The adjectives

The Adjective is a part of speech that gives a certain characteristic to an object.

Mary Middling had a pig,

Not very little and not very big,

Not very pink, not very green, Not very dirty, not very clean,

Not very good, not very naughty, Not very humble, not very haughty, Not very thin, not very fat, Now what would you give for a pig like that?

Match an adjective in A with its opposite in B.

A	B
Fast Small Clean Safe Quite Old Healthy Friendly Interesting Expensive good	Cheap Slow Bad Unhealthy Unfriendly Dirty Noisy Modern Dangerous Boring Big

Which adjectives describe life in a city? Which describe life in a country?

The city is The country is

cheaper safer noisier healthier more expensive more interesting better

than the country. than the city.

We use –er and more to make comparative adjectives.

We use –er with …. We use more with ….

Ex. 1 Complete the conversations as shown in the example:

A Life in the country is slower than city life. (slow) - B Yes, the city’s much faster.

1. A The country is ___ ___ the city. (quiet) – B Yes, the city’s much faster. 2) A New York is ___ ___ London. (safe) – B No, it isn’t. New York is much ___ ___. 3) A The streets of New York are ___ ___ the streets of Paris. (clean) – B No, they aren’t. They are much ____. 4) A Paris is ___ ___ Madrid. (big) – No, it isn’t. it’s much ___. 5) A Madrid is ___ ____ ____ Rome. (expensive) – B No, it isn’t. Madrid is much ___. 6) A The buildings in Rome are ___ ___ ___ the buildings in NY. (modern) – B No, they aren’t. they are much ____. 7) A The Underground in London is ___ ___ the Metro in Paris. (good) – B No, it isn’t. The underground is much ___.

1Short adjectives (1syllable) 2 Short adjective with the 2 type of reading

	comparative	superlative			comparative	superlative
	+er	+est			+er	+est
cheap	cheaper	cheapest		big	+g +er = bigger	+g +est = biggest
young	younger	youngest		fat	+t +er = fatter	+t +est = fattest
short	shorter	shortest		slim	+m +er = slimmer	+m +est = slimmest
wide	wider	widest		hot	+t +er = hotter	+t +est = hottest
small	smaller	smallest		thin	+n +er = thinner	+n +est = thinnest

3. Adjectives ending in er, ow, etc 4.Adjectives ending in y (2 syllables)

	comparative	superlative			comparative	superlative
	+er	+est			+ier	+est
clever	cleverer	cleverest		easy	easier	easiest
narrow	narrower	narrowest		heavy	heavier	heaviest
shallow	shallower	shallowest		early	earlier	earliest

Exceptions

good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
far	Further, farther	Furthest, farthest
much/many	more	most
little	less	least
old	Older, elder	Oldest, eldest

Ex.2 Form the degrees of comparison of the following adjectives

Old, bad, cold, yellow, loud, clean, large, cosy, green, long, red, dark, good, small, easy.

5. Adjectives ending on ous, ing, ful, ed ( 2 syllables) and long adjectives (3/4 syllables)

	comparative	superlative
	More + adjective	Most + adjective
boring	more boring	most boring
famous	more famous	most famous
modern	more modern	most modern
polite	more polite	most polite
tired	more tired	most tired
expensive	more expensive	most expensive
comfortable	more comfortable	most comfortable

Ex. 3 Give the comparative and superlative degrees of the following adjectives

Fast, good, friendly, careful, bad, young, modern, quiet, calm, happy, energetic, small, interesting, difficult, important, easy.

Ex. 4 Complete the sentences using the superlative form of the adjectives. Example: That house is very old. – Yes, it’s the oldest house in the village.

1) The Ritz is a very expensive hotel. (in London) 2) Hambledon is a very pretty village. (in England) 3) Everest is a very high mountain. (in the world) 4) Meryl Streep is a very popular actress. (in America) 5) Mr. Crark is a very funny teacher. (in our school) 6) Maria is a very intelligent student. (in our class) 7) This is a very easy exercise. (in the book).

Ex. 5 Choose the correct sentence

1. a Yesterday was more hot than today. - B Yesterday was hotter than today. 2. A She’s taller than her brother. - B She’s taller that her brother. 3. A I’m the most young in the class. - B I’m the youngest in the class. 4. A My home work is the baddest in the class. - B My homework is the worst in the class. 5. A Exercise 2 is the most difficult in the book. - B Exercise 2 is most difficult in the book.

Constructions with the adjectives

A man is as old as he looks, A woman is as old as she feels.

As good as gold As old as the hills As busy as a bee As cold as ice As changeable as weather

Ex. 6 Read the story and write out all as .. as structures in the text.

Mr. Smith lives on a farm. He is a farmer. He has got a son. His son’s name is Jack. He is ten. Mr. Smith has a lot of work to do. So he gets up at five o’clock in the morning every day. His son usually helps him. He takes their horse for a walk. Their horse’s name is Red because he is red.

One day the farmer says to his son:

• Jack, look at the clock! It’s 6 o’clock. Get up! It’s time to take Red for a walk.

• OK, - says Jack. He doesn’t want to get up but he gets up, washes hands and face, has breakfast and off he goes with Red. But very soon Jack runs back and says:

• A hare is over there. It’s as big as our horse!

• A hare as big as our horse? - Says the farmer. – It can’t be.

• Well, not as big as our horse perhaps but I think it’s as big as a dog.

• A hare as big as a dog? It can’t be, - says the farmer.

• Well, perhaps it’s not as big as a dog. I think it’s as big as a cat.

• A hare as big as a cat? It can’t be.

• Well, perhaps it’s not as big as a cat. I think it’s as big as a mouse.

• A hare as big as a mouse? It can’t be.

• Well, perhaps it’s not as big as a mouse. I think it’s as big as a fly.

• A hare as big as a fly? It can’t be. Well, my son, I think you were sleeping all the time.