Introduce
An adjective modifies nouns or pronouns.
1. Adjectives are invariable:
They do not change their form depending on the gender or number of the noun.
- A hot potato
- Some hot potatoes
2. To emphasise or strengthen the meaning of an adjective use 'very' or 'really':
- A very hot potato
- Some really hot potatoes.
Position of adjectives
a) Usually in front of a noun:
b) After verbs like "to be", linking verbs like "become", "seem", "appear", "turn", "get", "be",.. and cognitive verbs like "look", "taste", "sound", "smell",...
Examples
- The girl is beautiful
- You look tired
- This meat tastes funny
c) After the noun: in some fixed expressions:
Examples
- The Princess Royal
- The President elect
- a court martial
d) After the noun with the adjectives involved, present, concerned:
Examples
- I want to see the people involved/concerned (= the people who have something to do with the matter)
- Here is a list of the people present (= the people who were in the building or at the meeting)
Be careful! When these adjectives are used before the noun they have a different meaning:
- An involved discussion = detailed, complex
- A concerned father = worried, anxious
- The present situation = current, happening now
e) After indenfinite pronouns like someone, something, anything, noone,...
- I couldn't see anything wrong here.
f) NOTES: Besides, we can use adjective in structures:
- be + too + adj + to do something
- She is too short to play basketball.
- be + adj + enough (+for someone/something) + to do something
- Lisa is intelligent enough to do that work.
- Subject + be/ verb + so + adj + that + clause ( S +V)
- She is so kind that everyone loves her.
- S + V + such + a/an + adj + that + clause
- It was such a hot day that we decided to stay indoors.
- "It is" Adj + (for so) + Infinitive
Express opinion or advice
- It is difficult for me to guess what will happen.
- It was difficult to answer the question.
g) Adjective in exclamative sentence:
- What + a/an + adj + Noun !
- What an awful day!
- What a beautiful cat!
- How kind the girl is!
- How interesting this film is!
- S + find + it + adj + to do ST
- Bin found it difficult to learn English.
- He finds it unpleasant to work in a noisy place.