104 Adjectives

A Introduction
Henry and Claire are having dinner in a quiet
restaurant. It's a warm evening. The food is
delicious. Henry is feeling romantic.
An adjective is a word like quiet, warm, delicious,
romantic. The word quiet describes the restaurant.
It tells us what the restaurant is like.

B Word order
There are two places where we can use an adjective:
before a noun {a quiet restaurant) and after a linking verb (feeling romantic).

BEFORE A NOUN AFTER A LINKING VERB

Claire's got a new car. Claire's car is new.

It was a dark night. It was getting dark.
This is good coffee. This coffee tastes good.
Some linking verbs are: appear, be, become, feel,
get, look, seem, smell, stay, taste
We can use two or more adjectives together (see Unit 105).
It's a quiet little restaurant. Mike was wearing a dirty old coat.
We can put a word like very or quite before an adjective.
It was a very dark night. Henry was feeling quite romantic.
Very and quite are adverbs of degree (see Unit 115).

c Adjectives used in one position only

We can use most adjectives in both positions - before a noun or after a linking verb.
But a few adjectives can go in one position but not in the other.
Here are some examples of adjectives which can only go before a noun. Be
careful crossing the main road. The only problem is I've got no money. Chess
is an indoor game. The former footballer now trains young players.
Some more examples are: chief (= main), elder (= older), eldest (= oldest),
inner, outdoor, outer, principal (= main), upper
Here are some examples of adjectives which can only go after a linking verb.
At last the baby is asleep. Emma's two brothers are very alike. I'm really
pleased to see you. Vicky looked ill, I thought.
Some more examples are: afraid, alone, ashamed, awake, alive, content (= happy),
fine (= in good health), glad, unwell, well

82 Two nouns together, e.g. a colour photo 108 Adjective or adverb?

 104 Exercises
1 Adjectives (A)
Look at the pictures and write a phrase with an adjective and noun.
Use these nouns: building, car, cat, chairs, music, power, skirt, weather

? a long skirt 3 ....................................................

? cold weather 4 ..................................................
1. ……………………………………………….. 5 ………………………………..
2. ……………………………………………….. 6 ……………………………….

Adjectives (A-B)
Underline all the adjectives in this description of a hotel.
This comfortable hotel with its pleasant gardens is ideal for people who want a quiet holiday, yet it is only a
short distance from the highly popular attractions of the area. There are lovely views from every room. The
atmosphere is very friendly, and the staff are always helpful. A holiday here is very good value for money.
You can eat your meals at the hotel, where the food tastes marvellous. Or you can of course try some of the
excellent local restaurants.

3 Adjectives used in one position only (C)

Look at the notes and write the song titles. Sometimes the adjective comes before the noun,
and sometimes you need to use ;5 or are.
? your sister / elder Your elder sister
? this boy / alone This boy is alone
1 the world / asleep
2 my desire / chief
3 my heart / content
4 the thing to remember / main
5 the night / alive
6 secrets / inner
the girl tor me / only
 105 The order of adjectives

A Introduction

It's beautiful sunny weather. Nick has got a big black dog.
We can use more than one adjective before a noun. There is usually one correct order.
We cannot say sunny beautiful weather or a-black big dog

B Adjectives and nouns

We sometimes use two nouns together (see Unit 82).
a glass door a computer program
Here we use glass like an adjective, to describe the door. When we use another adjective
as well (e.g. heavy), it comes before both the nouns.
a heavy glass door a useful computer program

C Word order
We order adjectives according to their meaning. This is the normal order:
EXAMPLES
GROUP
1 Opinion (how good?) wonderful, nice, great, awful, terrible Adjectives that say how good
2 Size (how big?) large, small, long, short, tall and how big come first.

3 Most other qualities quiet, famous, important, soft, wet, Most adjectives come next if they do
difficult, fast, angry, warm not belong to another group.
4 Age (how old?) new, old
5 Colour red, blue, green, black
6 Origin (where from?) American, British, French
7 Material (made of?) stone, plastic, steel, paper an Some of these are nouns.
8 Type (what kind?) electric kettle, political
matters, road transport a
9 Purpose (what for?) bread knife, a bath towel

Here are some examples.

a small green insect (size, colour) Japanese industrial designers (origin, type) a wonderful new
face cream (opinion, age, purpose) awful plastic souvenirs (opinion, material) a long boring train
journey (size, quality, type) some nice easy quiz questions (opinion, quality, purpose) a beautiful
wooden picture frame (opinion, material, purpose)
We sometimes put commas between adjectives in Groups 1-3
a horrible, ugly building a busy, lively, exciting city
 105 Exercises
1 The order of adjectives (A-C)
Describe the pictures. Use these words: boots, building, car, seat, singer

► big leather boots

1. …………………………………………….. 3 …………………………………….
2. …………………………………………….. 4 ……………………………………

2 The order of adjectives (A-C)

Write a list of things to be sold at an auction.
► basin / sugar, antique, silver an antique silver sugar basin
1 vase / glass, old, lovely
2 mirror / wall, attractive
3 desk / modern, office
4 chairs / kitchen, red, metal
5 boat / model, splendid, old
6 stamps / postage, valuable, Australian
7 table / small, coffee, wooden

3 The order of adjectives (A-C)

Look at each advertisement and write the information in a single sentence.
► This game is new. It's for the family. And it's exciting.
This is an exciting new family game.

1 This computer is for business. It's Japanese. And it's powerful.

2 This fire is electric. It's excellent. And it's small.

3 This is a chocolate bar. It's new. And it's a big bar.

4 This comedy is American. It's for television. And it's terrific.

5 These doors are aluminium. They're for your garage. And they're stylish.

6 These shoes are modern. They're for sports. And they're wonderful.

This phone is a mobile. It's German. And it's very good.

 106 The old, the rich, etc

There are some adjectives that we can use with the to talk about groups of people in society,
e.g. the disabled, the blind. Here are some more examples.
What can we do to feed the hungry? The rich can afford to pay more taxes.
The young are usually keen to travel. It is our duty to care for the sick.

B What adjectives can we use?

These are some of the adjectives and other words that we can use in a phrase with the.
To do with social or economic position:
the disadvantaged, the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the privileged, the rich, the starving,
the strong, the underprivileged, the unemployed, the weak
To do with physical condition or health:
the blind, the deaf, the dead, the disabled, the handicapped, the living, the sick
To do with age:
the elderly, the middle-aged, the old, the over-sixties, the under-fives, the young

We can sometimes use an adverb before the adjective.

The very poor are left without hope. The severely disabled need full-time care.
There are some adjectives in this structure that normally have an adverb.
The less fortunate cannot afford to go on holiday.
Should the mentally ill be allowed to live in the community?

C The young or the young people?

The young means 'young people in general'.
The young have their lives in front of them. When we mean a specific person or a specific group of
people, then we use man, woman, people, etc.
There was a young man standing on the corner.
I know the young woman in reception. She lives in our street.
None of the young people in the village can find jobs here.
 106 Exercises

1 The old, the rich, etc (A)

Write in the missing words. Use the and these adjectives: homeless, hungry, old, sick, unemployed, young

► Better education for the young 3 Better hospitals for

1 Food for 4 Jobs for
2 Homes for 5 Better pensions for

The old, the rich, etc (A-B)

Rewrite the sentences using a phrase with the and an adjective instead of the underlined phrases.
► People who have lots of money have comfortable lives.
The rich have comfortable lives.

1 We live near a special school for people who can't hear.

2 The old soldiers were holding a service for those who had died.

3 The government should do more for people who do not have enough money.

4 I'm doing a course on caring for people who are mentally handicapped.

3 The young or the young people? (C)

Complete these sentences from a newspaper. Use the adjectives in brackets.
Put in e.g. the hungry or the hungry people.
? Rich nations can afford to feed the hungry (hungry).
? The homeless people (homeless) whose story appeared in this paper last week have
now found a place to live.
1 ………………………..... (sick) need to be looked after, so money must be spent on hospitals.
2 Some of ..............................................(young) at the youth club here are running in a marathon.
3 Life must be hard for......... ……………… ............ (unemployed) in our society today.
4 What is the government doing to help...................... (poor)?
5 There was a fire at a nursing home in Charles Street, but none of………………………………. (old)
who live there were hurt.
6 …………………………… (homeless) usually have great difficulty in getting a job.
7 There is a special television programme for.............. ……….(deaf) every Sunday morning.
 107 Interesting and interested

INTERESTING INTERESTED

The book is full of information. It's very Mike is very interested in UFOs.
interesting.
The word interesting tells us what the book does The word interested tells us how Mike feels. A
to Mike — it interests him. A book can be person can feel interested, bored, excited or
interesting, boring, exciting or amusing, for amused, for example.
example.

B Adjective pairs
Here are some more examples.
ING ED
Tom told us an amusing story. The two- We were amused at Tom's story.
hour delay was annoying. I didn't enjoy The passengers were annoyed about the delay.
the party. It was boring. This computer I went to the party, but I felt bored.
has some very confusing I got very confused trying to make sense of the
instructions. instructions.
This wet weather is so depressing. It was very This weather makes me so depressed. I was
disappointing not to get the job. The game was very disappointed not to get the job. The
really exciting. Going for a jog with Matthew is United fans were excited. I'm exhausted
exhausting. I thought the programme on after jogging all that way. I watched the
wildlife was programme on wildlife. I was
fascinating. For one absolutely fascinated. When I
frightening/terrifying moment 1 got onto the roof I felt
thought I was going to fall. I just don't frightened/terrified. I must say I'm
understand. I find the whole thing puzzled. I just don't understand
rather puzzling. Lying in a hot bath is
relaxing. I think the way Jessica behaved I feel relaxed when I lie in a hot bath. I was
was quite quite shocked to see Jessica behaving
shocking. like that.
The test results were surprising. What thrilling I was surprised at the test results. We were
news this is! Congratulations! The journey thrilled to hear your good news. After
took all day and night. They found travelling all day and night they were
it very tiring. very tired.
 107 Exercises
1 Interesting and interested (A-B)
What are they saying? Put in these words: depressing, exciting, exhausted, fascinating, interested

► This is a depressing place.

1 I'm absolutely …………………….... 3 Chess is a......... ……………….. game.
2 I'm ………………….. . in astronomy. 4 This is really. … … … … … … … … . ...!

2 Interesting and interested (A-B)

Complete the conversation. Write the complete word in each space.
Vicky: That was an (►) exciting (excit...) film, wasn't it?
Rachel: Oh, do you think so? I'm (1) ………………................(surpris...) you liked it.
I thought it was rather (2) .................................... (disappoint...).
Vicky: Well, I was (3)………………………….. (puzzl...) once or twice. I didn't understand the whole story.
It was (4)…………………………..(confus...) in places. But the end was good.
Rachel: I was (5)…………………………… (bor...) most of the time.
I didn't find it very (6) ......................................(interest...).

3 Interesting and interested (A-B)

Complete the conversations using a word ending in ing or ed.
? David: I'm surprised how warm it is for March.
Melanie: Yes, all this sunshine is quite surprising.
? Vicky: I'm not very fit. I was pretty tired after climbing the mountain.
Natasha: Yes, I think everyone felt tired.
1 Trevor: I think I need to relax.
Laura: Well, lying by the pool should be ............................................................................
2 Vicky: It was annoying to lose my ticket.
Emma: You looked really.…………………….. . . . when you had to buy another one.
3 Sarah: The cabaret was amusing.
Mark: Claire was certainly ........... ………………. .She couldn't stop laughing.
4 Daniel: The museum was interesting, wasn't it?
Rachel: It was OK. I was quite ..................................... in those old maps.
5 Matthew: I'm fascinated by these old photos.
Emma: I always find it ........…………………… to see what people looked like as children.
6 Rachel: Was it a big thrill meeting Tom Hanks?
Vicky: You bet. It was just about the most.................... ………………moment of my life.
I Sarah: You look exhausted. You should go to bed.
Mark: Driving down from Scotland was pretty .........................................
 108 Adjective or adverb? (1)

A Introduction
Vicky: / like that song that Natasha sang.
Rachel: Yes, it's a nice song. And she sang it nicely, too.

An adjective (nice) describes a noun (song). An adverb (nicely) describes a verb (sang).
The man had a quiet voice. The man spoke quietly.
Claire wears expensive clothes. Claire dresses expensively.
The runners made a slow start. They started the race slowly.
We do NOT say She sang it nice.

We can use adverbs in other ways. An adverb like really or very can be combined with an adjective (hot) o
another adverb (carefully) (see Unit 115).
It was really hot in the sun. Andrew checked his work very carefully. An
adverb like fortunately or perhaps says something about the whole situation.
Fortunately nothing was stolen. Perhaps Sarah is working late.

B The ly ending
We form many adverbs from an adjective + ly. For example politely, quickly, safely.
But there are some special spelling rules.
1 We do not leave out e, e.g. nice —> nicely
Exceptions are true —> truly, whole —> wholly.
2 y—> ily after a consonant, e.g. easy —> easily, lucky —> luckily
Also angrily, happily, heavily, etc.
3 le —> ly, e.g. possible —> possibly
Also comfortably, probably, reasonably, sensibly, terribly, etc.
4 ic —. ically, e.g. dramatic —> dramatically
Also automatically, scientifically, etc. (Exception: publicly)

C Looked nice and looked carefully

Compare these two structures.
LINKING VERB + ADJECTIVE ACTION VERB + ADVERB

Tom was hungry. Paul ate hungrily.

The children seemed happy. The children played happily.
My soup has got cold. The man stared coldly at us.
An adjective can come after a linking verb such as We use an adverb when the verb means that
be (see Unit 104B). something happens.

Some verbs like look, taste and appear can be either linking verbs or action verbs.
LINKING VERB + ADJECTIVE ACTION VERB + ADVERB

Mike looked angry. He looked carefully at the signature.

The medicine tasted awful. Emma tasted the drink nervously.
The man appeared (to he) drunk. A waiter appeared suddenly.

page 380 American English

 108 Exercises

1 Adverbs (A-B)
This is part of a story about a spy called X. Put in adverbs formed from these adjectives:
bright, careful, fluent, immediate, patient, punctual, quiet, safe, secret, slow
The journey took a long time because the train travelled so (►) slowly. It was hot, and the sun shone
(1) ………………………… from a clear sky. X could only wait (2)……………………….. for the journey to
end. When the train finally arrived, he had no time to spare, so he (3)…………………………. took a taxi
to the hotel. Y was on time. She arrived (4)……………………….. at three. No one else knew about the
meeting - it was important to meet (5) ..........………………. . 'I had a terrible journey,' said Y.
'But luckily the pilot managed to land (6) .................. …………...' Her English was good,
and she spoke very (7) …………………. .........X was listening (8)……………………….. to every word.
They were speaking very (9) ................................. in case the room was bugged.

2 The ly ending (B)

Look at the information in brackets and put in the adverbs. Be careful with the spelling.
► (Emma's toothache was terrible.) Emma's tooth ached terribly.
1 (Henry was angry.) Henry shouted........................................................................ at the waiter.
2 (I'm happy sitting here.) I can sit here ................................................................for hours.
3 (The switch is automatic.) The machine switches itself off ....................…………………….
4 (The debate should be public.) We need to debate the matter............ ………………………..
5 (Everyone was enthusiastic.) Everyone discussed the idea ………………………………………
6 (We should be reasonable.) Can't we discuss the problem ............ ……………………………... ?
7 (The building has to be secure.) Did you lock all the doors .............. …………………………….. ?

3 Adverb or adjective? (A-B)

Decide what you need to say. End your sentence with an adverb ending in ly.
► Tell the police that you can't remember the accident. It isn't very clear in your mind.
I can’t remember the accident very clearly.
1 Tell your friend that United won the game. It was an easy win.

2 Tell your boss that you've checked the figures. You've been careful.

3 Tell your neighbour that his dog barked at you. It was very fierce.

4 You are phoning your friend. Tell him about the rain where you are. It's quite heavy.

4 Adverb or adjective? (A-C)

Vicky is telling Rachel about a dream she had. Choose the correct forms.
l had a (►)strange/strangely dream last night. I was in a garden. It was getting (1) dark/darkly, and it was
(2) terrible/terribly cold. My head was aching (3) bad/badly. I was walking out of the garden when
(4) sudden/suddenly I saw a man. He was sitting (5) quiet/quietly on a seat. He seemed very
(6) unhappy/unhappily. He looked up and smiled (7) sad/sadly at me. I don't know why, but I felt
(8) curious/curiously about him. I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn't think what to say.
I just stood there (9) foolish/foolishly.
 109 Adjective or adverb? (2)

A Friendly, likely, etc

The ending ly is the normal adverb ending (see Unit 108). But a few adjectives also end in ly.
Melanie was very friendly. It was a lively party. We had a lovely time.
Some more examples are: elderly, likely, lonely, silly, ugly
The words are adjectives, not adverbs (NOT She-spoke to us friendly). And we cannot add ly.
There is no such word as friendlily. But we can say in a friendly way/manner.
She spoke to us in a friendly way. If we need to use an adverb, we often
choose another word of similar meaning.
It was lovely. Everything went beautifully.

B Hard, fast, etc

Compare these sentences.
ADJECTIVE ADVERB

We did some hard work. We worked hard.

I came on the fast train. The train went quite fast.

We can use these words both as adjectives and as adverbs:

deep, early, fast, hard, high, late, long, low, near, right, straight, wrong (For hardly, nearly, etc, see C.
In informal English, the adjectives cheap, loud, quick and slow can be adverbs.
ADJECTIVE ADVERB

They sell cheap clothes in the market. They sell things cheap/cheaply there.
Back already! That was quick. Come as quick/quickly as you can.

C Hard, hardly, near, nearly, etc

There are some pairs of adverbs like hard and hardly which have different meanings.
Here are some examples.
/ tried hard, but I didn't succeed.
I've got hardly any money left, {hardly any = very little, almost none)
Luckily I found a phone box quite near. I nearly fell asleep in the meeting, {nearly = almost)
Rachel arrived late, as usual. I've been very busy lately, {lately = in the last few days/weeks)
The plane flew high above the clouds. The material is highly radioactive, {highly = very)
We got into the concert free, {free = without paying)
The animals are allowed to wander freely, {freely = uncontrolled)

D Good and well

Good is an adjective, and well is its adverb. The opposites are bad and badly.
ADJECTIVE ADVERB

Natasha is a good violinist. She plays the violin very well.

Our test results were good. We all did well in the test.
I had a bad night. I slept badly last night.

Well can also be an adjective meaning 'in good health', the opposite of ill.
My mother was very ill, but she's quite well again now. How are you? ~ Very well, thank you.
 109 Exercises

Friendly, hard, hardly, etc (A-C)

Decide if each underlined word is an adjective or an adverb.
? That new building is rather ugly. adjective
? I'd like to arrive early if I can. adverb
1 1 haven't seen you for a long time.
2 Why are you wearing that silly hat?
3 Very young children travel free.
4 The temperature is quite high today.
5 We nearly missed the bus this morning
6 Do you have to play that music so loud?

2 Friendly, hard, hardly, etc (A-C)

Complete the conversation. Decide if you need ly with the words in brackets.
Mark: How did you get on with Henry today?
Sarah: Oh, we had a nice lunch and some (►) lively (live)conversation. Henry was charming, as usual.
He gave me a lift back to the office, but it was (1)………………. (hard) worth risking our lives to
save a few minutes. He (2)....................... (near) killed us.
Mark: What do you mean?
Sarah: Well, we'd sat a bit too (3)………………... (long) over our meal, and we were
(4)……………………..(late) getting back to work. Henry drove very (5)………… (fast). I tried
(6) ………………..... (hard) to keep calm, but I was quite scared. We went (7)…………… (wrong)
and missed a left turn, and Henry got annoyed. Then a van came round the corner, and it was
coming (8)………. ........ (straight) at us. I don't know how we missed it.
Mark: Well, I'm glad you did. And next time you'd better take a taxi.

3 Good and well (D)

Complete the conversation. Put in good, well (x2), bad, badly and ill.
Rachel: How did you and Daniel get on in your tennis match?
Matthew: We lost. I'm afraid we didn't play very (►) well. Daniel made some (1)……………. mistakes.
It wasn't a very (2)……………day for us. We played really (3)………………………
Andrew: I heard Daniel's in bed at the moment because he isn't very (4)………………
Matthew: Yes, I'm afraid he's been (5)………….... for several days, but he's better now.

4 Friendly, hard, hardly, etc (A-D)

Complete the conversation. Choose the correct form.
Daniel: Is it true you saw a ghost last night?
Vicky: Yes, I did. I went to bed (►) late/lately, and I was sleeping (1) bad/badly. I suddenly woke up in
the middle of the night. I went to the window and saw the ghost walking across the lawn.
Daniel: Was it a man or a woman? Vicky: A woman in a white dress. I had a (2) good/well view from
the window, but she walked very (3) fast/fastly. She wasn't there very (4) long/longly. I'd (5)
hard/hardly caught sight of her before she'd gone. I (6) near/nearly missed her. Daniel: You don't
think you've been working too (7) hard/hardly? You've been looking a bit pale (8) late/lately.
Vicky: I saw her, I tell you. Daniel: It isn't very (9) like/likely that ghosts actually exist, you know. I
expect you were imagining it.
 Test 18 Adjectives and adverbs (Units 104-109)

Test 18A
Choose the correct word or phrase.
► We walked stew/slowly back to the hotel.
1 We could walk free/freely around the aircraft during the flight.
2 The young/The young man with dark hair is my sister's boyfriend.
3 I'm getting quite hungry/hungrily.
4 The man looked thoughtful/thoughtfully around the room.
5 Have I filled this form in right/rightly?
6 I think Egypt is a fascinated/fascinating country.
7 The two sisters do alike/similar jobs.
8 I'm pleased the plan worked so good/goodly/well.
9 She invented a new kind of wheelchair for the disabled/the disabled people.
10 I'm very confused/confusing about what to do.
11 They performed the experiment scientifically/scientificly.
12 The hostages must be very afraid/frightened people.

Test 18 B
Put the words in the right order to form a statement.
► a / bought / coat/ I I new / red
/ bought a new red coat.

1 a / is / nice / place / this

2 biscuit / can't / find /1 / large / the / tin

3 a / behaved / in / silly / Tessa / way

4 coffee / cold / getting / is / your

5 a / house / in / live / lovely / old / stone / they

6 for / hospital / ill / is / mentally / the / this

Test 18C
Write the words in brackets and add ly, ing or ed only if you need to.
Janet: Is this the (►) new (new...) car you've just bought?
Nigel: That's right. Well, it's second-hand of course.
Janet: It's (►) exciting (excit...) buying a car, isn't it?
Nigel: Well, it was a bit of a problem actually because I didn't have much money to spend. But I managed
to find one that wasn't very (1) .......................... (expensive...).
Janet: It looks very (2) ................................ (nice...), I must say.
Nigel: It's ten years old, so I was (3)……………………. (surpris...) what good condition it's in. The man
I bought it from is over eighty, and he always drove it very (4)………………………(careful...),he
said. He never took it out if it was raining, which I find (5)……………………. (amus...).
Janet: I think (6)……………………. (elder...) people look after their cars better than young people
Nigel: He was a (7)…………………….. (friend...) old chap. He even gave me all these maps
(8) ................................ (free...).
Test 18 D
Write a second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use the word in brackets.
► Jonathan was stupid, (behaved)
Jonathan behaved stupidly.

1 The drink had a strange taste, (tasted)

2 Obviously, sick people need to be looked after, (the)

3 The dog slept, (asleep)

4 The young woman was polite, (spoke)

5 The train was late, (arrived)

6 The film's ending is dramatic, (ends)

7 Polly gave an angry shout, (shouted)

8 Billiards is a game for indoors, (indoor)

9 The clown amused people, (amusing)

10 There was almost no time left, (any)

Test 18 E
Some of these sentences are correct, but most have a mistake. If the sentence is correct, put a tick (/"). If it is
incorrect, cross the sentence out and write it correctly.
? Your friend looked rather ill. V
? It was-a-steel long-pipe. It was a long steel pipe.
1 I tasted the soup careful.
2 It's a beautiful old English church.
3 Are they asleep children?
4 It's a school for the deaf people.
5 It's a leather new nice jacket.
6 The riches are very lucky.
7 You handled the situation well.
8 He used a green paper thick towel.
9 Our future lies with the young.
10 The course I started was bored.
11 I often talk to the two old next door.
12 The smoke rose highly into the air.
13 It feels warm in here.
14 We felt disappointing when we lost
15 Everyone seemed very nervously.
16 Tessa drives too fastly.
17 This scenery is really depressing.