What are Adjectives?
Adjectives are used to qualify nouns.
e.g. John is a lazy boy.
This is a big house.
Hong Kong is a busy city.
Can you describe yourselves or your friends with adjectives?
good
bad
tall
short
unfriendly
ugly
clever
lonely
happy
unhappy
fat
thin
friendly
helpful
lovely
hardworking
lazy
polite
naughtyinteresting
boring
handsome
careful
carelessbeautiful
useless
shy
beautiful
helpful
careful
helpless
careless
friendly
lovely
lonely
interesting
boring
hardworking
crying
runningunfriendly
unhappy
good, bad, tall, short, fat, thin, lazy, shy, ugly, polite, clever, handsome, happy
Can you classify the adjectives used?
Adjectives in Past Participle Form
Type 1:
Regular
Past Participle verb form
Type 2:
Irregular
Past Participle verb form
= Showing or feeling of = Make or cause to be
Regular:surprise…. surprisedinterest…...interestedexcite……..excitedfrighten…..frightenedcrowd…….crowdedtire……….tiredinjure…….injuredboil ……….boiledbore……….boredcook………cooked*worry………worried
Irregular:break………brokenfall…………fallenwrite………writtensteal……….stolengive……….givensee…………seendrive………drivenspeak……...spokenforget……..forgotten*sell…………sold*lose…………lost
Examples: Adjectives in Past Participle Form
Adjectives in Present Participle Form
Verb + ‘ing’ form
= 1. Causing the feeling of
2. Showing a continuous status
Examples: Adjectives inPresent Participle Form
Regular:interest……interestingfall…….…..fallingfly……..…..flyingboil…..…….boilingrelax……….relaxingworry……...worryingsatisfy...…….satisfyingcry…...……..cryingburn………...burningdisappoint….disappointing
Irregular:
surprise………surprising
excite…………exciting
tire……………tiring
run……………running
work hard……hardworking
die…………….dying
Adjectives formed by adding suffixes to nouns
1. Noun + ‘ful’
= full of something /
having the quality of
something
3. Noun + ‘able’ or ‘ible’
= able to do something/
showing qualities of
something
2. Noun + ‘less’
= without something
4. Noun + ‘y’
= full of something
Examples: Noun + ‘ful’ / ‘less’Noun + ‘ful’:care…….…carefulhelp…….…helpfulhope….…...hopefulpower…..…powerfulcolour….…colourfuluse……..….usefulcheer……...cheerfulfear……..…fearfulmeaning……meaningfulsuccess…….successfulbeauty……..beautiful
Noun + ‘less’care………carelesshelp………helplesshope……..hopelesspower…….powerlesscolour……colourlessuse……….uselesscheer…….cheerlessfear………fearlessmeaning….meaninglessdoubt…….doubtless
A careful girl A careless boy
Compare these two adjectives.
careless = ? careless = not careful / without care
Helpful children A helpless beggar
Compare these two adjectives.
helpless = ?
helpless = needing others’ help / without help
Examples: noun + ‘able’ / ‘ible’
enjoy…….…enjoyable
comfort……comfortable
reason……...reasonable
agree……….agreeable
move……….movable
value….……valuable
believe…..….believable
forget……....forgettable
response……responsible
sense………..sensible
horror……..horrible
Examples: noun + ‘y’
wind……….windy
cloud………cloudy
snow……….snowy
rain………..rainy
sun…………sunny
noise……….noisy
taste……….tasty
salt…………salty
cream……..creamy
health………..healthy
wealth……….wealthy
luck………….lucky
greed…………greedy
sleep………….sleepy
rock………….rocky
sand………….sandy
blood…………bloody
speed…………speedy
Adjectives formed by adding prefixes to adjectives
1. ‘un’ + adjective
2. ‘dis’ + adjective
3. ‘in’ + adjective
4. ‘im’ + adjective
5. ‘ir’ + adjective
6. ‘il’ + adjective
7. ‘non’ + adjective
= NOT + adjective (opposite in meaning)
Examples: ‘un’ + adjectiveshappy……..unhappy
tidy……….untidy
able……….unable
kind………unkind
lucky…….unlucky
fair……….unfair
likely…….unlikely
locked……unlocked
seen……….unseen
equal……..unequal
usual……….unusual
healthy……..unhealthy
helpful……..unhelpful
comfortable…uncomfortable
forgettable….unforgettable
friendly……..unfriendly
cooked………uncooked
important…...unimportant
reasonable…..unreasonable
attractive…….unattractive
Examples: ‘dis’ + adjectives
honest…….……….dishonest
able…….………….disabled
obedient…………...disobedient
satisfied……………dissatisfied
orderly……………..disorderly
continuous………….discontinuous
advantageous………disadvantageous
Examples: ‘in’ + adjectives
direct…….…indirect
active…….…inactive
correct……...incorrect
Complete.…..incomplete
famous……...infamous
convenient….inconvenient
considerate…inconsiderate
dependent…..independent
Examples: ‘im’ + adjectives
Polite……..…….impolite
Possible….…..…impossible
Perfect……..…..imperfect
Patient……..…..impatient
Balanced……....imbalanced
Mature……..….immature
Measurable…....immeasurable
Examples: ‘ir’ + adjectives
regular………….…..irregular
responsible………….irresponsible
relevant……………..irrelevant
removable…………..irremovable
replaceable…….……irreplaceable
Examples: ‘non’ + adjectives
stop…………….non-stop
violent…………non-violent
smoking……….non-smoking
verbal…………non-verbal
Adjectives formed by adding the suffix ‘ly’ to nouns / adjectives
Noun + ‘ly’ or Adjective + ‘ly’
= having the quality of
Examples: Adjectives formed by adding ‘ly’ to nouns / adjectives
*Noun + ‘ly’
love…………lovely
friend……….friendly
order……….orderly
*Adjective + ‘ly’
live………..lively
like………..likely
lone……….lonely
On a windy day, a horrible fire broke out in a locked building. The responsible firemen came at once and found a helpless and frightened girl who was shouting from a broken window. With the help of some useful tools, the firemen saved the crying girl. They had done a wonderful job. It was impossible for the girl to forget this unforgettable experience.
Activity: Describe this picture with adjectives
Story-writing Exercise 1
Our English teacher gives us dictations every week. Sometimes, the teacher asks us to study for the dictations beforehand, but sometimes we do not have to. That means some are ___________ dictations and some are ______________ dictations.
However, my classmates are bad students. Some of them tell lies. They are ____________________.
Some of them do not obey the teachers. They are _____________.
Some of them always sleep in class. It seems that they always feel _____________________. Some of them always throw rubbish. So, the classroom is very _______________. Some of them shout loudly in class. They are very __________. In this examination, most of them get poor results. Their teachers and parents feel ________________________ at their performance.
Story-writing Exercise 2 Once, there was an old man. He was very rich, but he wanted more and more money. He was really ___________________.
He had a son, but he always beated him up. He was ___________ to his son.
It rained heavily one day. The old man travelled with his son in a car on this _________________ day.
When the old man was driving, he did not look at the traffic lights which had turned red and so the car crashed in a lorry. He was very ___________________.
His son fell into a river. He could not swim and he felt ___________________ because he needed help.
Luckily, a man who always helped others saved him. He was a ______________________ man. The son was really _______________ because he did not die.
However, the old man was trapped in the car. He was going to die. The son had no hope that his father would live. He felt _________________.
At this time, the man came to help again. He used some tools to open the door of the cars. The tools were very __________________.
At last, the kind man saved the old man who was taken to hospital.
Top Related