Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 4
Grammar: adjectives, adverbs, comparison and intensifiers
Textbook Pulse 2 Student's Book (Form 1 and 2), Units 6-9 for Tingkatan 2 — skills-based units for the UASA, pages Pulse 2 Student's Book: Writing focus pages 82 (really and a bit) and 92 (using adjectives); Cultural awareness pages 78 (Route 66) and 88 (Irish superstitions)
What this chapter covers
- I can use adjectives before a noun and after be, look, feel and seem, and put two or three adjectives in the right order (4.1)
- I can choose between -ed and -ing adjectives to say how people feel and what causes the feeling (4.2)
- I can use intensifiers such as really, very, quite, a bit, extremely and too in the right place (4.3)
- I can make adverbs of manner and place adverbs of frequency correctly (4.4)
- I can make comparatives and superlatives, regular and irregular, and use much, far and slightly to say how big the difference is (4.5)
- I can use as ... as, not as ... as, too and enough (4.6)
- I can find and correct adjective, adverb and comparison errors in UASA Paper 1 Part 2 (4.7)
Adjectives, adverbs and the little words that make them stronger or weaker (really, a bit, too) turn plain sentences into good descriptions. In Pulse 2 you meet them in blog posts and emails (pages 82 and 92) and in fact files about Route 66 and Irish beliefs (pages 78 and 88). In the UASA they are tested in Paper 1 Part 2 (find and correct the error), and you need them to compare facts in Parts 1, 3 and 4 and to write well in Paper 2.
4.1Adjectives: position and order
An adjective describes a noun: a busy road, a big shop, an interesting town. It never takes a plural -s and it does not change for singular or plural.
Pulse 2 Student's Book (Form 2), p. 92, Writing focus.
| Position | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Before the noun | a / the + adjective + noun | the biggest shop in the world; a new video game |
| After be and linking verbs | be / look / feel / seem / sound / taste + adjective | The London Underground is busy. They looked unhappy after the match. |
Opposites with un- and other prefixes
Page 82 gives friendly / unfriendly and page 92 uses happy / unhappy. Many adjectives take un- to make the opposite: tidy, untidy; fair, unfair; usual, unusual. Others use a different word: cheap, expensive; boring, interesting.
Two or three adjectives together
Opinion comes first, then size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, and then the noun: a lovely old wooden house; a small round Japanese bowl; a big black cat.
Common mistakes
"a game exciting" ✗ → an exciting game ✓ (in English the adjective goes before the noun)
"two interestings books" ✗ → two interesting books ✓
"The weather lovely." ✗ → The weather is lovely. ✓
"a red big bag" ✗ → a big red bag ✓ (size before colour)
"a game exciting" ✗ → an exciting game ✓ (in English the adjective goes before the noun)
"two interestings books" ✗ → two interesting books ✓
"The weather lovely." ✗ → The weather is lovely. ✓
"a red big bag" ✗ → a big red bag ✓ (size before colour)
Put the words in order: (a) a / leather / brown / new / bag (b) an / film / Malaysian / interesting
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(a) a new brown leather bag (b) an interesting Malaysian film
4.2Adjectives for feelings: -ed and -ing
An -ed adjective says how a person feels. An -ing adjective describes the thing or person that causes the feeling.
| -ed (how I feel) | -ing (what causes it) |
|---|---|
| I was really excited about the holiday. | The London Eye was exciting. |
| Natalie was annoyed when she lost. | Losing every time is annoying. |
| I was embarrassed when I fell. | Falling on stage is embarrassing. |
| We were bored. | The museum was boring. |
Ask "Who feels it?" A person who feels → -ed. The thing that gives the feeling → -ing. Feelings also have opposites: happy / unhappy, annoyed / pleased. Emoticons in an informal email show the same feelings.
Common mistakes
"I am very boring." ✗ (this says you make others bored) → I am very bored. ✓
"The match was excited." ✗ → The match was exciting. ✓
"I am very boring." ✗ (this says you make others bored) → I am very bored. ✓
"The match was excited." ✗ → The match was exciting. ✓
Choose: (a) The film was (frightened / frightening). (b) The pupils were (surprised / surprising) by the results.
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(a) frightening (b) surprised
4.3Intensifiers: really, very, a bit, quite, too
An intensifier goes before an adjective or adverb to say how much. It makes the word stronger or weaker.
Pulse 2 Student's Book (Form 2), p. 82, Writing focus.
| Strength | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Very strong | extremely, really, very | The London Underground is really busy. Leprechauns are very clever (p. 88). The game was extremely difficult. |
| Middle | quite, rather | The ride was quite long. |
| Weak | a bit, slightly, a little | Mum thought it was a bit scary. We got a bit lost. |
| More than is good | too | This tea is too hot to drink. |
Rewriting with a bit and really (page 82)
Not very becomes a bit
The buses weren't very fast. (slow) → The buses were a bit slow.It was hot on the train. → It was really hot on the train.
Really and a bit are informal. They suit a blog, an email or a message to a friend. In a formal letter or an essay, use very, quite or slightly.
Common mistakes
"I am very agree." ✗ (agree is a verb) → I really agree. ✓
"The film was very much interesting." ✗ → The film was really interesting. ✓
"The soup is too delicious!" ✗ (too means a problem) → The soup is really delicious! ✓
"a really good a film" ✗ → a really good film ✓
"I am very agree." ✗ (agree is a verb) → I really agree. ✓
"The film was very much interesting." ✗ → The film was really interesting. ✓
"The soup is too delicious!" ✗ (too means a problem) → The soup is really delicious! ✓
"a really good a film" ✗ → a really good film ✓
Rewrite with a bit: "The soup isn't very hot." (cold). Then add really: "I'm hungry!"
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The soup is a bit cold. / I'm really hungry!
4.4Adverbs: manner and frequency
An adverb of manner says how we do something (adjective + -ly: careful, carefully; good, well). An adverb of frequency says how often.
| Adjective | Rule | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| slow, careful, clear | add -ly | slowly, carefully, clearly |
| happy, easy, noisy | -y becomes -ily | happily, easily, noisily |
| good | irregular | well |
| fast, hard, late | no change | fast, hard, late |
The adverb of manner goes after the verb or the object: She speaks clearly. He plays chess well. A frequency adverb (always, usually, often, sometimes, never) goes before the main verb and after be: Mina always helps her mother. She is always kind. The Irish fairies aren't always good (page 88).
Common mistakes
"He plays very good." ✗ → He plays very well. ✓
"She sings beautiful." ✗ → She sings beautifully. ✓
"I play always football." ✗ → I always play football. ✓
"The food looks deliciously." ✗ → The food looks delicious. ✓ (after look, use an adjective)
"He plays very good." ✗ → He plays very well. ✓
"She sings beautiful." ✗ → She sings beautifully. ✓
"I play always football." ✗ → I always play football. ✓
"The food looks deliciously." ✗ → The food looks delicious. ✓ (after look, use an adjective)
Correct: (a) Please speak slow. (b) My brother is plays always chess.
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(a) slowly (b) My brother always plays chess.
4.5Comparatives and superlatives
A comparative compares two things (+ than). A superlative picks one from three or more (the + ... + in / of).
| Adjective | Rule | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| long, fast, cheap | -er / -est | longer, faster, cheaper | the longest, the fastest, the cheapest |
| big, hot, thin | double the letter | bigger, hotter, thinner | the biggest, the hottest, the thinnest |
| busy, easy, pretty | -y becomes -ier / -iest | busier, easier, prettier | the busiest, the easiest, the prettiest |
| famous, expensive, difficult, beautiful | more / the most | more famous, more expensive | the most famous, the most expensive |
| good / well, bad, far, much / many | irregular | better, worse, farther / further, more | the best, the worst, the farthest / furthest, the most |
From the Route 66 and London texts
Cars were new then, so wide roads like Route 66 made it much easier to travel. Now there are newer, longer highways.The 1928 race was the longest race in history.
Harrods is the biggest shop in the world.
Pulse 2 Student's Book (Form 2), p. 78 (Route 66) and p. 82 (London blog).
How big is the difference?
Put much, far, a lot (big difference) or a bit, slightly (small difference) before a comparative: The race was much longer than Route 66. Route 66 is much shorter than the race route. My new ruler is slightly longer than my old one. Adverbs compare too: Zul rode faster than me. Please walk more slowly.
The ... the ...
For two things that change together: The more you practise, the better you play. The earlier we leave, the fewer cars we meet.
Common mistakes
"more taller" ✗ → taller ✓ "the most easiest" ✗ → the easiest ✓
"gooder", "more better" ✗ → better ✓
"taller from me" ✗ → taller than me ✓
"the best student of Malaysia" ✗ → the best student in Malaysia ✓
"more taller" ✗ → taller ✓ "the most easiest" ✗ → the easiest ✓
"gooder", "more better" ✗ → better ✓
"taller from me" ✗ → taller than me ✓
"the best student of Malaysia" ✗ → the best student in Malaysia ✓
Complete: (a) Gunung Tahan is ______ (high) than Bukit Larut. (b) This is ______ (interesting) town on the route. (c) The weather is ______ (bad) today.
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(a) higher (b) the most interesting (c) worse
4.6As ... as, not as ... as, too and enough
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| as + adjective + as | Zul's new bike is as light as a feather. | the same |
| not as + adjective + as | The bus is not as fast as the train. | less; the train is faster |
| too + adjective (+ to + verb) | The tea is too hot to drink. | more than is good: a problem |
| adjective + enough | The room is big enough for ten people. | as much as needed |
Common mistakes
"as taller as" ✗ → as tall as ✓
"enough big" ✗ → big enough ✓ (enough goes after the adjective)
"too much hot" ✗ → too hot ✓
"as taller as" ✗ → as tall as ✓
"enough big" ✗ → big enough ✓ (enough goes after the adjective)
"too much hot" ✗ → too hot ✓
Rewrite with not as ... as: "A train is faster than a bus."
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A bus is not as fast as a train.
4.7Exam skill: correcting errors in Paper 1 Part 2
In Part 2 you read a text with underlined errors and write the correct word for each one. Use four steps.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Read the whole sentence | Do not look at the underlined word alone. |
| 2. Find the job of the word | Describes a noun, or comes after be / look → adjective. Describes how → adverb. Before an adjective → intensifier. |
| 3. Look for signal words | than → comparative. the ... in / of → superlative. as ... as → plain form. A person feels → -ed. A thing causes → -ing. |
| 4. Write and check | Write only the correct word(s). Check the spelling (happier, biggest, carefully). |
Worked example
"The final was (1) excited. Our team played (2) good, and the pitch was (3) more big than ours."(1) The match causes the feeling: exciting.
(2) It describes how they played: the adverb well.
(3) "than" needs a comparative; big doubles the g: bigger.
Use the numbers. A smaller race time is faster; a smaller price is cheaper. Work out the comparison before you choose True or False.
Summary
| Topic | Remember |
|---|---|
| Adjectives | Before the noun or after be / look; no plural -s; opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material. |
| -ed / -ing | -ed = how I feel; -ing = what causes it. |
| Intensifiers | really = very; a bit = a little; quite; extremely; too = a problem. Before an adjective. |
| Adverbs | adjective + -ly; good, well. Manner after the verb or object; frequency before the main verb, after be. |
| Comparison | -er than / more ... than; the -est / the most ... in / of; better, worse. much / a bit + comparative. The more ... the better. |
| As ... as, too, enough | as tall as; not as tall as; too hot; hot enough. |