Foundation English
- Adjectives I -
Dr Pramela Krish
pramela@ukm.my
pkrish
What Is An Adjective?
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by
describing, identifying, or quantifying words.
An adjective usually precedes the noun or the
pronoun which it modifies.
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Adjectives
 A describing word
 Tell us something about a person, place or thing
 It modify nouns – making meaning more specific
 Adds information – size, colour, age, material and other
attributes and qualities
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Examples of adjectives
The truck-shaped balloon floated over the
treetops.
Jen papered her kitchen walls with lovely
wall paper.
The hall was dark and dusty.
Many stores have already begun to sell
interesting Christmas gifts.
The back room was filled with large
yellow pails.
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Adjectives are identified by
their endings (suffixes)
 - al, bridal
 - able, debatable
 - ible, flexible
 -ic, heroic
 - ical,
 - ish, foolish
 - ed, interested
 - ing, interesting
 - ive, attractive
 - less, colourless
 - ous, joyous
 - y, cloudy
 - ful, playful
 - ese, Japanese
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Types of adjectives
Attributive adjectives come before the noun
 A red scarf
 An honest man
 The bridal suite
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Predicative adjectives come after the noun and a linking
verb - be, become, get, seemed
 The scarf is pink.
 He is honest.
 That patient seemed nervous.
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 He said she was open to suggestions
 I reckon he is capable of handling the project.
*After a verb and never
immediately after the noun
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Postpositive adjectives come immediately after the
modified noun
 Attorney general
 Governor General
 Princess Royal
*Sometimes classified as compound nouns
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Identify -
Attributive/Predicative/Postpositive
 1. The green door opened slowly.
 2. This stretch of water is dangerous.
 3. The share-holders present voted against the
Chairman.
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 4. Jan feels ill.
 5. A larger than normal pay increase was awarded to
teachers.
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Feedback
 ATTRIBUTIVE adjectives come before the
noun which they modify. In this exercise,
there are two attributive adjectives -
green (1) and larger (5). Sentence 5 is a
bit difficult, because larger is separated
from the noun by than normal. But it still
comes before the noun, so it is an
attributive adjective.
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Qualitative adj - describes person or thing in terms of
qualities comparative/superlative
 Size, shape, character
 Age
 This adjective is gradable
 E.g. Tall, taller, tallest
 Beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful
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Colour adjectives - specify colour of things
 A yellow shirt with black stripes
Qualitative adjectives – bright, dark, light, –to show
strength and intensity of the colour
 Bake the cake until it turns light brown
 She is using a bright red scarf
Compound qualitative adjectives
 Good-looking
 Tongue-tied
 Sun-tanned
* Look up for more examples to discuss
during your tutorial. You may include new
ones in your online discussion.
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 Qualitative adjectives also express speaker/writer’s
opinion
 Strong feelings - absolute rubbish
 - total bliss
 I think that dress is beautiful
 It was an exciting trip
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Interrogative adjective (which or what) is like an
interrogative pronoun, except that it modifies a noun or
noun phrase rather than standing on its own (see also
demonstrative adjectives and possessive adjectives):
 Which plants should be watered twice a week?
 What book are you reading?
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demonstrative adjectives
this, these, that, those, and what are identical to the
demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to
modify nouns or noun phrases, as in the following
sentences:
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Examples
When the librarian tripped over that
cord, she dropped a pile of books.
In this sentence, the demonstrative
adjective that modifies the noun cord
This apartment needs to be fumigated.
Here this modifies apartment and the
noun phrase
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Demonstrative adjectives
This/That/These/Those
 SPACE
 That picture on the wall is interesting.
 This button on my shirt is loose.
 I like these shoes that I am wearing.
 Those men across the street are plumbers.
 TIME
 This afternoon I will sleep.
 That afternoon last year was long.
 Those years were fun when I was a kid.
 These years right now are the best of my
life.
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Adjectives II
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Adjectives look similar but
have different meanings
 -ing and -ed
 The film was boring. Everyone in the cinema was bored.
 Collecting autographs is interesting. Li Min is interested
in collecting autographs from singers
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Verbs of emotion can become Adjectives
by adding -ed or -ing
Sample verbs of emotion
 Amuse
 Irritate
 Comfort
 Fascinate
 Puzzle
 Amaze
 Captivate
 Confuse
 Shock
 Intrigue
 Disappoint
 Satisfy
 Annoy
 Surprise
 Depress
 Excite
 Frustrate
 Bore
 Tire
 Interest
 exhaust
 Aggravate
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 Wendy was _______ in that book.
 I was ______ by my old job.
 My old job was ________. It was hard but fun.
 He was _____ by the low turn-out.
 My cat's behavior is often ______ to me.
 The teacher was ______ with her students' work.

The little boy was _______ by the scary movie.

The movie was ______ because it had many horrible, evil
monsters in it.
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The -ed ending modifiers are often
accompanied by prepositions (these are
not the only choices):
 We were amazed at all the circus animals.
 We were amused by the clowns.
 We were annoyed by the elephants.
 We were bored by the ringmaster.
 I was embarrassed by my brother.
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 We were exhausted from all the excitement.
 We were excited by the lion-tamer.
 We were excited about the high-wire act, too.
 We were frightened by the lions.
 We were introduced to the ringmaster.
 We were interested in the tent.
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 We were confused by the noise.

 We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.
 We were disappointed in their performance.
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 My mother was irritated by the heat.
 We were satisfied with the UKM choir during the recent
convocation ceremony.
 We were shocked at the level of noise in that shopping
complex.
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 We were surprised by the fans' response.
 We were surprised at their indifference.
 We were tired of all the lights after a while.
 We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking
lot.
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Position of the adjectives
opinion +age +colour +origin +purpos
e
+NOUN
a talented young Malaysian footballer
new red Italian racing car
the playful black kitten
a huge Japanese sumo wrestler
our successful hiking trip
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/en
glishworks/grammar/partsofs
peech.html#adjectives
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Exercise
 1. Those are probably the ___________ curtains in the
store.
fancyest
fanciest
most fanciest
 2. Uncle Carl is really ______________________ man.
an old sweet
a sweet, old
a sweet old
 3. The Karmen-Ghia used to be _________________
sportscar.
a fine German
a German, fine
a fine, German
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 4. Everyone was home for the holidays. What could make
for ___________ Christmas than that?
a merryer
the merriest
a merrier
 5. They grew up in ___________________ house in
Mexico City.
a comfortable, little
a little, comfortable
a comfortable little
 6. Diehard is the ____________ movie I've ever seen.
most excited
most exciting
most exciteable
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 7. Tashonda wanted to take a course with
_____________________ professor.
that interesting new Japanese economics
that Japanese interesting, new economics
that interesting, new, Japanese, economics
 8. Of all the mechanics in the shop, Jerzy is surely
______________ .
the less competent.
the least competent.
the competentest.
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 9. In the fall, the valleys tend to be ___________ than the
hilltops.
foggy
more foggier
foggier
 10. My cold is definitely _________ this morning.
worse
worst
worser
 Blue, brown, orange and pink soft-looking feathers
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 Unique and exotic feather earrings
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 Fun and scrumptious-looking candy covered
apples
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Thank You
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Adjectives adjectives 1 and 2

  • 1.
    Foundation English - AdjectivesI - Dr Pramela Krish pramela@ukm.my pkrish
  • 2.
    What Is AnAdjective? An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies. pkrish
  • 3.
    Adjectives  A describingword  Tell us something about a person, place or thing  It modify nouns – making meaning more specific  Adds information – size, colour, age, material and other attributes and qualities pkrish
  • 4.
    Examples of adjectives Thetruck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops. Jen papered her kitchen walls with lovely wall paper. The hall was dark and dusty. Many stores have already begun to sell interesting Christmas gifts. The back room was filled with large yellow pails. pkrish
  • 5.
    Adjectives are identifiedby their endings (suffixes)  - al, bridal  - able, debatable  - ible, flexible  -ic, heroic  - ical,  - ish, foolish  - ed, interested  - ing, interesting  - ive, attractive  - less, colourless  - ous, joyous  - y, cloudy  - ful, playful  - ese, Japanese pkrish
  • 6.
    Types of adjectives Attributiveadjectives come before the noun  A red scarf  An honest man  The bridal suite pkrish
  • 7.
    Predicative adjectives comeafter the noun and a linking verb - be, become, get, seemed  The scarf is pink.  He is honest.  That patient seemed nervous. pkrish
  • 8.
     He saidshe was open to suggestions  I reckon he is capable of handling the project. *After a verb and never immediately after the noun pkrish
  • 9.
    Postpositive adjectives comeimmediately after the modified noun  Attorney general  Governor General  Princess Royal *Sometimes classified as compound nouns pkrish
  • 10.
    Identify - Attributive/Predicative/Postpositive  1.The green door opened slowly.  2. This stretch of water is dangerous.  3. The share-holders present voted against the Chairman. pkrish
  • 11.
     4. Janfeels ill.  5. A larger than normal pay increase was awarded to teachers. pkrish
  • 12.
    Feedback  ATTRIBUTIVE adjectivescome before the noun which they modify. In this exercise, there are two attributive adjectives - green (1) and larger (5). Sentence 5 is a bit difficult, because larger is separated from the noun by than normal. But it still comes before the noun, so it is an attributive adjective. pkrish
  • 13.
    Qualitative adj -describes person or thing in terms of qualities comparative/superlative  Size, shape, character  Age  This adjective is gradable  E.g. Tall, taller, tallest  Beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful pkrish
  • 14.
    pkrish Colour adjectives -specify colour of things  A yellow shirt with black stripes Qualitative adjectives – bright, dark, light, –to show strength and intensity of the colour  Bake the cake until it turns light brown  She is using a bright red scarf
  • 15.
    Compound qualitative adjectives Good-looking  Tongue-tied  Sun-tanned * Look up for more examples to discuss during your tutorial. You may include new ones in your online discussion. pkrish
  • 16.
     Qualitative adjectivesalso express speaker/writer’s opinion  Strong feelings - absolute rubbish  - total bliss  I think that dress is beautiful  It was an exciting trip pkrish
  • 17.
    Interrogative adjective (whichor what) is like an interrogative pronoun, except that it modifies a noun or noun phrase rather than standing on its own (see also demonstrative adjectives and possessive adjectives):  Which plants should be watered twice a week?  What book are you reading? pkrish
  • 18.
    demonstrative adjectives this, these,that, those, and what are identical to the demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases, as in the following sentences: pkrish
  • 19.
    Examples When the librariantripped over that cord, she dropped a pile of books. In this sentence, the demonstrative adjective that modifies the noun cord This apartment needs to be fumigated. Here this modifies apartment and the noun phrase pkrish
  • 20.
    Demonstrative adjectives This/That/These/Those  SPACE That picture on the wall is interesting.  This button on my shirt is loose.  I like these shoes that I am wearing.  Those men across the street are plumbers.  TIME  This afternoon I will sleep.  That afternoon last year was long.  Those years were fun when I was a kid.  These years right now are the best of my life. pkrish
  • 21.
  • 22.
    Adjectives look similarbut have different meanings  -ing and -ed  The film was boring. Everyone in the cinema was bored.  Collecting autographs is interesting. Li Min is interested in collecting autographs from singers pkrish
  • 23.
    Verbs of emotioncan become Adjectives by adding -ed or -ing Sample verbs of emotion  Amuse  Irritate  Comfort  Fascinate  Puzzle  Amaze  Captivate  Confuse  Shock  Intrigue  Disappoint  Satisfy  Annoy  Surprise  Depress  Excite  Frustrate  Bore  Tire  Interest  exhaust  Aggravate pkrish
  • 24.
     Wendy was_______ in that book.  I was ______ by my old job.  My old job was ________. It was hard but fun.  He was _____ by the low turn-out.  My cat's behavior is often ______ to me.  The teacher was ______ with her students' work.  The little boy was _______ by the scary movie.  The movie was ______ because it had many horrible, evil monsters in it. pkrish
  • 25.
    The -ed endingmodifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the only choices):  We were amazed at all the circus animals.  We were amused by the clowns.  We were annoyed by the elephants.  We were bored by the ringmaster.  I was embarrassed by my brother. pkrish
  • 26.
     We wereexhausted from all the excitement.  We were excited by the lion-tamer.  We were excited about the high-wire act, too.  We were frightened by the lions.  We were introduced to the ringmaster.  We were interested in the tent. pkrish
  • 27.
     We wereconfused by the noise.   We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.  We were disappointed in their performance. pkrish
  • 28.
     My motherwas irritated by the heat.  We were satisfied with the UKM choir during the recent convocation ceremony.  We were shocked at the level of noise in that shopping complex. pkrish
  • 29.
     We weresurprised by the fans' response.  We were surprised at their indifference.  We were tired of all the lights after a while.  We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot. pkrish
  • 30.
    pkrish Position of theadjectives opinion +age +colour +origin +purpos e +NOUN a talented young Malaysian footballer new red Italian racing car the playful black kitten a huge Japanese sumo wrestler our successful hiking trip
  • 31.
  • 32.
    Exercise  1. Thoseare probably the ___________ curtains in the store. fancyest fanciest most fanciest  2. Uncle Carl is really ______________________ man. an old sweet a sweet, old a sweet old  3. The Karmen-Ghia used to be _________________ sportscar. a fine German a German, fine a fine, German pkrish
  • 33.
     4. Everyonewas home for the holidays. What could make for ___________ Christmas than that? a merryer the merriest a merrier  5. They grew up in ___________________ house in Mexico City. a comfortable, little a little, comfortable a comfortable little  6. Diehard is the ____________ movie I've ever seen. most excited most exciting most exciteable pkrish
  • 34.
     7. Tashondawanted to take a course with _____________________ professor. that interesting new Japanese economics that Japanese interesting, new economics that interesting, new, Japanese, economics  8. Of all the mechanics in the shop, Jerzy is surely ______________ . the less competent. the least competent. the competentest. pkrish
  • 35.
    pkrish  9. Inthe fall, the valleys tend to be ___________ than the hilltops. foggy more foggier foggier  10. My cold is definitely _________ this morning. worse worst worser
  • 36.
     Blue, brown,orange and pink soft-looking feathers pkrish
  • 37.
     Unique andexotic feather earrings pkrish
  • 38.
     Fun andscrumptious-looking candy covered apples pkrish
  • 39.