Adjectives Lesson 2

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Adjectives

1. What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that can be the only or main word in an adjective phrase
A large number of suffixes are added to nouns and verbs to make adjectives. Here are the
most common suffixes and words that exemplify them:
-able, -ible disposable, suitable, fashionable, audible
-al, -ial normal, cynical, racial, editorial
-ed wooded, boarded, wretched, crooked
-ful hopeful, playful, careful, forgetful
-ic romantic, atmospheric, heroic, atomic
-ical historical, political, paradoxical, economical
-ish amateurish, darkish, foolish, childish
-ive, -ative defective, communicative, attractive, affirmative
-less tactless, hopeless, harmless, restless
-ous, -eous, -ious famous, virtuous, erroneous, spacious
-y tasty, handy, wealthy, windy
The suffix -ed is often used to form adjectives from noun phrases: blue-eyed,
long-haired, goodnatured, open-minded.
Like nouns and verbs, many adjectives have no suffixes: sad, young, happy, true.
Some suffixes were part of the words when they were borrowed into English:
sensitive, virtuous.
2. Adjective classes
We can divide adjectives into three classes according to their function. Used alone
or with one or more modifiers, an adjective can be:
1. pre-modifier of a noun
2. subject complement
3. object complement
Adjectives are attributive (attributing a quality to what is denoted by a noun)
when they are being used as pre-modifiers. They are predicative (part of the
predicate) when they are being used as complements.
Central adjectives can be used in all three functions:
1. It was a comfortable ride. attributive
2. The ride was comfortable. predicative
3. I made the bed comfortable. predicative
Other examples of central adjectives include: clever, brave, calm, hungry, noisy.

Some adjectives are attributive only:


That is utter nonsense.
You are the very person I was looking for.
Other examples include: chief, main, sheer. Many words are restricted in this way
only in particular meanings. Old is only attributive in:
She is an old friend of mine. (‘a friend for many years’)
It is a central adjective in:
She is an old woman.
She is old.
I consider her old.
Some adjectives are predicative only:
He is afraid of dogs.
I am glad that you are here.
Some predicative adjectives must be followed by a post-modifier (cf. 4.21):
aware (of + noun phrase), loath (to + infinitive), subject (to + noun phrase). Some
words have this restriction only with particular meanings. Happy is only predicative
in:
We are happy to see you.
It is a central adjective in:
He has a happy disposition.
His disposition is happy.
We made him happy.
3. Gradability and comparison

Adjectives are typically gradable, that is, we can arrange them on a scale of comparison. So
we can say that something is a bit hot, somewhat hot, quite hot, very hot, or extremely hot. We
can also compare things and say that something is hotter than something else or that it is the
hottest of a number of things. We use intensifiers to indicate the point on the scale. The most
common intensifier of adjectives is the adverb very. Other examples of intensifiers, inaddition
to those already given, include:
Word Classes: fairly warm, entirely different, pretty difficult, incredibly dull , rather dark
There are three degrees of comparison:
1. higher
(a) Ann is politer than Michael. (comparative)
(b) Ann is the politest child in the family. (superlative)
We have a three-term contrast: absolute polite comparative politer, more polite superlative
politest, most polite.
2. same
Ann is as polite as Michael.
3. lower
(a) Ann is less polite than Michael.
(b) Ann is the least polite child in the family.
The superlatives in (1b) and (3b) are required when the comparison involves more
than two units or sets of units.
Higher degrees of comparison are expressed either through the inflections -er
and -est or through the pre-modifiers more and most:
absolute comparative superlative
inflection polite politer politest
pre-modifier polite more polite most polite
Some very common adjectives have irregular inflections:
absolute comparative superlative
good better best
bad worse worst
far farther/further farthest/furthest
Words of one syllable generally take inflections: older, oldest, purer, purest. Many
words of two syllables can usually take either form: politer, politest or more polite, most
polite, noisier, noisiest or more noisy, most noisy. Words with more than two syllables
take the pre-modifiers: more important, most important; more expensive, most expensive.

Exercises
1. Are the underlined adjectives gradable or ungradable? Suggest an appropriate
adverb to complete each sentence. Try to use a different adverb each time.
1 The play was __________ marvellous.
2 The answer is ________ simple.
3 His new flat is _______ enormous.
4 He was __________ devastated by the news.
5 The instructions were _________ complicated.
6 The answer was __________ absurd.
7 I was __________ disappointed.
8 The questions were _________ hard.
9 Her books are __________ popular.
10 I was _________ terrified by the film.
11 He's a(n) __________ successful artist.
12 He's a(n) __________ essential member of the team.

2. Put the adjectives in brackets in the correct position.


1 a beautiful table (wooden / round) ______________________________
2 an unusual ring (gold) ______________________________
3 an old house (beautiful) _______________________________
4 red gloves (leather) _______________________________
5 an American film(old) _______________________________
6 pink flowers (tiny) _______________________________
7 a long face (thin) _______________________________
8 big clouds (black) _______________________________
9 a sunny day (lovely) _______________________________
10 an ugly dress (yellow) _______________________________
11 a wide avenue (long) _______________________________
12 important ideas (new) _______________________________
13 a new sweater (green / nice) _______________________________
14 a metal box (black / small) ________________________________
15 long hair (black / beautiful) _______________________________
16 an old painting (interesting / French) _____________________________
17 a large umbrella (red / yellow) _______________________________
18 a big cat (black / white / fat) _______________________________

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