Adjectives - Grammar Notes

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What is an Adjective?

• Adjectives are words that give more information about a noun or a pronoun.
• In English adjectives tend to come before the noun;
• e.g. The fast car.
• A beautiful view.
• Or, after a linking verb, (such as ‘to be’)
• e.g. The car is fast.
• The view looks beautiful.
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Order of Adjectives

• When more than one adjective is used to modify a noun they proceed in a set order:
• Quantity, Quality, Size, Shape, Age, Colour, Proper Adjective, Qualifier.
• Noun: What is it?
• e.g. Car.
• Quantity: How many are there?
• e.g. Two cars.
• Quality: What is it like?
• e.g. Two amazing cars.
• Age: How old is it?
• e.g. Two amazing antique cars.
• Size: How big is it?
• e.g. Two amazing antique small cars.
• Shape: What shape is it?
• e.g. Two amazing antique small ovular cars.
• Colour: What colour is it?
• e.g. Two amazing antique small ovular green
• cars.
• Proper adj.: Where is it from?
• e.g. Two amazing antique small ovular green
• Italian cars.
• Qualifier: What is it for?
• e.g. Two amazing antique small ovular green Italian sports cars.
• Typically, we would not be this descriptive in English. The furthest we would be likely to go in the above instance would be:
• Two antique Italian sports cars.

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• When there are two adjectives from the same group the word ‘and’ is placed between them.
• e.g. A black and white movie.
• When there are three or more adjectives from the same group, commas are placed between them.
• e.g. The Irish flag is green, white and orange.

‘-ing’ and ‘-ed’ adjectives.

• A lot of adjectives are made by adding ‘-ing’ or ‘-ed’ to the end of a verb.
• ‘-ing’ adjectives are commonly used to describe the character of something;
• e.g. The film was entertaining.
• Tim is interesting.
• Whereas ‘-ed’ adjectives are commonly used to describe the state of something.
• e.g. I am bored.
• Sally is tired.
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Comparative Adjectives

• Comparative adjectives are used to show change or make comparisons. They are usually formed by adding ‘-er’ to the end of an adjective.
• e.g. The dragon is smarter than it used to be.
• There’s always a bigger fish.
• When comparing one thing with another we use the word ‘than’.
• e.g. My dragon is bigger than yours.
• When we want to describe how something, or someone changes we can use two comparatives with ‘and’.
• e.g. As I blew, the balloon got bigger and bigger.
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Superlative Adjectives

• Superlative adjectives are used to emphasise an aspect of a noun. They are usually formed by adding ‘-est’ to the end of the adjective. Unlike comparatives, superlative adjectives are always preceded by the definite article, ‘the’.
• e.g. My dragon is the biggest.
• Irregular comparatives and superlatives.
• The comparative and superlative forms of some of the most common adjectives, such as ‘good’ and ‘bad’, are highly irregular.
• Adjective: Good Bad Far
• Comparative: Better Worse Further
• Superlative: Best Worst Furthest
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