UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CHIMBORAZO

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN HUMANAS

Y TECNOLOGÍAS

ENGLISH MAJOR

GRAMMAR V THEME:

USEFUL ADJECTIVES BIG, LARGE, GREAT

GROUP MEMBER:

Erika Arguello

Mario Salazar

Shirley Vásquez

WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE?

An adjective is a word that defines, qualifies or modifies the meaning of a noun, or more rarely of a pronoun.

There are two main categories of adjectives:

a) Determining adjectives.b) Descriptive adjectives.

BIG, LARGE, GREAT

BIG, LARGE, GREAT ARE FREQUENTLY USED WITH THE FOLLOWING

NOUNSBig: man/ house/ car/ boy/ dog/

smile/ problem/ surprise/ question/ difference.

Large: numbers/ part/ area/ room/ company/ eyes/ family/ volume/ population/ problem

Great: success/ majority/ interest/ importance/ difficulty/ problem/ pleasure/ beauty/ artist/ surprise

BIG: ADJECTIVEForms of use Example

Size/Measure The city has a big stadiuminformal (number: high) What's the biggest number you can think of?

informal (important, major)

My upbringing had a big influence on the way I view poverty.

informal (loud) The engine exploded with a big bang and a cloud of smoke.

informal (sibling: older) My big sister's always mean to me.

(intense) I get a big thrill watching live football.

informal (adult, grown) The boy wants to be a fireman when he is big.

figurative, informal (pretentious)

He's too big to associate with normal people.

informal, ironic (generous)

You've forgiven me? Well, that's very big of you.

informal (tall) Your little brother's getting really big!informal (boastful) He's full of big claims about what he intends to do.

MORE EXAMPLES WITH BIG

That is a big house: That is a big elephant. You have to think where you will study next

semester that is a big decision. Big girls do not cry. Disco music was big in the 1970s. Anthony is big Eminem fan. Tommy is a big gambler. Faustus’s big brother is at university.

Avengers were a big blockbuster. He is a big shopper. He was a short man with great big glasses. The whole story is just a big fat lie. This house is rather big for us. We need

something smaller. This is a fairly big decision to make. We were hoping the show would be a really big

success

LARGE: ADJECTIVE

Large is more formal than big and should be used in writing unless it is in an informal style. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’.

Forms of Use Examples

big in size or quantity

A large area/family/house/car/appetite. A large number of people.

shirt size I usually wear a large.

wide in range and involving many things

A large and complex issue. Some drugs are being used on a much larger scale than previously.

exaggeratedly He likes to talk large, but I think he exaggerates.

large-scale This is a very large project, which will affect hundreds of people.

person: fat He has put on weight, and is now quite large.

EXTRA EXAMPLES OF THE ADJECTIVE “LARGE”

By this time his debt had become extremely large.

His eyes were abnormally large. Isn’t that jumper rather large? Our house was not overly large. Some of the clothes looked very large. The issue looms large in political campaigns

nationwide. The plant had grown quite large. The universe is infinitely large.

The increasingly large numbers of senior citizens.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee. I grew up in a large family.

GREAT ADJECTIVE

is used mostly with abstract nouns - things you cannot see, touch etc.

EXAMPLES:

It was a great mistake. I have great respect for her ideas.

FORMS OF USE LARGE

1) MUCH MORE THAN AVERAGE IN DEGREE OR QUANTITY.

EXAMPLES:Ø The concert had been a great success.Ø  Her death was a great shock to us all.

2)[USUALLY BEFORE NOUN] VERY LARGE; MUCH BIGGER THAN AVERAGE IN SIZE OR QUANTITY.

EXAMPLES:Ø  People were arriving in great numbers.Ø  The great majority of (= most) people seem to agree with this view.

3) ONLY BEFORE NOUN] (INFORMAL) USED TO EMPHASIZE AN ADJECTIVE OF SIZE OR QUALITY.

EXAMPLES:Ø  There was a great big pile of books on the table.Ø  We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.

ADMIRED

4)EXTREMELY GOOD IN ABILITY OR QUALITY AND THEREFORE ADMIRED BY MANY PEOPLE

EXAMPLES:

Ø  He has been described as the world's greatest violinist.

Ø  Sherlock Holmes, the great detective

GOOD

(INFORMAL) VERY GOOD OR PLEASANT It's great to see you again. What a great goal! We had a great time in Madrid.

IMPORTANT/IMPRESSIVE

[ONLY BEFORE NOUN] IMPORTANT AND IMPRESSIVE

Examples: The wedding was a great occasion. As the great day approached, she grew more and more

nervous.

WITH INFLUENCE

HAVING HIGH STATUS OR A LOT OF INFLUENCE

Examples: We can make this country great again. Alexander the Great

IN GOOD HEALTHIN A VERY GOOD STATE OF PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH.

EXAMPLES:Ø  She seemed in great spirits (= very cheerful).Ø  I feel great today.Ø  I don’t feel too great. Everyone's in great form.

SKILLED[NOT USUALLY BEFORE NOUN] GREAT AT (DOING) SOMETHING (INFORMAL) ABLE TO DO SOMETHING WELL

EXAMPLE: Ø  She's great at chess.

USEFULGREAT FOR (DOING) SOMETHING (INFORMAL) VERY SUITABLE OR USEFUL FOR SOMETHINGExamples: This gadget's great for opening jars. Try this cream—it's great for spots.

FOR EMPHASIS[ONLY BEFORE NOUN] USED WHEN YOU ARE EMPHASIZING A PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF SOMEBODY/SOMETHINGExamples: We are great friends. I am a great admirer of your work.

ACTIVITY

Complete the following sentences with the correct adjective.

1)There is a nice house with a garden.A) greatB) largeC) Big2) Albert Eintsein was a physicist.a) Largeb) greatc)big

big

great

3) You have got rather feet.a) largeb) greatc)big

4) His work shows intelligence.a)bigb)largec) great

5) He is making a    mistake.a)greatb)bigc) large

large

great

big

6) Can you see the    trees behind the lake?a)bigb)largec) great7) My grandfather lived to a   age.a)largeb)greatc)Big8) The universe is infinitely . a)greatb)bigc) large

big

great

large

9) I have respect for her ideas.a)greatb)bigc) large10) Do you think Winston Churchill was really a man?a) largeb) greatc)big11) I grew up in a family.a)bigb)largec) great

great

great

large