The formation of adjectives in English is a rather important and interesting topic. Of course, you can speak English at a fairly high level without going into such details, but such information will not be superfluous.
As in Russian, English adjectives can be derived from other parts of speech. These are usually verbs and nouns. Adjectives are formed using suffixes and prefixes. So, first things first.
Prefixes, or prefixes, are added at the beginning of a word and change its meaning. Usually they change the meaning of the adjective to the opposite, negative. A few examples:
There are several prefixes that change the meaning of a word, but without a negative meaning:
There are a lot of varieties of English adjectives formed in the suffix way. As an example, there is a picture with the main suffixes, as well as a few examples of words.
There is also a classification of English adjectives according to the parts of speech from which they are derived. Adjectives can be formed from nouns, verbs, as well as from other adjectives using various suffixes and prefixes, examples of which have already been considered. The very form of the word may also change. For example, the adjective long is formed from the noun length with a change at the root of the word.
Adjectives in English do not change by person, number and case. Qualitative adjectives vary in degree of comparison. As in Russian, there are three degrees of comparison in English: a positive, comparative и excellent
The positive degree is the main form of adjectives that indicates the presence of a given trait or quality.
This is an interesting book. — It’s an interesting book.
The positive degree of adjectives can be used when comparing two or more persons or objects in the following cases:
The comparative degree of adjectives is used to indicate a greater or lesser severity of a sign or quality in one object or person in relation to another.
For monosyllabic adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in -e, -y, -er, -ow, the comparative form is formed by adding the suffix -er.
small small — smaller smaller
simple is simple — simpler is simpler
pretty handsome — prettier prettier
narrow narrow — narrower already
The rest of the adjectives form a comparative degree of comparison with the words more more or less less, which is placed before the adjective.
For monosyllabic adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in -e, -y, -er, -ow, the superlative is formed by adding the suffix -est.
small small — smallest smallest
simple simple — simplest is the simplest
pretty beautiful — prettiest the most beautiful
narrow narrow — narrowest narrowest
The rest of the adjectives form a superlative degree of comparison with the words most most or least least, which is placed before the adjective.
The exceptions to the general rule of education of the comparative and superlative degree are the forms of the adjectives good good, bad bad, little small, little, much / many many, far distant
Source: http://www.study-languages-online.com/ru/en/english-adjective-comparative.html
Before memorizing a colossal number of adjectives, you need to figure out how adjectives are formed, what are degrees of adjectives in Englishand also know the word order. All this knowledge will help you use English adjectives correctly. Now let’s find out what an adjective is.
An adjective is a part of speech that denotes a feature of an object and answers the question what? What?
Example: beautiful is beautiful, blue is blue, unpredictable is unpredictable.
1) Simple (simple) — adjectives that have no prefixes or suffixes.
Example: black-white- black-and-white, cold-hearted- heartless, well-known- known
a) Suffix education. Adjective suffixes include:
b) Prefix method. Almost all prefixes that are added to adjectives have a negative meaning:
Sometimes we use two or more adjectives together. For example:
There is a small, brown, round table in the room — there is a small, brown, round table in the room.
In this sentence, the English adjectives small, brown, round are actual adjectives that give objective information about the size, color, shape of an object.
Example: The big, old, round, brown, German, wooden wardrobe.
Source: http://enjoyeng.ru/grammatika/prilagatelnyie-v-angliyskom-yazyike-the-adjective
Different postfixes bring different nuances to the semantics of the formed adjectives. Shaping elements –ible / -able indicate the presence of a certain ability to perform an action, the other postfixes indicated below contain an indication of certain properties, qualities, for example:
Postfixes -ible / -able can be a bit tricky when you start learning English. There are significantly more adjectives with –able in English. When derivative adjectives are formed using these postfixes, the original stems can undergo certain changes, namely:
— receive — receivable: the final vowel «-e» of the original stem before the above suffixes is dropped; — rely — reliable: the final vowel «Y» of the stem, when adding these postfixes, turns into «i», and only the derivational postfix -able can be used after it;
— appreciate (highly appreciate, feel, recognize) — appreciable (tangible, significant, significant): after the final «i» in the original stem, only the postfix «-able» can be added.
In the described way, adjectives are formed using the postfixes -al, -ful, -y, which emphasize the presence of any certain qualities or properties, the postfix -less, indicating the absence of certain properties or qualities, the postfix -ous, characterizing certain character traits or giving corresponding quality characteristics, and a number of others, for example:
A feature of English derivative adjectives is the fact that the prefixes involved in their formation for the most part contain a negative meaning. Examples of such prefixes are un-, in-, im-, dis-. There are, of course, prefixes with other meanings:
- visible (visible) — invisible (invisible)
- correct (correct, correct, exact) — incorrect (incorrect, incorrect, inaccurate)
- dead (dead) — undead (raised from the dead)
- reasonable (reasonable, reasonable, reasonable) — unreasonable (unreasonable, unreasonable, unreasonable)
- legal (lawful, legal, legal) — illegal (illegal, illegal, illegal)
- local (local, local) — illocal (non-local, non-local)
- practical — impractical (impractical, unrealistic, practically impractical, unusable
Source: https://online-teacher.ru/blog/obrazovanie-prilagatelnyx-english
English Adjectives — Sentence Order and Comparison
An adjective in English is a part of speech that answers the questions: «what?», «What?», «What?», «What?» and denoting a sign of an object. An adjective describes an object or object in terms of color, shape, quality, size, character, origin, and properties.
The main difference between adjectives in the English language is that they do not change forms and endings in different cases, numbers, do not differ when describing nouns of different kinds. Coordination with other words occurs without changing the word form.
Qualitive and relative adjectives
There are two types of adjectives in English:
Qualitative — describe the color, shape, size, taste of the object: beautiful, weak, green, powerful, square, happy;
Relative — describe the origin of the object, what it is made of: wooden, stone, clay, cherry, grape, glass (wooden, stone, clay, cherry, grape, glass). Such adjectives do not have degrees of comparison.
Degrees of comparison of adjectives
Adjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive (initial), comparative, and excellent. The comparative and superlative degrees of quality English adjectives are formed according to special rules, among which there are exceptions that must be remembered.
Comparative degree
The comparative degree of short adjectives consisting of two or fewer syllables is formed by adding the suffix «-er» to the end of the word:
If a short English adjective ends in a closed syllable (from the end — a consonant, vowel, consonant), the last letter is doubled, and only then the suffix «-er» is added:
If a short adjective ends in a consonant + «y», the last letter «y» is changed to «i» and «-er» is added:
If the short word ends in «-e», add «-r»:
The comparative degree of long adjectives consisting of 3 or more syllables is formed using the word «more»:
Superlative degree
To form the superlative of a short adjective, it is necessary to put the definite article and add the suffix «-est»:
The superlong adjective is formed by adding «the most»:
Comparative and superlative exceptions
These English adjectives form a comparative and superlative degree not according to the rules, completely or partially changing the basis of the word.
- good — better — the best (good — better — best);
- bad — worse — the worst (bad — worse — the worst);
- little — less — the least;
- much (with uncountable) / many (with countable) — more — the most (many — more — most);
- far — farther / further — the farthest / the furthest
- old — older / elder — the oldest / the eldest.
“Father” and “further” differ in that the first word implies distances (go farther — go further), the second — has a figurative meaning (watch the film further — see the film further).
«Older» and «elder» differ in meaning: the first word describes age in the literal sense (the piece of furniture is older), the second is used for age relations in the family (my elder brother is my older brother).
There are words, the comparative and superlative degrees of which can be formed in both ways:
clever (smart) — cleverer (smarter) — the cleverest (the smartest)
clever — cleverer — the most clever
polite (polite) — politer — the politest
polite — politer — the most polite
friendly — friendlier — the friendliest
friendly — more friendly — the most friendly
They also include:
common, cruel, gentle, narrow, pleasant, shallow, simple, stupid, quiet.
Comparative expressions using adjectives in sentences
- twice as as — twice as;
- three times as as — three times than;
- half as as — half of something (twice)
- the same as — the same as;
- less than — less than;
- the least / most of all — least / most of all;
- the, the — what, so;
- than — what.
Your bag is twice as heavy as mine. “Your bag is twice the size of mine.
Mary’s copybook costs half as little as ours. — Mary’s notebook costs half ours.
Your dream is the same as important as theirs. “Your dream is as important as theirs.
This flower is less beautiful than that one growing in the garden. “This flower is less beautiful than the one that grows in the garden.
The more careful you are, the easier it is. “The more careful you are, the easier it will be to deal with it.
This exercise is the least difficult of all. — This exercise is the least difficult of all.
Source: https://englishbro.ru/grammar/adjectives-common-rules
Formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English
Comparison of adjectives in English is one of the simplest grammatical topics. The reason is that the existing degrees of comparison and methods of their formation largely coincide with those in the Russian language. As in Russian, there are two degrees of comparison in English: comparative и excellent… According to another classification, there is also a positive one — this is the usual form of adjectives.
Comparative forms in English
How the degrees of comparison are formed
There are two ways to form the degrees of comparison: analytical (adding words) and synthetic (adding suffixes). The choice of the desired method of formation depends on the adjectives themselves:
- for monosyllabic (simple) — we use the synthetic method of education
- for the polysyllabic — the analytical method.
Let’s consider all this in detail, giving examples.
Monosyllabic adjectives and the synthetic method for comparing them
Almost all simple adjectives in English form comparative degrees using suffixes:
table of adjectives
There are several cases where adding suffixes requires minor changes to the word itself:
- If in a monosyllabic adjective there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then we double it:
- Big — bigger — the biggest
- The final dumb -e goes off before -er, -est:
- Nice — nicer — the nicest
- The final –y is replaced with –i, provided that there is a consonant before –y:
If there is a vowel before -y in a word, there will be no substitutions:
- Gray — greyer — the greyest
Let’s sum up.
In the following picture, you will see an extremely simple diagram of the formation of the degrees of comparison of simple adjectives in English.
the degree of comparison of simple adjectives in English
There are no rules that have no exceptions
There is a small list of exceptions to the general rule: these words completely change their roots:
exclusion list
There is another type of exception, which is a small list of words that have two possible options for the formation of degrees, each of which has its own semantic characteristics. You need to know them in order to use them correctly in the context:
Adjectives with two possible options for the formation of degrees
As for two-syllable adjectives, some of them form their comparative forms as monosyllabic — by adding —er and —is… These include those who
- Ends in:
narrow — narrower — the narrowest
Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/sravnenie-prilagatelnih.html
10 ways to tell an adjective from an adverb in English
An adjective is easy to recognize in a sentence by how it affects the noun, changing its properties. For example:
«He bought a shirt.» The word shirt is a noun, but it is not clear what kind of shirt it is. All we know is that someone bought a shirt.
«He bought a beautiful shirt.» In this example, the adjective beautiful appears, which changes the noun shirt, which makes it clear which shirt the person bought.
It is not difficult to recognize an adjective in a sentence — it, as a rule, answers the questions “Which one?”, “Which one?”, “Which one?”.
For example:
“The kind woman gave us a tasty cake.” What woman? Kind (kind). What kind of cake? Tasty
«The small boy is playing with a new toy.» The adjectives small (small) and new (new) tell us which boy and what kind of toy we are talking about.
So, the main thing to remember is the questions that the adjective answers in English:
- What is it?
- Which the?
- Which one?
Adverb
If adjectives affect nouns, changing their properties, then the adverb affects verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. You can easily find an adverb in a sentence with the -ly suffix, because most adverbs in English are formed just by adding it to an adjective. It is important to remember that the adverb answers the question «how?» or «how much?» Let’s look at some examples:
«The pair danced gracefully.» (The couple danced gracefully.) The adverb gracefully influences the verb to dance, making it clear exactly how the couple danced.
«That man is very strong.» (That man is very strong.) In this sentence, the adverb very affects the adjective strong and shows how and how strong the man is. Let’s check by asking the question “how much?”: “How strong is he? He is very strong. » (How strong is he? He is very strong.)
«It was an extremely important meeting.» (This was an extremely important meeting.) The adverb extremely changes the adjective important. We ask the question “how much”: “How important was it? Extremely important. » (How important was it? Extremely important.) It is now clear that the meeting was extremely important.
«She smiled amazingly.» (She smiled an amazing smile.) Here the adverb amazingly affects the verb smile, and tells us how the girl smiled.
So, remember the main rule — the adverb most often answers the question «how?» At the same time, it can also answer the questions «when?», «Where?» and why?».
Additional rules
In English, adjectives usually precede the nouns they refer to. However, if the sentence contains one of the following verbs, the adjective will appear after its noun.
- to be
- to feel
- great taste
- to smell
- to sound
- to look
- to appear
- to seem
Consider the following examples:
«The sky is blue.» (The sky is blue.) The adjective blue refers to the noun sky, but follows the verb is in the sentence, which is the form of the verb be.
«Diana looks happy.» (Diana looks happy.) The adjective happy also follows the noun Diana.
«The music sounds loud.» (Music sounds loud.) The adjective loud follows the noun music in the sentence.
«The juice smells great.» (The juice smells great.) Again, we see the noun juice first, followed by the dependent adjective great.
Avoiding common mistakes
There are adjectives and adverbs in English that are difficult to distinguish by spelling. It is even more difficult to understand the difference in their use. Let’s clarify these situations.
1. Is the adjective bad or the adverb badly?
When you want to talk about your feelings or feelings, you should use the adjective bad. So when you feel bad or unwell, you say “I feel bad”. However, if you say “I feel badly,” it means that you feel dull, as if your hands are numb. Compare these examples:
«The horse smells badly.» Here the adverb badly means that the horse has a bad scent, a poor ability to smell in principle.
«The cat smells bad.» Thanks to the adjective bad, the sentence is no longer about scent, but about the fact that the cat is dirty, smells bad and needs bathing.
Note: In English there is also an expression “I feel badly”. It is used when you need to apologize, express regret. Imagine visiting a friend and accidentally breaking his favorite vase. Then you say, “I feel really badly about the vase”.
2. Is the adjective good or the adverb well?
It is easy to remember a simple rule that works in the grammar of the English language — the adjective good should be used with the following verbs denoting feelings and states: feel, look, smell, be. While the adverb well combines with live, do. Compare:
«I do well.» Use the adverb well to say that you are doing well and that you are doing well.
«My grandmother looks good.» The adjective good says that the grandmother looks good, not that the grandmother has good eyesight.
«My cat smells pretty good now.» Again, the adjective good does not mean that the cat has a good scent, but that the cat itself smells good, like after bathing.
Note: In English colloquial speech with verbs of feelings and states, it is allowed to use the adverb well in expressions such as “I feel well”. This is due to the fact that many people confuse the adjective good and the adverb well in conversation. However, when talking about action verbs, you should only use the adverb well. For example:
«He plays football well.» (He plays football well.)
«The whole class did well on the exam.» (The whole class did well on the exam.)
3. Adjective sure or adverb surely?
Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/10-sposobov-otlichit-prilagatelnoe-ot-narechiya-v-anglijskom
Examples of polysyllabic adjectives in English
Each person or object has distinctive characteristics, properties, signs. And in order to tell the interlocutor about them, you need to be able to use the appropriate adjectives correctly.
Today we will study this grammatical category, as well as learn its laws of composing and using the degree of comparison.
In addition, they will help us quickly understand and remember the rules about simple and polysyllabic adjectives in the English language examples, given in the final section.
Grammatical meaning
The role of English adjectives is no different from the role of Russians — to characterize people and describe objects, emphasizing their qualities, signs, properties. Despite the fact that there is always a noun in conjunction with this part of speech, it does not change either the number, gender or case.
- I see a gray bird — I see gray the bird.
- Gray birds are sitting on the branch of the tree — Grey birds sit on a tree branch.
- I gave some bread to the gray bird — I gave some bread to this gray bird.
The only case of changing the form of adjectives in an English sentence is when they are used to compare objects and express superiority.
Comparison forms
Before mastering the methods of comparison, it is necessary to understand that the composition of adjectives is very important for English grammar. They are of three types: simple, complex, and compound.
Compound adjectives are a combination of two words and are written with a hyphen (sometimes together). These combinations consist of adjectives and other parts of speech: numerals, nouns, participles, etc.
- A one-eyed young man lives in this flat — A young one-eyed boy lives in this apartment.
- Mother bought a dark blue suit for my brother — Mom bought my brother a navy blue suit.
- He didn’t want to take a low-paid job — He didn’t want to take a low-paying job.
The composite view is rarely used. Monosyllabic and disyllabic adjectives and words with a large number of syllables are much more common. For the first two groups, comparative forms are formed by changing the stem, and the last category requires additional words. Therefore, we will separately analyze polysyllabic adjectives in English, giving examples of compiling their comparative degrees. Let’s dwell on the first group for now.
Definitions consisting of one syllable, as well as adjectives of two syllables with the endings le, er, ow, y form the degrees of comparison in a suffix way. For the comparative degree it is the suffix -er, and for the superlative one it is est. Since only one person or object can surpass everyone, the article the is put before such adjectives.
- I had done my task by 3 o’clock because it was easy — I completed my task by three o’clock, because she was easy.
- You had done your task faster than I did because your task was cutting easier — You completed your task faster than me, because your task was easier.
- He had done his task earlier than others did because his task was the easy — He completed his task before anyone else, because his task was the lightest.
When changing the degree for monosyllabic adjectives, several nuances related to spelling are characteristic. When the definition ends with one consonant, preceded by a short vowel, it is doubled in the comparative construction. Here we note that the final unreadable vowel e is never doubled.
- It was hot yesterday — It was hot yesterday.
- The weather is getting hotter and hotter — The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
Words ending in -y with a preceding consonant change that letter to i.
- My sister is lazy — My sister is lazy.
- He is the laziest pupil in his class — He is the laziest student in his class.
Note that this group contains special cases that are studied separately.
Polysyllabic adjectives in English construction examples
For definitions that include three or more syllables, no changes occur to the word itself. In drawing up comparative degrees, they are helped by special additional designations: more / less (more / less) and the most / the least (most / least).
Original form | Comparison | Superiority |
comfortable room | more comfortable room | the most comfortable room |
beautiful butterfly | more beautiful butterfly | the most beautiful butterfly |
expensive present | less expensive present | the least expensive present |
This method is often used to form comparisons of adjectives in –ed and –ing, which many equate with participles.
- He was more surprised than his brother — He was more surprised than his brother.
- It was the most interesting day of my trip — It was the most interesting day of my trip.
Disyllabic adjectives are often used this way, especially if they end in -ful, -less, -ous.
- Your husband is more careful than my — Your husband is more caring than mine.
- It is the most useless thing in the world — This is the most useless thing in the world.
- Palahniuk is more famous writer than Frei — Palahniuk is a better known writer than Fry.
To the words that are always used for education degrees of comparison additional constructs also include: frequent, careless, modern, normal, certain, foolish, correct, etc.
Some adjectives may even use both methods of constructing comparisons.
Original form | Comparison | Superiority |
angry | angrier / more angry | the angriest / the most angry |
quiet | quitter / more quitter | the quietest / the most quit |
handsome | handsomer / more handsome | the handsomest / the most handsome |
This type of word includes common, clever, simple, gentle, stupid, narrow, cruel, pleasant, friendly.
Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/mnogoslozhnye-prilagatelnye-v-anglijskom-yazyke-primery/
Enjoy learning English online with Puzzle English for free
For knowledge of a foreign language, a wealth of vocabulary is no less important than an understanding of grammar. The more words a person speaks, the freer he feels in a foreign language environment.
The variety of vocabulary is largely determined by the richness of word formation in the English language. The construction of new words is based on general principles. And the one who knows these principles feels much more confident among unfamiliar vocabulary.
The structure of the word and its change
New words are learned gradually. Most often, at first we only understand them in texts or someone else’s speech, and only then we begin to actively use them in ours. Therefore, mastering new vocabulary is a long process and requires patience from the student, active practice of reading, listening and working with a dictionary.
One of the methods to quickly expand your vocabulary is to master the ways of word formation in English. Having understood the principles by which words are built, it is possible to derive the meanings of its cognate words from an already known word.
The building blocks for every word are the root, prefixes and suffixes. The root is the part of the word that carries the main meaning. A word cannot exist without a root. Whereas prefixes and suffixes are an optional part, however, when added to the root, it is they that help form new words. Therefore, when describing word formation in English, we will separate prefix and suffix methods.
All prefixes and suffixes have their own meaning. It is usually quite blurry and serves to change the basic meaning of the word. When a prefix or suffix (or both) is added to the root, their value is added to the root value. This is how a new word turns out.
The formation of new words can lead not only to a change in meaning, but also to change parts of speech. Suffixes are more common in this function. By adding to the root, they translate a word from one part of speech to another, for example, they make an adjective from a verb or a verb from a noun.
So, from one root a whole group can be formed, all the elements of which are interconnected. Therefore, word formation helps learners of English to see the semantic relationships between words and better navigate the variety of vocabulary.
You can get a new word not only through prefixes and suffixes. Another way is compounding, in which two roots are combined into one word, forming a new meaning. In addition, word formation includes the reduction of words and the creation of abbreviations.
Prefixes as a way of word formation in English
A prefix (the term «prefix» is also used) is an element of a word that is placed before the root. Prefix word formation is rarely used by the English language to change parts of speech (as an exception, the prefix «en-» / «em-» for the formation of verbs can be called). But prefixes are actively used to change the meaning of a word. The prefixes themselves can have different meanings, but among them there is a large group of prefixes with a similar function: to change the meaning of a word to the opposite.
1. Prefixes with negative values:
- un-: unpredictable (unpredictable), unable (unable)
- dis-: disapproval, disconnection
Source: https://puzzle-english.com/directory/wordbuilding
Difference between an adverb and an adjective in English: how to distinguish them?
Good or well? Slow or slowly? Hard or hardly? High or highly highly?
Today you will learn the difference between an adverb and an adjective in English and quickly learn how to distinguish them.
These parts of speech very often cause confusion among those who are learning English not only at the beginner level.
That is why it is worthwhile to understand once and for all what adverbs and adjectives are in English, as well as when they are used.
Features of the adjective in English
First, an adjective in English always describes a noun or pronoun, just like in Russian.
That is, if you see an adjective in a sentence, somewhere nearby there will be either a noun or a pronoun (he, she, it, etc.).
For example: Mark’s new bike is RED and yellow… It is very solid as well.
The highlighted words are adjectives.
Second, remember that adjectives never describe other adjectives or verbs.
Adverb and its main properties
With an adverb, the situation is very simple — it always defines a verb, less often an adjective or another adverb.
Very often, adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding a suffix — ly.
For example: slow — slowly, quick — quickly, careful — carefully, nice — nicely, happy — happily etc.
Also, adverbs can be formed from nouns by adding only — Y: wind — windy, sun — sunny, rain — rainy.
But in the English language there are «special» adverbs that are formed in their own way.
For example: good — well. Don’t confuse them!
«Good job «, BUT»Well done «! One cannot say “very well weather «, it is correct to say -» Very good weather «.
There are also such adverbs that seem to be formed from an adjective, only they mean something completely different.
For example: hard — hardly, close — closely, late — lately, near — nearly.
To distinguish an adverb from an adjective, it is worth looking at the context and role of the word in the sentence, that is, what exactly it describes: an object, a person, a phenomenon or an action.
As for adjectives like high, deep, cool, warm, cold, hot, present, shorts etc. when adding a suffix — ly from them an adverb is formed, which is used not literally, but in a figurative sense.
By the way, these adjectives are also used as adverbs without adding a suffix.
Let’s see examples:
- He talked about Alice very highly… — He spoke very highly of Alice.
- Mrs. Tess welcomed us warmly… “Mrs. Tess greeted us warmly.
That’s all.
Enjoy learning English! Subscribe to the newsletter and share useful information with your friends in social networks.
Good Luck!
Source: https://preply.com/blog/2015/06/11/raznitsa-mezhdu-narechiem-i-prilagatelnym-v-anglijskom-kak-ih-otlichat/
Nationalities in English: basic rules
Countries and Nationalities is taught at the very beginning of the elementary level. If you open any textbook of this level, then one of the first lessons will certainly touch upon the topic of countries and nationalities. This is because using the names of different nationalities, it is convenient to practice the use of the verb to be.
From the very first lessons, students will learn how to form the names of nationalities from the names of countries, but the list of words considered is usually small: a maximum of twenty of the most popular countries and nationalities. This is enough for a start, but you will need more knowledge to study further.
In this article, we will explain the basic rules by which the names of nationalities are formed, as well as talk about the various features of using these words.
First of all, please remember that the names of countries, languages, nationalities in English are written with a capital letter.
An adjective can be formed from the name of any country using a certain suffix. For example:
Italy — Italy; Italian — Italian, Italian — Italian.
Do you speak Italian? — Do you speak Italian?
I Italian food. — I love Italian food.
He is from Italy. He is Italian… — He’s from Italy. He is Italian.
As you can see, the same word derived from the name of the country can be used in different ways. This adjective is the name of the language of this country and the name of nationality. Many students, for example, forget about these derivative words and just use the name of the country (Japan food, Spain singer, and so on). The name of the country cannot be an adjective, it cannot describe the nationality or language of the country, so do not make such mistakes.
It should be noted that the name of the nationality and the language of the country do not always coincide. For example, in Brazil (Brazil), although there are Brazilians (Brazilian), they speak Portuguese (Portugese). It is the same with Arab countries, where the nationality of the country does not coincide with the language (Arabic).
So, back to suffixes. Some authors try to classify suffixes by geography, making maps like this:
Nevertheless, it is impossible to classify all suffixes according to any one criterion, there are always exceptions. Take the -ESE suffix for example: it would seem to combine with the names of countries in Asia and Africa, but it also forms adjectives from the names of some countries in Europe and South America.
Let’s look at the main suffixes that form adjectives from country names:
-IAN | Adjectives are formed using this suffix, regardless of which letter ends in the name of the country and where it is located. If the country name ends in -IA, then only -N is added: | Argentina — Argentinian Egypt — Egyptian Norway — Norwegian Ukraine — UkrainianBrazil — BrazilianRussia — Russian Australia — AustralianIndonesia — Indonesian |
-AN | If the country name ends in -A, then only -N is added, if the name ends in another vowel, -AN is added: | Korea — Korean Venezuela — Venezuelan Chile — Chilean Mexico — Mexican |
-ESE | Basically — the countries of Asia, some countries in Africa, other countries in Europe and South America: | China — Chinese Vietnam — Vietnamese Japan — Japanese Lebanon — Lebanese Sudan — Sudanese Taiwan — Taiwanese Portugal — Portuguese |
-ISH | Some adjectives are formed with the –ISH suffix: | Britain — British Scotland — Scottish Ireland — IrishWales — Welsh Poland — Polish Turkey — Turkish |
-I | Almost all countries that combine with this suffix are Islamic countries, or countries that speak Arabic. | Iraq — Iraqi Pakistan — Pakistani Thailand — ThaiKuwait — Kuwaiti |
Other suffixes | Other suffixes can also be called exceptions, since some of them are single, used to form one nationality. | France — French Greece — Greek Switzerland — Swissthe Netherlands — Dutch |
As mentioned earlier, many adjectives that can be formed using suffixes are the names of the languages spoken in a particular country. In addition, these adjectives, when combined with nouns, describe something specific to this country:
French literature — French literature Japanese food — Japanese food Mexican traditions — Mexican traditions
Egyptian culture — Egyptian history
In order to talk about nationalities in general, there are several ways in English that we will now get to know.
1. The + ADJECTIVE
You know from the article on the definite article the that the can be combined with adjectives when the adjective refers to a group of people:
The Chinese are very traditional. — The Chinese are very traditional.
The Americans fast food. — Americans love fast food.
Have you noticed that in the above examples the word Americans is used with the ending -S, Chinese — without the ending? There are a few rules to remember about this:
If nationality adjectives have endings –SH, –CH, –SS, –ESE, -I then they are not plural (no -S is added to them):
the French the Swiss the Japanese the Scottish the Iraqi the Iraqi
the Israeli — Israelis
Endings –AN and some others are plural. These adjectives (unlike the above) can also be nouns:
the Ukrainians the Brazilians the Greeks the Greeks
the Thais — residents of Thailand
2. ADJECTIVE + PEOPLE
Any nationality can be designated using the word people in combination with an adjective. The article is not needed:
Chinese people — Chinese people Italian people — Italians
English people — English
3. Nouns
Some nationalities have special nouns that do not match adjectives… These nouns can be used when referring to all representatives of nationality:
Denmark — the Danes Finland — the Finns Great Britain — the British Poland — the Poles Scotland — the Scots Spain — the Spaniards Sweden — the Swedes the Netherlands — the Dutch
Turkey — the Turks
If you are talking about one person, then if this nationality has a noun, then you can use it:
an American — American an Italian — Italian a Pole — Pole a Turk — Turk a Spaniard — Spanish a Briton — British
a Swede — Swede
If there is no noun, or if you want to clarify the gender of a person, then use the ADJECTIVE + MAN / WOMAN / BOY / GIRL formula:
an English boy a Chinese woman
a French man
(can be written together: a Frenchman)
an English man (can be written together: an Englishman)
There is a term in English demonym (from the Greek demos — people and onym — name). This term is intended to describe people living in a particular area. These are the names of nationalities, ethnic groups, residents of a particular area or a particular city. All of the above adjectives and nouns derived from country names are demonyms. Demonyms are formed mainly by suffixing:
London — Londoner — resident of London Kiev — Kievan — resident of Kiev
Rome — Roman — a resident of Rome
In this article, we will not list all nationalities and other demonyms. To begin with, you just need to know the names of the nationalities of large and frequently mentioned countries. If the need arises, you can easily find lists of all nationalities without exception on the Internet. The main thing is to remember the general rules and constantly supplement your knowledge. And don’t forget to subscribe to our updates! I wish you success!
Source: https://enginform.com/article/nationalities
The Adjective
§ 29. Adjectives denote signs, qualities or properties of objects.
In English, as in Russian, there are simple, derivatives и complex (compound) adjectives.
Simpleadjectives (Simple adjectives):
nice, green, small, right, good.
Derivativesadjectives (Derived Adjectives)adjectives with suffixes or prefixes):
dirty, childish, friendly, unknown, useful.
Complex (compound) adjectives (compound adjectives):
light-blue, red-hot, good-looking, well-known.
Among the English Complexadjectives there is a special group adjectives with the -ed suffix (complex derivativesadjectives), for example: blue-eyed (blue-eyed), long-legged (leggy), absent-minded (scattered).
§ 30. By value adjectives are divided into two groups — Qualityadjectives (Qualitative Adjectives) and the relativeadjectives (relative adjectives).
Qualitativeadjectives directly indicate the signs and qualities of objects (size, color, weight, etc.):
big, red, difficult, important, heavy.
For qualityadjectives the following properties are characteristic:
1) They have degrees of comparison (see § 34):
big — bigger — (the) biggest
2) They can be defined by adverbs of the degree very, quite, so, too, rather, fairly and others:
very big, quite red, too difficult, rather heavy, fairly interesting.
§ 31. Relativeadjectives denote the signs and qualities of objects through their relationship to other objects, for example: a wooden house (a house made of wood), an American boy (a boy from America), a grammatical exercise (an exercise on grammar), etc.
Relativeadjectives do not have degrees of comparison.
A feature of the English language is that in the meaning relativeadjectives very often there are determinants-nouns (nouns used as prepositive definitions for other nouns). Therefore, in many cases, the Russian relative adjective does not correspond in English adjective, and the determinant is a noun. Compare:
a school library — school library
a football match — football match
London streets — London streets
a pioneer camp — pioneer camp
gold watch — gold watch
winter sports — winter sports
Missing in English possessiveadjectiveslike Russians Petin, Zhenin, daddy, mother’s etc. Their role in English is played by the corresponding nouns in the possessive case.
Tomorrow is mother’s birthday. Tomorrow mother’s birthday.
This is Nick’s book. it Colin book.
§ 32. The main grammatical feature adjectives in English is their immutability in numbers, gender and cases. In this respect, they differ from adjectives in Russian, which are declined, vary in numbers and gender, and can have short and full forms.
Compare:
a gray cat — gray cat
two gray cats — two gray cats
a clever boy — smart boy; a clever girl — a clever girl, etc.
This is a good house. This is a nice home.
This house is good. This house is good.
We live in a good house. We live in a nice house.
As adjectives in English they do not incline, then there is no grammatical agreement between them and the nouns being defined, which is available in Russian.
Functions of adjectives in a sentence
§ 33. In the sentence adjectives perform the following functions:
1) definitions to a noun; adjective-definition in English, it is placed before the noun being defined:
I hope you had a good holiday.
Happy Birthday to you!
Note. Unlike the Russian language adjective-definition not used in English (except excellent degree) without the word being defined. When the noun being defined is omitted, the pronoun one is used instead.
I don’t need the red pencil; give me the black one, please.
Compare: I don’t need a red pencil, give me a black one, please.
2) predicative (the nominal part of the predicate):
Are you hungry?
I’m more thirsty than hungry.
Are you sure the shop is still open?
There is a group in English adjectives, which are used only in the function predicative… This includes adjectives: afraid, a, alive, asleep, awake, glad, ill, sorry.
I’m very glad to see you.I’m so sorry to be late.When I came home my brother was already asleep.Mike’s sisters are very much a.
He’s been ill for two days.
Degrees of Comparisons of Adjectives
§ 34. In English, as in Russian, Qualityadjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive
Source: http://artefact.lib.ru/languages/eng_ebooks_shub_adjective.shtml
Excellent Degree in English
Learning grammar and rules is not enough, it is also important to learn how to communicate in English. Practice and experience show that English for beginners’ children is a topic that causes quite lively disputes and disagreements.
Someone thinks that you should not burden children with learning In order to maintain and improve your speech, you need to communicate with a native English speaker.
Modern technologies do not stand still, Why do we need English? Today this question does not cause any hesitation! Traveling around the world, communicating with foreign citizens, progressing in Basic English Verbs is an item that cannot be ignored when studying a foreign language.
It is not for nothing that this part of speech is called the king.
In English, there are three degrees of comparison for adjectives: comparative, positive, and excellent. The key function of the latter is to demonstrate the strong characteristic of a certain object, in comparison with other nouns. For example, the largest or the smallest. It is important that in order to use a superlative degree, it is necessary that at least three objects or people are involved!
How the degrees of comparison of adjectives in English are formed
Comparative and Superlative Education in English — a topic that needs to be given due attention in the study of the subject. Self-mastering can cause some difficulties, therefore, in order to assimilate the material and learn how to apply it in practice, we strongly recommend not to be lazy and take a few individual lessons!
First of all, we invite you to find out rule of comparison of adjectives in English… Note that all adjectives can be divided into two groups:
- High quality;
- Relative.
It is noteworthy that not all adjectives lend themselves to comparison. For example, let’s take the word «iron». We cannot say that this chair is more iron than the one that you saw in the previous store. This is lexically incorrect.
Qualitative adjectives can be presented in any form — positive, comparatively excellent.
Formation of the comparative degree of adjectives in English
The comparative degree is used when it comes to 2 or more subjects. We will tell you in detail how to form it.
- If the adjective consists of 1-2 syllables, then they are considered short. In this case, the ending «er» must be added to the word;
- If the adjective has an ending «y», then comparatively it simply changes to «i» + «er»;
- If there is «e» at the end of the adjective, then just add «r»;
- When there is a combination of a vowel and a consonant at the end of an adjective, the consonant is doubled + «er».
- If the adjective is long (it includes more than 2 syllables), then here the comparative degree is formed using the words «more» and «less». They just need to be put before the adjective.
How to form a comparative superlative degree in English
To use superlatives, two objects are not enough. Three is the minimum.
- We add the ending “est” to adjectives with one syllable;
- An adjective of 3 or more syllables is used together with «most» and «least».
As you can see, this topic seems completely uncomplicated. In reality, there are a lot of nuances and pitfalls, for example — words exclusion of adjectives in English… Once again, we note the fact that if this topic is difficult to learn, then it is better to take a few lessons from a professional teacher!
www.sva39.ru Creation, maintenance and promotion of sites.
Language school LinguaHouse
st. Victory 22 building 3, Reutov, Moscow region.
Source: https://lhcenter.ru/novosti/polezno-znat/37-prevoskhodnaya-stepen-v-anglijskom-yazyke
Suffixes in English: 40 Most Common
Hey.
Source: https://corp.lingualeo.com/ru/2016/11/16/suffiksyi-v-angliyskom-yazyike/
Formation of adjectives by adding a postfix to the verb
When we use postfixes, we enrich the semantics of the English language, making it diverse. This especially applies to the formation of adjectives. Several types of postfixes can be added to the verb stem. Some of them carry a certain meaning.
-able | The ability of the subject to perform any action matters |
-ible | |
-ant | Indicate that an item has a given characteristic or property |
-ent | |
-ive |
It is worth noting that the verb stem does not always remain in its initial form and may change when a postfix is added. So, if a verb ends in -y, then the formation of an adjective, it will change to -i. And the final letter -e, as a rule, is not readable and is simply omitted when adding a postfix.
Considering these exceptions, it is important to remember the postfixes disappear, leaving the root of the word. This also applies to the word appreciate. In this case, to form an adjective, replace -ate with-able. Look closely at the table with examples.
relay | Rely on someone | Reliable Website, Good Products. Customer Testimonial | Reliable, trustworthy |
Combine | Combine, combine, combine | Combinable | Connecting, combinable, combinable |
reverse | Wrap, turn | Reversible | Reversible |
Convert | Convert, modify | Convertible | Changeable, convertible, reversible |
resist | Resist, resist | resistant | Provide resistance, hardy |
it depends | Depend | Dependent | Conditioned, subordinate, dependent |
Progress | Make progress, get ahead | Progressive | Perspective, progressive, progressive |
Effect | Influence | Effective | Effective, efficient, efficient |
appreciate | appreciate, admit | Appreciable | Significant, tangible, substantial |
Consider these adjectives in sentences
I’m sure he is a reliable man, I know him for a long time. | I am sure he is a reliable person, I have known him for a long time. |
She says these colors are combinable. | She says these colors are compatible. |
She is dependent on her mother’s opinion. | She is dependent on her mother’s opinion. |
It is one of the most effective ways to solve the problem. | This is one of the most effective ways to solve the problem. |
I worked hard, it was a really progressive month. | I worked hard, it was a really progressive month. |
The climate of our planet is changing and it isn’t a reversible process. | The climate on our planet is changing and this is an irreversible process. |
His help to the company is very appreciable. | His help to the company has been very significant. |
Source: https://englishfun.ru/grammatika/obrazovanie-prilagatelnyh-v-anglijskom-yazyke
- How to Form Compound Adjectives?
- When to Use a Hyphen?
Compound adjectives are two or more compound words that act as an adjective, i.e., modify the same noun together.
Example
Explanation
Operating in a fast-paced work environment can be stressful.
Fast-paced is a compound adjective.
How to Form Compound Adjectives?
Rule 1: Compound adjectives can contain two singular adjectives, but we can also use other parts of speech to form compound adjectives.
Here is an overview of several different types of compound adjectives:
Parts of Speech | Compound Adjective |
---|---|
adjective + noun / noun + adjective | long-distance, short-term / gluten-free, vegan-friendly |
number + noun | first-time, fifteen-minute |
adjective + present participle / adjective + past participle | foreign-speaking, fast-growing / double-checked, deep-fried |
noun + present participle / noun + past participle | eye-catching, self-criticising / sun-kissed, homemade |
noun + noun | waterproof, round-neck (top) |
adverb + past participle | overcrowded, sufficiently insulated |
When to Use a Hyphen?
Usually, compound adjectives need hyphens to avoid confusion or ambiguity, but there are also exceptions.
Rule 2: Certain compound adjectives, also known as open or closed compound adjectives, do not need hyphens even when placed before a noun.
Example
Explanation
He doesn’t do pro bono work anymore because it made him feel overworked.
Pro bono is an open compound adjective and overworked is a closed compound adjective.
Rule 3: We use hyphens in compound adjectives that contain numbers.
Example
Explanation
We’re going on a three-day trip.
Three-day is a compound adjective that contains number three, so it needs a hyphen.
Note: If the number comes second in a compound adjective, it doesn’t need a hyphen.
Example
Explanation
My mother has a Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 is a compound adjective that contains number 2, but it doesn’t need a hyphen because it comes second.
Learn English with Langster
Rule 4: We always use hyphens in compound adjectives that begin with a comparative or superlative if they come before the nouns they modify.
Example
Explanation
They only use the highest-quality ingredients in their dishes.
The highest-quality is a compound adjective that begins with a superlative the highest and comes before the noun ingredients, so it needs a hyphen.
Note: When such a compound adjectives comes after the noun it modifies, it doesn’t need a hyphen.
Example
Explanation
The ingredients were of the highest quality.
The highest quality comes after the noun ingredients, so it doesn’t need a hyphen.
Rule 5: We don’t use hyphens in compound adjectives if they start with adverbs.
Example
Explanation
You doors and windows should be tightly sealed to avoid drafts.
Tightly sealed is a compound adjective that starts with an adverb tightly, so it doesn’t need a hyphen.
Rule 6: We usually use hyphens in multiple-word compound adjectives.
Example
Explanation
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing a career path.
One-size-fits-all is a multi-word compound adjective. By the way, multi-word is also a compound adjective.
Quiz
Form a compound adjective correctly. She is interested in ___ photography.
Adjectives are used to modify nouns or pronouns in a sentence. There are many different types of adjectives; each one has a slightly different purpose. Sometimes, adjectives may even be made up of more than one word. These types of adjectives are known as compound adjectives.
Compound adjectives are a type of neologism — referring to the coining and creation of new words. They are formed by combining two or more words together.
Compound adjectives: definition
What are compound adjectives? Take a look at the definition below:
Compound adjectives are adjectives made up of more than one word (usually two, but sometimes three). They are used to modify the noun or pronoun in a sentence, so they have the same function as single-word adjectives.
Compound adjectives do not have to be made up of only adjectives; other word forms can combine to form compound adjectives (such as nouns and adjectives, adverbs and past participles, etc.).
The word «single-word» is an example of a compound adjective!
Fig. 1 — Snow could be described as «ice-cold.» This is an example of a compound adjective.
Compound adjectives: rules
Compound adjectives are used to modify nouns or pronouns. They can be placed before the noun/pronoun in a sentence. For example:
«My long-term goal is to stay happy.»
In this sentence, the compound adjective «long-term» is used to modify the noun «goal.»
Alternatively, they can also come after the noun/pronoun. For example:
«This playground is child-safe.«
In this sentence, the compound adjective «child-safe» is used to modify the noun «playground.»
Compound adjectives: using the hyphen
Compound adjectives often use hyphens to let the reader know they should be read as one unit instead of two different words. In particular, compound adjectives are usually hyphenated when they come before a noun or pronoun in a sentence. For example:
«I’m baking a gluten-free cake.»
However, compound adjectives do not always need to be hyphenated if their meaning is still clear without one. They’re usually not hyphenated when they come after a noun or pronoun. For example:
«This cake is gluten-free» VS. «This cake is gluten free.»
Both of these sentences can be understood regardless of the use of a hyphen.
Keep in mind that when using hyphens, it is often a matter of personal preference. But, in some instances, it is easier to hyphenate compound adjectives if the meaning could be misunderstood. These misunderstandings may be more common among non-native speakers of English, as they may mistake a compound adjective for two separate words, which can change the meaning of a sentence.
Take the sentence, «I saw a fish eating bear.»
Without the hyphen, it could seem as though the fish is eating a bear.
When a hyphen is used, the meaning of the sentence is made clearer:
«I saw a fish-eating bear.»
It is clear that the sentence is referring to a bear that eats fish.
Compound adjective: examples
There are different types of compound adjectives made with words from different word classes. It is important to know that just because they are called compound adjectives, this does not mean they only contain adjectives.
Compound adjectives simply act as an adjective in a sentence, but they can consist of words from other word classes. Take a look at some examples of different types of compound adjectives below:
Adjective Noun
Example | Sentence |
Last-minute | «I’m planning a last-minute trip to New York.» |
Long-distance | «The long-distance flight was tiring.» |
High-quality | «The TV played high-quality videos.» |
Short-term | «Think about your short-term plan.» |
Adjective Present Participle (verb form ending in «ing»)
Example | Sentence |
Good-looking | «He’s a good-looking guy.» |
Easy-going | «Some would say I’m easy-going.» |
Tight-fitting | «I want to buy some tight-fitting jeans.» |
Long-running | «Les Miserables is a long-running theatre show.» |
Adjective Past Participle (verb form usually ending in «ed»)
Example | Sentence |
Old-fashioned | «The clothes she wore were quite old-fashioned.» |
Open-minded | «My family is open-minded.» |
Quick-witted | «Her quick-witted sense of humor makes people laugh.» |
Short-lived | «That idea was short-lived.» |
Noun Adjective
Example | Sentence |
Family-friendly | «This resort is family-friendly.» |
Child-free | «Enjoy a child-free trip away.» |
World-famous | «The Beatles were a world-famous band.» |
Sugar-free | «The sugar-free brownies are surprisingly good.» |
Noun Present Participle
Example | Sentence |
Mind-numbing | «After another mind-numbing conversation, I was ready to go to sleep.» |
Record-breaking | «The fastest car in the world went a record-breaking 763 miles an hour.» |
Time-consuming | «Writing essays can be time-consuming but very rewarding.» |
Thought-provoking | «He asked a thought-provoking question.» |
Noun Past Participle
Example | Sentence |
Middle-aged | «A middle-aged man crossed the street.» |
Sun-dried | «The sun-dried tomatoes are the best.» |
Wind-powered | «Many boats are wind-powered.» |
Tongue-tied | «I was tongue-tied when I met a celebrity.» |
Adverb Past Participle
Example | Sentence |
Well-behaved | «The puppy is well-behaved.» |
Brightly-lit | «The brightly-lit room felt uninviting.» |
Highly-respected | «The highly-respected university professor has been working for many years.» |
Well-known | «Germany is well-known for its beer and sausages.» |
Number Noun
Fifteen-minute | «You need to do a fifteen-minute presentation.» |
Four-story | «I live in a four-story building.» |
Ninety-page | «She had to memorize a ninety-page monologue.» |
Five-star | «We were staying at a five-star hotel.» |
Note that compound adjectives with numbers must only include a singular noun. For example, saying «I live in a four-story building» is grammatically correct, but «I live in a four-stories building» is not. This is because «story» is singular, and «stories» is plural.
Fig. 2 — You may write a «ten-page» essay, but not a «ten-pages» essay!
Three-word compound adjectives with hyphens
Although they are not as common, some compound adjectives contain three words. In this case, the conjunctions «and» or «of» are usually used between two other words. All three words must be hyphenated to show they are one unit of meaning instead of three separate words. For example:
Three-word compound adjective | Example sentence |
Matter-of-fact | «She spoke in a matter-of-fact way about politics.» |
Salt-and-pepper | «His salt-and-pepper hair was attractive.» |
Happy-go-lucky | «He’s a happy-go-lucky person.» |
It is worth mentioning that compound adjectives are not the only type of compound word. For example, another type of compound word is a compound noun.
Compound nouns function as nouns in a sentence and are made up of two or more words. A few examples are:
- bedroom
- raincoat
- toothpaste
Compound nouns are often written as one word without hyphens (but not always).
Compound Adjectives — Key takeaways
- Compound adjectives are adjectives made up of more than one word (usually two, sometimes three).
- Compound adjectives are used to modify the noun or pronoun in a sentence.
- Compound adjectives can comprise different word classes. Some different types of compound adjectives are:
- adjective + noun, adjective + present participle, adjective + past participle
- noun + adjective, noun + present participle, noun + past participle
- adverb + past participle
- number + noun
- Compound adjectives often use hyphens (especially if they come before the noun), as this lets the reader know that they are a single unit of meaning and not two separate words. Hyphens are not always needed and often aren’t used when the compound adjective comes after the noun.
- Although not as common, compound adjectives can also consist of three words. Three-word compound adjectives always use hyphens.
The words that add a description to a sentence and alter nouns are known as Adjectives.
The words that describe a name, place, person, animal, thing or that depicts the number of the noun are known as adjectives which mean added to.
Adjectives are one of the important parts of speech. It could be any single or compound word that modifies the noun.
Let’s see below how adjectives are formed?
Formation of Adjectives
Adjectives can be formed from nouns, verbs, and other adjectives.
1) Formation of Adjectives From Nouns:
We can form adjectives from nouns by adding suffixes to a noun.
The Adjectives that are formed by adding -y or -al or -ial as a suffix are given below in the table. If the noun has an ‘e’ in the ending, it is removed and -y or -al or -ial is added as a suffix to the noun to form an adjective.
Suffix |
Noun (example) |
Adjective |
-y |
Luck Hair Storm Length |
Lucky Hairy Stormy Lengthy |
-al -ial |
Accident Nature Magic Commerce Finance |
Accidental Natural Magical Commercial Financial |
Adjectives formed by adding -lyor -ish or -ic as a suffix to nouns are given below in the table. If the noun has a ‘y’ in the ending, it is removed and the suffix is added to form an adjective.
Suffix |
Noun (example) |
Adjective |
-ly |
Man Human King |
Manly Humanly Kingly |
-ish |
Girl Child Book |
Girlish Childish Bookish |
-ic |
Tragedy Artist |
Tragic Artistic |
Adjectives formed by adding -ous or -some or -able or -full as a suffix to nouns are given below in the table.
Suffix |
Rules |
Noun (example) |
Adjective |
-ous |
-If the noun ends in ‘y’, remove it -If the noun ends in ‘e’, remove it -If the word ends with ‘-cle’ it is replaced by ‘-cul’ |
Mystery Fame Miracle |
Mysterious Famous Miraculous |
-some |
— |
Trouble |
Troublesome |
-able |
— |
Question Laugh |
Questionable Laughable |
-ful |
-If the noun is ending with ‘-ty’, replace it with i |
Beauty |
Beautiful |
Examples of some of the adjectives formed from nouns used in the sentences:
-
It was very childish of her to behave like that in front of the audience.
-
My younger brother is the most troublesome of the lot.
2) Formation of Adjectives from Verbs:
Suffixes like ‘-y’ , ‘-able’ , ‘-ous’ , ‘-al’ , ‘-ful’ , ‘-ic’ , ‘-less’ , ‘-ing’ and ‘-ive’ can be added to verbs to form adjectives.
Suffix |
Verb |
Adjective |
-y |
speed |
speedy |
-able |
read enjoy shake laugh |
readable enjoyable shakeable laughable |
-ous |
continue |
continuous |
-al |
judge |
judgemental |
-ful |
hate help forget |
hateful helpful forgetful |
-ic |
see |
scenic |
-less |
tire |
tireless |
-ive |
create talk |
creative talkative |
-ing |
annoy amuse |
annoying amusing |
Some examples of adjectives formed from verbs used in sentences:
-
Switzerland is a very scenic place.
-
Arvind is a very annoying person.
3) Formation of Adjectives from Other Adjectives:
An adjective is formed from another adjective by adding a suffix like ‘-ly’ , ‘-ive’ , ‘-al’ , ‘-ish’ , ‘-ier’ , ‘-est’.
Suffix |
Adjective |
Adjective |
-ly |
weak |
weakly |
-ive |
correct |
corrective |
-al |
comic |
comical |
-ish |
green red |
greenish reddish |
-it |
easy funny |
easier funnier |
-est |
fine |
finest |
Some examples of adjectives formed from another adjective are used in the sentences below:
-
The sky was reddish in the evening.
-
My brother is funnier than I expected him to be.
Formation of Compound Adjectives:
When two or more adjectives join together to modify the same noun they are known as compound adjectives. They are separated with a hyphen.
The two words used to form a compound adjective can be a combination of
-
Number + noun
-
Adjective + noun
-
Noun + adjective
-
Noun + present/past participle
-
Adjective + past participle
Below are a few examples of compound adjectives used in sentences:
-
Arvind is going on a two-week vacation.
-
They stay in a twenty-story building.
-
It was a last-minute plan.
-
There was a ten-minute delay in the meeting.
Spelling Guidelines
We don’t usually add or remove letters; instead, we simply put the suffix to the end of the word. There are, however, several exceptions:
In words with a short stressed vowel before the last consonant, we double the final consonant.
As an example, consider the phrase «sunny.»
A -y at the end of a word becomes a -i.
Example: abundant bountiful bountiful bountiful bountiful
When a suffix begins with a vowel, the -e at the end of the word is lost, but the -ee, -oe, and -ye remain unaffected.
As an example, consider the phrase «fortune» and «lucky.»
acceptable agreement
To nouns ending in –ll, a -l is omitted before adding the suffix –full.
Skilful is an example of skill.
An adjective (abbreviated adj) is a term in linguistics that modifies a noun or noun phrase or characterizes its referent. Its semantic role is to alter the information provided by the noun.
Adjectives have always been regarded as one of the primary components of speech in the English language, but they were formerly classified with nouns.
Certain words that were formerly categorised as adjectives, like this, my, and so on, are now classified as determiners.
Usage Patterns
Depending on the language, an adjective can either precede or follow a related noun on a prepositive or postpositive basis. The pre- or post-position of an adjective in a specific instance of its occurrence can be influenced by structural, contextual, and stylistic issues. Adjective occurrences in English can be divided into one of three categories:
1. Prepositive adjectives, also known as «attributive adjectives,» appear as an antecedent within a noun phrase. For example, «I put my happy kids in the car,» where happy appears as an antecedent inside the noun phrase «my happy kids» and so works as a prepositive adjective.
2. Postpositive adjectives can appear: (a) immediately following a noun within a noun phrase, such as «I took a short drive around with my happy kids»; (b) as a copula or other linking mechanism following a corresponding noun or pronoun, such as «My kids are happy,» where happiness is a predicate adjective (see also: Predicative expression, Subject complement); or (c) as an appositive adjective within a noun phrase, such as, «My Kids, (who are)happy to go cruising, are in the back seat.»
3. Nominalized adjectives that serve as nouns One method is to remove a noun from an adjective-noun noun phrase, leaving behind a nominalization. Happy is a nominalized adjective, short for «happy one» or «cheerful book,» in the statement «I read two books to them; he chose the sad book, while she loved the happy.» Another example is the phrase «out with the old, in with the new,» where «the old» refers to «that which is old» or «everything that is old,» and «the new» refers to «that which is new.» In such circumstances, the adjective might also serve as a mass noun (as in the preceding example). In English, it may also be used as a plural count noun to refer to a collective group, as in «The meek will inherit the Earth,» where «the meek» refers to «those who are meek» or «those who are meek.»
Distribution
Adjectives are a component of speech (word class) in the majority of languages. In certain languages, words that perform the semantic role of adjectives are classified alongside other words, such as nouns or verbs. «Ford» is certainly a noun in the phrase «a Ford automobile,» but its function is adjectival: it modifies «car.» Adjectives can act as nouns in some languages, such as the Spanish phrase «uno rojo,» which means «a red (one).»
In terms of «confusion» with verbs, a language may have a verb that means «to be huge,» and then use an attributive verb construction comparable to «big-being house» to convey what English calls a «big home.»
Another technique to communicate comparison is to use the terms «more» and «most.» However, there are no clear criteria for determining which meaning is accurate for any particular adjective. In general, shorter adjectives and those from Anglo-Saxon accept the suffixes, whereas longer adjectives and those from French, Latin, or Greek do not—but the sound of the word can occasionally be decisive.
Solved Questions
1) From the following set of nouns, verbs, and adjectives forms of the words, identify the adjective:
-
Achieve, achievement, achievable
-
Evaporate, evaporating, evaporation
-
Glorious, glory, glorify
-
Enthuse, enthusiasm, enthusiastic
Answers: The adjectives from the following set of nouns are
-
Achievable
-
Evaporating
-
Glorious
-
Enthusiastic
2) From the set of words below, identify the adjective and the noun it is made from:
-
Cease
-
Enumerate
-
Challenging
Answer: The adjective is challenging formed from the noun challenge.
Have you ever wondered what those hyphens “– “are those you often see connect two words? Do you want to know how or when to use them? Today, you will not only learn about hyphens but actually more about the other form of an adjective. This is the compound adjective where you see hyphens being commonly used.
So, let’s review the basics first.
What is an adjective?
It describes the noun. It gives the noun more character and offers more details about it. Since it is used to identify individual people, places, and unique things, it is positioned before the noun that it modifies. One sentence can contain more than one adjective.
What is a noun?
It is the name of a person, place, or thing. Examples are girl, toy, Ben, Gail, house, mountain, train, courage, fear, love, river, bird, and more. So when you put a word in front of a noun to describe it, that’s an adjective.
A compound adjective is when two or more words are combined to describe the same noun. Since it is a combination of more than two words that functions as one word, it has a hyphen. Look at these examples to distinguish what makes a compound adjective.
Here are simple descriptions or simple adjectives:
- good girl (adjective = good)
- tall girl (adjective = tall)
- sweet girl (adjective = sweet)
Now, here are compound adjectives:
- short-haired girl (short-haired = two words combined and are together used as one adjective to describe the girl)
- good-mannered girl
- left-handed girl
Here are more sentences to help demonstrate what a compound adjective is:
- A Chinese who speaks English is an English-speaking Chinese.
- A car with four wheels is a four-wheel car.
- An animal with four legs is a four-legged animal.
- A building with five stories is a five-story building.
Also, you may have noticed that a compound adjective comes BEFORE a noun and has a hyphen. See the following:
*I have a German-speaking friend.
(German-speaking = compound adj.) (friend = noun)
*A long-time friend came by to see us this morning.
(long-time = compound adj.) (friend = noun)
If you’re not using a compound adjective, the meaning of the sentence becomes entirely different. Look at these examples:
“a man eating a shark”
This shows that the man eats sharks.
“a man-eating shark”
This describes a shark that eats people.
Before we go on, note that this is the most common mistake in writing compound adjectives.
*My son is eight years old.
The adjective is after the noun, so no hyphen is needed here.
*I have an eight-year-old son.
This is wrong. With compound adjectives, don’t use the plural form because there’s the hyphen already.
*I have an eight-year-old son.
-This is the correct sentence.
1) Adjective + participle, or Adverb + participle
Participles are verbs with –ing and are used as a noun or adjective in a sentence. It is also a past tense with –ed, or past tense of an irregular verb.
*Example of the participle with –ing:
- working mother
*Example of the participle with –ed:
- burned toast
*Example of irregular verbs:
- think = thought
- know = known
- eat = ate / eaten
The following are compound adjectives that use participle:
- good-looking
- long-lasting
- sweet-smelling
- white-haired
- well-known
- half-eaten
Body parts can be used in compound words by adding only –ed.
- body = bodied
- hair = haired
- eye = eyed
- nose = nosed
- lip = lipped
- leg = legged
So, by adding –ed to body parts, you turn them into a participle.
Compound Adj.:
- He’s a good-looking young man.
Simple Adj.:
- The young man is good looking.
Other examples…
- I see a round-bodied mammal.
- My pet is a brown-haired monkey.
- Sara is a beautiful, blue-eyed baby.
- My mom wears a sweet-smelling perfume.
2) Noun + participle
Mosquitoes are blood-sucking insects.
(blood = noun) (sucking = participle)
Sonya performed a heart-breaking song.
(heart = noun) (breaking = participle)
3) Number + noun
Here, we use numbers to describe another noun. So this type of combination becomes an adjective to describe that noun.
Compound Adjective:
- She gave her boss a 25-page report.
Without hyphen:
- Her report is 25 pages.
Compound Adjective:
- ACE Contractors was hired to construct a 26-story building.
Without hyphen:
- ACE Contractors was hired to construct a building with 26 stories.
Compound Adjective:
- My aunt is making a 4-layer cake for Cindy’s wedding.
Without hyphen:
- My aunt is making a cake of 4 layers for Cindy’s wedding.
4) number + measure
With this combination, the measure for time, area, volume, weight, or height is used.
- He’s holding a 14-foot stick. (see that we don’t use ‘feet’)
- Old people in that village can’t endure the minus 2-degree temperature in the evenings.
- Dad is working a 9-hour shift at the factory.
- Cherry is climbing a 36-foot rock.
The rule used for hyphens is the same one that applies to plural forms: Use singular when there’s a hyphen and if placed BEFORE the noun.
*Josh is carrying a 10-kilogram sack of wheat.
Use plural when there is NO hyphen and if placed AFTER the noun.
*Josh is carrying a sack of wheat that weighs 10 kilograms.
Please note that in IELTS Writing, compound adjectives are count as one word.
If you want to use a compound adjective, just remember that it is made up of two or three words that together function as one word. These are two or three words connected by a hyphen and work altogether as one adjective to describe the same noun. You will see more of these adjectives as your experience with English increases.
- Adjectives
- Beginner
- Grammar
- Intermediate
Author
I have a passion for the English language because it is such a powerful tool for creativity and personal development. I’ve been writing articles since I was in High School. I represented my school in English writing competitions in the city, regional, and national levels. When I was in college, I wrote a short story which was published in the University Literary Portfolio. In 2006, I worked as a call center agent in Cebu City. In 2007 up to 2008, I worked as an English accent trainer in a startup call center company. I have also been offering ESL lessons as a freelance tutor since February 2016.