Where a number of adjectives are used together, the order depends on the function of the adjective. The usual order is:
Value/opinion, Size, Age/Temperature, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material
Examples:
These adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative forms:
Adjectives tell us more about a noun.
They can:
Describe feelings or qualities:
Give nationality or origin:
Tell more about a thing's characteristics:
Tell us about age:
Tell us about size and measurement:
Tell us about colour:
Tell us about material/what something is made of:
Tell us about shape:
Express a judgement or a value:
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. |
(BUT see also Modifiers/Adverbs)
3. Position of adjectives:
a) Usually in front of a noun: A beautiful girl.b) After verbs like "to be", "to seem" , "to look", "to taste":
- The girl is beautiful
- You look tired
- This meat tastes funny.
c) After the noun: in some fixed expressions:
- The Princess Royal
- The President elect
- a court martial
the adjectives involved, present, concerned:
- 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
To show difference: more, less, fewer + than
Examples:
With countable nouns: more / fewer
- Eloise has more children than Chantal.
- Chantal has fewer children than Eloise.
- There are fewer dogs in Cardiff than in Bristol
- I have visited fewer countries than my friend has.
- He has read fewer books than she has.
With uncountable nouns: more / less
- Eloise has more money than Chantal.
- Chantal has less money than Eloise.
- I spend less time on homework than you do.
- Cats drink less water than dogs.
- This new dictionary gives more information than the old one.
So, the rule is:
MORE + nouns that are countable or uncountable
FEWER + countable nouns
LESS + uncountable nouns
To show no difference: as much as , as many as, as few as, as little as
Examples:
With countable nouns:
- They have as many children as us.
- We have as many customers as them.
- Tom has as few books as Jane.
- There are as few houses in his village as in mine.
- You know as many people as I do.
- I have visited the States as many times as he has.
With uncountable nouns:
- John eats as much food as Peter.
- Jim has as little food as Sam.
- You've heard as much news as I have.
- He's had as much success as his brother has.
- They've got as little water as we have.
