
 What is your aim.
8. Emphasizing adjective: Emphasizing Adjectives lay stress on the proceeding noun.
The words used to emphasize a noun are called Emphasizing Adjectives. 'Very' and
'own' are the most commonly used emphasizing adjectives which are used to emphasize
some idea.
 Mind your own business.
 Mind your own language.
 I arranged it with my own efforts.
 You did it with your own hands.
 He has written all this with his own hands.
 She has seen him by her own eyes.
 That very CD I wanted to have and I got it.
 This is the very woman who quarrels with me.
 That is the very toy that my son wanted to buy.
 Sit in your own chair! That’s the very one I was talking about!
 That’s the perfect picture for our living room!

9. Exclamatory adjective- Exclamatory Adjectives indicate strong emotion

and Exclamatory Adjective is used with noun.
 What a charming child he is!
 What a beautiful girl she is!
 What an idea!
 What a popular game it is!
 What a management!
 What a beautiful flower it is!
 What a scene!
 What a picture!
9. Proper adjectives- Proper adjectives: Proper adjectives are adjectives derived from proper
nouns. In English, proper adjectives must begin with a capital letter. The proper adjectives in
the following sentences are underlined. Examples-
 I want to talk about American culture and tourists.
 He is an Australian citizen.
 I don’t like Pakistani dishes.
  Jerusalem the Palestinian capital has an interesting history.
 Many of my friends are nepalies.
 This house is a fine example of Islamic architecture.

The derivation of some proper adjectives from proper nouns is somewhat irregular. The spelling
of the following proper nouns and proper adjectives is a case in point.
Proper Noun Proper Adjective
America American
China Chinese
Germany German
Mexico Mexican
George Georgian
England English

Order of adjective in a sentence:

In general, the adjective order in English is:
1. Determiner: Words that work as articles and other limiters including numbers (a, an, the,
both, either, some, many, my, your, our, their, his, her, five, each, every, this, that…)
2. Observation (Opinion): In general, an opinion adjective explains what you think about
something (other people may not agree with you).
( good, bad, great, terrible, pretty, lovely, silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult,
comfortable/uncomfortable, ugly, awful, strange, delicious, disgusting, tasty, nasty,
important, excellent, wonderful, brilliant, funny, interesting, boring.)
3. Size and Shape: Adjectives that describe a factual or objective quality of the noun. A size
adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is and A shape adjective describes
the shape of something.
( huge, big, large, tiny, enormous, little, tall, long, gigantic, small, short,
minuscule. triangular, square, round, flat, rectangular.)
4. Age: An age adjective (adjective denoting age) tells you how young or old something or
someone is.
(young, old, new, ancient, six-year-old, antique, youthful, mature, modern, old-fashioned,
recent…)
5. Color: A color adjective (adjective denoting color), of course, describes the color of
something.
( red, black, pale, bright, faded, shining, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, pink, )
6. Origin: Denominal adjectives denoting source of noun.
( French, American, Canadian, Mexican, Greek, Swiss, Spanish, Victorian)
7. Material: Denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of.
( woollen, wooden, silk, metal, paper, gold, silver, copper, cotton, leather, polyester, nylon,
stone, diamond, plastic…)
8. Qualifier (Purpose): Final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun. A purpose adjective
describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with “-ing”.
( writing (as in “writing paper”), sleeping (as in “sleeping bag”), roasting (as in “roasting
tin”), running (as in “running shoes”).
Order of adjectives – examples
Quantity or Quality or Purpose or
Determiner Size Age Shape Color origin Noun
number opinion qualifier
A beautiful old Italian sports car
The three beautiful little gold plates
heart- red and
An amazing sofa
shaped white
More examples:
1. I love that beautiful old big green antique car that always parked at the end of the street.
[quality – age – size – color – proper adjective]
2. My sister has a big beautiful tan and white bulldog. [size – quality – color – color]
3. A wonderful old Italian clock. [opinion – age – origin]
4. A big square blue box. [dimension – shape – color]
5. A disgusting pink plastic ornament. [opinion – color – material]
6. Some slim new French trousers. [dimension – age – origin]
7. An amazing new American movie. [opinion – age – origin]
8. I bought a pair of black leather shoes. [color – material]
Adjective: Degrees

A significant formal feature of attributive adjectives is that they can be graded. This is known as
degrees of comparison. This is a property adjectives share with adverbs. There are three degrees
of comparison:
i) positive ii) comparative iii) Superlative
bold bolder boldest
sweet sweeter sweetest
long longer longest
Positive degree: various structure
i) With the positive degree as +adjective +as is used in the affirmative:
 He is as gentle as a lamb.
 Virtue is as important as money.
 She is as tall as him.
This construction indicates equality between two people or things.
Note: Some of the idiomatic comparisons are:
 as black as coal/ pitch  as bright as silver
 as brave as a lion  as busy as a bee
  as clear as crystal/day  as quiet as a mouse
 as cunning as a fox  as cunning as a fox
 as cold as ice  as red as blood
 as dry as dust/ bone  as cold as ice
 as easy as ABC  as sharp as a needle/razor
 as firm as a rock  as dry as dust/bone
 as fresh as a daisy  as smooth as velvet
 as gentle as a lamb  as easy as ABC
 as green as grass  as stupid as an ass
 as black as coal/pitch  as firm as a rock
 as happy as a lark  as sure as death
 as brave as a lion  as fresh as a daisy
 as hot as fire  as tough as leather
 as bright as silver  as gentle as a lamb
 as light as a feather  as white as snow
 as busy as a bee  as green as grass
 as proud as a peacock  as weak as a kitten
 as clear as crystal/day

ii) as ... as construction can be replaced by like in certain contexts:
1. She is as gentle as a lamb. i.e. She is gentle like a lamb.
2. He is as tall as me. i.e. He is tall like me.
Note:
a) as + noun/pronoun (object form)
1. She is as old as he.
2. He is not as generous as I.
b) as + noun/pronoun (subject form)
1. She works as hard as he (does).
2. I ran as fast as I could.
3. He is not as innocent as he looks.
4. He loves her as much I (do).

Comparative degree: various structure

i) An adjective in comparative degree is normally followed by than.
1. Tom is taller than John.
2. She is older than him.
3. This picture is more beautiful than that one.
ii) Comparative form + of + the two:
1. He is the wiser of the two.
 2. This is the better of the two.
iii) Comparative form + to (to is used with Latin comparatives)
1. He is junior to me.
2. She is senior to him.
iv) Preferable + to (to is used with preferable as well)
1. Fish is preferable to red meat.
2. Honey is preferable to sugar.
Note: a) preferable is not used with more.
Fish is more preferable to red meat. (wrong sentence)
b) than + noun/pronoun (object form)
In this construction ‘than’ is a preposition used before a noun/pronoun to express comparison
between two people or things. Since ‘than’ is a preposition here it takes a pronoun in the object
form:
1. He is taller than me.
2. He is older than her.
3. She is richer than him.
In this construction purists used to insist that the pronoun following than must be in the
subject form.
e.g. 'He is taller than I'
c) than + noun/pronoun (subject form)
In this construction than is a conjunction used after a comparative adjective/adverb to introduce
an adverb clause of comparison, so than takes a pronoun in the subject form:
1. She loves her more than I do (love her).
2. She is much better today than she was yesterday.
3. He earns much more than she (does).
4. She works harder than he (does) .

Superlative degree: various structure

Superlative degree is used in the structure the + superlative + of/in/on. This construction is used
to compare more than two people or things:
 This is the best offer of all.
 This is the oldest church in India.
 Everest is the highest peak on earth.
Note:
a) In this construction we can't use, all other, any other, anyone else, anybody else, anything else
1. She is the tallest of any other girls.
b) ‘of’ is used with people or things and ‘in’ and ‘on’ with place:
2. She is the best of the candidates.
3. He is the richest man in the village.
c) ‘the’ is obligatory before the superlative form of the adjective.
1. January is the coldest month.
2. This is the safest way.
3. Philosophy is the most difficult subject to learn.
d) However, ‘most’ is used in the following without a definite article.
1. Rashid is most unhappy. (meaning, very unhappy)
2. This is a most interesting story. (meaning, very interesting)
e) One of the + superlative + plural noun (This construction, too, is used to compare more than
two people or things.)
1. Kalidasa is one of the greatest poets.
2. jaisalmer is one of the hottest places in summer.
f) A plural noun is always used after the superlative:
1. One of the brightest objects.
2. One of the cheapest bags.

Comparatives and Superlatives: mFormatiom

1. Adjective+er/est
(Adjective of one syllable + ‘er’ in the comparative form and ‘est’ in
superlative form:
Positive comparative superlative
Tall taller tallest
Long longer longest
Short shorter shortest
Sweet sweeter sweetest
2. Adjective+r/st
( One syllable adjectives ending in ‘e’ add ‘r’ in the comparative form and
‘st’ in the superlative form.)
Positive comparative superlative
Fine finer finest
Brave braver bravest
Wise wiser wisest

3. Double Consonant +er\est

Positive comparative superlative
Big bigger biggest
Fat fatter fattest
Hot hotter hottest
Sad sadder saddest
Silm slimmer slimmest
thin thinner thinnest
 4. i + er/est
(If a one- syllable adjective ends in ‘consonant’ + ‘y’, y is changed into ‘i’ when er/est is added)
positive comparative
easy easier
dry drier
holy holier
funny funnier
happy happier
5. But vowel + y is not changed into i:
gay gayer gayest
6. Irregular forms
positive
comparative superlative
bad worse worst
good better best
well better best
little less least
much more most
many many most
far more farthest
far farther furthest
old further eldest
old elder older

1. Add ‘More’/ ‘most’

Adjectives of more than two syllables form their comparative/superlative by adding ‘more’ to the
comparative form and ‘most’ in the superlative:
Positive comparative superlative
Beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
Intelligent more intelligent most intelligent
Important more important most important

Interchange in degrees

Rules of Transformation of Degree (Positive, Comparative & Superlative) at a glance:

Superlative Comparative Positive

Subject + Subject + am/is/are/ was No other + object /
am/is/are/was/were/ verb + / were / verb + extension* + is/was/verb +
 the + superlative form + comparative form + so / as + positive form + as
object / extension. than any other + object / + subject.
1 extension.
Examples: Examples: Examples:
a) Rubi is the best girl in the a) Rubi is better than any a) No other girl in the class is as
class. other girl in the class. good as Rubi.
b) He was the wisest man in the b) He was wiser than any b) No other man in the village
village. other man in the village. was as / so wise as he.
c) Rana is the most intelligent c) Rana is more intelligent c) No other boy I have ever seen
boy I have ever seen. than any other boy I have is as intelligent as Rana.
ever seen.
Subject + Subject + No other +
am/is/are/was/were/ verb + am/is/are/was/were/ object/extension* +
the + superlative form + of verb + comparative is/was/verb + so / as +
any + object. form + than any other + positive form + as + subject.
2 object.
a) It burns the prettiest of a)It burns prettier than any a)No other wood burns so / as
any wood. other wood. pretty as it.
Subject + Subject + No other +
am/is/are/was/were/ verb + am/is/are/was/were/ object/extension* (singular
the + superlative form + of verb + comparative noun) + is / was / verb + so /
3 all +object (plural noun). form + than all other + as + positive form + as +
object (plural noun). subject.
a) Rubi is the tallest of all a) Rubi is taller than all a) No other girl in the class is as
girls in the class. other girls in the class. tall as Rubi.
b) He was the most b) He was more brilliant b) No other boy in the village
brilliant of all boys in than all other boys in was as / so brilliant as he.
the village. the village.
Subject + Subject + Very few + object /
am/is/are/was/were/ verb + am/is/are/was/were / extension (plural noun) * +
one of the +superlative verb + comparative are/were/verb + so/as +
4 form + object/extension form + than most other positive form + as + subject.
(plural noun). + object / extension
(plural noun).
a) Dhaka is one of the biggest a) Dhaka is bigger than
cities in Bangladesh. most other cities in a) Very few cities in
Bangladesh. Bangladesh are as big as
b) Mr. Rana was one of the b) Mr. Rana was more Dhaka.
most interesting persons. interesting than most b) Very few persons were as
c) Shakespeare is one of the other persons. interesting as Mr. Rana.
greatest dramatists. c) Shakespeare is greater c) Very few dramatists are as
than most other great as Shakespeare.
 dramatists.
Subject + verb + Object * + verb + not + so/as +
X Comparative form + than positive form + as + Subject.
5 + object.
a) Hasan is wiser than a) Rana is not so wise as Hasan.
Rana.

Examples-
1. Positive - I am not so wise as he.
Comparative - He is wiser than I.

2. Positive - Ram walks as fast as Mohan.

Comparative - Mohan does not walk faster than Ram.

3. Positive - No other city in India is so big as Calcutta.

Comparative - Calcutta is bigger than any other city of India.
Superlative - Calcutta is the biggest city in India.

4. Positive - No other poet of India was so great as Kalidas.

Comparative - Kalidas was greater than any other poet of India.
Superlative - Kalidas was the greatest poet of India.

5. Positive - Very few Indian leaders were as great as Mahatma Gandhi.

Comparative - Mahatma Gandhi was greater than most other Indian leaders.
Superlative - Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest Indian leaders.

6. Positive - Very few girls are as beautiful as Sonia.

Comparative - Sonia is more beautiful than most other girls.
Superlative - Sonia is one of the most beautiful girls.

7. Positive - This city is at least as calm as some other cities.

Comparative - Some cities are not calmer than this one.
Or
This city is not less calm than some cities.

8. Positive - Some boys are at least as brave as Ram.

Comparative - Ram is not braver than some other boys.
Or
Some boys are not less brave than Ram.
Superlative - Ram is not the bravest of all boys.
9. Positive - I have never seen so beautiful a building as the Taj.
 Comparative - The Taj is more beautiful than any other building that I have ever seen.
Superlative - The Taj is the most beautiful building that I have ever seen.
10. Positive - The other boy does not behave as politely as Mohan.
Comparative - Mohan behaves more politely of the two boys.
11. Positive - I did not expect him to be so brave.
Comparative - He is braver than I expected.
12. Positive - I did not think it would be so difficult.
Comparative - It was more difficult than I thought.

13. Positive - It is not as cheap to buy a new one as to repair the old one.
Comparative - It is cheaper to repair the old one than to buy a new one.

14. Positive - Talking to him is not as convenient as writing to him.

Comparative - Writing to him is more convenient than talking to him.

Determiners
A determiner signals the coming of a noun in a sentence.
Determiners fall into the following categories:
A. articles
a, an, the
B. possessives
my, our, your, his, her, their, its
C. demonstratives
this, that, these, those
D. distributives
each, every, either, neither
E. number expressions
another, many, several, some, any, no, few, enough, a number of, a lot , of, lots of,
plenty of, some of, many of, one, two, three ... (cardinal numbers)
F. quantifiers
much" some, no, any, little, enough, a lot of, lots of, plenty of, much of, some of
G. interrogatives
what, which
Differences between Adjectives and Determiners
i) The form of adjectives can change,
tall taller tallest
Determiners, on the other hand, have an invariant form.
a boy, the girl
ii) An adjective can be used before a noun, or as a complement to 'to be'. But determiner comes
only before a noun.
 adjective determiner
A good book. This is my book
This book is good. every book
iii) More than one adjective can be used to modify a noun, but more than one determiner is not
allowed in a noun phrase.
a) She is a tall beautiful girl.
iv) A determiner always comes before an adjective, not after it.
a) a red pen
b) her new hat
Determiners: Usage
Derminers of number/quantity
A. Some and any
i) some is used with affirmative verbs:
 I have got some milk. (not, any milk)
 He has got some good friends. (not, any friends)
ii) any is used with negative verbs:
 I haven't got any gold. (not some gold)
 She hasn't got any dogs. (not some dogs)
Note: any is used with negative adverbs as well. hardly, scarcely, barely, never, neither, nor,
seldom, too.
 He has hardly any money.
 She has never written any poems.
 He is too poor to buy any gold rings.
 They seldom go for any function.
 She is rich enough to buy some gold rings. (But enough takes some, because it is positive
in meaning.)
iii) any is used after if or whether and expressions of doubt:
 Ring me up if you need any help. (not some)
 I don't think you will have any difficulty here. (not some)
 asked her if/whether she had any money with her. (not some)
iv) Either some or any can be used in ordinary questions:
 Have you got some ink?
 Have you got any ink?
A question like this is indifferent to the response, so the reply can be either positive
(yes) or negative (no):
 Will you buy some fish? Yes, I will. No, I won't.
 Have you got any milk? Yes, I have. No, I haven't.
v) A question expressing request takes some:
 Could you give me some milk, please? (not any milk)
vi) A question expecting a positive response takes some:
  Have you got some eggs? Yes, I have.
vii) In an affirmative sentence any means 'no matter who/which/what', i.e., 'no one in particular':
 Any option is feasible.
 You may call on me any day you like.
viii) some can be used with a singular countable noun that is vague or unknown:
 Some gentleman is waiting to see you.
ix) some can be used before definite numbers to mean 'approximately' or 'about':
 There are some twenty people at the gate.
x) some can be used before a noun to mean considerable number or amount or extent:
 That is some help/relief/satisfaction.
 He is really some poet/singer.
Note:
‘Any’ is not possible in place of ‘some’ in any of the cases from viii-x.
a) not any/no any
 no any is never used instead of not any.
 She hasn't got any rings. (not no any rings).
b) no/not any
 He hasn't got any friends. (not He has got no friends.)
c) some/any/no +nouti
They can be used as adjectives of number and as adjectives of quantity. So they can be used with
a countable or an uncountable noun. With countable nouns, the form is plural:
 She has some friends.
 He doesn't need any money.
 They did not sell any calendars.
 She has no toys.
But the noun is in the singular form when not any/no means 'not even one/not a single':
 He has no telephone (not even one car)
 She has no umbrella. (not even one umbrella)
 He hasn't got any house. (not even one house.)
So the choice of a singular or plural noun depends on the meaning of no/any i.e.,
'not some/not one'.
B. No and none
i) no behaves like a determiner but none doesn't, so we can use no + noun but not none + noun:
 He has no gold. (not none gold)
 This chair has no arms. (not none arms)
ii) no «noun can be used to express contrast/the opposite:
 He is no scholar. (He is not a scholar)
 She is no beauty. (She is not beautiful)
iii) no + good
In this construction good is treated as a noun because by origin it is a noun meaning advantage;
so no is used as determiner.
 It's no good repenting now.
C. All and both
i) These are predeterminers and are therefore followed by a determiner.
 All the boys are playing.
 Both these cars are white.
 All his friends deserted him.
D. Another/other
i) another is always used with a singular noun:
 Tell me another story.
 He is now engaged to another girl.
ii) Other meaning 'the second of the two' takes a singular noun:
 The other bank of this river is very dirty.
ii) other or the other can take a singular or plural noun:
 I will talk to you some other time.
 John is intelligent but the other boys are dull.
Note: another is not used with an or the because it is a determiner:
 I would like another cup of tea. (not, an another)
 This pen is broken. Give me another please. (not an another/the another one)
E. Much and many
i) much is used before singular uncountable nouns to denote quantity:
 He hasn't got much courage. (not, many)
 I haven't got much time. (not, many)
ii) many is used before plural countable nouns to denote number:
 I haven't got many passes. (not, much)
 She hasn't got many 'options. (not, much)
iii) much and many are used with how to ask questions:
 How many dogs have you got?
 How much coffee do you want?
iv) much and many are usually used in negative and interrogative sentences:
 There isn't much squash in this bottle.
 There aren't many girls in my class.
 Was much money wasted over the project?
 Were many men hurt in the firing?
v) many modifying an object in affirmative sentences is preferably replaced by these
determiners. a number of, a lot of, lots of, plenty of
 She bought a number of combs.
 He has got a lot of shoes.
  She has bought plenty of vegetables.
vi) much modifying an object in an affirmative sentence is usually replaced by these determiners.
a lot of, plenty of, a large quantity of, a good deal of, a great deal of
 We have had a lot of rain this year.
 He has plenty ofleisure.
vii) much and many are used in affirmative sentences when they are modified by so as/too/how.
so many boys, so much noise, as many questions, as much gold, too many problems, too much
pain, how many teachers, how-much butter.
 Talking about the past causes him too much pain.
viii) many an/a takes a singular countable noun:
 Many a tree has been cut down.
 Many an egg is rotten.
 Plenty of trees have been cut down.
F. Few and little
i) few denotes number. Plural countable nouns are used with few, a few, and the few:
 I have few hopes in life
 The children played for a few minutes.
 They sold the few dogs that they had.
ii) little denotes quantity, so singular uncountable nouns are used with little, a little, and the little:
 She has little confidence in herself.
 All I ask for is a little help from you.
 I have spent the little money I had.
iii) few and little are used in a negative sense because they mean 'not any'
 He has few friends. (i.e., no friends)
 He has little money. (i.e., no money)
 a few and a little are positive, they mean some:
 He has a few friends. (i.e., some friends)
 He has a little money. (i.e., some money)
iv) the few means 'not many, but all that are there', the little means 'not much, but all that is
there'.
 I have already read the few books that I have. (not a few)
 He has spent the little money he had. (not a little)
 the few/the little + noun is usually followed by :l relative clause.
 The few statues (that) he bought are damaged.
 She has sold the few horses (that) she used to keep.
G. Distributives each and every
i) each is used for two or more people/things.
ii) every is used for more than two people/things. Every is not used of only
two.
  I saw two movies last week. Each of them had a murder plot. (not every movie)
 There are six electronics shops in this street. Each shop is selling radios at a discount.
(not every shop)
iii) Both each and every take a singular countable noun, not an uncountable noun:
 Each city in India is famous for its variety. (not, cities)
 Every ritual has a meaning. (not, rituals)
iv) Every can be used with plural expressions indicating 'intervals in time and space': every three
hours, every few kilometers
 He has to take medicine every four hours.
 She was stopped every two kilometers by her fans.
v) each + of can function as a predeterminer, every + of cannot
 Each of the boys/them has a bag.
 Every of the boys/them has a hat. (wrong)
H. Either and neither
i) either means one of the two:
 You can take either half of this apple.
ii) neither means 'not one nor the other of the two':
 There are two reports about the accident. Neither report is true.
 Thus both either and neither are used for only two people or things.
iii) When the number is greater than two, either/neither is replaced by any:
 I have six copies of the novel. You can take any copy you like.
 I can't spare any copies of the novel.
iv) either and neither take a singular countable noun: either side, neither report.
Note:
a) either and both
Either means 'both/each of the two' when the existence of the one implies the existence of the
other, i.e. when two things are complementary to each other: '
 either side of a road (both sides)
 either bank of a river (both banks)
I. Demonstratives
In English an adjective has the same form for both singular and plural nouns but demonstratives
show agreement of number between a demonstrative adjective and its noun:
i) this/that takes a singular noun, these/those takes a plural noun.
 This car is brown. These cars are blue.
 That girl is tall. Those girls are tall.
Note: these or those kind of or sort of is permissible only in colloquial style:
 I don't like these kind of movies.
J. Possessives
Possessives are like adjectives in that they can come in a prenominal (i.e. before a noun) position
and also in the complement position of be. But unlike adjectives, possessives have distinct forms
in these two positions. We may refer to these two uses of possessives as
a) the determiner use
 This is my book.
b) the predicative use.
 This book is mine.
ii) A (determiner) possessive is made emphatic by using own/very own after it:
 This is my own car.
 That is her very own house.
iii) A possessive + noun denoting the part of one's body or dress/clothing is preferably replaced
by the + noun:
 I hit him on his head. (I hit him on the head.)
 He caught her by her hair. (He caught her by the hair.)
 I caught him by his collar. (I caught him by the collar.)
K. Interrogatives
i) What is used to ask general questions about colour/shape/size etc.:
 What colour is the sky?
 What size (of shoes) do you want?
Note: a) what + age/length/height etc. is normally expressed by how + adjective:
 What age is she? = Howald is she?
 What height are you? = How tall are you?
b) But what + colour/shape/size can't be replaced by how:
 What colour is gold?
 What shape is this table?
Exercises

I. Choose the right alternative:

1. This girl is the wisest all. (of/than)
2. He is the of the two. (stronger/strongest)
3. He is junior me but senior her. (to/than- to/than)
4. This is the temple in India. (oldest/eldest)
5. He is richer than . (anyone else/any)
6. This route is of all. (the most shortest/shortest)
7. This pen is than that. (more cheaper/cheaper)
8. Chicken is preferable red meat. (to/than)
9. He is duller than . (all other boys/all boys)
10. The climate of Delhi is better than . (London/that of London)
11. I am feeling very . (hungry/hungrily)
12. It is getting . (colder and colder/cold and cold)
II. Choose the correct one from the pairs given
example (1):
1. a) It is nonsense sheer.
b) It is sheer nonsense. \/
2. a) Could you give me some sugar, please?
b) Could you give me any sugar, please?
3. a) He is going to buy an another car.
b) He is going to buy another car.
4. a) She is too poor to give me some money.
b) She is too poor to give me any money.
5. a) My hair is shorter than Mary.
b) My hair is shorter than Mary's.
6. a) I would rather resign than flatter my boss.
b) I would rather resign than to flatter my boss.
7. a) All these women are fond of gossip.
b) These all women are fond of gossip.
8. a) My elder brother always gives me toffee.
b) My older brother always gives me toffee.
9. a) This book is unique.
b) This book is the most unique.
10. a) It is not so easy to cook as to eat.
b) It is not so easy to cook as eat.
11. a) She is elder than her brother.
b) She is older than her brother.
12. a) I am fairly better today.
b) I am rather better today.
III. Fill in the blanks choosing the right word:
1. Tom is than John. (elder, older)
2. This cloth is to that. (better, superior)
3. There are girls than boys here. (less, fewer)
4. This is the tree in the forest. (oldest, eldest)
5. Which is the of the three sons? (wiser, wisest)
6. Which is , March or May? (hotter, hottest)
7. This is best book in the market. (very the, the very)
8. I saw her ago. (few days, a few days)
9. He is rich as her. (so, as)
10. He is older than . (me, I)
11. She is as tall as . (he, him)
12. This flower smells . (sweet, sweetly)
IV. Put a V against the correct phrase:
1. a) neither girl
b) neither girls
2. a) a few money
b) a little money
3. a) not some pens
b) not any pens
4. a) much easier
b) more easier
5. a) richer than all men
b) richer than all other men
6. a) quite impossible
b) more impossible
7. a) preferable to
b) preferable than
8. a) so old as him
b) as old as him
9. a) more important and
b) more and more important
V Correct the sentences, if necessary:
1. I have read a few books I had.
2. Tell me if you have some doubt.
3. He hit her on her head.
4. She is wiser than anybody here.
5. He has hardly some money.
6. His all sheep are white.
7 Milk is more preferable to fish.
8. He is taller than the two.
9. She is comparatively better today.
10. either courses of action are safe.
11. Lakshmi is wiser than braver.
12. Preetha has got no any sister.
13. There are less tables than chairs here.
14 He is the dullest of all other boys.
15 This book is the much best of all.
16. I would prefer to die than to live in disgrace.
17 My car is much more cheaper than you.
18. She has spent little money she had.

Change the degrees of comparison in the sentences given below.

1. Lead is heavier than any other metal.

2. Susie is the tallest girl in the class.

3. Gold is more precious than silver.

4. Bombay is one of the biggest cities in India.

5. Wordsworth is the greatest of all English poets.

6. India is the largest democracy in the world.

7. The tiger is the most ferocious of all animals.

8. Asia is the largest continent in the world.

Answers

1. No other metal is as heavy as lead. / Lead is the heaviest of all metals.

2. No other girl in the class is as tall as Susie. / Susie is taller than any other girl in the class.

3. Silver is not as precious as gold.

4. Few Indian cities are as big as Bombay. / Bombay is bigger than most other Indian cities.

5. Wordsworth is greater than any other English poet. / No other English poet is as great as
Wordsworth.

6. No other democracy in the world is as large as India. / India is larger than any other
democracy in the world.

7. No other animal is as ferocious as the tiger. / The tiger is more ferocious than any other
animal.

8. No other continent is as large as Asia. / Asia is larger than any other continent in the world.

Change the degrees of comparison without changing the meaning of the sentence.

1. Iron is more useful than any other metal.

2. Platinum is the most precious metal.

3. The giraffe is taller than any other animal.

4. This box is not as heavy as that box.

5. Maria is prettier than Alice.

6. Shyam is the most intelligent boy in the class.

7. Tokyo is the most populous city in the world.

8. Mr. Yadav is the oldest member of the club.

9. Few playwrights write as interestingly as Bernard Shaw.

10. Mumbai is one of the richest cities in India.

Answers

1. Iron is the most useful metal. (Superlative) / No other metal is as useful as iron. (Positive)

2. Platinum is more precious than any other metal. (Comparative) / No other metal is as
precious as platinum. (Positive)

3. The giraffe is the tallest animal. (Superlative) / No other animal is as tall as giraffe. (Positive)

4. That box is heavier than this box. (Comparative)

5. Alice is not as pretty as Maria. (Positive)

6. Shyam is more intelligent than any other boy in the class. (Comparative) / No other boy in
the class is as intelligent as Shyam. (Positive)

7. Tokyo is more populous than any other city in the world. (Comparative) / No other city is
as populous as Tokyo. (Positive)

8. Mr. Yadav is older than any other member of the club. (Comparative) / No other member of
the club is as old as Mr. Yadav. (Positive)

9. Bernard Shaw writes more interestingly than most other playwrights. (Comparative - We
use the expression most other in this sentence because the word few was used in the comparison
with the positive adjective.)

10. Few cities in India are as rich as Mumbai. (Positive) / Mumbai is richer than most other
cities in India.