9. Adjectives
Previous: Nouns
9.1 Definition
9.2 Kinds of Adjectives
9.2.1 Determiners
9.2.1.1 Articles (a / an or the)
9.2.1.1.1 Uses of the indefinite article “a” / “an”
9.2.1.1.1.1 To talk about something for the first time
9.2.1.1.1.2 To describe “one of many”
9.2.1.1.1.3 With jobs and professions
9.2.1.1.1.4 With certain expressions of quantity
9.2.1.1.1.5 Only with singular countable nouns
9.2.1.1.1.6 Use “a” for nouns and adjectives which begin with a consonant sound, and “an” for
nouns and adjectives which begin with a vowel sound
9.2.1.1.1.7 When describing people or things in quantity with adjectives, we usually use “a” or
“an” before the adjectives
9.2.1.1.2 Uses of the definite article “the”
9.2.1.1.2.1 To talk about something again
9.2.1.1.2.2 With certain places and names
9.2.1.1.2.3 When there is only one
9.2.1.1.2.4 To refer to a specific or particular member of a group
9.2.1.1.2.5 When information given in the sentence limits the plural countable noun to all the
members in a specific category (see also 9.2.1.1.4)
9.2.1.1.2.6 Use of “the” in front of abbreviations and their full forms but not before acronyms and
their full forms
9.2.1.1.3 Uses of “a,” “an,” “the” for singular countable nouns
9.2.1.1.4 Uses of “the” for plural countable nouns
9.2.1.1.4.1 When the plural countable noun does not represent all the members in a specific
category, no article comes before it (see also 9.2.1.1.2.5)
9.2.1.1.4.2 When information given in the sentence limits the plural countable noun to all the
members in a specific category or group, the definite article “the” is used (the same as
9.2.1.1.2.5)
9.2.1.1.5 Uses of “the” for non-count nouns
9.2.1.1.6 You don’t use any article:
9.2.1.1.6.1 With certain expressions, such as “at home”
9.2.1.1.6.2 With meals, languages, most countries, cities and towns, streets, mountains (but use
“the” for mountain ranges), most islands, continents, sports, academic subjects, parts
of body
9.2.1.1.7 Geographical use of “the”
9.2.1.1.7.1 Do not use “the” before:
9.2.1.1.7.1.1 Names of most countries/territories
9.2.1.1.7.1.2 Names of cities, towns, provinces, or states
9.2.1.1.7.1.3 Names of streets
9.2.1.1.7.1.4 Names of lakes and bays
9.2.1.1.7.1.5 Names of mountains
9.2.1.1.7.1.6 Names of continents
9.2.1.1.7.1.7 Names of islands
9.2.1.1.7.2 Do use “the” before:
9.2.1.1.7.2.1 Names of rivers, oceans and seas
9.2.1.1.7.2.2 Points on the globe
9.2.1.1.7.2.3 Geographical areas
9.2.1.1.7.2.4 Deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas
9.2.1.1.8 Pronunciation
9.2.1.1.8.1 “A” is used before a consonant sound, even if the first letter of the word is a vowel
9.2.1.1.8.2 “An” is used before a vowel sound, even if the first letter of the word is a consonant
9.2.1.1.8.3 “The” is pronounced “the” before a consonant sound, but pronounced “dee” before a
vowel sound
9.2.1.2 Possessive Adjectives / Possessive Determiners
9.2.1.3 Other determiners / Indefinite Adjectives
9.2.2 Demonstrative Adjectives
9.2.3 Proper Adjectives
9.2.4 Common Adjectives
9.2.4.1 Comparative Adjectives
9.2.4.1.1 Formation of comparative adjectives
9.2.4.1.1.1 Two normal ways:
shorter adjectives: add “-er”
longer adjectives: use “more”
9.2.4.1.1.2 Exception 1: With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use “-er” or “more”
9.2.4.1.1.3 Exception 2: Irregular forms (good → better)
9.2.4.1.2 Use of Comparative Adjectives
9.2.4.2 Superlative Adjectives
9.2.4.2.1 Formation of superlative adjectives
9.2.4.2.1.1 Two normal ways:
shorter adjectives: add “-est”
longer adjectives: use “the most”
9.2.4.2.1.2 Exception 1: With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use “-est” or “ the most”
9.2.4.2.1.3 Exception 2: Irregular forms (good → the best)
9.2.4.2.2 Uses of superlative adjectives
9.2.4.2.2.1 We use a superlative adjective to describe one thing in a group of three or more things
9.2.4.2.2.2 When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use “the”
9.2.4.3 Incomparable Adjectives
9.2.5 Noun as Adjective (see also 8.5.5 Two or more nouns together – noun as adjective)
9.3.1 Before the noun
9.3.2 After certain verbs, such as be, become, get, seem, etc.
9.3.3 Adjectives are sometimes placed after a noun for the sake of emphasis
9.3.4 Some adjectives can be placed before or after a noun, and they convey different meanings
9.3.5 With some verbs, the adjective follows the object
9.3.6 In certain phrases, the adjective always follows the noun
9.3.7 When an infinitive is used as adjective, it is (Mok: sometimes?) placed after the noun (see also 5.3.4 Infinitive as adjective & 5.3.6.4 Infinitive phrase as adjective)
9.4.1 When using more than one adjectives before the noun, place opinion before fact
9.4.2 When two adjectives come after a verb, they are separated by “and.” When more than two adjectives
come after a verb, the last two are separated by “and.”
9.4.3 When two or more adjectives come before a noun, they are not usually separated by “and”
9.4.4 Place numbers before adjectives
9.4.5 Possessive adjectives come before any (genuine) adjectives.
9.5 Adjective Phrase
9.6 Common confusions between adverbs, adjectives and some expressions
9.6.1 Bad or Badly?
9.6.2 Good or Well?
9.6.3 Double-negatives
9.6.4 Sure or Surely?
9.6.5 Real or Really?
9.6.6 Near or Nearly?
9.6.7 Art vs Arts (see also 8.11.1)
9.6.8 Few vs A few