Adjectives

Question 1

Do they change?

Answer 1

No, adjectives don’t change form if the name is female or male, singular or plural

Question 2

Purpose adjectives
and multiple adjectives

Answer 2

the describe the purpose of something/someone - they usually are followed by “ing”, ex. sleeping bag

Multiple adjectives are often separated by a comma or a conjunction

Question 3

Position ?

Answer 3

Before the noun (a good guy) or after a linking verb (for ex. He’s tired)

Question 4

Comparative ?

Answer 4

1 syllable adjective ending in E–> + r

1 syllable with only one vowel + a consonant at the end –> double the consonant + er

1 syllable adjective ending with more than on vowel or more than one consonant at the end –> + er

2 syllables ending with y –> change y in i + er

2 or more syllables not ending with y –> more + adjective

noun + adjective + than + noun

Question 5

Superlative ?

Answer 5

The superlative is used to say what thing, person, or idea has the most of a particular quality within a group or of its kind.

1 syllable adjective ending in E–> + st

1 syllable with only one vowel and ending with
a consonant –> double the consonant + est

1 syllable adjective with more than on vowel or more than one consonant at the end –> + est

2 syllables ending with y –> change y in i + est

2 or more syllables not ending with y –> the most + adjective

the + adjective + est / the most + adjective

Question 6

Used to (as an adjective) ?

Answer 6

we use it to talk about things that have become familiar, and are no longer strange or new

Usually comes after verbs such as be, get or become :

After a while you get used to the noise.
She will become used to the smell.
I was used to the web site

You can also say that someone is used to doing something:

to be/become/get used to doing

I’ll never get used to getting up at six o’clock in the morning.

Question 7

Irregular adjectives
bad
far
good
old

Answer 7

bad - worse - the worst
far - farther/further - the farthest/furthest
good - better - the best
older/elder(age) - the oldest / the eldest (age)

Question 8

common adjectives

Answer 8

https://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/adjectivecommon.html

https://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/adjectivepersonality.html

Question 9

noun + noun

verb (-ing) + noun

noun + possessive + noun

Answer 9

1) Noun + noun

a) the first noun (a thing (animals included)) is like an adjective = it tells us what kind/type of thing/person/idea etc:

ex. bus driver, Paris hotel, life story etc.

b) the first noun (adjective) is normally singular, but the meaning is often plural:

ex. car (singular) park (a place to park cars)

an apple tree (a tree with apples)

a three-hour journey (a journey that takes 3 hours)

two 14-year-old girls etc.

c) sometimes there are more than 2 nouns together

a hotel reception desk/World Swimming Championship etc.

2) noun ( -ing verb) + noun = the first noun (a verb) tells us the use/purpose

ex. frying pan (= a pan for frying)

swimming pool

3) noun + possessive (‘s) + noun

a) noun (person) + possessive (‘s) + noun = ownership or association with a SPECIFIC person

ex. a woman’s hat = the hat of a specific woman

b) noun (person plural) + possessive (‘s) + noun = noun + noun = it tells us what kind/type of thing/person/idea etc OR it can also show ownership or association with several SPECIFIC people

ex. a women’s hat = a kind of hat for women in general

The students’ project won first prize = the project owned by some students

Question 10

adjectives with quantities

un viaggio di 3 ore

una banconata da 10 pound

due ragazze di 14 anni

Answer 10

a) they are noun adjectives + noun, so they are singular, but with a plural meaning + the you need to use thee “-“ between the nouns that made the adjective

ex. a three-hour journey

a ten-pound note

two 14-year-old girls

Question 11

what’s the adjectives order when we use 2 or more of them?

Answer 11

This order is not rigid. You can change it if you want to emphasise one adjective more than another, placing the one you want to emphasise first.

1) opinion adjectives = they tell us what the speaker thinks of something or someone (nice, beautiful etc.).

fact adjectives = they give us information about size, colour etc.

2) size, lenght and height (big/small/tall/short/long etc.)

3) all the other physical qualities, with width included, except for shape (thick, thin, sharp, soft, solid)

4) age (old, young etc.)

5) shape (round, square etc.)

6) colour

7) origin (Chinese, French etc.)

8) material (what is it made of?)

9) type = general-purpose, four-sided, U-shaped

10) purpose = cleaning, hammering, cooking etc. (ex. frying pan)

Question 12

linking verbs

mi sta venendo fame

tu sembri stanco

il tuo amico sembra molto carino

Answer 12

a) linking verbs = we use adjectives after them

1) be/get/become/seem

Be careful!

I’m getting hungry

2) verbs used to say how somebody/something looks, feels, sounds, tastes or smells (look, feel, sound, smell, taste)

you look tired

your friend seems very nice

Question 13

non mi sono piaciuti i primi due giorni del corso

Staranno via per le prossime settimane (non molte)

le prime tre domande dell’esame erano facili

Answer 13

the first two days, the last few weeks, the last ten minutes etc.

I didn’t enjoy the first two days of the course

They’ll be away for the next few weeks

The first three questions of the exam were easy

Question 14

Adjectives joined by “and” and commas

Answer 14

commas:

a) When you have two adjectives of the same type, it’s standard to separate them with a comma.

I have a big, fat cat (size adjectives)

b) when you have different types of adjectives, no comma is needed between them

I have a big black cat

c) mix

I have a big, fat, black-and-white (as an adjective) cat

and:

a) When more than one adjective occurs after a verb such as be (a linking verb), the second last adjective is normally connected to the last adjective by “and”:

Home was always a warm, welcoming place. Now it is sad, dark and cold.

It’s sad, dark and cold

b) And is less common when more than one adjective comes before the noun (e.g. a warm, welcoming place).

warm, welcoming place

c) However, we can use “and” when there are two or more adjectives of the same type, or when the adjectives refer to different parts of the same thing:

He is big and tall

Question 15

-ing adjectives

Answer 15

they tell you about something or someone

My job is boring/interesting etc.

Question 16

-ed adjectives

Answer 16

they tell you how somebody feels about something or someone

I’m bored/satisfied/disappointed etc with my job

Question 17

-ly adjectives

Answer 17

there are some, ex: friendly/lively/elderly/lonely/lovely

Question 18

what are they used for?

Answer 18

They tell us about a noun. We use them before nouns.

Sam is a careful driver

Question 19

compound adjectives

Answer 19

a) A compound adjective (also called a compound modifier) is when two or more words work together as a single idea to describe a noun. Hyphens (-) are often used in compound when two or more words work together as a single idea to modify a noun.

“A well-known author” (the author is not just “well” and not just “known,” but “well-known”).

“A high-speed train” (it’s not “high” and “speed” separately; it’s a single quality).

Rule: If removing the hyphen could make the meaning ambiguous, keep the hyphen.

b) If the adjectives independently describe the noun, they are not a compound adjective.

“A large shared space” → “large” describes “space,” and “shared” also describes “space,” separately. No hyphen.

“A long narrow street” → “long” and “narrow” each describe “street” on their own.

EX:

a) Man eating shark vs Man-eating shark

“A man eating shark.”
→ A man is eating a shark. 🦈

“A man-eating shark.”
→ A shark that eats men. 😱

⚡ Here the hyphen completely flips the meaning.

b) Old furniture salesman vs Old-furniture salesman

“An old furniture salesman.”
→ A salesman who is old, selling furniture.

“An old-furniture salesman.”
→ A salesman who sells old furniture.