Monday, 16 April 2012

LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION: ADJECTIVES


FORM AND FUNCTION OF ADJECTIVES
Form of Adjectives
Rules
1. Adjectives are invariable:
They do not change their form depending on the gender or number of the noun.
A hot potato
Some hot potatoes
2. To emphasise or strengthen the meaning of an adjective use 'very' or 'really':
A very hot potato
Some really hot potatoes.
(BUT see also Modifiers/Adverbs)
Position of adjectives
a) Usually in front of a noun: A beautiful girl.
b) After verbs like "to be", "to seem" , "to look", "to taste":
Examples
·        The girl is beautiful
·        You look tired
·        This meat tastes funny.
c) After the noun: in some fixed expressions:
Examples
·        The Princess Royal
·        The President elect
·        a court martial
d) After the noun with the adjectives involved, present, concerned:
Examples
1.   I want to see the people involved/concerned (= the people who have something to do with the matter)
2.   Here is a list of the people present (= the people who were in the building or at the meeting)
Be careful! When these adjectives are used before the noun they have a different meaning:
·        An involved discussion = detailed, complex
·        A concerned father = worried, anxious
·        The present situation = current, happening now
Function of Adjectives
Adjectives can:
Describe feelings or qualities:
Examples
·        He is a lonely man
·        They are honest people
Give nationality or origin:
Examples
·        Pierre is French
·        This clock is German
·        Our house is Victorian
Tell more about a thing's characteristics:
Examples
·        A wooden table.
·        The knife is sharp.
Tell us about age:
Examples
·        He's young man
·        My coat is very old
Tell us about size and measurement:
Examples
·        John tall man.
·        This is a very long film.
Tell us about colour:
Examples
·        Paul wore a red shirt.
·        The sunset was crimson and gold.
Tell us about material/what something is made of:
Examples
·        It was a wooden table
·        She wore a cotton dress
Tell us about shape:
Examples
·        A rectangular box
·        A square envelope
Express a judgement or a value:
Examples
·        A fantastic film
·        Grammar is boring.

Order of Adjectives

Rules

Where a number of adjectives are used together, the order depends on the function of the adjective. The usual order is:
Value/opinion, Size, Age/Temperature, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material
Value/opinion
delicious, lovely, charming
Size
small, huge, tiny
Age/Temperature
old, hot, young
Shape
round, square, rectangular
Colour
red, blonde, black
Origin
Swedish, Victorian, Chinese
Material
plastic, wooden, silver

Examples:

·        a lovely old red post-box
·        some small round plastic tables
·        some charming small silver ornaments

AKRONIM OF ORDER OF ADJECTIVES-OSASCOM
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
FORMING THE COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
Using the comparative of adjectives in English is quite easy once you have understood the few simple rules that govern them.
Below you will find the rules with examples for each condition.
If you are not sure what a syllable or a consonant is - have a look here.


Rules
Number of syllables
Comparative
Superlative (see rule)
one syllable
+ -er
+ -est
tall
taller
Tallest



one syllable with the spelling consonant + single vowel + consonant: double the final consonant:
fat
fatter
Fattest
big
bigger
Biggest
sad
sadder
Saddest
Number of syllables
Comparative
Superlative
two syllables
+ -er OR more + adj
+ -est OR most + adj
ending in: -y, -ly, -ow
ending in: -le, -er or -ure
these common adjectives - handsome, polite, pleasant, common, quiet
happy
happier/ more happy
happiest/ most happy
yellow
yellower/ more yellow
yellowest/ most yellow
simple
simpler/ more simple
simplest/ most simple
tender
tenderer/ more tender
tenderest/ most tender



If you are not sure, use MORE + OR MOST +
Note: Adjectives ending in '-y' like happy, pretty, busy, sunny, lucky etc:. replace the -y with -ier or -iest in the comparative and superlative form
busy
busier
Busiest



Number of syllables
Comparative
Superlative
three syllables or more
more + adj
most + adj
important
more important
most important
expensive
more expensive
most expensive
Examples
·        A cat is fast, a tiger is faster but a cheetah is the fastest
·        A car is heavy, a truck is heavier, but a train is the heaviest
·        A park bench is comfortable, a restaurant chair is more comfortable, but a sofa is the most comfortable

·        IRREGULAR COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
·        These adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
good
better
best
bad
worse
worst
little
less
least
much
more
most
far
further / farther
furthest / farthest





NOT AS + ADJECTIVE + AS
Difference can also be shown by using not so/as ...as:
Examples
·        Mont Blanc is not as high as Mount Everest
·        Norway is not as sunny as Thailand
·        A bicycle is not as expensive as a car
·        Arthur is not as intelligent as Albert

COMPARISONS OF QUANTITY

To show difference: more, less, fewer + than
To show 
no difference: as much as , as many as, as few as, as little as
To show difference: more, less, fewer + than
Examples:
With countable nouns: more / fewer
·        Eloise has more children than Chantal.
·        Chantal has fewer children than Eloise.
·        There are fewer dogs in Cardiff than in Bristol
·        I have visited fewer countries than my friend has.
·        He has read fewer books than she has.
With uncountable nouns: more / less
·        Eloise has more money than Chantal.
·        Chantal has less money than Eloise.
·        I spend less time on homework than you do.
·        Cats drink less water than dogs.
·        This new dictionary gives more information than the old one.
So, the rule is:
MORE + nouns that are countable or uncountable
FEWER
 + countable nouns
LESS
 + uncountable nouns
Rules
To show no difference: as much as , as many as, as few as, as little as
·        as many as / as few as + countable nouns
·        as much as / as little as + uncountable nouns
Examples:
With countable nouns:
·        They have as many children as us.
·        We have as many customers as them.
·        Tom has as few books as Jane.
·        There are as few houses in his village as in mine.
·        You know as many people as I do.
·        I have visited the States as many times as he has.
With uncountable nouns:
·        John eats as much food as Peter.
·        Jim has as little food as Sam.
·        You've heard as much news as I have.
·        He's had as much success as his brother has.
·        They've got as little water as we have.

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