utevskaya_n_l_english_grammar_book_version_2_0

:.<:

~

'-'

~""

;Xi

се:

<

~""'

;:;::

<

се:

r.;

::::

(,/1

~

z

щ

Adjectives like new, /arge, round, wooden are fact adjectives. They give us objective iпformatioп about somethiпg (age, size, colour etc. ).

Adjectives like nice, beautiful are орiпiоп adjectives. They tell us what someoпe

thiпks of somethiпg.

Орiпiоп adjectives usually go before fact adjectives.

lf there are two or more fact adjectives, we put fact adjectives iп this order:

Adjectives of size апd leпgth (Ьig, sma/1, ta/1, short, long etc.) usually go before adjectives of shape апd width (round, thin, fat, wide etc.): а sma/1 round tаЬ/е, а ta/1 thin woman, а long white street.

The adjectives afraid, alike, alive, alone, ashamed, as/eep, content, glad, i/1 etc. are пever followed Ьу а поuп.

The chi/d was never left а/опе.

The adjectives chief, elder, e/dest, former, indoor, inner, main, оп/у, outdoor, outer, principal, upper сап опlу Ье used before поuпs.

Не is the eldest son.

Nouпs which express purpose, material or substaпce (cotton, gold, shopping etc.) сап Ье used as adjectives before other поuпs.

1bought а new woollen hat.

Note. hair (hair like gold) but gold watch (watch made of gold), woodeп tаЫе, woolleп scarf, silk dress but silky hair, stoпe wall but stoпy look, feather pillow but feathery leaves.

[У'(EXERCISES

Exercise 1

Put the adjectives in the correct order.

1. а Japanese/1ittle/pretty/girl

2. a(n) wedding/expensive/silk/white/dress ........... .

3. a(n) pair of leather/Ьlack/walking/old/shoes

4. a(n) English/ancient/famous/monument ............

5. а detective/new/fasciпating/French/film ........... .

6. а red/lovely/marЬle/chess set

7. а dessert/crystal/lovelyjЬowl ........... .

Exercise 11

Put the adjectives in the correct order.

1. а long/linen/cream/dress

2. а three-course/home-made/delicious/meal ........... .

3. a(n) interesting/nice/short/speech

4. Spanish/livejexcellent music

5. а round/gold/Ьig brooch

6. а grey/smartj\voollen/newjsuit

7. a(n) old/Ьlack/leather/jacket ........... .

Exercise 111

Put the adjectives in brackets in the correct position.

1.long hair (fair)

2.а large tаЬ!е (wooden) ........... .

3.а wide street (long)

4.а tall girl (thin)

5.а little cottage (old)

6.а good--lookiпg woman (youпg)

7.а sma\1 cat (Ьlack)

8.а beautiful dress (red) ........... .

9.an o\d shirt (cotton)

1О. а Ь!не car (little) ........... .

11. а wooden Ьох (small) ............

12.an old soпg (Italian)

13.а sunny day (nice)

щ

->

f-

u

щ

...,

~

<

ш

:::

f-

::.::

о

с

~

:::.:::

<

г:

;.;:

<

:::.:::

с

-

t/,

....;

·~ v

z

~

Comparison of Adjectives

There are three degrees of comparison for adjectives in English.

1)positive, which shows а simple quality: sma/1, deep, wise, hot;

2)comparative, which shows а high degree of the quality: smaller, deeper, wiser, hotter;

3)superlative, which shows the highest degree of quality: the smal/est, the deepest, the wisest, the hottest.

Notes. А noun preceded Ьу an adjective in the superlative form is generally used with the definite artic\e:

Mike is the tallest Ьоу in the family.

The comparative form is used when comparing two persons or things. The superlative form is used only when comparing three or more persons or things. Not а\1 adjectives have degrees of comparison.

Two Ways of Forming the Comparative

and the Superlative Degrees

There are two ways of forming the comparative and the superlative degrees:

а) Ьу adding -er( -г) (comparative) and -est( -st) (superlative) to the positive degree;

Ь) Ьу adding to the positive degree

Adjectives of One SyllaЬie

Most adjectives of one syllaЫe compare Ьу adding -er( -г) and -est( -st):

Note 1 . lf the positive ends in two consonants or in one consonant preceded Ьу а diphthong, -егand -est are added:

Note 2. lf the positive ends in one consonant preceded Ьу а short vowel, the consonant is douЫed before adding -ег and -est:

Note 3. lf the positive ends in -е, add only -г and -st:

Note4.

а. lf the positive ends in -у preceded Ьу а consonant, change the -уinto -i and

Ь. lfthe -у is preceded Ьу а vowel, the -у is not changed:

щ

>

!-

u

ш

...,

с::

<

ш

:::

Е-

~

с

с

~

а::

<

2

2

<

а::

"'

::::

:/')

-'

~

7-.

~

2.Adjectives of two syllaЫes with the stress оп the second syllaЫe compare like adjectives of one syllaЫe:

3.Adjectives ending in -а/, -ed, -fuf, -ic, -ife, -ine, -ous form their comparative and superlative degrees Ьу adding тоге and mostto the positive:

4.Certain adjectives form their comparative and superlative in both ways, either Ьу adding -eгj-est to the positive form or Ьу taking тогеjтоst. Some of these are: cfeveг, соттоп, cruef, fгiendfy, gentfe, паггоw, p/easant, polite, shallow, siтpfe, stupid, quiet.

Note 1 . Farther and farthest are used for distance; further and furthest are used to mean something additional:

The scfюol is at the farthest end of the village. Further discussion wi/1 follow.

Note 2. Later and latest are used for denoting time, latter and /ast are used for denoting order:

Did you hear the latest news?

The last edition of this book is so/d out.

Note 3. Nearest refers to distance, next is used when order is meant:

Т11е nearest town is 30 km. Соте again the next day.

Note 4. Elder and eldest are used for the people of the same tamily. 0/der and oldest are used to denote age for things and other people:

John is the eldest son of his family. lt is the oldest building in our city.

Constructions with Comparisons

а) Comparison of equals is expressed Ьу as ... as for positive comparison and not as ... as or not so ... as for negative comparison.

An арр/е is usual/y as blg as an orange. А grape is not so (as) Ьig as an orange.

Ь} Twice (five time etc) as Ьig (long etc) as ... is used to show that опе exceeds the other several times.

This route is twice as fong as that one.

щ

>

-

f-

v

~

.....,

с

<.

щ

:::

.....

:L

с

о

с::;

х

<

~

:;?

с) Comparison of two unequal persons or things is expressed Ьуthe comparative withthan.

Не is talleг than his Ьгоthег.

А тountain is higheг than а hi/1.

The Ыие саг is /ess expensive than the геd one.

Use of Some Adjectives

Much is always singular, and is used chiefly

а) in questions:

Was there тuch rain here /ast week?

Ь) in sentences with а negative sense:

1don 'tlike тuch sugar in туcoffee.

Мапуis always plural:

There are тапу children at school.

Most is preceded Ьу an adjective in the superlative degree:

This is the тost interesting story.

When а noun is preceded Ьу тost, it is used without an article and it means

большинство, большая часть:

Most students like sport.

With the indefinite article тost means крайне, весьма:

His father was а тost experienced hunter.

Few and /ittle are used

а) preceded Ьу the indefinite article when the sentence has а positive sense: lt wi/1 Ье а little boat.

А few pupils were at the concert.

Ь) v.tithout the indefinite article when the sentence has а negative sense:

We have little tiтe for breakfast. There are few people present.

~EXERCISES

Exercise 1

Write the comparative and the superlative degrees ofthe foilowing adjectives.

Great, difficult, busy, far, polite, careful, deep, bad, dirty, clever, quick, little, different, young, comfortaЬ!e, narrow, pretty, sad, Ьig, happy, old, late, heavy, nice, dry, fat, ugly, joyful, yellow, sweet, near.

Exercise 11

Open the brackets using the comparative or the superlative degree wherever necessary.

1. It's autumn; every day the air becomes (cold), the leaves (yellow). 2. This is the (beautiful) view 1 have ever seen in my life. 3. Your is now (good) than it was last year; but still it is not so good as Pete 's handwriting. Не

>

t-

u

~

....,

С;

<:

~

t-

с.::

<

~

:г.:

<

с.::

"='

-

'/;

are (wonderful), you're (wonderful) girl iп the whole wor\d. 9. Не was (huпgry) thaп he had ever Ьееп in his lif'e. 10. The twenty-second of December is the (shoti) day ofthe year.

Exercise 111