Adjectives
An adjective is a word that gives more information about a noun or a pronoun.
- equal opportunity – equal says something about the noun opportunity
- ordinary citizens – ordinary gives information about citizens
- good solutions – good gives information about solutions
- something awful – awful gives more information about the pronoun something
Adjectives occur inside noun phrases typically before the head noun (* attribute function) or as subject predicatives in clauses. (** predicative function). Cf.:
- These ordinary (*) citizens must be respected.
- Only one solution was good. (**)
Adjectives can be compared, and they have three forms.
Those consisting of one syllable are compared like this:
POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|
nice | nicer | nicest |
small | smaller | smallest |
We add the ending –(e)r in the comparative and –(e)st in the superlative.
Adjectives consisting of more than one syllable are compared by using more in the comparative and most in the superlative.
POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|
ordinary | more ordinary | most ordinary |
special | more special | most special |
Some adjectives have an irregular comparison:
POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|
good | better | best |
bad/ill | worse | worst |
far | farther | farthest |
- | further | furthest |
old | older | oldest |
little | less | least |
It is important to have a large set of adjectives in your active vocabulary. They make your own writing interesting to read because your description of people and things becomes varied, detailed and vivid.
If we want to refer to a group of people or the entire population of a country, we put the definite article in front. Concord must be plural if the nationality word is the subject. Cf.
The Greeks are proud of their cultural heritage. Do the French accept this compromise?
Remember to use an uppercase letter in all nationality words!