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Adjective denote a quality or a feature of an object.

Semantic characteristics

Morphological characteristics

Syntactic characteristics

qualitative adjectives (colour, shape)

black, round

relative adjectives qualify an object indirectly, through its relation to another object

woolen, golden

Qualitative adjectives have degrees of comparison

attribute (a poor man)

predicative (The man was poor)

Formation

suffixes

-able fashionable

-al magical

-ant important

-ar spectacular

-ary disciplinary

-ate delicate

-ial national

-ent patient

-esque picturesque

-ful faithful

-ian Iranian

-ible terrible

-ic melodic

-ical physical

-ious rebellious

-ish stylish

-ist racist

-ive selective

-less faultless

-like woman-like

-ly deathly

-ory sensory

-ous humorous

-some bothersome

-y sandy

prefixes

a asexual

ab abnormal

anti antisocial

dis disinterested

hyper hyperactive

il illegible

im immoral

in inactive

ir irresponsible

mal maladjusted

non non-existent

over overweight

pre prearranged

pro pro-war

sub sub-zero

super superhuman

un unavailable

under understaffed

Compound adjectives are formed with:

- present participles: a long-playing record

- past participles: undercooked meat, cut-off jeans

- cardinal numbers + nouns (in singular): a ten-minute journey

- well, badly, ill, poorly + past participle: a poorly-kept garden, a well-timed joke.

Order of adjectives

Opinion adjectives

Fact adjectives

size

age

shape

colour

origin

material

use for/be about

noun

It’s a

beautiful

big

old

round

brown

Italian

oak

dining

table.

Substantivized adjectives

There are some adjectives that we can use with the to talk about groups of people in society

Words that we can use in a phrase with the

• to do with social or economic position

• to do with physical condition or health

• to do with age

The young means 'young people in general'

When we mean a specific person or a specific group of people, then we use man, woman, people, etc.

the disabled, the blind

the disadvantaged, the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the privileged, the rich, the starving

the blind, the deaf, the dead, the disabled, the handicapped

the elderly, the middle-aged, the old, the over-sixties, the under-fives

The young have their lives in front of them.

None of the young people in the village can find jobs here.

Nouns of material, purpose or substance can be used as adjectives.

Direct meaning

Figurative meaning

A silk scarf, a stone cottage, a gold pen, a feather duster, a metal chair, a leather wallet, lead pipes, a steel framework.

silky hair, a stony expression, golden hair, feathery leaves, a metallic colour, a leathery skin, a leaden feeling, a steely look.

Degrees of comparison

There are three degrees of comparison:

Irregular comparisons

Positive

Comparative

Superlative

bad worse worst

far farther farthest

further furthest

good better best

little less least

many/much more most

old elder eldest

older oldest

dark

darker

darkest

one-syllable adj:

positive form + er & est

bright brighter brightest

adj of three or more

syllables :more & most+ the positive:

interested more interested most interested

adj of 2 syllables follow one or other of the above rules

doubtful more doubtful most doubtful, clever cleverer cleverest

farther/farthest & further/furthest

both can be used of distances

York is farther/further than Selby.

Further can be used with abstract nouns to mean ‘additional/extra’

Further discussion/debate would be pointless.

Similarly: further enquires/delays/demands/information/ instructions.

elder, eldest imply seniority rather than age. They are used for comparison within a family:

my elder brother

But! Elder is not used with than, so we use older: He’s older than I am.

We use eldest for people only, but oldest we use for both people & things.

Before the comparative we should use a bit, a little, slightly, much, a lot, far:

English is a bit/ a little/ slightly/ much/ a lot/ far more easier than German.

Constructions with comparisons

Positive form => ‘+’ as … as; ‘-‘ not as/not so … as.

He was as white as a sheet.

Your coffee is not as/so good as the coffee my mother makes.

Japan’s experts are twice as high as Britain’s. – в 2 раза выше

Comparative form => than.

He’s stronger than I expected = I didn’t expect him to be so strong.

Superlative form => the … in/of:

This is the oldest theatre in London.

Superlative form + present perfect:

This is the worst film I have ever seen.

Note! most+adjective without the means very:

You’re most kind = You’re very kind.

the + comparative… the + comparative:

The smaller it is, the less it will cost us to heat.

Comparatives joined by and:

The weather is getting colder and colder.

like + noun & as + noun:

He worked like a slave. (very hard indeed)

He worked as a slave. (He was a slave)

than/as + pronoun+auxiliary

I earn less than he does. (=less than he earns)

than/as+I/we/you+verb = omit the verb.

I’m not as old as you (are).

than/as is followed by he/she/it + verb, we normally keep the verb: You’re stronger than he is.

But we can drop the verb and use him/her/them:

I swim better then him.

Adjectives + one/ones

One/ones = previously mentioned noun:

I lost my old camera; this is a new one.

first/second can be used with or without one/ones:

Which train did you catch? ~ I caught the first (one).

Adjectives of colour can sometimes be used as

pronouns:

I like the blue (one) best.

‘as …as…’ with ‘twice’, ‘three times’, etc., ‘half’, ‘a third’, etc.:

Japan’s car exports are twice as high as Britain’s. Rice-growing is only half as important as it used to be.

Note Present and Past Participles can be used as adjectives: Present Participles describe the quality of a noun /annoying behaviour/ (what kind of behaviour)

Past Participles describe how the subject feels /annoyed teacher/ (How does the teacher feel)

Proverbs & Sayings

As dumb as a wooden Indian

As easy as ABC

As silent as a grave

As fit as a fiddle

As white as a sheet

As stubborn as a mule

Дурний, як пробка

Простіше простого

Німий, як могила

При повному здоров'ї

Білий, як крейда

Упертий, як осел

As old as the hills

Like bull in a China shop

To sleep like a log

To smoke like a chimney

To sell like hot cakes

Старе, як світ.

Як слон у посудній лавці

Спати, як убитий

Диміти, як труба

Бути нарозхват

The best is the enemy of the good. (Walter Scott)

It’s much easier to be critical than to be correct. (Disraeli)