Adjectives

An adjective is a describing word. It tells you more about
a noun. An adjective usually appears before the noun
it describes. Sometimes, though, the adjective appears
after the noun, later in the sentence.
5

Adjectives
53
Exercise 1
Underline the adjectives in the following sentences.
1 There is an empty room upstairs.
2 It’s a hot summer.
3 You are so kind.
4 Don’t be crazy.
5 This park is clean and green.
6 Many people exercise to keep healthy.
7 I think these eggs are rotten.
8 We are all bored. There isn’t anything to do.
9 The pupils don’t fnd the joke amusing.
10 James was absent because he was ill.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with suitable adjectives from the box.
hot large short free
high sweet poor playful
1 The ice cream is very _________.
2 It’s very _________ in summer.
3 The company is giving away _________ gifts to its
customers.
4 They live in a _________ house.
5 Jean is wearing a _________ skirt.

Comparison of Adjectives
faster
small smaller
When you compare two people or things, use the
comparative form of the adjective.
Lots of comparative adjectives end in -er.
Gr
am
mar H
el
is often used with comparative thanThe word p
adjectives. For example, you might say:
Jack is taller than John.
A sports car is faster than a motorbike.
fast
bright
brighter
cheap cheaper
clear clearer
loud louder
new newer
old older
rich richer
short shorter
tall taller
slow slower
thick thicker

Gr
am
mar H
el
p
Use the superlative form of an adjective to compare
three or more nouns. Lots of superlatives end in -est.
You often add the before the superlative form.
For example, you say:
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the
world.
Peter is the tallest boy in his class.
darkest
long longer longest
dark darker
thick thicker
thickest
clean cleaner cleanest
easy easier easiest
fat fatter fattest
?at ?atter ?attest
heavy heavier heaviest
hot hotter hottest
narrow narrower narrowest
noisy noisier noisiest
simple simpler simplest
thin thinner thinnest
wet wetter wettest

Gr
am
mar H
el
p
4 With adjectives that end in -e, add -r to form
the comparative, and -st to form the superlative.
For example:
Comparative Superlative

close closer closest
large larger largest
safe safer safest
wide wider widest
4 Some adjectives have only one syllable, end with a
consonant, and have a single vowel before the
consonant. With these adjectives, double the last letter
before adding –er to form the comparative, and -est to
form the superlative. For example:
Comparative Superlative

big bigger biggest
dim dimmer dimmest
mad madder maddest
sad sadder saddest
4 Some adjectives have two syllables and end in -y. With
these adjectives change the y to i. Then add -er to form
the comparative, and -est to form the superlative.
For example:
Comparative Superlative

busy busier busiest
dirty dirtier dirtiest
happy happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest
With some adjectives, you use more to make the
comparative form, and most to make the superlative
form.
Adjectives that form their comparative and
superlative with more and most are usually
adjectives with two or more syllables, or
sounds. For example:

ac-tive ex-pen-sive
beau-ti-ful fa-mous
charm-ing for-tu-nate
cheer-ful in-tel-li-gent
com-fort-a-ble pow-er-ful
de-li-cious val-u-a-ble
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
active more active most active
charming more charming most charming
cheerful more cheerful most cheerful
comfortable more comfortable most comfortable
delicious more delicious most delicious
D i d
y o u k
n o w ?

69
Gr
am
mar H
el
p
The comparative and superlative forms of some
adjectives are completely different words.
With these adjectives, you don’t add -er or more
to form the comparative, or -est or most to form
the superlative.
little less least
good better best
bad worse worst
few less least
many more most
much more most

Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative and
superlative forms of the following adjectives.
Comparative Superlative
hard
cold
soft
tall
rich
mad
funny
big
sad
busy
noisy
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative and
superlative forms of the following adjectives.
Comparative Superlative
foolish
harmful
poisonous
valuable
diffcult
generous

6 The climbers are climbing up a _________ mountain.
7 These puppies are very _________.
8 Many _________ people have no home.