AdjectivesAn adjective is a word that describes, identifies, modifies, or quantifies something (a noun or a pronoun). In the phrase, "theblackcat" the word black is an adjective because it describes the cat.In English, an adjective usually comes before the noun it pertains to (for example, a red apple or a cute cat.).Adjectives can be classified into many categories. In English, adjectives are generally used in the order:quantity-->opinion-->size-->age-->shape-->color-->origin-->material-->purpose. Some of these categories are (roughly in the order in which adjectives are used in English): quantity- few, no, one, two, three, four, little, several, many, all, some, every, each, ... opinion- good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, wonderful, splendid, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly, clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, uncomfortable, valuable, worthy, worthless, useful, useless, important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, lovely, disgusting, amazing, surprising, loathesome, unusual, usual, pointless, pertinent, ... personality/emotion- happy, sad, excited, scared, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly, carefree, quick-witted, blissful, lonely, elated, ... sound- loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy, deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispered, hushed, ... taste- sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable, yummy, luscious, appetizing, tasteless, spicy, watery, ... touch- hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy, wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ... size, weight- heavy, light, big, small, little, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny, skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee, dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ... smell- perfumed, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty, sweet-smelling,... speed- quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, ... temperature- hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding, burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ... age- young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent, infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ... distance- short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, ... shape- round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight, cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, ... miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ... brightness- light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous, gleaming, ... color- pink, red, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, metallic, silver, colorless, transparent, translucent, ... time- early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed, punctual, ... origin/location- lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Canadian, Mexican, French, Irish, English, Australian, ... material- glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, china, metal, steel, silicon, ... purpose- folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...Using Hyphens for Compound AdjectivesSome adjectives are used as a group to provide a description; if the group of words form a single idea and are used before the noun, they should be connected by hyphens to make their meaning clear. Common examples of hyphenated adjectives include black-and-white, 6-foot-tall, 5-years-old, problem-solving, mother-in-law and fight-or-flight. A wonderful example of hyphenated adjectives is George Orwell's description of being from the lower-upper-middle class.

Example of the Sequence of Multiple Adjectives in Chart Form:QUANTITYOPINIONSIZEAGESHAPECOLORORIGINMATERIALPURPOSENOUN

fivehugeyoungblackCanadianbears

batteredoldshapelessgraycottonworkpants

manymagnificentantiqueBritishreferencebooks

onestudiousteenagedAmericanboy

fewshinyroundblueIndiangems

manywell-madetinyelongatedbrownwoodenfishingboats

severalcheaplargepurplepolyestersleepingbags

Adjectives are often placed before a noun in the following order:

EVALUATION/ OPINIONAPPEARANCE/ QUALITYAGE/ PERIODCOLOR/ PATTERNORIGIN/ MATERIALTYPE / FUNCTION

SIZE / MEASUREGEOGRAPHICALTYPE

beautifulbig / largenew-bornredFrench

goodnarrow / wideoldgreenMexican1st class

badsmall / littleyoungblueChinesemulti-purpose

uglylow / highnewlight-yellowbeachwireless

interestinglong / shortantiquestripedmountainHD / 3-D

fascinatinglight / heavyancientdark blueoceanicmen's

SHAPEORIGINFUNCTION

intelligentroundfive-year-olddeep purplesolar

prettytriangularbrand-newpinknuclearhunting

unsightlysquarefive-day-oldbrownmolecularcooking

CONDITIONMATERIAL

foultarnishedcentury-oldroseplasticwalking

stupidchippedmatureoliveceramicrunning

sillybrokenmiddle-ageaquacottondancing

ridiculousrottenteenagelimepaperfront-loading

easyshinyprehistoricpolka-dotgoldoff-road

The basic types of adjectivesOpinionAn opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other people may not agree with you). Examples:silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult

SizeA size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is. Examples:large, tiny, enormous, little

AgeAn age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is. Examples:ancient, new, young, old

ShapeA shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:square, round, flat, rectangular

ColourA colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something. Examples:blue, pink, reddish, grey

OriginAn origin adjective describes where something comes from. Examples:French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek

MaterialA material adjective describes what something is made from. Examples:wooden, metal, cotton, paper

PurposeA purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")

DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECT

Questions in PassiveHow do we form questions in Passive voice?Questions in Passive are formed withto beand thepast particple*.1. Questions without questions words in Passive(Simple Present)Form of beSubjectpast participleRestYes/NoSubjectAuxiliary (+ n't)

Isthe testwrittenin room 311?Yes,No,No,itititis.is not.isn't.

Aregrapesgrownin California?Yes,No,No,theytheytheyare.are not.aren't.

2. Questions with questions words in Passive(Simple Present)Question wordForm of beSubjectpast participleRestAnswer

Whereisthe testwritten?The test is written in room 311.

Whyaregrapesgrownin California?Grapes are grown in Californiabecause it's warm and sunny.

3. Questions without questions words in Passive(Simple Past)Form of beSubjectpast participleRestYes/NoSubjectAuxiliary (+ n't)

Wasthe booktakento the classroom?Yes,No,No,itititwas.was not.wasn't.

Werethe studentstaughtat home?Yes,No,No,theytheytheywere.were not.weren't.

4. Questions with question words in Passive(Simple Past)Question wordForm of beSubjectpast participleRestAnswer

Wherewasthe booktaken?The book was taken to the classroom.

Whywerethe studentstaughtat home?The students were taught at homebecause the school was closed.

5. Other tensesHere are some more examples in other tenses. Let's start with thesimpleforms:TenseAuxiliarySubjectVerb

Present PerfectHasthe housebeen built?

Past PerfectHadthe housebeen built?

will-futureWillthe housebe built?

going to-futureIsthe housegoing to be built?

Future PerfectWillthe househave been built?

Conditional IWouldthe housebe built?

Conditional IIWouldthe househave been built?

And here are twoprogressiveforms:TenseAuxiliarySubjectVerb

Present ProgressiveIsthe housebeing built?

Past ProgressiveWasthe housebeing built?

*past participle: regular verbs infinitive+-ed irregular verbs 3rd columnof the table of theirregular verbs