What are Adjectives?
- Adjectives are words we use to describe a noun or pronoun.
- It is a word which qualifies (shows how big, small, great, many, few, etc.) a noun or a pronoun is in a sentence.
- Adjectives are usually placed just before the nouns Example : naughty boy, blue umbrella, ( Highlighted words are Adjectives)
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| Adjective |
Look at the following sentences.
1. John is wearing a red shirt.
In this sentence ‘red’ is an adjective as it describes the noun ‘shirt’ by telling ‘what kind of shirt is it? (Here it is red)
2. We have purchased a round table.
In this sentence ‘round’ is an adjective as it describes the noun ‘table’ by telling ‘what kind of table is it? (Here it is round)
1. John is wearing a red shirt.
In this sentence ‘red’ is an adjective as it describes the noun ‘shirt’ by telling ‘what kind of shirt is it? (Here it is red)
2. We have purchased a round table.
In this sentence ‘round’ is an adjective as it describes the noun ‘table’ by telling ‘what kind of table is it? (Here it is round)
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| Degree of Comparison |
Now read the following sentences:
1. Ram is a tall boy.
2.Giraffe is taller than Ram.
3.Blue building is the tallest of all the buildings in the society.
1. Ram is a tall boy.
2.Giraffe is taller than Ram.
3.Blue building is the tallest of all the buildings in the society.
What are Degrees of Comparison?
Degrees of Comparison are adjectives that change form and are used to compare one thing or person to another.
They are applicable to adjectives and adverbs and not to nouns and verbs.
3 Types of Degrees of Comparison?
Degrees of Comparison are of three types.1. Positive Degree
The positive degree of an adjective in comparison is the adjective in its simple form.
It is used to denote the existing state of a person or thing and is used when no comparison is made.
2. Comparative Degree
The comparative degree of an adjective in Degrees of Comparison denotes the higher degree of the quality than the positive.
It is used when two things or two sets of things are compared.
3. Superlative Degree
The superlative degree conveys the highest quality of a person or a thing.
It is used when more than two people or things are compared.
Formation of Comparative and Superlative
Let’s see how the Adjectives form the Comparative and Superlative:
Rule 1: The following Adjectives form the Comparative by adding –“er” and Superlative by adding –“est” to the Positive.
Rule 2: If the Positive ends in “e”, only “r” and “st” are added to form the Comparative and the Superlative.
Rule 3: If the Positive end in “y” and “y” is preceded by a consonant, the “y” is changed into “i”, before adding “er” and “est”. But if the “y” is preceded by a vowel, then “y” is not changed into “i”.
But – This is an exception to the above rule.
Rule 1: The following Adjectives form the Comparative by adding –“er” and Superlative by adding –“est” to the Positive.
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| Rule 1 |
Rule 2: If the Positive ends in “e”, only “r” and “st” are added to form the Comparative and the Superlative.
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| Rule 2 |
Rule 3: If the Positive end in “y” and “y” is preceded by a consonant, the “y” is changed into “i”, before adding “er” and “est”. But if the “y” is preceded by a vowel, then “y” is not changed into “i”.
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| Rule 3 |
But – This is an exception to the above rule.
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| Rule 3 (Exception) |
Rule 4: If the Positive Degree has only one syllable and ends in one consonant, and the consonant is preceded by a short vowel, this consonant is doubled before adding “er” and “est”.
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| Rule 4 |
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| Rule 5 |
Rule 6: The following Adjectives are compared irregularly:
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| Rule 6 |
Note:
- “Than” is used after the Comparative Degree. “The” is used before the Superlative Degree.
- Do not use the Double Comparative and Superlative, such as more better and most loveliest.
- A few Comparative are followed by “to”, instead of than; as, inferior to, superior to, junior to, senior to.
- Each, every, either, neither, when used as Adjectives, go with singular Noun. Example- Every boy was punished.
Practice Exercise
QA) Fill in the blanks with correct forms of Adjectives within the brackets:- My sister is _____________ than your sister. (old)
- Your painting is ___________than mine. (good)
- Who is the _________ dancer in the class? (good)
- Of the three mangoes this is the _______________. (large)
- Avi is the _____________ boy in the class. (strong)
- Which is the _____________ river in the world? (long)
- Lithium is the ________________ of all metal. (light)
- Apple is _____________ than Guava. (sweet)
- This is the ______________ building. (tall)
- Mangoes are considered the ____________ fruits in the world. (sweet)
- Ravi is the _______________ man in this area. (rich)
- Iron is the _______________ of all metals.(useful)
- Tennis is one of the ______________ games.(interesting)
QB) Write the Comparative and Superlative Degrees of the following Adjectives:
Positive
Good
Proud
Sad
Holy
Happy
Large
Pretty
Active
Fine
Costly
QC)Rewrite the following sentences correctly.
a. Stone is heaviest than wood.
b. Mysore is cleanest than the other Indian cities.
c. The days are becoming hot and hot due to global warming.
d. Money is dearest to him than life.
f. Jupiter is biggest planet than Earth.
g. This story is most interesting than any other story.
h. Lion is most ferocious than leopard.
i. Winter is the bestest month to visit Goa.
j. Congo river is the most deepest river in the world.
Positive
Good
Proud
Sad
Holy
Happy
Large
Pretty
Active
Fine
Costly
QC)Rewrite the following sentences correctly.
a. Stone is heaviest than wood.
b. Mysore is cleanest than the other Indian cities.
c. The days are becoming hot and hot due to global warming.
d. Money is dearest to him than life.
f. Jupiter is biggest planet than Earth.
g. This story is most interesting than any other story.
h. Lion is most ferocious than leopard.
i. Winter is the bestest month to visit Goa.
j. Congo river is the most deepest river in the world.