Adjectives

Apostrophes in Plural Nouns

  • Apostrophe use is determined by the ending of the noun:

    • If the plural noun ends in 's', only an apostrophe is added (e.g., 'the babies' toys').

    • If the noun does not end in 's', an apostrophe followed by 's' is added (e.g., 'Sally's bag', 'men's magazines', 'Charles's bicycle').

Adjectives

  • Definition: Adjectives are 'describing words' used to describe nouns.

  • Examples of adjectives:

    • a beautiful day

    • a boring film

    • a strange feeling

    • a kind person

  • Placement: Adjectives usually precede the nouns they describe but can also follow them.

    • Examples of placement:

    • Preceding: 'a beautiful day'

    • Following: 'the day was beautiful', 'the film was boring'

Comparatives and Superlatives

  • Purpose: Adjectives can be used to make comparisons between nouns.

  • Types of comparative and superlative adjectives:

    • Comparative adjectives indicate a comparison; examples include:

    • 'a hotter day than yesterday'

    • 'a bigger town'

    • Superlative adjectives denote the extreme form; examples include:

    • 'the hottest day of the year'

    • 'the biggest town in the area'

  • Formation Rules:

    • Most comparatives are formed by adding '-er' to the adjective (e.g., 'hot' becomes 'hotter').

    • Most superlatives are formed by adding '-est' to the adjective (e.g., 'hot' becomes 'hottest').

    • Alternately, comparatives can be formed using 'more' before the adjective (e.g., 'more expensive').

    • Superlatives can be formed by using 'most' (e.g., 'most expensive').

  • Examples in advertisements: Superlative forms such as 'brightest', 'best' are commonly used.

Irregular Adjectives

  • Notable irregular adjectives:

    • good → better → best

    • bad → worse → worst

Examination Practice

  • Task: Identify the word class for the following words by ticking the appropriate categories. Some words may fit into more than one category:

    • Noun Categories:

    • Proper

    • Common

    • Concrete

    • Abstract

    • Collective

    • Adjective Categories:

    • Comparative

    • Superlative

    • Example words to categorize:

    • mysterious

    • swarm

    • Abba (Proper Noun)

    • marvellous

    • further

    • equality (Abstract Noun)

    • vine

    • most (Superlative)

    • wonderful

    • Concorde (Proper Noun)

    • sticky

    • aeroplane

    • more (Comparative)

    • glamorous

    • far (Comparative)

Checkpoint 2

  • Additional exercise: Identify two words from the section that can also function as verbs after studying the section on verbs.