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Adjectives
Adjectives
Adjectives
Kinds of Adjectives:
3)Adjectives of number: denotes how many persons or things are meant or in what order
a.
Eg. We have two hands and two feet.
Few animals can swin.
The same adjective may be classed as of quantity or number according to its use:
2)He did not take any money. Are there any five-rupee-notes in
your pocket.
5)Interrogative adjectives: are what,which,and whose when they are used with nouns to
ask questions.
Eg1.what kind of book is this?
2.Which way lies the happiness?
3 .Whose supporter is he?
6) Emphasising adjectives: are the words own and very when they are used for emphasis.
Eg.I was insulted at my own place.
This is the vey rose we want.
Formation of adjectives:
1)From nouns Eg.boy-boyish,dirt-dirty,courage-courageousetc
2)From verbs:tire-tireless,move-moveable,divide-divisible
1)The comparative and superlative of most adjectives of one syllable and some of more than
one are formed by adding er or est respectively to the positive.
Eg.1.tall,taller,tallest
2.clever,cleverer,cleverest
4)If the positive is a word of one syllable and ends in a singles consonant following a short
vowel,this consonant is doubled before adding er or est.
Eg.thin,thinner,thinnest
Fat,fatter-fattest
5)The comparative and superlative respectively are formed by using the adverb more and
most with the positive to the adjectives of more than two syllables and many of those with
two.
Eg. Difficult,more difficult,most difficult
Proper,more proper,most proper.
6)The compararative in er is not used when we compare two qualities in the same person or
thing.
Eg.The bjp-shivsena combine in Maharashtra is more bold than discreet.
7)while comparing two objects with each other,the latter term of comparison must exclude
the former.
Eg.iron is more useful than any other metal
Some adjectives are compared irregularly. Their comparative and superlative are not formed
from the positive.
Eg.little-less, Lesser-least,much-more-most(quantity)
The double forms of the comparative and superlative of the adjectives:
1)It is correctly used with a verb when some quality of the verb rather than action is to be
expressed.
Eg. That declaration sounds queer.
It tastes bitter.(not bitterly)
2)These and those are often used with the singular nouns kind and sort.
Eg.These kind of things.
8) the word preferable has the force of a comparative and is accompanied by to;more
preferable is wrong.
Eg.American hegemony is preferable to the threat of a nuclear war.
9)The word less should not be used instead of fewer,as less refers to quantity but fewer
expresses number.
Eg. I had given him no fewer(not less) than fifty books.
He doesnot sell less than ten kgs of sugar.
10)certain adjectives do not allow comparison so they already carry a superlative meaning.
Eg.universal,entire,ideal,round,square,complete
Thus, saying thatThis is the most perfectis wrong.
11) Two first is wrong,rather The first twois the right expression
12) Few is negative and equivalent to not many,hardly any.A few is positive and equivalent to
some.
Eg. Few persons keep their promise.
A few words in sympathy are enough for consolation.
Note: little=not much,a little=some
Adjective clause:
It is a group of words which consist of a subject and a predicate of its own and does the work
of an adjective.
Eg.The pen with a broken cap is his.
(which pen?-an adjective phrase)
The pen which has broken cap is his.(which pen?-an adjective clause as it has a subject
and a predicate)
Exercise1:
Pick out the adjectives in the following sentances and specify their
kind:
1. He was hit several times.(several-indefinate numeral adj)
2. He has been absent for a week.(absent-descriptive adj)
3. one should exercise everyday.(every-distributive numeral adj)
4. what a long day!(long-adj of quality)
5. It is too good to be true.(good-descriptive adj)
6. He is crooked by nature.(crooked-adj of quality)
7. What the hell are you doing?(what-interrogative adj)
8. Yonder resides the master.(yonder-demonstrative adj)
9. Such beauty with so much intelligence.(such-demonstrative,much-
quantity)
10. Either he dies or i.(either-distributive numeral adj)
11.There are sundry accounts in the books.(sundry-numeral indefinite
adj)
12.Not all the human,few are.(all and few-indefinate numeral adj)
13.Which of you will show any strength.(which-interrogative,any-
quantity)
14.That man is no angel.(that-demonstrative adj,no-adj of quantity)
15.some of those students cheat.(some-numeral indef. Adj,those-
demonstrative adj)
16.I love these paintings.(these-demonstrative adj)
17.There is not enough to eat.(enough-adj of quantity)
18.Neither of you is competent.(neither-distributive numeral adj)
19.Thats a large bird.(that-demonstrative adj,large-adj of quality)
20.He is half as smart as you are.(half-adj of quantity)
Exercise2:
Form adjectives from verbs
1.hope-hopeful
2.think-thoughtful
3.cease-ceaseless
4.fire-fiery
5.dramatise-dramatic
6.justify-justified
7.tutor-tutored
8.strain-strained
9.talk-talkative
10.move-movable
Exercise3:
Form adjectives from these adjectives:
1.blue-bluish
2.sick-sickly
3.fresh-freshly
4.tragic-tragical
5.whole-wholesome
6.three-threefold
Exercise:4:
Form adjectives from following nouns:
1.health- healthy
2.wealth-wealthy
3.ridicule-rediculous
4.picture-picturesque
5.labour-laborious
6.progress-progressive
7.contempt-contemptous
8.quarrel-quarrelsome
9.friend-friendly
10.wonder-wonderful
11.doubt-doubtful
12.cost-costly
13.pain-painful
14.prince-pricely
15.mountain-mountainous
16.tempest-tempestuous
17.pomp-pompous
18.artist-artistic
19.peace-peaceful
20.hill-hilly
Exercise5:
Fill in the blanks suitably:
a) With later or latter.
1. The. Part of movie was slow.(later)
2. I prefer thehouse.(latter)
3. He asked me to meet him(later)
3.He is mycousin(nearest
4.He is my..door neighbor.(next)
e)with latest or last.
1.The.news from bosnia is horrified.(latest)
2.The..news from bosnia was horrified.(last)
3.They are the.survivours.(last)
4.This is the .invention.(latest)