98. Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed (boring / bored etc.)
Somebody is bored if something (or somebody else) is boring. Or, if something is boring, it makes you bored.
If a person is boring, this means that they make other people bored.
99. Adjectives: a nice new house, you look tired
Adjectives like new / large / roumd / wooden are fact adjectives. They give us factual information about age, size, color etc.
Adjectives like nice / beautiful are opinion adjectives. They tell us that somebody thinks of something or somebody.
Opinion adjectives usually go before fact adjectives.
opinion | fact | ||
---|---|---|---|
a | nice | lone | summer holiday |
delicious | hot | vegetable soup |
Sometimes we use two or more fact adjectives together. Usually (but not always) we put fact adjectives in this order:
how big? | how old? | what colour? | where from? | what is it made of? | NOUN |
Adjectives of size and length (big / small / tall / short / long etc.) usually go before adjectives of shape and width (round / fat / thin / slim / wide etc.):
a large round table
a tall thin girl
a long narrow street
When there are two or more colour adjectives, we use and:
a black and white dree
a red, white and green flag
This does not usually happen with other adjectibes before a noun:
a long black dree (not a long and black dress)
We use adjectives after be / get / become / seem:
- Be careful!
- I’m tired and I’m getting hungry
We say ‘the first two days / the next few week / the last ten minutes’ etc.
- I didn’t enjoy the first two days of the course. (not the two first days)
- They’ll be away for the next few weeks. (not the few next weeks)
100. Adjectives and adverbs 1 (quick / quickly)
Quickly and seriously are adverbs. Many adverbs are formed form an adjective + -ly:
adjective: | quick | serious | careful | quiet | heavy | bad |
adverb: | quickly | seriously | carefully | quietly | heavily | badly |
Adjective or adverb?
Adjectives (quick / careful etc.) tell us about a noun (somebody or something. We use adjectives before nouns) | Adverbs (quickly / carefull etc.) tell us about a verb (how somebody does something or how something happens): |
---|---|
Sam is a careful driver. (not a carefully driver). | Sam drove carefully along the narrow road. (not drove careful) |
We didn’t go out because of the heavy rain. | We didn’t go out beacuse it was raining beavily. (not raining heavy) |
We also use adverbs before adjectives and other adverbs. For example:
- reasonably cheap (adverb + adjective)
- terribly sorry (adverb + adjective)
- incredibly quickly (adverb + adverb)
It’s a reasonably cheap restaurant and the food is extremely good.
I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. (not terrile sorry)
You can also use an adverb before a past participle (injured / organised / witten etc.).
- Two people were seriously injured in the accident. (not serious injured)
- The meeting was badly organised.
101. Adjectives and adverbs 2 (well / fast / late, hard / hardly)
Good / well
We use well (not good) with past participles (dressed / known etc.):
well-dressed
well-known
well-educated
well-paid
But well is also an adjective with the meaning in ‘in good health’
How are you today
I’m very well, thanks
Fast / hard / late
These words are both adjectives and adverbs:
adjective | adverb |
---|---|
Darren is a very fast runner. | Darren can run very fast |
Lately = recently:
Have you seen Tom lately?
Hardly
Hardly = very little, almost not. Study these examples:
Sarah wasn’t very friendly at the party. She hardly spoke to me. (= she spoke to me very little, almost not at all)
Hard and hardly are different. Compare:
- He tried hard to find a job, but he had no luck. (= he tried a lot, with a lot of effoet)
- I’m not surprised he didn’t fint a job. He hardly tried. (= he tried very little)
I can hardly do something = it’s very difficult for me, almost impossible:
- Your writing is terrible. I can hadly read it. (= it is almost impossible to read it)
- My leg was hurting. I could hardly walk.
You can use hardly + any / anybody / anyone / anything / anywhere
- How much money have we got? ====> Hardly any. (= very little, almost none)
- These two cameras are very similar. There’s hardly any difference between them.
- The exam results were very bad. Hardly anybody in out class passed. (= very dew students passed)
Note that you can say:
- Sha said hardly anything. or She hardly said anything.
- We’ve got hardly any money. or We’ve hardly got any money.
Hardly ever = almost never:
I’m nearly always at home in the evenings. I hardly ever go out.
Hardly also means ‘certainly not’. For example.
It’s hardly surprising that you’re tired. You haven’t slept for three days.
102. So and such
Compare so and such:
We use so + adjective / adverb | We use such + noun |
We also use such + adjective + noun | |
We say such a … (not a such) |
So and such make the meaning stronger:
You can use so … that | You can use such … that |
We usually leave out that | We usually leave out that |
We also use so and such with the meaning ‘like this’:
- Somebody tole me the house was built 100 years ago. I didn’t realise it was so old. (= as old as it is)
- I didn’t realise it was such an old house.
Note the expression no such ….:
You won’t find the word ‘blid’ in the dictionary. There’s no such word (= this word does not exist)
Compare:
so long / such a long time | I haven’t seen her for so long I’ve forgotten what she looks like. | I haven’t seen her for such a long time (not so long time) |
so far / such a long way | I didn’t know it was so far. | I didn’t know it was such a long way. |
so much, so many / such a lot (of) | I’m sorry I’m late - there was so much traffic. | I’m sorry I’m late - there was such a lot of traffic. |
103. Enough and too
Enough goes after adjectives and adverbs
Compare too … and not … enough:
- You never stop working. You work too hard (= more than is necessary)
- You’re lazy. You don’t work hard enough. (= less than is necessary)
Enough normally goes before nouns:
We also use enough alone (without a noun):
We don’t need to stop for petrol. We’ve got enough.
Compare too much / many and enough:
- There’s too much furniture in this room. There’s not enough space.
- There were too many people and not enough chairs.
We say enought/too … for somebody/something:
Does Joe have enough experience for the job?
But we say enough/too … to do something. For example:
Does Joe have enough experience to do the job? (not for doing)
Let’s get a taxi. It’s too far to walk home from here.
The bridge is just wide enough for two cars to pass each other.
We say:
The food was very hot. We couldn’t eat it. | |
and | The food was so hot that we couldn’t eat it |
but | The food eas too hot to eat. (without it) |
The piano is too heavy to move.
These apples aren’t ripe enough to eat.
104. Quite, pretty, rather and fairly
You can use quite/pretty/rather/fairly + adjectives or adverbs. So you can say:
- It’s quite cold.
- It’s pretty cold.
- It’s rather cold.
- It’s fairly cold.
Quite/pretty/faterh/fairly = less than ‘very’ but more than ‘a little’.
Quite and pretty are similar in meaning.
Pretty is an informal word and is used mainly in spoken English.
Quite goes before a/an:
Compare:
Sarah has quite a good job.
Sarah has a pretty good job.
You can also use quite (but not pretty) in the following ways:
- quite a/an + noun(without an adjective):
I didn’t expect to see them. It was quite a surprise. (= quite a big surprise)
- quite a lot (of …):
There were quite a lot of people at the meeting.
- quite + verb, especially like and enjoy:
I quite like tennis, but it’s not my favourite sport.
Rather is similar to quite and pretty. We often use rather for negative ideas (things we think are not good).
- The weather isn’t so good. It’s rather cloudy.
- Paul is rather shy. He doesn’t talk very much.
Quite and pretty are also possible in these examples.
We we use rather for positive ideas (good / nice etc.), it means ‘unusually’ or ‘surprisingly’:
These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them?
Fairly is weaker than quite/rather/pretty. For example, if something is fairly good, it is not very good and it could be better:
- My room is fairly big, but I’d prefer a bigger one.
- We see each other fairly often, but not as often as we used to.
Quite also mean ‘completely’. For example:
Are you sure? Yes, quite sure. (= completely sure)
Quite means ‘completely’ with a number of adjectives, especially:
sure | right | true | clear | different | incredible | amazing |
certain | wrong | safe | obvious | unnecessary | extraordinary | impossible |
We also use quite (= completely) with some verbs. For example:
I quite agree with you. (= I completey agree)
Not quite = not completely:
- They haven’t quite finished eating yet.
- I don’t quite understand what you mean.
- ‘Are you ready yet?’ ‘Not quite.’ (= not completely)
105. Comparison 1 (cheaper, more expensive etc.)
Cheaper and more expensive are comparative forms.
After comparatives you can use than (see Unit 107):
- It’s cheaper to drive than go by train.
- Going bu train is more expensive than driving.
THe comparative form is -er or more…
We use -er for shot words (one syllable) | We use more … for longer words (two syllables or more) |
cheap -> cheaper \ fast -> faster | more serious \ more often |
We also use -er for two stllable words that end in -y (-y -> ier) | We also use more … for adverbs that end in -ly |
lucku -> luckier \ early -> earlier | more slowly \ more seriously |
You can use -er or more … with some two-syllable adjectives, especially:
clear \ narrow \ quiet \ shallow \simple
It’s too noisy here. Can we go somewhere quieyer / more quiet?
A few adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative forms:
- good/well -> better
- bad/badly -> worse
- far -> further (or farther)
Futher (but not farther) can also mean ‘more’ or ‘additional’:
Let me know if you hear any further news. (= any more news)
Comparison 2 (much better / any better / better and better / the sooner the better)
Before comparatives you can use
much / a lot / far (= a lot) / a bit / a little / slightly (= a little)
Let’ go by car. It’s much cheaper. (= not a lot cheaper)
You can use any and no + comparative (any longer / no bigger etc.):
I’ve waited long enough. I’m not waiting any longer. (= not even a little longer)
We expected their apartment to be very big, but it’s no bigger than ours. or … it isn’t any bigger than ours. (= not even a little bigger)
Better and better / more and more etc.
We repeat comparatives (better and better etc.) to say that something changes continuously:
Your English is improving. It’s getting better and better.
The … the …
You can say the (sooner / bigger / more etc.) the better
‘What time shall we leave?’ ‘The sooner the better.’ (= as soon as possible)
We also use the … the … to say that one thing depends on another thing:
- The warmer the weather, the better I feel. (= if the weather is warmer, I feel better)
- The younger you are, the easier it is to learn
- The more expensive the hotel, the better the service.
107. Comparison 3 (as … as / than)
- He is richer than David.
- But he isn’t as rich as Sarah. (Sarah is richer than he is)
Less … than is similar to not as … as:
I spent less money than you. (= I didn’t spend as much money as you)
We also use as … as (but not so … as) in positive sentences and in questions:
- I’m sorry I’m late. I got here as fast as I could.
- Can you send me the information as soon as possible, please?
Also twice as … as, three times as … as etc.
- Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago.
- Their house is about three times as big as ours.
We say the same as (not the same like):
Laura’s salary is the same as mine. or Laura gets the same salary as me.
Than me / than I am etc.
- You’re taller than me. or You’re taller than I am.
- They have more money than us. or They have more money than we have.
108. Superlatives (the longest / the most enjoyable etc.)
Longest and most enjoyable are superlative forms.
The superlative form is -est or most…, In general, we use -est for short words and most … for longer words. The rules are the same as those for the comparative -see Unit 105.
long -> longest \ hot -> hottest \ easy -> easiest \ hard -> hardest
but most famous \ most boring \ most difficult \ most expensive
A few adjectives are irregular:
good -> best \ bad -> worst \ far -> furthest/farthest
We normally use the before a superlative (the longest / the most famous etc.)
Compare superlative and comparatobe:
- This hotel is the cheapest in town. (superlative)
- It’s cheaper than all the others in town. (comparative)
After superlatives we normally use in with places.
We also use in for organisations and groups of people (a class / a company etc.)
Who is the youngest student in the class? (not of the class)
For a period of time, we normally use of:
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year.
We often use the present perferct (I have done) after a superlative (see also Unit 8A)
109. Word order 1: verb + object; place and time
Verb + object
Usually the verb and the place (where?) go together
go home \ live in a city
If the verb has an object, the place comes after the verb + object
meet a friend in the street
Time (when? / how often? / how long?) usually goes after place
It is often possible to put time at the beginning of the sentence:
- On Monday I’m going to Paris.
- Every morning Ben walks to work.
Some time words (for example, always/never/usually) go with the verb in the middle of the sentence. See Unit 110.
110. Word order 2: adverbs with the verb
Some adverbs (for example, always, also, probably) go with the verb in the middle of a sentence.
If the verb is one word (drives / fell / cooked etc.), the adverb goes before the verb:
adverb | verb | ||
---|---|---|---|
Helen | always | drives | to work. |
I | almost | fell | as I was going down the stairs |
I cleaned the house and also cooked the dinner. (not cooked also)
Note that these adverbs (always / often / also etc.) go befoe have to …
Joe never phones me. I always have to phone him. (not I have always to phone)
But adverbs go after am/is/are/was/were
If the verb is two or more words (for example, can remember / doesn’t eat / will be cancelled), the adverb usually goes after the first verb (can / doesn’t / will etc.).
verb1 | adverb | verb2 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
I | can | never | remember | her name |
Clare | doesn’t | often | eat | meat |
Are you | definitely | going | away next week? | |
The concert | will | probably | be | cancelled |
You’ve always been very kind to me.
Note that probably goes before a negative (isn’t / won’t etc.).
I probably won’t see you. or I will probably not see you. (not I won’t probably)
We also use all and both in these positions:
- We all felt ill after the meal. (not we felt all ill)
- My paarents are both the meal. (not my parents both are teathers)
Sometimes we use is/will/did etc. instead of repeating part of a sentence (see Unit 51):
Tom says he isn’t clever. but I think he is. (= he is clever)
When we do this, we put always / never etc. before the verb:
- He always says he won’t be late, but he always is. (= he is always late)
- I’ve never done it and I never will. (= I will never do it)
111. Still, yet and already | Any more / any longer / no longer
Still
We use still to say that a situation or action is continuing. It hasn’t changed or stopped.
Still usually goes in the middle of the sentence with the verb (see Unit 110).
It’s 10 o’clock and Joe is still in bed.
Any more / any longer / no longer
We use not … any more or not … any longer to say that a situation has changed. Any more and any longer go at the end of a sentence.
Lucy doesn’t work here any more (or any longer). She left last month.
You can also use no longer. No longer goes in the middle of the sentence.
Lucy no longer works here.
Compare still and not … any more.
Sally still works here, but Lucy doesn’t work here any more.
Yet
Yet = until now. Ue use yet mainly in negative sentences (He isn’t here yet and questions) (Is he here yet?). Yet show that the speaker is expecting something to happen.
Yet usually goes at the end of a sentence.
We often use yet with the present perfect (Have you met … yet?). See Unit 7D.
Still is also possible in negative sentences (before the negative)
This is similar to ‘she hasn’t come yet’. But still … not shows a stronger feeling of suprise or impatience.
Already
We use already to say that something happened sooner than expected. Already usually hoes in the middle of a sentence (see Unit 110).
What time is Sue leaving?
She has already left. (= sooner than you expected)
112. Even
Tina loves watching television. She has a TV in every room of the house, even the bathroom.
We use even to say that something is unusual or surprising. It is not usual to have a TV in the bathroom.
- These pictures are really awful. Even I take better pictures than these.
- Nobody would help her, not even her best friend. ==> or Not even her best friend would help her.
You can use even with the verb in the middle of a sentence (see Unit 110):
Sue has travelled all over the world. She has even been to the Antarctic. (It’s especially unusual to go to the Antarctic, so she must have travelled a lot.)
Study these examples with even after a negative (not / can’t / don’t etc.)
I can’t cook. I can’t even boil an egg. (and boiling an egg is very easy)
You can us even + comparative (cheaper / more expensive etc.)
I got up very early, but Jack got up even earlier.
Even though / even when / even if
We use even though / even when / even if + subject + verb
Even though she can’t drive, she bought a car.
You cannot use even in this way (+ subject + verb).
- Even though she can’t drive, she bought a car. (not Even she can’t drive)
- I can’t reach the shelf even if I stand on a chair. (not even I stand)
Compare even if and if:
- We’re going to the beach tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like. We’re going even if it’s raining.
- We want to go to the beach tomorrow. but we won’t go if it’s raining.