Comparative and superlative adjectives; position; order; adjectives ending in -ing and -ed
CONTEXT LISTENING
You are going to hear some advertisements. Before you listen, look at the photos and guess what will be advertised.
Listen and check if you were right.
Listen to the advertisements again and write the words which describe these people and things. Stop the recording when you need to.
The sort of person you can become:
The lions and monkeys:
The way you feel before phoning The Sparklers:
The variety of games:
Listen again and fill in the gaps with the words that describe these people and things. Stop the recording when you need to.
professional advisers ________ route ________ welcome ________ facilities
________ day out ________ wildlife park ________ brochure ________ offers
________ carpets ________ sinks and surfaces ________ finger marks ________ prices
________ savings ________ road races and fantasy lands ________ graphics ________ battles
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GRAMMAR
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Adjectives are words which describe nouns (things and people).
A few two-syllable adjectives (e.g. quiet, pleasant, common, polite) sometimes also use -er or -est:
It’s quieter than any garden I’ve visited before.
A few two-syllable Two-syllable adjectives ending in -ow and -er can usually add -er or -est:
clever ➞ cleverer
narrow ➞ the narrowest
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -le usually add -r or -st:
simple ➞ simpler ➞ the simplest
Most one-syllable adjectives ending in one vowel + -b, -d, -g, -n, -por -tdouble the last letter before adding -er or -est:
big ➞ bigger
sad ➞ the saddest
A few adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:
good ➞ better ➞ best
bad ➞ worse ➞ worst
far ➞ farther/further ➞ farthest/furthest
Comparative structures
We can use comparative structures to say that:
things are more:
Our prices are better than those of our rivals.
We have a more exciting range of games than you’ll see anywhere else.
things are less:
Pre-owned games usually aren’t as/so expensive as new ones.
The games in the sale are much less expensive than usual.
or things are equal:
Fantasy games are as popular as football games with our customers.
Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed
Some common adjectives are formed from verbs and have both -ing and -ed forms.
We use the -ed form to describe our feelings:
I’m tired. (= a description of how I feel: I’ve used up all my energy so I need a rest)
We use the -ing form to describe the things which
make us feel like this:
This work is tiring. (= a description of the work: it takes a lot of energy to do it)
Compare these sentences:
It’s a boring film. (= there’s no action in it)
The visitors are bored. (= they have nothing to do)
We had a relaxing holiday. (= the atmosphere was restful)
Good driving instructors always have a relaxed manner. (= they don’t seem nervous)
That was a very satisfying meal. (= there was plenty to eat)
The airline has many satisfied customers. (= the customers feel happy)
Adjective position
Adjectives in English usually go in front of the word they describe:
We visited an old house. We saw some beautiful paintings and some elegant furniture.
Adjectives can also follow verbs such as be, get, become, look, seem, appear, sound, taste, smell and feel:
Everything seemed pleasant when we started. The flowers smelt beautiful and the gardens looked wonderful. But the weather got very hot and we all felt exhausted by the end of the day.
There are many nouns in English which are used as adjectives:
a diamond ring
a library book
a seaside hotel
folk music
strawberry jam
When we use more than one adjective, we usually put them in a certain order. We say:
a strange old wooden chair
(not a wooden old strange chair)
We usually begin with adjectives which give an opinion or general impression:
a dangerous old car
a delicate oval tray
a valuable silver spoon
Adjectives giving factual information usually follow the opinion/impression adjective and go in this order:
Two colour adjectives are separated by and:
a black and white photograph
When we put more than one adjective after a verb, we use and before the last one:
The day was hot and tiring.
Lord Byron was described as mad, bad and dangerous to know.
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