Short adjectives in English. Formation of adjectives in English: rules and features, examples

Hey everyone! Today we will discuss English adjectives, or rather: their role and order in a sentence, types, structure, formation, characteristic suffixes and prefixes, degrees of comparison and the use of the article with them. You need this! C "mon!

Adjective(adjective) is one of the main parts of speech, which denotes a sign of an object and answers the questions " which?», « whose?».

An adjective is used with a nounto show its special feature, property and give additional characteristics of a different nature. It is thanks to adjectives that our speech becomes diverse and emotionally rich.

Unlike adjectives in Russian, in English they do not change neither by gender, nor by cases, nor even by numbers.

Just take an adjective and put any noun after it. Easy!

smart cat - smart cat;
cute kids - cute children;
hot stuff is hot stuff.

Order of adjectives in an English sentence

adjective in definition functions stands before the noun to which it refers, and in nominal part functions compound predicate - after the linking verb:

I have bought a black cat. - I bought a black cat (definition).
This cat is black. - This cat black(predicative).

If adjectives two or more, then you need to use them in a certain order.

First there will be adjectives showing the attitude (opinion) of the speaker to the subject: handsome (attractive), ugly (ugly), luxurious (luxurious).

Second adjectives are used that describe the parameters of the object (size, characteristics, age, shape, color): black (black), old (old), huge (huge).

BUT before a noun usually destination: kitchen (kitchen), throwing (throwing), educative (educational).

Order of adjectives in a sentence

Article/Determinant	a	some	my
Opinion	lovely (delightful)	stunning (stunning)	reasonably priced (inexpensive)
The size	big (large)	small (small)	-
Quality (state characteristic)	well made (skillfully done)	artistic (skillfully done)	boiling (boiling)
Age	new (new)	old (old)	-
The form	rectangular (rectangular)	square (square)	-
Colour	black	-	red (red)
Origin (the country)	american (American)	english (English)	Ukrainian (Ukrainian)
Material (substance)	steel (steel)	oil (oil)	-
purpose	throwing (propelling)	ceiling (ceiling)	halloween (Halloween)
Noun	knife (knife)	paintings (paintings)	meal (dish)

She has fascinating long hair. - She has charming long hair.
Take that small black metal box. - Take that one small black metal box.
It was a modern wooden dinner table. - This was modern wooden dining room table.
I've bought a new steel carving knife. - I bought new steel cutting knife.
I've bought some expensive square fragile china plates. - I bought several expensive square fragile porcelain plates.

adjectives, showing measure(deep - depth, high - height, long - length, wide - width, etc.) are placed after the noun being defined.

The highway is 10 kilometers long. - This track is 10 kilometers long.
This lake isn't big, but it is 30 meters deep. - This lake is small, but depth 30 meters.

Formation of adjectives in English

Adjectives are simple, derivatives and complex(composite).

• Simple adjectives have neither prefixes nor suffixes (big, short, black, red).
• Derivatives include suffixes or prefixes, or both at the same time (natur al, in correct, un nature al).
• Complex(composite) adjectives are formed from two words denoting one concept: dark blue,red-cheeked, snow white.

Suffixes, prefixes and adjective endings

The most famous suffixes adjectives are:

«- less': help less helpless, use less useless;
«- able,« -ible»: suit able(suitable), access ible accessible;
«- ous": fam ous famous, danger ous dangerous;
«- ful': use ful useful, care ful(attentive);
«- ent': intelligent ent(clever); preval ent(common)
«- ary': element ary(elementary);
«- ive': aggressive ive(aggressive);
«- al': form al formal, central al central;
«- ic»: hero ic(heroic);
«- y': sno wy(snowy).

The most well-known adjective prefixes include:

« un-»: un happy (unhappy), un equal (unequal);
« in-»: in complete (incomplete), in different (indifferent);
« im-»: im polite (impolite), im puberal (immature).

English has a list of adjectives that can be used and with suffixes, and with the words " more/most», « less/least».

able(capable);
angry(evil);
clever(clever);
common(general);
cruel(cruel);
friendly(friendly);
gentle(gentle);
handsome(beautiful);
narrow(narrow);
pleasant(nice);
polite(polite);
quiet(quiet);
serious(serious);
simple(simple);
sour(sour).

Types of adjectives in English

By meaning, adjectives in English are:

• quality(big - big, small - small, clever - smart).
• relative(wooden - wooden, central - central), etc.

Relative adjectives in English do not have degrees of comparison, and qualitative adjectives have the following degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.

Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Qualitative adjectives and adverbs of mode of action in English, as well as in Russian, have three degrees of comparison:

• absolute,
• comparative
• excellent (superlative).

So with absolute the form is clear: long, far, good, active, expensive etc.

comparative form An adjective is used when two or more objects or people are being compared.

A comparative adjective can be formed in two ways:

• adding a suffix«- er» to the absolute form of the adjective . This applies to single-syllable adjectives (long) and two-syllable adjectives with a “y” at the end (pretty).

This is a long er book.
This doll is prett ier.

Features of education:

in words ending in " e", is added" r» at the end (lam e- lame r);
- in words with one vowel and one consonant at the end doubles consonant and add "- er» (b ig- bi gger);
- in words with more than one vowel or with more than one consonant at the end, add "- er» at the end (ha rd- hard er).

• adding « more» before an adjective. This applies to two-syllable adjectives without a "y" at the end (charming) and adjectives with three or more syllables (powerful).

She is more charming than her friend.
This gun is more powerful than that one.

Features of education:

When comparing two objects (people), the word " than» located between adjective and object of comparison.

oranges are sweeter than grapefruits.
This painting is more interesting than that painting.

Superlatives used to show that a thing or person has the greatest amount of a particular quality (in a group or in its kind). Commonly used with article« the».

It can also be formed in two ways.

• adding «- est» to absolute form. This applies to single-syllable adjectives (big) and two-syllable adjectives ending in "y" (lucky).

This is the bigg est table in the room.
I'm the luck iest person in the company.

Features of education:

- in words, h ending in " e", the suffix "- st» at the end (large - the large st);
- in words with one vowel and one consonant at the end, the consonant is doubled and "-" is added est» (big-bi gigest);
- in words with more than one vowel or with more than one consonant at the end, add "- est» (blue-blu est);
in words ending in " y', it is replaced by ' i" with addition "- est"(pretty - prettiest).

• adding « the most» before adjective. Applies to two-syllable adjectives with a "y" at the end, as well as adjectives with three or more syllables.

This is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.
This is the most popular song on the list.
That was the most powerful weapon.

Note: adjectives in comparative and superlative degrees come before all others.

I'd like to buy this more beautiful white rose. - I would like to buy this more beautiful white rose.
At the there ceremony were some of the best young French actresses. - The ceremony was attended by some of the best young French actresses.

positive adjective form

The positive form is used when no difference between two compared things or people.

To form a positive, we use " as» before and after the absolute form of the adjective.

Danny is as smart as Phillip.
She is as beautiful as her older sister.

This can also be applied in a negative context by adding the word " not» before first « as". So we indicate that the compared objects not alike.

Danny is not as smart as Phillip.
She is not as beautiful as her older sister.

Exception adjectives

The following adjectives, the degrees of comparison of which are not formed according to the general rule, and their forms should be known by heart.

good- better- the best(good - better - best);
bad - worse- the worst(bad - worse - worse);
little- less- the least(small - less - smallest);
many/much - more- the most(many - more - largest);
old- older- the oldest(old - older - oldest);
old- elder-the eldest(old - older - oldest) - about family members;
late- later- the latest/last(later - later - last / last in time);
late- the latter- the last(late - the second of the two listed - the last in order);
near- nearer - the nearest(closer - closer - closest in distance);
near- nearer- next/the next(closer - closer - next in time / next in order);
far- farther- the farthest(far - farthest - farthest);
far- further- the furthest(distant, distant - further - further / additional).

Using the article with adjectives

A noun with a definition expressed by an adjective in a superlative degree is used with a definite articleif the meaning does not require any pronoun.

London is the largest city in the UK.
My best friend lives in Seattle.

The definite article is preserved before the superlative degree even when the noun is not mentioned (that is, the noun is implied).

The London underground is the most beautiful in the world.

An English sentence, the two parts of which (separated by a comma) begin with an adjective or an adverb in a comparative degree with a definite article in front of it, is translated into Russian using the conjunctions " how …, topics … »:

The more we suffer, the stronger we get.

Note: in English we can make nouns out of adjectives. For this we need to add definite article « the» before an adjective, and we get the word in plural number.

All the doctors examined the sick. - All doctors examined sick.
He always used to help the poor. - He always helped before poor.
The rich also cry. - Rich cry too.

Adjectives ending in "- sh» «- ch» (English, French), turning into nouns, are used with a plural meaning to refer to the nation as a whole.

In this case, they are preceded by the definite article: the French (French), the English (English), the Dutch (Dutch), the Spanish (Spaniards).

Conclusion

We hope that the topic of adjectives is now more than clear to you. To consolidate the material, we suggest you try our simulator for adjectives and degrees of comparison.

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The English language is rich in word forms and their combinations. Adjectives, an indispensable part of high-quality and understandable speech, are formed from verbs or from nouns. There are, of course, exceptions (there is no way in English without them), but in most cases it is nouns and verbs that act as the basis for the word formation of an adjective. It is difficult to study all the features of the formation of English adjectives, since there are many exceptions, but there are basic rules that you need to know. They will help you understand the formation of adjectives in English and not make mistakes. In this article, we will introduce the main nuances of the formation of adjectives and the most striking examples of exceptions.

Verb stem + postfixes

Using postfixes allows you to make the semantics of the language more diverse. This partly refers to the English formative elements -able / -ible, which denote the ability of something / someone to perform the desired action (contribute to its formation). But! These postfixes are just a drop in the ocean. Adjectives are formed in several ways. Below is a table with postfixes, the function of which is to contain an indication of certain qualities or properties (to adjectives) and display them in a conversation.

Confid ent	Arrogant, self-confident	Sarah is confident in her knowledge => Sarah is confident in her knowledge.
Resist ant	Hardy, able to resist	Andry is rather resistant to any changes => Andrew is rather resistant to any changes.
Pregn ant	Pregnant, pithy, fraught, rich	This specific area of ​​research is pregnant with possibilities for company’s development => This specific area of ​​research is full of opportunities for company’s development.
Miser able	Wretched, miserable, miserable, meager	My brother is miserable living on his own => My brother is very miserable living on his own.
Revers ible	Which is reversible, reversible, reversible	The climate change in this region is not reversible => Climate change in this region is irreversible (it is no longer possible to change natural processes).
Combine able	connecting, combining, matching	Is this statement combinable with our point of view? => Is this statement compatible with our point of view?
Evidence ent	obvious, obvious, clear, evident	This is evident for everybody that she is happy with him => It is obvious to everyone that she is happy with him.
Relev ant	pertinent, pertinent, pertinent	This is really relevant remark but we don't need it =>
Depend ent	Conditioned, subordinate, dependent	I’m dependent on her success => I depend on her success.
progress ive	Perspective, progressive, progressive	This is very progressive topic on this discussion => This is a very progressive topic on this discussion.
effects ive	Efficient, efficient, efficient	An effective method is always a good idea => An effective method is always a good idea.
Conveni ent	Comfortable, Convenient, Fit, Suitable	This is a very convenient way to solve all our problems => This is a very convenient way to solve all our problems.
Arrog ant	Arrogant, arrogant, haughty	This guy has so arrogant look I can't stand him! => This guy has such a haughty look that I can't stand him!

The table shows that there are several ways to compile. The most commonly used postfixes are => - ible / - able. This word formation is the most common.

But! Adjectives can be formed by other methods as well. It is important to remember that during the formation from the original adjective in English, it may be subject to some changes (formed in a different way from the standard one).

In oral speech, this is unlikely to be heard, but in writing, this is an important issue. Your speech must be correct!

• Rely => reliable (rely / reliable, one that is trustworthy).

Our speech would be extremely meager if we did not use bright colors and expressive means in it. And perhaps the most popular way is the use of adjectives. Adjectives in English allow you to express the signs of inanimate nouns and the qualities of animate ones, describe the appearance of a person and the properties of his character, embellish any actions and events, compare two objects or persons, and much more. Today we will find out what properties these parts of speech have, consider their grammatical norms, get acquainted with the types, and learn the list of definitions often used in speech.

Let's start with what even a child knows: this part of speech indicates either the belonging of the object, or its properties, that is, it is the answer to the question which, which, whose. Unlike their Russian counterparts, adjectives in English behave much more modestly and almost never change; do not receive additional endings when changing number, case, gender; do not have short forms.

• Ihavea red jacket– I have a red jacket.
• Weliveinthis red houseWe live in this red house.

They can play one of two syntactic roles in a sentence. Words that act as evaluative definitions stand directly in front of the object they define, and expressions that fall into the compound predicate complete the phrase.

• My father bought a blue car-Myfatherboughtbluecar.(definition)
• Thecar is beautiful - This car is beautiful.(compound nominal predicate)

According to its composition, this part of speech is divided into simple (monosyllabic) and long words (polysyllabic), containing two or more syllables. The latter are called derivatives, according to the way they are formed: by adding suffixes or prefixes. Often in this way negative forms of positive definitions are obtained. Separately, it is worth highlighting complex adjectives in English, formed by merging two simple stems. As a rule, such compound definitions are written with a hyphen.

• ShecookedabigcakeShe made a big pie.(simple)
• MyparentsgavemeusefuladviceMy parents gave me useful advice.(derivative)
• There was a well-preserved cupboard in that flatATtoyapartmentwaswellpreservedcloset.(complex)

The method of formation of comparative and superlative degrees depends on this classification. This is the only transformation possible for the adjective, in which the ending of the word changes. For simple definitions in English, the endings -er, -est are added. In more complex forms, you must use the words more and most.

• brave boy⟶ brave boy ⟶ the bravest boybrave boy⟶ the boy is braver⟶ the bravest boy
• practical thing ⟶ more practical thing ⟶ most practical thingpractical thing ⟶ thing is more practical ⟶ the most practical thing

There are also so-called incorrect words, which do not raise degrees according to general rules. They are listed separately.

These basic points will suffice when using adjectives in the simplest phrases and expressions. Next, we will study the most popular English words of this category and examples of their translation.

Popular adjectives in English

It is impossible to learn in one sitting all the possible ways of expressing characteristics and qualities. Therefore, we propose to start with the basics and consider a small list of English adjectives that are used in almost every conversation. These expressions will also come in handy when conducting a foreign language lesson for children, since they are the basis of knowledge and do not present any difficulty in learning. The table contains a hundred descriptive definitions, divided into generalized categories and recorded with transcription * and translation into Russian.

Top 100 Easy Adjectives
Category	Word examples
Popular antonyms	good [ɡʊd]	good	bad	bad
	new	new	old [əʊld]	old
	open [ əʊpən]	open	closed	closed
	simple	simple	difficult	difficult
	clean [ kliːn]	clean	dirty	filthy
	beautiful	beautiful (only about women or objects)	ugly [ʌɡli]	ugly
	big	large	little	little
	slim	slim	thick [θɪk]	thick
	dry	dry	wet	wet
	light	light	dark	dark
	kind	kind	angry [æŋɡri]	evil
	rich	rich	poor	poor
	cheap	cheap	expensive [ɪkˈspensɪv]	expensive
	strong	strong	weak	weak
	hot	hot	cold	cold
	easy	easy	hard	heavy
	tall	tall	short [ʃɔːt]	short
	low	quiet	loud	loud
	fast	fast	slow	slow
	happy	glad	sad	sad
Expression of admiration	wonderful	great	great [ɡreɪt]	fabulous
	amazing [əˈmeɪzɪŋ]	amazing	nice	nice
	cute	attractive	fine	beautiful
	tasty	tasty	excellent	a great
	perfect	perfect	handsome	beautiful (for men only)
Description of states	hungry	hungry	thirsty [θɜːsti]	thirsty
	afraid [ə'fred]	scared	excited [ɪkˈsaɪtɪd]	excited
	active [æktɪv]	active	tired	tired
	bored	bored	cheerful	cheerful
	lonely	lonely	surprised	surprised
Expression of properties and characteristics	successful	successful	important [ɪmˈpɔːtnt]	important
	correct	right	popular	popular
	large	large	usual	ordinary
	funny	funny	healthy	healthy
	interesting [ɪntrəstɪŋ]	interesting	long	long
	clever	clever	busy	busy
	friendly	friendly	famous	famous
	serious	serious	boring	boring
	lucky	lucky	brave	brave
	unknown [ʌnˈnəʊn]	unknown	responsible	responsible
	impossible [ɪmˈpɒsəbl]	impossible	real	real
	bright	bright	careful	caring
	warm	warm	cold	chill
	young	young	free [ friː]	free
	fresh	fresh	wide	wide
	honest [ɒnɪst]	fair	basic	base
	sure [ʃʊər]	confident	quality	qualitative
	fantastic	fantastic	favorite	favourite
	useless	useless	harmful	harmful
	necessary	necessary	accurate [ækjərət]	careful

* If you are not sure about the correct reading of the transcription, then you can use the built-in voice button to work on pronunciation.

Of course, these are not all common adjectives in English. , but this is already a pretty solid foundation for a basic vocabulary. You should not strive to memorize long lists of words: this will only confuse yourself or learn rare forms of expressions.

If the information provided is not new to you, or you have already mastered this part of the material well, we invite you to study adjectives that stand out in English with a special specificity of use.

Difficult grammar points

To simplify perception and the possibility of studying the topic with a child, in the first section we omitted many important points that beginners do not need to know yet. But, for holders of the Intermediate level, this information will be extremely important and useful. Now we will get acquainted with a new kind of definitions, find out what a graded adjective is and how it behaves, and also consider the nuances of the transition of words from one part of speech to another.

possessive aspect

When we studied popular definitions and antonyms in English used to describe people and things, it was mostly a kind of quality adjectives. There are also relative ones, but we will talk about them a little later. Now we are occupied with a more interesting form - possessive adjectives in English.

There are a lot of similar words in Russian speech: fox, wolf, Lysin, mother's, shepherd's etc. But the British can use only seven such definitions: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Often they are confused with pronouns, violating the norms of lexical combination. Let's try to figure out why these words refer specifically to this section of grammar.

As already noted, the work of adjectives is to determine the properties, attributes and belonging of the indicated objects. Possessiveness is the main category that expresses the relationship between the object and the subject. The relation to the class of adjectives is also indicated by the syntactic function of such expressions - definition, i.e. they always stand in a sentence immediately before a noun (or groups of adj + nouns). But the role played by possessive pronouns in English is completely different. They are intended to replace the expressed noun. As a rule, such pronouns are always used at the end of a phrase or at the very beginning. Consider examples.

• Usually, Ibring my guitarandwesing our favoritesongsUsually, I bring my guitar and we sing our favorite songs.(whose guitar? - mine, whose songs? - ours; possessive adj.)
• My smartphone is better than yours – Mysmartphoneit is better,howyour.(whose smartphone? - mine (adj.); what's yours? implied smartphone (possessive seat)
• It is not him watch. His he left at homeThis isnothisclock.He left his watch at home.(whose watch? - his (adj.); his what? watch (loc.)

Pronouns, with the exception of his, have a different form than adjectives, so they are easy to distinguish in the text. And for independent use, it is necessary to remember the above differences and work them out in practice.

Degrees of comparison and amplification (intermediate level)

When we analyzed the types of adjectives in English, we noted that the formation of comparative degrees depends on them. But an important point was not mentioned: not all representatives of this class of speech are able to form degrees. This justifies the division of species into qualitative and relative adjectives.

Qualities are expressed in varying degrees, and relativity has only a dictionary form. This category includes signs of origin, material, designation of time, field of activity and geographical location. Such meanings in themselves have a strong position, and do not need to be exaggerated.

• I bought a wooden chair-Iboughtwoodenchair.(cannot be more/less or most wooden)
• It was an American train-This iswasAmericana train.
• Shewritesa weekly report– She writes a weekly report

English allows you to enhance the characteristic in another way - by adding an adverb. And here we again encounter a special factor: not all adverbs can coexist with definitions. So, for example, the popular very, rather, hugely, a bit can only take graded adjectives in the neighborhood, i.e. weak definitions ( most often qualitative adjectives). Often these combinations are synonymous with more expressive words. In this case, the gain is used with both negative and positive characteristics.

• verytasty= delicious; very tasty - delicious;
• abitdirty – filthy; a little dirty - filthy;
• veryunusual – extraordinary; very unusual - incredible;

Such an adjective denoting an extreme degree of properties, in turn, can only be used with weak adverbs. Thus, the combination of adverbs with definitions always occurs according to the principle of merging of opposites.

This rule must be remembered in order not to make gross speech errors.

Substantiation

English adjectives are characterized by such a phenomenon as substantiation. In the course of this process, definitions acquire the functions and meanings characteristic of a noun. The most striking examples of such transformations are the names of languages ​​and nationalities.

• Her German is perfect -Her German is perfect.
• Yesterday I made friends with two Russians – YesterdayImade friendswithtwoRussians.

As examples show, substantiated adjectives play the role of a subject or object in a sentence, and designate persons and objects. Moreover, they can be presented both in the singular and in the plural.

• abstractness: good - good; mysterious - mysterious; useful - useful; unreal - unreal;
• generalization: greens - greenery; valuables - values; chemicals – chemicals;
• social groups: young - the youth; rich - the rich; elderly - the elderly; poor - the poor;
• public characteristics: liberals - liberals; mariners - sailors; theunemployed - unemployed;

A more detailed list of such words can be found in a separate section.

English adjectives for intermediate level

Consider more complex English adjectives with Russian translation.

Intermediate adjectives
alone [əˈləʊn]	lonely	different	various
civilian	civil	pleasant	nice
death	deaf	quiet	calm; quiet
even	smooth	convenient	convenient
dangerous	dangerous	fearful	scary
narrow	narrow	dreamy	dreamy
guilty [ɡɪlti]	guilty	hurt	offended
various	different	fancy	bizarre
strange	strange	wholesale	whole
rare	rare	natural	natural
far	far	wrong	wrong
medical	medical	worried	concerned
political	political	foreign	foreign
strict	strict	historical	historical
financial	financial	unhappy [ʌnˈhæpi]	unhappy

Good luck in improving the language!

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In English, there is a truly great number of postfixes and prefixes involved in the formation of new adjectives from the original stems - nouns or verbs. Knowledge of such form-building elements and their features is a useful and necessary basis for learning adjectives in English.

Formation of adjectives in English: ways

1. With the help of postfixes from verb stems

Different postfixes introduce different nuances into the semantics of the formed adjectives. Formative elements -ible / -able indicate the presence of a certain ability to perform some action, the other postfixes indicated below contain an indication of certain properties, qualities, for example:

• reverses ible reversible, reversible, reversible
• convert ible- changeable, convertible, reversible
• miser able- meager, insignificant, unsightly, miserable, miserable
• combin able- combinable, combined, connected
• pregn ant- pregnant, rich, fraught, meaningful
• resist ant- able to resist, resistant, enduring
• relev ant relevant, pertinent, pertinent
• arrog ant- arrogant, haughty, arrogant
• confidential ent self-confident, self-confident, arrogant
• evident ent- clear, obvious, evident, obvious
• conveni ent- suitable, suitable, convenient, comfortable
• depend ent dependent, dependent, conditioned
• effect ive- Efficient, Efficient, Efficient
• progress ive- forward-thinking, forward-thinking

Postfixes –ible / -able can present a certain difficulty at the initial stage of mastering English. There are significantly more adjectives with –able in English. When forming derivative adjectives with the help of these postfixes, the original stems may undergo certain changes, namely:

- receive (receive) - receivable (able to be received, to be received): the final vowel "-e" of the original stem before the above suffixes disappears;
- rely (rely) - reliable (reliable, trustworthy, on whom you can rely): the final vowel "y" of the stem turns into "i" when these postfixes are added, and only the derivational postfix -able can be used after it;
- appreciate (highly appreciate, feel, recognize) - appreciable (tangible, significant, significant): after the final "i" in the original stem, only the postfix "-able" can be added.

2. Formation from noun stems

In the described way, adjectives are formed with the help of postfixes -al, -ful, -y, which emphasize the presence of any certain qualities or properties, the postfix -less, indicating the absence of certain properties or qualities, the postfix -ous, which characterizes certain character traits or gives the corresponding quality characteristics, and a number of others, for example:

• logic al- logical, natural, logical, consequential
• tropical al- tropical, hot, hot
• power ful- powerful, strong, mighty, powerful
• dread ful- terrible, dreadful, dreadful
• allergy ic– allergic, sensitive, intolerant
• anaerob ic- anaerobic, anoxic
• danger ous dangerous, risky, threatening
• fam ous famous, famous, renowned, legendary
• micace ous- mica
• friend ly- friendly, amiable, amiable, peaceful
• man ly- masculine, masculine, masculine
• satisfact ory sufficient, satisfactory, satisfactory
• obligat ory obligatory, obligatory, obligatory
• coins ary- monetary, monetary, currency
• contr ary- opposite, opposite
• electr ic- electric, under voltage
• phonet ic- phonetic, pertaining to phonetics
• tact less- tactless, impudent
• mother less- motherless, motherless
• cloud y- cloudy, cloudy, overcast
• tast y- tasty, pleasant, (made) with taste
• simil ar similar, alike, alike, alike, alike
• circular ar- circular, circular, circumferential
• order ary- mediocre, mediocre, ordinary, ordinary, banal
• element ary- primary, initial, basic, elementary
• intermedia ate- intermediate, middle, transitional
• adqu ate- sufficient, adequate, satisfactory, appropriate
• arch ed- vaulted, curved in the form of an arch
• double-sid ed– bilateral
• gold en- made of gold
• wood en- made of wood, wooden
• Kongol ese– pertaining to the Congo, Congolese
• Japan ese- pertaining to Japan, Japanese
• Span ish- relating to Spain, Spanish
• short ish- short, not long enough
• Tunisia n- related to Tunisia, Tunisian
• Belgium n- pertaining to Belgium, Belgian
• mass ive- large, impressive, massive
• corporate ive pertaining to a corporation, corporate

Forming adjectives in English using prefixes

A feature of English derivative adjectives is the fact that the prefixes involved in their formation for the most part contain a negative meaning. Examples of such prefixes are un-, in-, im-, dis-. There are, of course, prefixes with other meanings:

Negative values

• visible (visible) - in visible (invisible)
• correct (correct, correct, exact) - in correct (incorrect, incorrect, inaccurate)
• dead (dead) - un dead (risen from the dead)
• reasonable (prudent, reasonable, reasonable) - un reasonable (unreasonable, unreasonable, unreasonable)
• legal (lawful, legal, lawful) - il legal (illegal, illegal, illegal)
• local (local, local) - il local (non-local, non-local)
• practical (practical, real, practical, usable) - im practical (impractical, unrealistic, practically impractical, unusable
• possible (feasible, probable, possible) - im possible (impossible, unbelievable, impossible)
• honest (open, honest, conscientious) - dis honest (secretive, dishonest, shameless, dishonest)
• rational (sensible, rational, intelligible, competent) - ir rational (irrational, unintelligible, incompetent)
• realizable (feasible, feasible, realizable) - ir realizable (impossible, unfeasible, unrealizable)

Precedence value:

- war (military) - pre war (before the war, pre-war)
- historic (relating to the past, historical) - pre historic (prehistoric, primitive, very ancient)

The value of exceeding any quality, characteristics:

- active (active, active) - hyper active (overactive, hyperactive)
- tonic (associated with muscle tone, tonic) - hyper tonic (possessing increased tone, hypertonic)

Formation of adjectives in English through word formation

- the adverb "well" + adjective, for example: accepted (common, accepted) - well-accepted (popular, generally accepted); well-kept (kept in order, neat, well-groomed);
- adjective + noun, for example: sea green (sea green), ivory white (ivory);
- adjective 1 + adjective 2: this scheme is used, as a rule, in the formation of complex shades and colors, for example: dark-brown - dark brown; blue-black (blue-black); bluish-black (bluish black);
- participle + adverb, for example: above-named (above named); hard-bitten (persistent, persistent).

An adjective in English is a part of speech denoting a sign of an object and answering the questions “what?”, “which?” and etc.

For example:

clear sky - clear sky

new car - new car

old house - old house

A list of the most common adjectives with translation is in. Adjectives in English are a fairly simple grammatical topic, the only difficulty is related to the formation of degrees of comparison, this is written in a separate article:.

Gender, number and case of English adjectives

Unlike adjectives in Russian, English adjectives do not change in numbers and cases, they do not have a gender.

a young man - young man

a young woman - young woman

young people - young people

to a young woman - a young woman

Table: classification of English adjectives

Adjectives in English can be simple or complex. Simple adjectives, unlike derivatives, do not include suffixes and / or prefixes. Compound or compound adjectives formed from two or more bases are also distinguished.

Adjective in the meaning of a noun

As in Russian, some adjectives are sometimes used as a noun.

1. Designation of a group of people

Adjectives are used with a plural meaning, denoting a set or group of persons with a common feature. At the same time, the ending -s is not added to the adjective as a noun, the definite article the is used.

There is a special school for the blind in our town. There is a special school for the blind in our city.

The old and the young were evacuated from the building. The elderly and young people were evacuated from the building.

The rich are privileged. The rich (people) have privileges.

2. Designation of nationality

1. If an adjective denoting nationality ends in -an, -ian, as nouns they can be used in the singular and plural (with the ending -s) number.

a Russian

a German - German

two Americans - two Americans

two Norwegians - two Norwegians

If we add the definite article to the plural, we get the designation of the whole people as a whole:

the Russians - Russians

the Ukrainians - Ukrainians

the Austrians - Austrians

the Bulgarians - Bulgarians

2. Adjectives on -se, -ss(Chinese, Vietnamese) as nouns are used with a singular or plural value, but the ending does not change.

two Chinese - two Chinese

the Chinese - Chinese (people)

two Vietnamese - two Vietnamese

the Vietnamese - Vietnamese (people)

3. Adjectives on -sh, -ch(French, English) as a noun are used with a plural meaning, denoting the nation as a whole. In this case, the adjective is preceded by a definite article.

the French - French

the English

the Spanish - Spaniards

the Dutch

Place of an English adjective in a sentence

The place of an adjective in a sentence depends on the role in which it is used: in the role or nominal part of the compound