The adjective (прилагательное)

Exercise 1. Translate the adjectives, paying attention to suffixes.

-an, (i)an – Russian, Italian, American, African -able, ible – hospitable, comfortable, invisible, possible -al – classical, chemical, digital, official, typical -ant,-ent - important, frequent, subsequent -ful – useful, careful, successful, harmful, forgetful -ic – energetic, historic, scientific, fantastic -ing – hardworking, boring, interesting, -ive – creative, expensive, effective, communicative -less - endless, helpless, useless -ous – industrious, serious, famous, dangerous, curious -y – easy, dirty, noisy, busy, funny, lazy

Exercise 2. Fill in the gaps with adjectives from Exercise 1.

Example: A person who likes to talk a lot is talkative.

1. A person who produces new and original ideas is ___. 2. A person who likes to be with others is ___. 3. A person who works hard is ___. 4. A person who doesn’t like to work is ___. 5. A person who is known worldwide is ___. 6. A person who can’t remember things is ___. 7. A person who likes to have guests in his house is ___. 8. A thing which costs a lot is ___. 9. A film or a book which is not interesting is ___. 10. A substance which can kill is ___.

	Comparative degree	Superlative degree
much, many	more	the most
good, well	better	the best
bad, badly	worse	the worst
far	farther further	the farthest the furthest
little	less	the least

Exercise 3. Write the comparative and superlative degrees of the adjectives.

Fine, kind, late, nice, thick, safe, hard, warm, great, dull, cool, clean, wide, long, fresh, hot, peaceful, difficult, charming, pleasant, comfortable, interesting, beautiful, modern, popular, important, famous, narrow, clever, angry, easy, much, early, bad, many, little, good, far.

Exercise 4. Read and learn.

The Rich Are Getting Richer

The rich are getting richer.

The poor are getting poorer.

The good are getting better.

The bad are getting worse.

The old are getting older.

The nights are getting colder.

The good are getting better.

The bad are getting worse.

The tall are getting taller.

The small are getting smaller.

The good are getting better.

The bad are getting worse.

The weak are getting weaker.

The strong are getting stronger.

The good are getting better.

The bad are getting worse.

Exercise 5. Use the comparative degree in your answers.

1. Which is shorter: February or March? 2. Which is older: Moscow or Samara? 3. Which is faster: a plane or a ship? 4. Which is smaller: Europe or Asia? 5. Which is warmer: autumn or summer? 6. Which is longer an hour or a minute? 7. Which is bigger: the Moon or the Sun? 8. Which do you like better: tea or coffee? 9. Which is more pleasant: to live in the country in summer or in winter? 10. What takes less time: to travel by air or by car? 11. Which is more necessary: to study Latin or English? 12. Which country is bigger: the USA or the UK? 13. Do you believe that things in general are getting better? 14. Is your life more interesting today than it was five years ago? 15. Is your life easier today than it was ten years ago?

Exercise 6. Read and learn.

Mutual Admiration

She thinks he’s the best.

She thinks he’s the greatest.

She thinks he’s the smartest man in the world.

He thinks she’s the nicest.

He thinks she’s the brightest.

He thinks she’s the kindest woman in the world.

She thinks he’s the most remarkable man

in the whole wide world,

in the whole wide world.

He thinks she’s the most wonderful woman

in the whole wide world,

in the whole wide world.

Exercise 7. Use the superlative degree in your answers.

1. Which is the shortest month of the year? 2. Which is the deepest lake in Russia? 3. Which is the fastest way of traveling? 4. Which is the warmest season of the year? 5. Which is the most favourite food in your family? 6. Which is the longest river in the world? 7. Who is the best student in your group? 8. What is the best university in your city? 9. What is the most difficult profession in the world? 10. Where is the best place to spend a summer holiday? 11. What is the most difficult thing you have ever done? 12. What is the best season to visit our country? 13. Who is the most interesting person you have ever met? 14. What is the best thing that ever happened to you? 15. What is the best time of day for you? 16. Which is the busiest street in our city? 17. Who is the most famous person in our country?

Exercise 8. Change the sentences according to the model. Use as…as. Example: You are tall. (your sister)

Your sister is as tall as you are.

1. Football is popular in our country. (hockey) 2. His room is warm. (their room) 3. Our vacations were exciting. (my friends’ vacations) 4. The bedroom is wide. (the living room) 5. This scheme is simple. (that plan) 6. Sue’s flat is comfortable. (Christie’s house) 7. That test was easy. (that exercise) 8. Charles is busy today. (Harry) 9. That book is interesting. (this magazine) 10. This message is important. (this task)

Exercise 9. Change the sentences according to the model. Use not as… as.

Example: Volleyball is popular. Tennis is not so popular.

Tennis is not as popular as volleyball.

1. The ocean is deep. The sea is not so deep. 2. Fred is busy today. John is not so busy today. 3. The temperature in winter is low. The temperature in autumn is not so low. 4. The Volga is wide. The Samara is not so wide. 5. A car is fast. A tram is not so fast. 6. His voice is loud. My voice is not so loud. 7. My mother is kind. My aunt is not so kind. 8. The nights in June are warm. The nights in May are not so warm. 9. Arthur is tired today. Paul is not so tired. 10. This song is popular. That song is not so popular.

Exercise 10. Change the sentences according to the model. Use than.

Example: November is cold. January is colder.

January is much colder than November.

1. Her sister is pretty. Alice is prettier. 2. Handball is popular. Football is more popular. 3. This problem is important. This task is more important. 4. His operas are famous. His songs are more famous. 5. April is cool. March is cooler. 6. This chair is comfortable. This armchair is more comfortable. 7. This building is modern. This house is more modern. 8. This place is safe. That place is safer. 9. This timetable is convenient for me. That timetable is more convenient. 10. Tennis is a difficult game. Cricket is more difficult.

Exercise 11. Read and learn.

Why Study?

The more I study, the more I know.

The more I know, the more I forget.

The more I forget, the less I know.

So why study?

Exercise 12. Complete the sentences using the…the…. Translate the sentences.

1. The sooner we finish our work …

2. The more the students read English …

3. The earlier we get home…

4. The younger the child…

5. The more they study…

6. The more physical exercises the children do…

7. The bigger the object is…

8. The harder you press the pedal…

a) …the earlier we can go home.

b) …the fresher we feel.

c) …the faster the car goes.

d) …the better they speak.

e) …the stronger its gravity.

f)…the more care it requires.

g) …the stronger they become.

h) …the deeper is their knowledge.

Exercise 13. Compare the pictures using than.

Example: The Pacific Ocean is bigger than the Atlantic Ocean

BIG

NEAR THE SUN

LARGE

LONG

HIGH

SLOW

Exercise 14. Look at these jobs and answer the questions.

Worker, dentist, engineer, teacher, police officer, fashion model, computer programmer, accountant, CEO (chief executive officer), manager, geologist, personnel manager, secretary, doctor, lawyer, mechanic, drill-operator, PR specialist, driver, housewife, operator, chemical engineer, economist.

1. Which is the best job in your opinion? 2. Which is the worst job? 3. Which of the jobs do you think get paid the most and the least? 4. Which of the jobs do you think are the most important?

5. Which of these jobs would you like to do? Why? 6. Which of these jobs wouldn’t you mind doing? Why? 7. Which of them wouldn’t you want to do? Why?

Exercise 15. Compare.

Example: Two countries: the UK and Russia

The UK is smaller than Russia.

Russia is much bigger than the UK.

Russia has more population than the UK.

1. Two countries. 2. Two people. 3. Two buildings. 4. Two celebrities. 5. Two interests or hobbies. 6. Two different types of food. 7. Two different models of cars. 8. Two substances. 9. Two hydropower stations. 10. Two models of a computer.

Exercise 16. Use the correct degree of the adjective in brackets.

1. If you want to be the ___ (fast) swimmer in your group, you should practice at least two hours a day. 2. In the last match he played ___ (good) than any time before. 3. A special ceremony was held to award the ___ (successful) young scientist of the year. 4. Cycling to work is ___ (healthy) than driving. 5. I like scuba diving. I think it is the ___ (beautiful) sport in the world. 6. Cars are ___ (important) cause of air pollution in many cities. 7. Computer technology is ___(fast)-growing industry in the world. 8. Hydrogen is an invisible, odorless gas. It is the ___ (light) chemical element and is about 14 times (light) than air. 9. Electric motors are ___ (clean) and (healthy) for our environment than any other motors. 10. Of all our products, this one is definitely the ___ (successful). 11. Last summer was the ___ (wet) for twenty years. 12. It’s ___(important) to have a job you enjoy than to earn lots of money. 13. My wife earns ___ (high) salary than me. 14. This new system is a disaster. It’s much ___ (bad) than the old one.

Exercise 17. Complete the sentences with the comparative degree of the adjective.

1. It is often ___ (cheap) to do your shopping at the market than… 2. Pizza is usually ___ (popular) with children than … 3. For breakfast it is ___ (good) to eat fruit and yoghurt than… 4. Some people often have a ___ (big) lunch on Sundays than … 5. I think that Chinese food is ___ (interesting) than … 6. Having a healthy diet is ___ (important) than …

Exercise 18. Translate into Russian.

1. Лето - самое чудесное время года. 2. Зима - самое холодное время года. 3. Это время для меня самое подходящее. 4. Я не могу прийти раньше. 5. Эта работа для меня важнее. 6. Ее брат младше меня. 7. Туризм становится популярнее с каждым годом. 8. У него самая плохая работа в группе. 9. Этот номер самый комфортабельный в гостинице.

Exercise 19. Find the Russian equivalents to the following proverbs.

1. Better late than never.

2. He laughs best who laughs last.

3. Actions speak louder than words.

4. East or West home is best.

5. Two heads are better than one.

6. Half a loaf is better than no bread.

7. Hunger is the best sauce.

Exercise 20 . Answer the questions with one of the proverbs from Exercise 19.

1. Why do you prefer to have old computer rather than no computer at all? 2. What can we say to friends who come late to a party? 3. It very often happens that we are homesick when we are away from home. Why is it so? 4. Do you like people who always laugh at others? What do you say to them? 5. Why do people who are really hungry never find fault with the food they are given?

Exercise 21. Make up your own dialogues according to the model.

Example: - May I help you?

- Yes, please, I want to buy a cheap watch.

- I think you’ll like this one. It’s very cheap.

- Don’t you have a cheaper one?

- No, I’m afraid not. This is the cheapest we have.

1. Большой холодильник. 2. Хороший мобильный телефон. 3. Интересный журнал. 4. Удобный диван. 5. Красивая картина. 6. Современный компьютер. 7. Быстрый автомобиль. 8. Модная сумка.

Exercise 22. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. This room is not as small as the study. 2. The more you do exercises the better. 3. Hockey is as popular as football. 4. December is colder than November. 5. This book is much more interesting than the film. 6. This is the worst work of all. 7. Nick is the youngest in the family. 8. Joe works much harder than Bob. 9. The more you read English the better you know the language. 10. He hasn’t got as many friends as she has. 11. Good, better, the best – never let it rest, till the good gets better, and the better – best. 12. Bad is never good until worse happens. 13. A good example is the best sermon. 14. Further we consider the image changes. 15. These tests have no further impact on the behavior of a program. 16. This will become clear later. 17. The smallest and the slowest of the machines – the microprocessor – is the best.