Not a dog’s dinner

(shoes: leather / Italian / expensive / handmade): these are my pride and joy. I own a (old beautiful pair) or I did until yesterday, when I discovered that one of the shoes was missing. I had left the shoes on my (doorstep back) to do some gardening. My neighbour has a (dog friendly large) called Sam.

When I saw that one of my shoes had disappeared, I knew that Sam had taken it. I can’t say he behaved (bad/badly). He just behaved like a dog. Leather looks (good/well) and tasted (good/well) too. I unwillingly gave Sam the (remaining Italian shoe) and then followed him. I not only found one (Italian unchewed shoe), but also a pile of things Sam had been borrowing, including my wife’s (slippers fur-lined red), which Sam had tried to have for dinner!

Exercise 5. Put the adjectives in brackets in these sentences in the most appropriate order.

1. Mine’s the ………. car (blue, Japanese, small).

2. I rent a(n) ………. house (furnished, large, old).

3. I’ve just bought a ………. table (beautiful, coffee, wooden).

4. Their ………. forces soon overcame the invasion (combined, military, powerful).

5. Have you seen this ………. invention (fantastic, German, new)

6. There was a ………. rug on the floor (soft, wonderful, woolen)

7. She gave me a ………. box (jewellery, metal, small, square)

Exercise 6. Do the same for these. Write and between the adjectives if possible.

When two gradable adjectives come before the noun, we can put either a comma or “and” between them.

Compare: an attractive, big garden; an attractive and big garden.

Two colour adjectives have “and” between them:

Sweden’s yellow and blue flag (not …yellow, blue flag).

Two ungradable adjectives have “and” between them if they are from the same class, but “and” is not used if they are from different classes.

Compare: financial and political conditions; improving financial conditions.

1. Cycling is a(n) ………. activity (outdoor, popular).

2. They live in ………. houses (mud, straw).

3. He was a ………. doctor (famous, medical).

4. There was an ………. meeting (important, urgent).

5. I’ve just finished a ………. novel (boring, depressing).

6. I met a ………. lady at the party (little, Spanish).

7. He is expected to be our ………. leader (outstanding, next, political).

8. This is a(n) ………. dress (Irish, first, lace, her).

9. In front the house had ………. windows (large, Venetian, two, glass).

10. Mason contented himself with reading magazines and reports he’d carried abroad in a ………. brief-case (brown-leather, expandable, well-worn). (Truman)

11. Sensi virtually ignored Mason throughout dinner, speaking to Giliberti in a ………. voice (raspy, low, tired). (Truman)

12. Your mother and I have you with what I consider to be a legacy upon which you can build a ………. life, should you desire (personal, rich, professional). (ibid.)

13. But rumor has it that this ………. man was actually drummed out of the spiritual corps for having taken money from his parishioners (little, old, gentle, sweet). (ibid.)

14. Luther was in a stole of almost total ………. collapse (physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional). (ibid.)

15. The voice was ………. (male, deep, resonant). (ibid.)

16. Then her eye went to a ………. Mercedes with opaque windows (four-door, black, large). (ibid.)

17. ………. with ………. eyes and luscious lips, she dressed conservatively, giving her a ………. appearance even though it hid her considerable curves (efficient, reserved, tall/brown, enormous/professional, neat). (ibid.)

18. He was ………. (talkative, bright, inquisitive). (ibid.)

Exercise 7. Some of the following phrases are in the wrong order. Tick those which are correct and change the others in the correct order.

1. a young black man

2. a dark tall man

3. a wooden big spoon

4. a long wooden spoon

5. a birthday big delicious cake

6. a big fat Italian opera singer

7. a flying large old pan

8. a pair of black leather riding boots

Exercise 8. Make corrections where necessary.

Dear Alan,

I’m writing this letter from my new beautiful flat in Stratford. Although it’s modern. it’s in an entirely old building which has totally renovated last year, and the wooden original beams have been kept in the sitting room. It’s quite small, and is a best for one person flat, but it’s completely comfortable for me. The sitting room leads on to a similar to yours garden which is full of wonderful yellow red flowers. Stratford is a small nice town and is very quiet in the winter. At the moment, though, in the middle of the tourist season, the traffic is extremely terrible. But despite this I think I’m going to be absolutely happy here, and I hope you’ll get over to see me soon.

All the best,

Mark