Adjectives

 Adjectives

An adjective is a describing word. It tells you more about a noun. An adjective usually appears before the noun it describes. Sometimes, though, the adjective appears after the noun, later in the sentence.

 

• a busy street a dark corner 
• a deep sea 
• a large bed 
• It is windy. 
• John’s handwriting is very neat. 
• The sea is rough. 
• All the players are very tall. 
• The baby’s hands are very small. 
• Sue’s drawing is beautiful. 
• That problem is too difficult. Peter is very quiet today.

 

Adjective Endings : 

Adjectives have different endings. 

Some adjectives end in -ful or -less.

 

• a beautiful dress   
• a careless driver 
• a faithful dog 
• a harmless insect a useful tool 

 

An adjective that ends in -less is the opposite of the same adjective that ends in -ful.  For example: 

careful – careless                                 useful  – useless 

colorful – colorless                              harmful – harmless
 

The -ful ending means having a lot of something. For example: 

painful = having a lot of pain 

hopeful = having a lot of hope

 

The -less ending means without. For example: 

leafless  =  without leaves 

sleeveless  =  without sleeves
 

 Some adjectives end in -y.

• a dirty street 
• a noisy room 
• an oily pot 
• a sleepy passenger 
•  a sunny day
  

Some adjectives end in -ive.

• an active child 
• an attractive hat 
• a creative toy
• an expensive necklace

 

Some adjectives end in -ing.

• a caring nurse 
• an interesting book 
• loving parents 
• matching clothes 
• a smiling face

 

Some adjectives end in -ly.

• a costly diamond ring 
• an elderly woman 
• lively kittens 
• a lonely boy 
• a lovely girl 
• a weekly magazine

Here are some adjectives with the endings -able, -al, -en, -ible, -ish and -ous. 

childish behavior                         a national costume 

a comfortable chair                      a musical instrument 

a dangerous place                        a terrible mess 

a foolish act                                 a woolen sweater 

a horrible smell                           a wooden table 

a loveable koala

Kinds of Adjectives : 

• a beautiful rainbow 

• a clever monkey  

• a difficult question 

• happy children 

• a kind lady 

• a new car 

• an old house 

• a pretty girl 

• a rich family 

• a sad story 

• a strong man 

• a wicked queen

 

Some adjectives tell you which place or country a person or thing comes from, or belongs to. They are called adjectives of origin.

 

• Australian apples 
• a Balinese dancer 
• the English language 
• the French flag 
• an Italian car 
• a Japanese garden 
• a Scottish kilt Thai boxing

 

 

Some adjectives tell you the color of things.

 

• The sea is blue. 
• George is wearing brown shoes. 
• I don’t like green apples. 
• Carrots are orange. 
• Flamingos are pink. 
• Eggplants are purple. Roses are red.

 

 

Some adjectives tell you the size of the nouns they describe.

• a big hat broad shoulders 
• a high mountain  
• a large ship 
• a long bridge 
• a low ceiling 
• a narrow path 
• small animals 
• tiny insects 
• a wide street
  

 

Numbers are adjectives, too. They tell you how many people, animals, or things there are. Sometimes they are called adjectives of quantity. 

 

eleven hens                   fifteen frogs                 nineteen lizards  

twelve geese                 sixteen snails                twenty butterflies 

thirteen birds                seventeen kittens          fourteen mice 

eighteen ants 

 

 

Other adjectives tell you something about quantity without giving you the exact number.

• a little ice cream 
• a little rice 
• not many people 
• too much salt 
• lots of insects 
• plenty of money 
• some food Is there any milk?

 

Comparison of Adjectives :

 

When you compare two people or things, use the comparative form of the adjective. 

Lots of comparative adjectives end in -er.
 

cheap             cheaper                 clear             clearer 

loud               louder                    new              newer 

old                 older                      rich              richer 

short               shorter                  tall                taller 

slow               slower                   thick             thicker

 

 

The word than is often used with comparative adjectives. 

For example, you might say: 

Jack is taller than John. 

A sports car is faster than a motorbike.
 

Exercise 1 

 

Underline the adjectives in the following sentences. 

 

1 There is an empty room upstairs. 

2 It’s a hot summer. 

3 You are so kind. 

4 Don’t be crazy. 

5 This park is clean and green. 

6 Many people exercise to keep healthy. 

7 I think these eggs are rotten. 

8 We are all bored. There isn’t anything to do. 

9  The pupils don’t find the joke amusing. 

10  James was absent because he was ill.

 

 

Exercise 2 : 

 

Add the correct endings to turn these words into adjectives .
 

         -en             -y              -ing               -ish             -ous             -ly

 

 1  wind ______                          6 fool ______
 2  gold  ______                          7  charm______
 3 friend ______                          8  child _______
 4  rot  ______                             9  love _______
 5  danger ______                       10  interest _______
 

 

Exercise 3 :  

Add the correct endings to turn these words into adjectives .

 

        -y                 -ful                     -less                     -al 

 

 1  peace  ______                         6  dirt      _______
 2  storm  ______                         7  music  _______
 3  mud    ______                         8 nation  ________
 4  forget ______                          9 dust     _______
 5  spot    ______                         10  play   _______