Adjectives in English: types and usage. Introduction to English Adjectives Correct Adjective in English

- the topic is quite important and interesting. Of course, you can speak English at a fairly high level without going into such details, but such information will not be superfluous.

As in Russian, English adjectives can be formed from other parts of speech. These are usually verbs and nouns. Adjectives are formed using suffixes and prefixes. So, first things first.

Forming English adjectives using prefixes

Prefixes, also known as prefixes, are added at the beginning of a word and change its meaning. Usually they change the meaning of the adjective to the opposite, negative. A few examples:

• un- (unlucky)
• in- (in visible)
• dis- (dis content)
• il- (il legal)
• ir- (ir rational)
• im- (im movable)

There are several prefixes that change the meaning of a word, but without a negative meaning:

• pre- (pre-emptive)
• hyper- (hyper intensive, hyperactive)

Forming English adjectives using suffixes

There are a lot of varieties of English adjectives formed by the suffix method. As an example, there is a picture with the main suffixes, as well as several examples of words.

• ful(wonderful, graceful)
• less(pointless, careless)
• able(vulnarable, tolerable)
• ible(terrible, permissible)
• ant(pleasant, hesitant)
• ent(differ ent, patient)
• ic(scientific ic, iconic)
• ive(act ive, impressive)
• y(angr y, dirty)
• ing(interest ing, worrying)
• ed(confused, excited)
• al(general, typical)
• (i)an(Victorian, American)
• ous(gorgeous, famous)
• ish(childish, Irish)

There is also a classification of English adjectives according to the parts of speech from which they are derived. Adjectives can be formed from nouns, verbs, and also from other adjectives using various suffixes and prefixes, examples of which have already been discussed. The form of the word itself may also change. For example, the adjective long is formed from the noun length with a change in the root of the word.

Adjectives formed from nouns:

Adjectives formed from verbs:

Adjectives derived from other adjectives:

comic	comical
classic	classical
correct	corrective
red	reddish
green	greenish
sick	sickly

This was general information on the formation of English adjectives. The examples given in the tables will help you navigate the variety of descriptive words in the English language. It is important to note that each prefix and suffix gives the word a specific new meaning, but this will be discussed another time.

(good, yellow, interesting).

Adjectives in English do not change either by gender, or by number, or by case. Adjectives in English can only be modified by degrees of comparison.

Adjectives can be simple or derived. Simple adjectives have neither prefixes nor suffixes. Derived adjectives contain suffixes or prefixes, or both at the same time.

Adjectives form, as in Russian, two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative. The basic form of the adjective does not express comparison and is called the positive degree.

Adjective

An adjective is a part of speech that is used to denote a characteristic of an object.

• a clever boy
• an English book (English book)
• good butter (good butter)
• a cold winter

An adjective in English has three forms of degrees of comparison:

• positive degree
• comparative degree
• superlative degree.

Adjective degrees

Formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives

The basic form of an adjective is the positive degree. The comparative and superlative forms are usually formed from the positive degree in one of two ways:

The first way to form degrees of comparison of adjectives. If the form of an adjective in the positive degree consists of one syllable, the form of its comparative degree is formed using the suffix -er, and the superlative form - using the suffix -est, which are added to the base of the form of the positive degree.

The second way to form degrees of comparison of adjectives. From adjectives whose positive form consists of three or more syllables, the comparative degree is formed using the word more, and the superlative degree - using the word most, which are placed before the positive form of the adjective.

From two-syllable adjectives, the comparative and superlative forms are also formed using the words more and most.

Sometimes there are forms of two-syllable adjectives, formed using the suffixes -er and -est. Most often these are adjectives whose positive form ends in -у, -er, -ow.

Some adjectives form special forms of degrees of comparison, and these adjectives must be immediately memorized in all forms.

The adjective old forms degrees of comparison in two ways. In most cases, the suffix -er or -est is added to the base of the positive degree form.

However, in cases where they talk about members of the same family - “elder brother”, “eldest of the brothers”, they use the form elder (senior) or eldest (eldest).

To correctly write forms of degrees of comparison of adjectives, you need to know that when adding the suffixes -er and -est, the final letters of the adjective in the form of a positive degree change as follows:

• y changes to i after a consonant and does not change after a vowel: dry dry (dry) - drier - driest But: gay (cheerful) - gayer - gayest
• e is omitted: nice (good) - nicer - nicest
• the consonant is doubled in one-syllable adjectives after a short vowel: big - bigger - biggest

Using an adjective

The adjective is usually used in a sentence as a definition of a noun and stands before the word being defined. An adjective can also be a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate (predicative) and in this case stand after the linking verb to be.
Not a clever boy. He's a smart boy. (Clever - definition.) .Not is clever. He is smart. (Clever is a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate.)

Not all adjectives are used in these two functions. Adjectives alive (alive), afraid (scared), asleep (sleeping), awake (awake), ill (sick) and some others are used only as a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate.

To denote a lower or lowest degree of quality of one item compared to another, the adjective is usually preceded by the word less (less, less) or least (least of all).

Additional material.

Degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.

in English, just like in Russian, adjectives and adverbs have three degrees of comparison:

1. positive
2. comparative
3. excellent.

In English there are two ways to construct degrees of comparison.

1. For short (one syllable) words:

Notes:

The definite article is often used with a superlative adjective; When constructing degrees of comparison of adjectives in writing:

1. the final consonant with the preceding short vowel is doubled: big (bigger ((the) biggest
2. if there is a consonant before the final -y, then -y goes into -i:
   easy (easy ((the) easiest; early (earlier ((the) earliest
3. when adding -er u -est, the final -e is omitted: (see large above). Spelling features do not affect pronunciation.

2. For long (two or more syllables) words:

It doesn't make sense to lengthen the word any further, so in English we add another short word in front:

• beautiful beautiful
• more beautiful
• easily easy
• more easily easier
• most easily

To pass values least and least of all (least) the words less and least are used respectively:

• less beautiful
• least beautiful least beautiful

Note:

Sometimes monosyllabic words form degrees of comparison using more / less or most / least , and conversely, words consisting of more than one syllable have -er / -est at the end; it depends only on the sound - if some form is perceived better by ear than another, it is put into the sentence: crisp - more crisp - (the) most crisp sounds better than crisp - crisper (the) crispest.

The forms of degrees of comparison of some adjectives and adverbs in English are not formed according to the rule:

Note: The word little can be either an adjective or an adverb; in this case it is used only as an adverb little; if you need to construct degrees of comparison from the adjective small, we use the word small (see above).

Note: the forms elder / eldest are used more often when the speaker is talking about members of his family:

• My father is older than my mother. My father is older than my mother.
• This is my eldest son. This is my eldest son.

In most other cases, degrees of comparison of adjectives are formed using method 1:

old old er old est

.

The word most with the indefinite article (a most) is not a degree of comparison, but means very: a most beautiful girl is a very beautiful girl.

The word most can appear before a plural noun or pronoun (often with the preposition of) and has the meaning many/most:

Most people like this. Many people like it. Most of them will not be able to come. Most of them won't be able to come.

The definite article is preserved before the superlative form even if there is no noun: Not is the best. He is the best.

To denote the comparative degree of an adjective, the word than is used; however, in order to avoid repetition of the same noun, the word one is often used as a substitute for this noun or a possessive pronoun in absolute form:

• My car is bigger than their one / theirs. My car is bigger than theirs.
• These cigars are stronger than those ones. These cigars are stronger than those.

In the second part of comparative constructions, you can use pronouns both in the objective case (colloquial version) and the accusative case (literary version, usually with an auxiliary verb):

• She reads more than him / he does. She reads more than him.
• You are taller than me / I am. You are taller than me.
• Didn't come earlier than them / they did. He arrived earlier than them but
• I know him better than her. I know him better than her.
• I know him better than she does. I know him better than she does.

When comparing the same quality, the combination as ... as (same (same) ... as (s) / as (same) ... as (s) is used: She is as beautiful as my mother(She is as beautiful as my mother.

When comparing quality in a negative form, the combination not so ... as is more often used (not such ... as: I am not so beautiful as her / she is.(I'm not as beautiful as her.

When comparing with a multiple effect, the combination as ... as with numerals is used; the second as may be omitted if another comparison object is not mentioned in the situation:

• My sister is twice as beautiful (as yours).(My sister is twice as beautiful (as yours).
• His car is about three times as big (as my car).(His car is three times larger (mine).

The word half in such cases means half as much:

This liquid is half as strong (as that one).(This liquid is twice as weak (that one). I have half as much money (as you have).(I have half as much money (than you).

Sometimes a comparison can be strengthened with the help of additional words; more often than others, much is used for this: much more / less beautiful;

The Russian version of than..., the... is translated into English the + comparative degree of the adjective... the + comparative degree of the adjective:

• The faster you come the more you will get. The faster you arrive, the more you will get.
• The sooner you do it the better. The sooner you do this, the better.

Hey, everyone! Today we will discuss English adjectives, or more precisely: their role and order in a sentence, types, structure, formation, characteristic suffixes and prefixes, degrees of comparison and the use of articles with them. You need this! C"mon!

Adjective(adjective) is one of the main parts of speech, which denotes the attribute of an object and answers the questions “ Which?», « whose?».

An adjective is used with a noun to show its special attribute, property and to give additional characteristics of a different nature. It is thanks to adjectives that our speech becomes diverse and emotionally rich.

Unlike adjectives in Russian, in English they do not change neither by gender, nor by case, nor even by number.

We just take an adjective and put any noun after it. Easy!

smart cat - smart cat;
cute kids - cute children;
hot stuff is hot stuff.

Order of adjectives in an English sentence

Adjective in definition functions stands before the noun it refers to, and in functions of the nominal part compound predicate - after a linking verb:

I have bought a black cat. - I bought a black cat (definition).
This cat is black. - This cat black(predicative).

If adjectives two or more, then they must be used in a certain order.

First there will be adjectives showing the speaker’s attitude (opinion) to the subject: handsome (attractive), ugly (ugly), luxurious (luxurious).

Second adjectives are used that describe the parameters of an object (size, characteristics, age, shape, color): black (black), old (old), huge (huge).

A before a noun usually purpose: kitchen (kitchen), throwing (throwing), educative (educational).

Order of adjectives in a sentence

Article/Determiner	a	some	my
Opinion	lovely (amazing)	stunning (stunning)	reasonably priced (inexpensive)
Size	big (big)	small (small)	-
Quality (status characteristic)	well made (artfully executed)	artful (skillfully executed)	boiling (boiling)
Age	new (new)	old (old)	-
Form	rectangular (rectangular)	square (square)	-
Color	black	-	red (red)
Origin (a country)	American (American)	english (English)	Ukrainian (Ukrainian)
Material (substance)	steel (steel)	oil (oil)	-
Purpose	throwing (propelling)	ceiling (ceiling)	Halloween (Halloween)
Noun	knife (knife)	paintings (paintings)	meal (dish)

She has fascinating long hair. - She has charming long hair.
Take that small black metal box. - Take that one small black metal box.
It was a modern wooden dinner table. - It was modern wooden dining room table.
I've bought a new steel carving knife. - I bought new steel cutting knife.
I've bought some expensive square fragile china plates. - I bought several expensive square fragile porcelain plates.

Adjectives, showing measure(deep - depth, high - height, long - length, wide - width, etc.), are placed after the noun being defined.

The highway is 10 kilometers long. - This route is 10 kilometers length.
This lake isn’t big, but it is 30 meters deep. - This lake is small, but depth 30 meters.

Formation of adjectives in English

There are adjectives simple, derivatives and complex(composite).

• Simple adjectives have neither prefixes nor suffixes (big, short, black, red).
• Derivatives include suffixes or prefixes, or both at the same time (natur al, in correct, un natur al).
• Complex(composite) adjectives are formed from two words denoting one concept: dark blue,red-cheeked, snow-white.

Suffixes, prefixes and endings of adjectives

Most famous suffixes adjectives are:

«- less": help less helpless, use less useless;
«- able,« -ible": suit able(suitable), access ible accessible;
«- ous":fam ous famous, danger ous dangerous;
«- ful": use ful useful, care ful(attentive);
«- ent": intelligent ent(smart); preval ent(common)
«- ary": element ary(elementary);
«- ive": aggression ive(aggressive);
«- al": form al formal, center al central;
«- ic": hero ic(heroic);
«- y": sno wy(snow).

The most famous adjective prefixes include:

« un-»: un happy (unhappy), un equal (unequal);
« in-»: in complete (incomplete), in different (indifferent);
« im-»: im polite (impolite), im puberal (immature).

In English there is a list of adjectives that can be used and with suffixes, and with the words “ more/most», « less/least».

able(capable);
angry(wicked);
clever(smart);
common(general);
cruel(cruel);
friendly(friendly);
gentle(gentle);
handsome(Beautiful);
narrow(narrow);
pleasant(nice);
polite(polite);
quiet(quiet);
serious(serious);
simple(simple);
sour(sour).

Types of adjectives in English

According to their meaning, English adjectives are:

• Quality(big - big, small - small, clever - smart).
• Relative(wooden - wooden, central - central), etc.

Relative adjectives of the English language do not have degrees of comparison, but qualitative adjectives have the following degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.

Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Qualitative adjectives and adverbs of manner of action in English, as well as in Russian, have three degrees of comparison:

• absolute,
• comparative
• superlative.

So, with absolute everything is clear in form: long, far, good, active, expensive etc.

Comparative form an adjective is used when comparing two or more objects or people.

A comparative adjective can be formed in two ways:

• adding a suffix«- er» to the absolute form of the adjective . This applies to one-syllable adjectives (long) and two-syllable adjectives with a “y” at the end (pretty).

This is a long er book.
This doll is pretty ier.

Features of education:

- in words ending with " e", is added " r" at the end (lam e-lame r);
- in words with one vowel and one consonant at the end doubles consonant and add “- er" (b ig- bi gger);
- in words with more than one vowel or with more than one consonant at the end, add “- er" at the end (ha rd-hard er).

• adding « more» before an adjective. This applies to two-syllable adjectives without a “y” at the end (charming) and adjectives with three or more syllables (powerful).

She is more charming than her friend.
This gun is more powerful than that one.

Features of education:

When comparing two objects (people), the word " than» located between adjective and subject of comparison.

Oranges are sweeter than grapefruits
This painting is more interesting than that painting.

Superlative used to show that a thing or person has the greatest amount of a particular quality (in a group or of its kind). Commonly used with article« the».

It can also be formed in two ways.

• adding «- est» to absolute form. This applies to one-syllable adjectives (big) and two-syllable adjectives ending in “y” (lucky).

This is the bigg est table in the room.
I"m the luck iest person in the company.

Features of education:

- in words, h ending with " e", the suffix "-" is added st"at the end (large - the large st);
- in words with one vowel and one consonant at the end, the consonant is doubled and “-” is added est" (big-bi ggest);
- in words with more than one vowel or with more than one consonant at the end, add “- est" (blue - blu est);
- in words ending with " y", it is replaced by " i" with addition "- est"(pretty - prettiest).

• adding « the most» before an adjective. Applies to two-syllable adjectives with a "y" at the end, as well as adjectives with three syllables or more.

This is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.
This is the most popular song on the list.
That was the most powerful weapon.

Note: Comparative and superlative adjectives come before all others.

I'd like to buy this more beautiful white rose. - I would like to buy this more beautiful white rose.
At the ceremony there were some of the best young French actresses. - Several of the best young French actresses were present at the ceremony.

Positive form of adjective

The positive form is used when no difference between two things or people being compared.

To form a positive we use " as"before and after the absolute form of the adjective.

Danny is as smart as Phillip.
She is as beautiful as her older sister.

This can also be applied in a negative context by adding the word " not» before first « as" This way we indicate that the objects being compared not alike.

Danny is not as smart as Phillip.
She is not as beautiful as her older sister.

Exceptional adjectives

The following adjectives, degrees of comparison of which are not formed according to the general rule, and their forms should be known by heart.

good- better- the best(good - better - best);
bad - worse- the worst(bad - worse - worst);
little- less- the least(small - smaller - smallest);
many/much - more- the most(many - more - greatest);
old- older- the oldest(old - older - oldest);
old- elder-the eldest(old - older - the eldest) - about family members;
late- later- the latest/last(late - later - last/latest in time);
late- the latter- the last(late - the second of the two listed - the last in order);
near- nearer - the nearest(close - closer - closest in distance);
near- nearer- next/the next(closer - closer - next in time/next in order);
far- farther- the farthest(distant - more distant - farthest);
far- further- the furthest(distant, distant - further - further/additional).

Using the article with adjectives

A noun with a definition expressed by an adjective in the superlative degree is used with a definite article if the meaning does not require any pronoun.

London is the largest city in the UK.
My best friend lives in Seattle.

The definite article is retained before the superlative even when the noun is not mentioned (i.e. the noun is implied).

The London underground is the most beautiful in the world.

An English sentence, two parts of which (separated by a comma) begin with an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree with a definite article in front of it, is translated into Russian using the conjunctions “ how …, those … »:

The more we suffer the stronger we get.

Note: In English we can make nouns out of adjectives. To do this we need to add definite article « the" before the adjective, and we get the word in plural number.

All the doctors examined the sick. - All the doctors examined sick.
He is always used to help the poor. - He always helped before poor.
The rich also cry. - Rich they cry too.

Adjectives ending in "-" sh» «- ch"(English, French), turning into nouns, are used with a plural meaning to denote the nation as a whole.

In this case, they are preceded by a definite article: the French (French), the English (English), the Dutch (Dutch), the Spanish (Spaniards).

Conclusion

We hope that the topic of adjectives is now more than clear to you. To reinforce the material, we suggest you try our simulator on adjectives and degrees of comparison.

Stay classy... and get classier!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

We all know what an adjective is. This is a part of speech that describes a noun, answers the questions “Which?”, “Which?”, “Which?”.

What distinguishes our adjectives from English ones? First of all, they do not decline either by gender, or by number, or by case. It's a good news. Which one is bad? Let's do without the bad one this time. So let's look at 9 good news about adjectives in English.

Adjectives can be quality And relative. Only quality adjectives have degrees of comparison:

Sweet - sweeter - the sweetest (sweet - sweeter - the sweetest)

Long - longer - the longest (long - longer - the longest)

Beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful (beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful)

Good - better - the best (good - better - the best)

As tall as (as tall as...)

Relative adjectives denote material (wooden), place (rural), scientific field (medical). They do not form degrees of comparison and cannot be used with an adverb very - very. Agree, even in Russian it would sound strange: “Oh, this table is very glass. I think it’s glassier than that one.”

News two

Adjectives can be simple, derivatives and complex.

• Simple adjectives without suffixes or prefixes - tall, old, etc.
• Derived adjectives have suffixes or prefixes: beautiful, childish, unreliable, indifferent, etc.

Let's look at the prefixes and suffixes of adjectives in English in more detail using the table:

Suffixes and prefixes	Examples
-able, -ible (reveals property)	Suit able- suitable, reli able- reliable
-ant, -ent French origin	Differ ent- different, signific ant- significant
-al Availability of properties	emotion al- emotional
-ic	Specif ic- special, specific
-ish Poor quality	redd ish– reddish
-ive Corresponds to the Russian suffix -iv.	Explos ive– explosive, hot-tempered
-ful Filled with something presence of some properties	Beauty ful- Beautiful
-less Absence	Use less - demon useful
-ous Character traits or qualities	Poison ous– poisonous, fam ous- famous
-y Availability of properties	Dust y- dusty, stick y- sticky
-in negative	in different – without different
-im negative	Im polite – polite Not polite
-il negative	il logical Not logical
-ir negative	Ir relevant – Not relevant, Not relevant
-dis negative	Dis honest – Not honest
-un negative	un happy – Not happy, un important - Not important
-pre before	Pre historic - before historical
-hyper above	Hyper active – excessively active
-a/-ab	A moral - A moral, ab normal - Not normal

With repeated use, suffixes and prefixes are memorized automatically. Now that you understand their meanings, I hope it will be easier for you to remember them.

The negative prefix -in changes to -ir, -il, -im depending on the subsequent letter in the word:

ir - before -r: irrational

il - before -l: illegal

im - before -m, -p: impatient, immortal

• Compound adjectives are formed from two words: red-haired.

Third news

In English there are a number of adjectives that are translated into Russian as verbs. Hence the common mistake - omission of the linking verb "".

For example, there is no verb “to be sick” in English, unlike Russian, they make do with the adjective “sick”, respectively, being a predicate in a sentence, they are used with connectives.

I am sick (sick) - I am ill/sick.

They are late (late) - They are late.

I am afraid (experiencing fear, “afraid”) - I am afraid.

You are tired (tired) - You are tired.

Mary is present, but Daniel is absent.

News fourth. Article!

What does this have to do with it? Despite the fact that this is a very common mistake among beginners.

Remember - articles are determiners - determiners - of nouns; if there is no noun after the adjective, then we do not use the article.

Although the definite article (the) is used with superlative adjectives:

She is the most beautiful girl. He is the best.

"the" is also used with substantivized adjectives.

News fifth. Substantivized adjectives

It's simple - adjectives become nouns, generalizing and defining a certain group of people. Substantivized adjectives with the definite article “the” are used.

For example:

The rich - the rich

The rich are responsible for that. - The rich are responsible for this.

The poor - the poor

They provided food and shelter for the poor. -They provided food and shelter to the poor.

The young - young.

This book is for the young. - This book is for young people.

News sixth

If there are many adjectives describing one noun, they must be in a certain order, depending on the meaning.

Adjectives! Pay for the first to seventh!

1. grade
2. size
3. age
4. form
5. origin
6. material

Order of adjectives in an English sentence

determinant	grade	size	age	form	color	origin	material	purpose	Existence
A	beautiful		young			Russian			athlete
Some	expensive	big	new	round			wooden		tables
My	gorgeous	long			red		silk	evening	gown

News seventh. English adjectives ending in ed/ing

Some verbs form adjectives ending in ed/ ing. Why is it important to know the difference between them?

I will now tell you the repeatedly repeated answer of my Chinese students to the question of how their day at school went. All as one: “I was boring” (I was boring instead of I was bored). To which I invariably answered them: “Well, don’t talk about yourself like that, you’re too self-critical.”

So, using adjectives ing, we describe the quality of some object that influenced us (The book was boring - The book was boring), adjectives on ed describe our reaction, the reaction of people (I was bored. - I was bored.)

The movie is interesting. - The film is interesting (description of the quality of the film).

I am interested. - I'm interested, I'm interested (my reaction to the film).

This trip is so excit ing! - The trip is so exciting! (description of the trip).

I am so excit ed! - I’m so excited (my reaction, my feelings from the trip).

Let's look at a few examples in the table:

Description (-ing)	Reaction (-ed)
Interesting - interesting	Interested - interested
Boring – boring	Bored – bored, bored
Thrilling - exciting	Thrilled - excited
Exciting - exciting	Excited - excited, excited
Fascinating - charming	Fascinated - fascinated
Disgusting – disgusting, disgusting	Disgusted - disgusted
Depressing - oppressive	Depressed - depressed
Surprising - amazing	Surprised - surprised
Amazing - amazing	Amazed - amazed
Annoying - annoying	Annoyed - irritated
Irritating - annoying	Irritated - irritated
Astonishing - amazing	Astonished - amazed
Shocking - shocking	Shocked - shocked
Insulting - offensive	Insulted - insulted
Relaxing - relaxing	Relaxed - relaxed
Terrifying - frightening	Terrified - scared
Tiring - tedious	Tired - tired
Convincing - convincing	Convinced - convinced
Confusing - confusing	Confused - confused
Captivating - charming	Captivated - enchanted
Amusing - entertaining, funny	Amused - satisfied
Satisfying - satisfying	Satisfied - satisfied

News eight

Adverbs of manner are easily formed from adjectives by adding -ly:

Our speech would be extremely sparse if we did not use bright colors and means of expression in it. And perhaps the most popular way is to use adjectives. Adjectives in English allow you to express the characteristics of inanimate nouns and the qualities of animate ones, describe the appearance of a person and the properties of his character, embellish any actions and events, compare two objects or persons, and much more. Today we will find out what properties these parts of speech have, consider their grammatical norms, get acquainted with the types, and learn a list of definitions often used in speech.

Let's start with what even a child knows: this part of speech indicates either the belonging of an object or its properties, that is, it is the answer to the question of which, which, whose. Unlike their Russian counterparts, adjectives in English behave much more modestly and almost never change, i.e. do not receive additional endings when changing number, case, gender; do not have short forms.

• Ihavea red jacket- I have a red jacket.
• Weliveinthis red house- We live in this red house.

They can play one of two syntactic roles in a sentence. Words acting as evaluative definitions stand immediately before the object they define, and expressions included in the compound predicate complete the phrase.

• My father bought a blue carMyfatherboughtbluecar.(definition)
• Thecar is beautiful - This car is beautiful.(compound nominal predicate)

In terms of its composition, this part of speech is divided into simple (monosyllabic) and long words (polysyllabic) containing two or more syllables. The latter are called derivatives, according to the method of their formation: the addition of suffixes or prefixes. Negative forms of positive definitions are often obtained in this way. Separately, it is worth highlighting complex adjectives in English, formed by merging two simple stems. As a rule, such compound definitions are written with a hyphen.

• Shecookedabigcake- She prepared a big pie.(simple)
• Myparentsgavemeusefuladvice– My parents gave me useful advice.(derivative)
• There was a well-preserved cupboard in that flat –INthatapartmentwasFinepreservedcloset.(complex)

The method of forming comparative and superlative degrees depends on this classification. This is the only transformation possible for an adjective, in which the ending of the word changes. For simple definitions in English, the endings –er, -est are added. In more complex forms, you need to use the words more and most.

• brave boy⟶ braver boy ⟶ the bravest boy —brave boy⟶ the boy is braver⟶ the bravest boy
• practical thing ⟶ more practical thing ⟶ most practical thing -practical thing ⟶ the thing is more practical ⟶ the most practical thing

There are also so-called irregular words that do not raise powers according to the general rules. They are listed separately.

These basic points will be sufficient when using adjectives in simple phrases and expressions. Next, we will study the most popular English words in this category and examples of their translation.

Popular adjectives in English

It is impossible to learn all possible ways of expressing characteristics and qualities in one sitting. Therefore, we propose to start with the basics and consider a small list of English adjectives that are used in almost every conversation. These expressions will also be useful when conducting foreign language classes for children, since they are the basis of knowledge and do not pose any difficulty in learning. The table contains hundreds of descriptive definitions, distributed into general categories and recorded with transcription * and translation into Russian.

Top 100 simple adjectives
Category	Example words
Popular antonyms	good [ɡʊd]	good	bad	bad
	new	new	old [əʊld]	old
	open [ əʊpən]	open	closed	closed
	simple	simple	difficult	difficult
	clean [ kliːn]	clean	dirty	filthy
	beautiful	beautiful (only about women or objects)	ugly [ʌɡli]	ugly
	big	big	little	small
	slim	slim	thick [θɪk]	thick
	dry	dry	wet	wet
	light	light	dark	dark
	kind	Kind	angry [æŋɡri]	wicked
	rich	rich	poor	poor
	cheap	cheap	expensive [ɪkˈspensɪv]	Expensive
	strong	strong	weak	weak
	hot	hot	cold	cold
	easy	easy	hard	heavy
	tall	high	short [ʃɔːt]	short
	low	quiet	loud	loud
	fast	fast	slow	slow
	happy	glad	sad	sad
Expression of admiration	wonderful	wonderful	great [ɡreɪt]	fabulous
	amazing [əˈmeɪzɪŋ]	amazing	nice	nice
	cute	attractive	fine	beautiful
	tasty	delicious	excellent	great
	perfect	perfect	handsome	Beautiful (about men only)
Description of states	hungry	hungry	thirsty [θɜːsti]	thirsty
	afraid [ə’freɪd]	frightened	excited [ɪkˈsaɪtɪd]	excited
	active [æktɪv]	active	tired	tired
	bored	bored	cheerful	funny
	lonely	lonely	surprised	surprised
Expressing properties and characteristics	successful	successful	important [ɪmˈpɔːtnt]	important
	correct	correct	popular	popular
	large	large	usual	ordinary
	funny	funny	healthy	healthy
	interesting [ɪntrəstɪŋ]	interesting	long	long
	clever	smart	busy	busy
	friendly	friendly	famous	famous
	serious	serious	boring	boring
	lucky	lucky	brave	brave
	unknown [ʌnˈnəʊn]	unknown	answered	responsible
	impossible [ɪmˈpɒsəbl]	impossible	real	real
	bright	bright	careful	caring
	warm	warm	cold	chill
	young	young	free [ friː]	free
	fresh	fresh	wide	wide
	honest [ɒnɪst]	honest	basic	base
	sure [ʃʊər]	confident	quality	qualitative
	fantastic	fantastic	favorite	Darling
	useless	useless	harmful	harmful
	necessary	necessary	accurate [ækjərət]	careful

* If you are not sure of the correct reading of the transcription, you can use the built-in voiceover button to work on pronunciation.

Of course, these are not all common adjectives in the English language. , but this is already a pretty solid basis for a basic vocabulary. You should not try to memorize long lists of words: you will only confuse yourself or learn rarely encountered forms of expressions.

If the information provided is not new to you, or you have already mastered this part of the material well, we invite you to study the adjectives that stand out in the English language for their particular specific use.

Difficult grammatical points

To simplify perception and the possibility of studying the topic with a child, in the first section we omitted many important points that beginners do not need to know yet. But, for Intermediate level holders, this information will be extremely important and useful. Now we will get acquainted with a new type of definitions, find out what a graduated adjective is and how it behaves, and also consider the nuances of the transition of words from one part of speech to another.

Possessive aspect

When we studied the popular adjectives and antonyms in English used to describe people and things, they were mostly of the qualitative adjective variety. There are also relative ones, but we will talk about them a little later. Now we are interested in a more interesting form - possessive adjectives in English.

There are a lot of similar words in Russian speech: fox, wolf, Lysin, mother, shepherd and so on. But the British can use only seven such definitions: my,your, his, her, its, our, their. They are often confused with pronouns, violating the norms of lexical combination. Let's try to figure out why these words belong specifically to this section of grammar.

As already noted, the job of adjectives is to determine the properties, characteristics and belonging of the specified objects. Possessiveness is the main category that expresses the connection between an object and a subject. The relation to the class of adjectives is also indicated by the syntactic function of such expressions - definition, i.e. they always appear in a sentence immediately before a noun (or adj+noun group). But the role played by possessive pronouns in English is completely different. They are intended to replace the expressed noun. As a rule, such pronouns are always used at the end of a phrase or at the very beginning. Let's look at examples.

• Usually, Ibring my guitarandwesing our favoritesongs– Usually, I bring my guitar and we sing our favorite songs.(whose guitar? - mine, whose songs? - ours; possessive adj.)
• My smartphone is better than yours – Mysmartphonebetter,howis yours.(whose smartphone? – mine (adj.); what’s yours? implied smartphone (personal location)
• It is not him watch. His he left at home-ThisNothiswatch.He left his watch at home.(whose watch? – his (adj.); what’s your own? watch (local)

Pronouns, with the exception of his, have a different form from adjectives, so they are easy to distinguish in the text. And for independent use, you need to remember the above differences and work them out in practice.

Degrees of comparison and amplification (medium level)

When we looked at the types of adjectives in English, we noted that they depend on the formation of comparative degrees. But an important point was not mentioned: not all representatives of a given class of speech are able to form degrees. This justifies the division of types into qualitative and relative adjectives.

Qualities are expressed in varying degrees, but relativity has only a dictionary form. This category includes characteristics of origin, material, time designation, field of activity and geographical location. Such meanings in themselves have strong positions and do not need exaggeration.

• I bought a wooden chairIboughtwoodchair.(cannot be more/less or the most wooden)
• It was an American train -ThiswasAmericantrain.
• Shewritesa weekly report– She writes a weekly report

The English language allows you to strengthen the characteristic in one more way - by adding an adverb. And here we are again faced with a special factor: not all adverbs can coexist with definitions. So, for example, the popular very, rather, hugely, a bit can only be combined with gradable adjectives, i.e. weak definitions ( most often qualitative adjectives). Often these combinations are synonyms for more expressive words. In this case, amplification is used with both negative and positive characteristics.

• verytasty= delicious; very tasty - delicious;
• abitdirty – filthy; a little dirty - dirty;
• veryunusual – extraordinary; very unusual - most incredible;

Such an adjective, denoting an extreme degree of properties, in turn can only be used with weak adverbs. Thus, combinations of adverbs with definitions always occur according to the principle of merging opposites.

This rule must be remembered in order to avoid making gross speech errors.

Substantivization

English adjectives are characterized by such a phenomenon as substantivization. Through this process, definitions are given functions and meanings specific to the noun. The most striking examples of such transformations are the names of languages ​​and nationalities.

• Her German is perfect –Her German is perfect.
• Yesterday I made friends with two Russians – YesterdayImade friendsWithtwoRussians.

As the examples show, substantivized adjectives play the role of subject or object in a sentence, and denote persons and objects. Moreover, they can be presented in both singular and plural.

• abstractness: good – good; mysterious – mysterious; useful – useful; unreal – unreal;
• generality: greens - greenery; valuables – values; chemicals – chemicals;
• social groups: young - the youth; rich - rich people; elderly – elderly; poor - poor people;
• social characteristics: liberals – liberals; mariners – sailors; theunemployed – unemployed;

A more detailed list of such words can be found in a separate section.

English adjectives for intermediate level

Let's look at more complex English adjectives with Russian translation.

Intermediate adjectives
alone [əˈləʊn]	lonely	different	various
civilian	civil	pleasant	nice
deaf	deaf	quiet	calm; quiet
even	smooth	convenient	comfortable
dangerous	dangerous	fearful	scary
narrow	narrow	dreamy	dreamy
guilty [ɡɪlti]	guilty	hurt	offended
various	different	fancy	bizarre
strange	strange	wholesale	whole
rare	rare	natural	natural
far	far	wrong	wrong
medical	medical	worried	concerned
political	political	foreign	foreign
strict	strict	historical	historical
financial	financial	unhappy [ʌnˈhæpi]	unhappy

Good luck in improving your language!

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