Adjectives

Developed byIvan Seneviratne

Order of Adjectives

The words in speech bubbles are all adjectives. If you were to combine them into one sentence, how would you arrange the adjectives? Which would you use first, next,… and last?

My name is Zorbuck. I am an alien from a distant planet. Let me tell you more about myself. I am...

thin

short

handsome

green

Using Two or More Adjectives

When using two or more adjectives to describe a person or a thing, we generally follow this order:

1. Quality or Opinion - ugly, grumpy, nice, stylish, hot2. Size - enormous, gigantic, tiny, petite3. Age - old, new, recent, three-year-old4. Shape - round, oval, rectangular, square5. Colour - pink, green, blue, red, 6. Nationality or Origin - Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian7. Material - Wooden, glass, plastic , metal

ExerciseComplete each sentence with any suitable adjectives in the correct order.

1. Aunt Jessica scolded Mary for breaking her _______, _______, _______ jewellary box.

2. It was certainly the _______, _______ disaster in the last decade.

3. The princess did not know that the _______, _______, and _______ stranger was really a prince in disguise.

4. Please help me carry this _______, _______, wooden box to the other end of the room.

5. The _______, _______, and _______ man frightened the children off with his loud voice and bad temper.

Formation of AdjectivesMost adjectives end in a suffix, which shows that they are formed from other words.

-able saleable, likeable, lovable, pitiable -ible flexible, edible, possible, sensible, forcible -al marginal, musical, national, natural, vocational -ary primary, secondary, imaginary, voluntary, complimentary -en golden, wooden, woollen, rotten, sodden -ful faithful, playful, careful, plentiful, beautiful -less faithless, careless, worthless, hopeless, powerless -ic atomic, artistic, heroic, athletic, historic -ish stylish, reddish, childish, boyish, British -ive expensive, attentive, captive, destructive, creative -ly lovely, kingly, sisterly, friendly, lonely -ous marvellous, wondrous, poisonous, glorious, nervous -some fearsome, quarrelsome, tiresome, troublesome -y funny, icy, sticky, dirty, thorny

ExerciseForm adjectives for the given words.

1. accident -2. adventure -3. anger -4. caution -5. centre -6. child -7. collect -8. comfort -9. coward -10. cruelty -11. year -12. thought -13. wisdom -

14. danger -15. describe -16. enjoy -17. father -18. fool -19. height -20. imagine -21. nation -22. north -23. silk -24. war -25. water -

This presentation is developed by Ivan Seneviratne © 2007 purely for personal use.ivanthexplorer@yahoo.co.uk