Adjectives
Adjectives tell you more about nouns or pronouns. They can give you information about, for example,
quantity, colour, shape, size, age or texture. Examples:
quantity colour shape
ten oranges white sheets round stones
size age texture
large buildings elderly people rough fabric
1. Complete the sentence with the correct adjective. Write down only one word.
a) The driver stopped obediently at the ______ traffic light.
b) He wears his ___ jacket on cold days.
c) The family shares one ____ bedroom.
d) They discovered ruins from ___ times.
e) A cell phone has a ____ shape.
Adjectives of comparison
You can use adjectives to compare things.
Comparative adjectives compare two nouns or pronouns. Superlative adjectives compare three or more
nouns or pronouns.
Short regular adjectives follow a pattern when we change them to comparative or superlative adjectives.
• For comparative adjectives, add ‘er’.
• For superlative adjectives, add ‘est’.
Examples:
Adjective Comparative form Superlative form
bright brighter brightest
large larger largest
long longer longest
slow slower slowest
thin thinner thinnest
funky funkier funkiest
happy happier happiest
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If the adjective is a long word, add the word ‘more’ or ‘most’ or ‘less’ or ‘least’. Examples:
Adjective Comparative form Superlative form
comfortable more comfortable most comfortable
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
appealing more appealing most appealing
careful less careful least careful
difficult less difficult least difficult
important more important most important
Irregular adjectives don’t follow the rules. Examples:
Adjective Comparative form Superlative form
good better best
bad worse worst
far further furthest
little less least
2. Rewrite the sentences using the correct form of the adjectives in brackets.
a) That was the (interesting) book I have ever read.
b) She was the (good) examination candidate.
c) His (great) challenge is to manage his time effectively.
d) You must use (polite) language in a formal letter than in an informal one.
e) The board will decide who is the (suitable) applicant from the shortlist.
Participles acting as adjectives
Sometimes participles can be used as adjectives. Examples:
present participle acting as adjective
the running boy
past participle acting as adjective
the injured boy
3. Rewrite the following sentences in a grammatically correct way.
a) The bang door is irritating me.
b) The howl wind frightened her.
c) The police recovered the vehicle that was stolen.
4. Rewrite the underlined words as a phrase containing an article, an adjective and a noun.
a) The wallet that was stolen was found by the police.
b) The child that was lost was returned to his parents.
c) The house that was destroyed has been rebuilt.
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Compound adjectives
Compound adjectives are made up of two or more words that describe a noun or pronoun.
Compound adjectives before a noun are usually hyphenated, except when the first word is an adverb that
ends in an ‘ly’. Examples:
• well-known person
• beautifully decorated room
5. Identify the compound adjective in each sentence. Then add a hyphen, if necessary.
a) We bought a seven seater vehicle.
b) Free range eggs are more expensive than other ones.
c) She followed a widely used procedure.
d) I was not involved in the decision making process.
e) He wrote a carefully worded letter to the press.
Demonstrative adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are used to describe a noun so that we know which specific person, place or
thing is mentioned. Examples:
• This shirt is clean.
• That house is old.
• These socks are mine.
• Those children are noisy.
Note: demonstrative adjectives must not be confused with demonstrative pronouns, which do not come
before a noun and are used to identify someone or something. Examples:
demonstrative pronoun
This is my home.
demonstrative adjective
This home is mine.
6. Choose the best demonstrative adjectives to complete each sentence.
a) ___ chair over here is more comfortable than ___ one over there.
b) ___ neighbours on this side of the road are friendlier than ___ neighbours over the road.
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Possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives are used to describe who or what a noun belongs to.
Possessive adjectives are: my, our, your, his, her, its, their. Examples:
• My house is smaller than your house.
• His bicycle got a puncture last week.
• Their grandfather passed away recently.
Remember: A possessive adjective must not be confused with a possessive pronoun, which replaces a
possessive adjective + noun to avoid repetition. Examples:
possessive adjectives
This book is my book, not your book.
possessive pronouns
This book is mine, not yours.
7. Identify whether the word in bold is a possessive adjective or not.
a) Their dog barks a lot.
b) The bag is his.
c) Your bed is warm.
d) They donated books to our school.
e) It is not mine. It is hers.
