Adjectives: forms

Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adjectives > Adjectives: forms
from English Grammar Today
Unlike in many other languages, adjectives in English do not change (agree) with the noun
that they modify:
All new foreign students are welcome to join the clubs and societies.
Not: All new foreigns students …
Every room was painted in different colours.
Not: … in differents colours.

Identifying adjectives
There is no general rule for making adjectives. We know they are adjectives usually by
what they do (their function) in a sentence. However, some word endings (suffixes) are
typical of adjectives.

suffix examples

-able, -ible comfortable, readable, incredible, invisible

-al, -ial comical, normal, musical, industrial, presidential

-ful beautiful, harmful, peaceful, wonderful

-ic classic, economic, heroic, romantic

-ical aeronautical, alphabetical, political

-ish British, childish, Irish, foolish

suffix examples

-ive, -ative active, alternative, creative, talkative

-less endless, motionless, priceless, timeless

-eous, -ious, -ous spontaneous, hideous, ambitious, anxious, dangerous, famous

-y angry, busy, wealthy, windy

Warning:
Adjectives ending in -ic and -ical often have different meanings:
The economic policy of this government has failed.
A diesel car is usually more economical than a petrol one.

Forming adjectives from other words

Suffixes

Some adjectives are made from nouns and verbs by adding suffixes.

noun adjective

hero heroic

wind windy

child childish

beauty beautiful
noun adjective

verb adjective

read readable

talk talkative

use useful

like likeable

I hate windy days.

San Francisco is a very hilly place.
Some words ending in -ly can be both adjectives and adverbs. These
include daily, early, monthly, weekly, nightly, yearly:
Adjective: She gets a weekly payment from her parents. (She gets money every
week.)
Adverb: I pay my rent weekly. (I pay my rent every week.)
Some words ending in -ly are only adjectives and not adverbs. These
include: costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, likely, lonely, lovely, oily, orderly, scholarl
y, silly, smelly, timely, ugly, woolly.
We enjoyed the trip to America but it was a costly holiday.
Oily fish is very healthy because it contains omega 3.

Prefixes

Prefixes such as un-, in-, im-, il- and ir- change the meaning of adjectives. Adding
these prefixes makes the meaning negative:
un- in- ir-

fair – unfair active – inactive responsible – irresponsible

happy – unhappy appropriate – inappropriate regular – irregular

sure – unsure complete – incomplete reducible – irreducible

im- il-

balance – imbalance legal – illegal

polite – impolite legible – illegible

possible – impossible logical – illogical

Adjectives: comparative and superlative

Many one-syllable adjectives have endings to show the comparative and
superlative.

base form comparative superlative

fine finer finest

young younger youngest

small smaller smallest

Some two-syllable adjectives which end in an unstressed syllable also have these
endings.

base form comparative superlative

easy easier easiest

funny funnier funniest

gentle gentler gentlest

However, we do not use these endings with two-syllable adjectives ending in a

stressed syllable nor with longer adjectives with more than two syllables. The
comparatives and superlatives of these adjectives are formed
using more and most.

base form comparative superlative

complete more complete Not: completer most complete Not: completest

more interesting most interesting

interesting
Not: interestinger Not: interestingest

Adjectives: with -ing and -

ed (interesting, interested)
We use the -ing and -ed forms of regular and irregular verbs as adjectives:
-ing forms

verb example

annoy My brother is five and he’s so annoying.

amaze The Grand Canyon is an amazing place.

boil Be careful! That’s boiling water!

excite This film is not very exciting, is it?

ed forms

verb example

bore Why do teenagers always look bored?

pack James Bond movies are always action-packed.

smoke Not everyone likes smoked salmon.

make My dress is hand-made. I really like it.

teach My Master’s degree was a taught course.

excite I feel excited about my new job.

Adjectives with -ing and -ed endings have different meanings.

-ing adjectives -ed adjectives
-ing adjectives describe the effect -ed adjectives describe how a person feels

The meeting was very boring. I felt bored at the meeting.

That was an exciting game. We were really excited about the game.
It was shocking to see what the storm had We were shocked to see what the storm had
done to the house. done to the house.

Warning:

Commonly confused pairs of adjectives ending in -ing and -

ed are: interesting, interested; boring, bored; exciting, excited; embarrassing, emba
rrassed.
Adjectives
Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adjectives > Adjectives
from English Grammar Today

Adjectives are one of the four major word classes, along with nouns, verbs and adverbs.
Examples of adjectives are: big, small, blue, old, rich and nice. They give us more
information about people, animals or things represented by nouns and pronouns:
That’s a big house.
Look at the grey horse.
Some dogs have long tails.
She is tall.
See also:
• Nouns
• Pronouns

Meanings of adjectives
Adjectives give us more information. They modify or describe features and qualities of
people, animals and things.
Here are some of the common meanings.

examples meaning

I am fond of ice cream.

Cairo is different from
Alexandria. Relations between people and things. These
adjectives usually require a word or phrase
His car is similar to mine.
(complement) to complete their meaning.
Other examples:
keen (on), near (to), aware (of)

Descriptions of people and things in terms of their

He’s generous.
actions.
examples meaning

She’s a kind woman.

The waiter was very polite.
Other examples:
talkative, cruel, cooperative,
helpful, useful

That’s an old house.

The Olympic stadium is big.
Features that will last a long time or will not change
Other examples: (permanent).
tall, old, good, rough, true, ugly,
red, heavy

Anyone hungry? Lunch is nearly

ready.
It’s so cold in Nick’s house.
States and conditions that can change.
Other examples:
absent, ill, dry, full, lonely, wet,
hot, thirsty, angry

I saw a great French film last

night.
I don’t like modern paintings.
I live in a detached house.
Classifying people and things into types.
Other examples:
organic (vegetables),
impressionist (painter), wild
(salmon)

See also:
• Adjective phrases
Oppositeness
Most common adjectives are members of a pair of opposites (antonyms):

beautiful – ugly dead – alive happy – sad rough – smooth

big – small dry – wet heavy – light tall – short

cold – hot good – bad

Gradable and ungradable

Many pairs of opposites are gradable, i.e. they have different degrees of the same feature:
Small:
This suitcase is extremely small.
This suitcase is very small.
This suitcase is quite small.
Hot:
It was reasonably hot in Italy this summer.
It was quite hot in Italy this summer.
It was pretty hot in Italy this summer.
It was very hot in Italy this summer.
It was extremely hot in Italy this summer.
One type of adjective is not gradable. These are the adjectives that we use to classify people
and things into types:
Warning:

These vegetables are organic.

Not: These vegetables are very organic.
I like salmon especially when it is wild.
Not: I like salmon especially when it is quite wild.
Adjective phrases
Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adjectives > Adjective phrases
from English Grammar Today

An adjective phrase always has an adjective acting as the head. The adjective phrase may
also contain words or phrases before or after the head (modifiers and complements):
Adjective (head):
That’s a lovely cake.
These flowers are wonderful.
Adjective preceded by a modifier (underlined):
That soup is pretty cold.
Many of the exercises are fairly difficult.
Adjective + a modifier after it:
The food was tasty enough.
The car is economical for its size.
Adjective + a word or phrase which is required to complete its meaning (a complement):
She was aware of the danger of travelling alone.
Some people weren’t willing to pay extra to book a seat on the plane.
Adjective preceded by a modifier + a word or phrase which is required to complete its
meaning (a complement):
We’re not very keen on having an activity holiday.
Are you really interested in rock and roll?
Some adjective phrases have more complex structures.
Adjective phrases: position
Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adjectives > Adjective phrases > Adjective phrases: position

from English Grammar Today

When an adjective is used with a noun, the usual order in English is adjective + noun:
a yellow balloon
Not: a balloon yellow
See also:
• Adjective phrases

Adjectives with nouns and verbs

Adjectives can go before the noun (attributive) or after linking verbs such as be, become,
seem (predicative):
What a beautiful flower! (attributive)
This bridge looks unsafe. (predicative)
Some adjectives can only be used in one position or the other.

Adjectives normally only used before a noun

Numbers and first, last

With numbers and with words like first, last, next, the usual order is first/next +
number + adjective + noun:
Special offer on the last three remaining sofas.
There used to be two big fields here when I was young.
I don’t have to work for the next four days.
That’s the second large study on unemployment this year.

Some adjectives of degree

When we use words like absolute, complete, perfect to talk about degree, they can
only be used before nouns. This group of adjectives includes proper, pure, real,
sheer, true, utter:
That’s an absolute lie. I did not use your car when you were away.
Not: That lie is absolute.
Lily has always been a true friend to me.
Not: My friend Lily is true.

Some adjectives of time and order

Some time and order adjectives, such as former, present, future, are used before
the noun only. Other examples are latter, old (an old friend = ‘a friend for many
years’), early (early French literature = ‘of the initial period in the history of
something’), and late (the late Mr Richards = ‘died recently’):
Her former husband had bought the house but she never liked it.
Not: Her husband was former …
This is a church from the early Romanesque period
Not: This is a church from the Romanesque period. The Romanesque period was
early.
When we use early after a verb (predicatively) it means something different. The
train was early means that it came before we expected it.

Some adjectives that limit the following noun

Adjectives like certain, main, major, only, particular limit the noun that they go
before (the only people who know, the particular road that we travelled on). Other
examples are principal, sole (meaning ‘only’), very, chief:
The main reason why the cinema closed is because the building was too old
and dangerous.
Not: The reason is main why the cinema …
That’s the very tool I am looking for. (very means ‘exact’)
Not: That tool is very …

Adjectives normally only used after a noun

We use some -ed forms after a noun:

Most of the issues mentioned in the documentary are not very important.
Not: Most of the mentioned issues …
The difference in percentages is clear from the illustrations shown.
Not: … from the shown illustrations.
Adjective phrases: position
Grammar > Adjectives and adverbs > Adjectives > Adjective phrases > Adjective phrases: position

from English Grammar Today

When an adjective is used with a noun, the usual order in English is adjective + noun:
a yellow balloon
Not: a balloon yellow
See also:
• Adjective phrases

Adjectives with nouns and verbs

Adjectives can go before the noun (attributive) or after linking verbs such as be, become,
seem (predicative):
What a beautiful flower! (attributive)
This bridge looks unsafe. (predicative)
Some adjectives can only be used in one position or the other.

Adjectives normally only used before a noun

Numbers and first, last

With numbers and with words like first, last, next, the usual order is first/next + number +
adjective + noun:
Special offer on the last three remaining sofas.
There used to be two big fields here when I was young.
I don’t have to work for the next four days.
That’s the second large study on unemployment this year.

Some adjectives of degree

When we use words like absolute, complete, perfect to talk about degree, they can only be
used before nouns. This group of adjectives includes proper, pure, real, sheer, true, utter:
That’s an absolute lie. I did not use your car when you were away.
Not: That lie is absolute.
Lily has always been a true friend to me.
Not: My friend Lily is true.

Some adjectives of time and order

Some time and order adjectives, such as former, present, future, are used before the noun
only. Other examples are latter, old (an old friend = ‘a friend for many years’), early (early
French literature = ‘of the initial period in the history of something’), and late (the late Mr
Richards = ‘died recently’):
Her former husband had bought the house but she never liked it.
Not: Her husband was former …
This is a church from the early Romanesque period
Not: This is a church from the Romanesque period. The Romanesque period was early.
When we use early after a verb (predicatively) it means something different. The train
was early means that it came before we expected it.

Some adjectives that limit the following noun

Adjectives like certain, main, major, only, particular limit the noun that they go before (the
only people who know, the particular road that we travelled on). Other examples
are principal, sole (meaning ‘only’), very, chief:
The main reason why the cinema closed is because the building was too old and
dangerous.
Not: The reason is main why the cinema …
That’s the very tool I am looking for. (very means ‘exact’)
Not: That tool is very …

Adjectives normally only used after a noun

We use some -ed forms after a noun:

Most of the issues mentioned in the documentary are not very important.
Not: Most of the mentioned issues …
The difference in percentages is clear from the illustrations shown.
Not: … from the shown illustrations.
Adjectives normally only used after a verb

Adjectives with the prefix a-

We can’t use adjectives with the prefix a- before a noun. We use them after linking verbs
such as be, seem, become, feel, smell, taste. Common examples of adjectives with the
prefix a- include awake, alive, asleep, aboard (on a plane, boat, bus or train), afloat,
ablaze (on fire):
Katie was awake at the time.
Not: Katie was an awake person at the time.
People were asleep in the bedroom.
Not: There were asleep people in the bedroom.
The passengers were all aboard when they heard the loud bang.
Not: The aboard passengers heard the loud bang.
If we want to express a similar meaning with an adjective in front of the noun, we can use a
related adjective.
Compare

before a noun after a verb

Even fourteen days after the earthquake, Even fourteen days after the earthquake,
rescue workers were still rescue workers were still finding babies
finding live babies in the rubble. who were alive in the rubble.

It is very strange to see a lone wolf. They It is very strange to see a wolf who
always stay together in groups called a is alone. They always stay together in
‘pack’. groups called a ‘pack’.

There was a blazing fire in the cinema. It The cinema was ablaze for many hours and
took many firemen to put it out. it took many firemen to put out the fire.

Some adjectives referring to states of health

Most commonly, the adjectives ill and well are used after a verb and not before a noun:
I feel ill.
Not: He went to visit his ill sister.
She’s not well.
Not: He’s not a well child.

Words and phrases that go before and after

adjectives
The most typical words and phrases that go before adjectives (premodifiers) are
adverb phrases expressing degree:
He was pretty surprised then.
This cake tastes a bit strange.
Photographs are really cheap nowadays.
The major exception is the degree adverb enough, which goes after the adjective
(a postmodifier):
I am strong enough to face the difficulties.
Is that car big enough for all of us?
See also:
• Enough
Other types of adverbs can also go before adjectives:
He had lost his usually calm attitude and become very nervous. (adverb of
frequency + adjective)
He made an insensitively timed remark that upset her. (comment adverb +
adjective)

Gradable adjectives and words and phrases that go

before them
Most common adjectives can express different degrees of qualities, properties,
states, conditions, relations, etc. These are called gradable adjectives:
a pretty big meal
a really big meal
an extremely big meal
Before gradable adjectives, we can use words which show different degrees of the
feature in question. These are usually adverb phrases.
The waves are
fairly high in the winter.
an adverb of degree used before gradable adjective high.
The waves are
quite high in the winter.

This high would usually be spoken with a gesture showing

The waves are this high in
a specific height.
the winter.
That high refers to a statement made by someone about the
I can’t believe the waves
height of the waves or to the moment of seeing the high
are that high in the winter.
waves.

Six metres is a noun phrase. Certain adjectives expressing

The waves are over six
metres high in the winter.
measurable features (e.g. height, thickness, age, time) may
be modified by such noun phrases:
The wall is half a metre thick.
The clock is over 100 years old.
Sorry, we’re half an hour early!

Some degree adverbs (so, too, as) need a word or phrase to complete their
meaning (a complement). The complement may be a clause or a phrase. The
complement comes after the adjective head.
Compare

The waves were so high that So is the degree adverb before the adjective high. It
they went onto the street! needs the complement that they went onto the street in
order to complete its meaning.

Too is the degree adverb before the adjective high. It

The waves are too high to go
needs the complement to go sailing in order to complete
sailing.
its meaning.

The waves are as high as the To say that things are the same, we use as + adjective
wall in the winter. + as + complement.
The waves are higher than To compare two things which are different, we add the
the wall in the winter. suffix -er to the adjective before the complement.

How is used to ask questions and to make exclamations about degree. There is an
important difference in word order.
Compare

A question about degree:

How high are the waves?
how + adjective + verb + noun phrase?

An exclamation about degree:

How high the waves are!
how + adjective + noun phrase + verb!

Warning:

Some adjectives cannot be made bigger, smaller, higher, lower, stronger, weaker,
etc. These are called ungradable adjectives:
The tree is dead.
Not: The tree is fairly dead.
My dog is female.
Not: My dog is sort of female.
Other common ungradable adjectives
include: automatic/manual; Irish/Brazilian/Thai etc.; married/unmarried/single.

Gradable opposites (antonyms)

Open-ended

The most common gradable adjectives can be grouped into pairs of opposites
(antonyms) which refer to features like height: short – tall; heat: hot – cold, size; big
– small, etc. These adjectives are at the upper and lower parts of an open-ended
scale (a scale with no maximum or minimum):

short tall
big small

Warning:

We can’t use ungradable adverbs such as completely, absolutely, entirely,

utterly or totally before these adjectives because they are open-ended:
My working day is very long. I start work at 8 am and I don’t finish until 8 pm.
Not: My working day is completely long.
My house is so hot.
Not: My house is absolutely hot.
This office is extremely small.
Not: This office is totally small.

Maximum and minimum

Some other gradable adjectives can express features which have a maximum
and/or minimum (zero) value:

full empty

possible impossible

black white

We can use degree adverbs such as absolutely, completely, entirely, totally and
other similar words before these adjectives:
We haven’t had rain for two months. The garden is completely dry.
The city centre is absolutely full of tourists at this time of year.
Other degree adverbs which we can use before this type of gradable adjective
include almost, barely, half, scarcely:
Brain cell regeneration is almost possible, say scientists.
Warning:
The ungradable adverb quite has different meanings depending on whether it is
used with an open-ended gradable adjective (hot – cold) or an adjective which has
a maximum and/or minimum (black – white).
Compare

It’s quite cold in here.

quite means ‘fairly’
I’m quite hungry now. Are you?

The situation in my old job was quite different. It

quite means ‘completely’
was a very small new company.
In this context, quite is given extra
You’re quite right – the plane leaves at 3 pm, not 4
spoken stress.
pm.

See also:
• Quite
• Gradable and ungradable

Different meanings of adjectives before the noun

and after the verb
We can use some adjectives before the noun or after the verb but the meaning
differs.
Compare

before the noun (attributive) after the verb (predicative)

We can finish that job on Monday but

this particular job needs to be done by My boss is very particular. He checks all our
today. work very carefully. (particular means not
(particular means ‘this and not any easy to satisfy)
other/specific’)

His late wife came from a very rich The trains are always late on Sundays.
family. (late means ‘dead/deceased’) (late means ‘not on time’)
before the noun (attributive) after the verb (predicative)

There’s a certain amount of truth in The police are certain that the killer was
that story. (certain means ‘some, but known to the victim. (certain means
not a specific amount’) ‘sure/definite’)

Adjectives before nouns that modify other nouns

A noun (n) is sometimes used before another noun to give more information about
it. This is called a noun modifier. Adjectives (adj) come before noun modifiers:
He drives a [ADJ]red [N]sports [N]car.
That’s an expensive laser printer.
See also:
• Nouns

Order of adjectives in noun phrases with articles

and degree modifiers
When adjectives are used before the noun (attributive function), there are also
sometimes degree adverbs. Different degree adverbs require different positions for
the adjective phrase.
Positions of indefinite article and degree adverbs.

indefinite article degree adverb adjective noun

fairly
very
a/an cold day
moderately
extremely

indefinite article adjective degree adverb noun

indefinite article degree adverb adjective noun

a cold enough day

Special cases

Quite: quite a cold day

The normal order with quite is quite a cold day. The order a quite cold
day (indefinite article + intensifier + adjective) is also possible but it is not as
common.

Rather: a rather cold day

The normal order with rather is a rather cold day. The order rather a cold
day (intensifier + indefinite article + adjective) is also possible but it is not as
common.
See also:
• Quite
• Rather

As and so: a man as/so tall as him

The most common order with as and so in negative clauses in speaking is a man
as/so tall as him (as/so + adjective + as + complement):
I haven’t seen a man as tall as him before.
You won’t often find a room so small as that.
The order as/so tall a man as him is also possible but it is more common in writing.