The man was carrying a small black plastic bag.
4. We usually put comparative and superlative adjectives in front of other adjectives.
e.g. Some of the better English actors have gone to live in Hollywood.
These are the highest monthly figures on record.
5. When we use a noun in front of another noun, we never put adjectives between them. We put any adjectives in front of the first noun.
e.g. He works in the French film industry.
He receives a large weekly cash payment.
6. When we use two adjectives as the complement of a link verb, we use a conjunction such as ‘and’ to link them. With three or more adjectives, we link the last two with a conjunction, and put commas after the others.
e.g. The day was hot and dusty.
The room was large but square.
The house was old, damp and smelly.
We felt hot, tired and thirsty.
Adjectives with prepositions.
1. When we use an adjective after a link verb, we can often use the adjective on its own or followed by a prepositional phrase.
e.g. He was afraid.
He was afraid of his enemies.
2. Some adjectives cannot be used alone after a link verb. If they are followed by a prepositional phrase, it must have a particular preposition:
| aware of | unaware of | fond of |
e.g. I've always been terribly fond of you.
He is unaccustomed to the heat.
3. Some adjectives can be used alone, or followed by a particular preposition.
| afraid | critical | jealous | suspicious |
They may feel jealous of your success.
I was terrified of her.
| brave | good | polite | thoughtful |
That was clever of you!
I turned the job down, which was stupid of me.
| similarity: close equal identical related similar marriage: married engaged loyalty: dedicated devoted loyal rank: junior senior |
e.g.My problems are very similar to yours.
He was dedicated to his job.
| bored | displeased | impatient | pleased |
e.g. I could never be bored with football.
He was pleased with her.
| strong reactions: amazed astonished shocked surprised ability: bad excellent good hopeless useless |
e.g. He was shocked at the hatred they had shown.
She had always been good at languages.
| common | essential | possible | unusual |
e.g. It's difficult for young people on their own.
It was unusual for them to go away at the weekend.
4. Some adjectives can be used alone, or used with different prepositions.
| cruel | good | nasty | rude |
e.g. It was rude of him to leave so suddenly.
She was rude to him for no reason.
¨ used alone, with ‘about’ to specify a thing or ‘with’ to specify a person
| angry | delighted | fed up | happy |
e.g. She was still angry about the result.
They're getting pretty fed up with him.
Adjectives with ‘to’-infinitive or ‘that’-clauses
1. After link verbs, we often use adjectives that describe how someone feels about an action or situation. With some adjectives, we can add a ‘to’-infinitive clause or a ‘that’-clause to say what the action or situation is.
| afraid | disappointed | happy | sad |
If the subject is the same in both clauses, we usually use a ‘to’-infinitive clause. If the subject is different, we must use a ‘that’-clause.
e.g. I was happy to see them again.
He was happy that they were coming to the party.
We often use a ‘to’-infinitive clause when talking about future time in relation to the main clause.
e.g. I am afraid to go home.
He was anxious to leave before it got dark.
We often use a ‘that’-clause when talking about present or past time in relation to the main clause.
e.g. He was anxious that the passport was missing.
They were afraid that I might have talked to the police.
2. We often use ‘sorry’ with a ‘that’-clause. Note that ‘that’ is often omitted.
e.g. I'm very sorry that I can't join you.
I'm sorry I'm so late.
3. Some adjectives are not usually used alone, but have a ‘to’-infinitive clause after them to say what action or situation the adjective relates to.
| able | due | likely | unlikely |
e.g. They were unable to help her.
They were not likely to forget it.
I am willing to try.
I'm prepared to say I was wrong.
4. When we want to express an opinion about someone or something, we often use an adjective followed by a ‘to’-infinitive clause.
| difficult easy impossible possible right wrong |
e.g. She had been easy to deceive.
The windows will be almost impossible to open.
Am I wrong to stay here?
5. With some adjectives, we use a ‘that’-clause to express an opinion about someone or something.
| awful | extraordinary | important | sad |
e.g. I was sad that people had reacted in this way.
. It is extraordinary that we should ever have met!
6. We can also use adjectives with ‘to’-infinitive clauses after ‘it’ as the impersonal subject. We use the preposition ‘of ’ or ‘for’ to indicate the person or thing that the adjective relates to.
e.g. It was easy to find the path.
It was good of John to help me.
It was difficult for her to find a job.
Adjectives ending in ‘-ing’ or ‘-ed’
1. We use many ‘-ing’ adjectives to describe the effect that something has on our feelings, or on the feelings of people in general. For example, if we talk about 'a surprising number', we mean that the number surprises us.
| alarming | charming | embarrassing | surprising |
e.g. He lives in a charming house just outside the town.
She always has a warm welcoming smile.
2. We use some ‘-ing’ adjectives to describe something that continues over a period of time.
| ageing | decreasing | existing | living |
e.g. Britain is an ageing society.
Increasing prices are making food very expensive.
3. Many ‘-ed’ adjectives describe people's feelings. They have the same form as the past participle of a transitive verb and have a passive meaning. For example, ‘a frightened person’ is a person who has been frightened by something.
| alarmed | delighted | frightened | surprised |
e.g. She looks alarmed about something.
A bored student complained to his teacher.
She had big blue frightened eyes.
Note that the past participles of irregular verbs do not end in ‘-ed’, but can be used as adjectives.
e.g. The bird had a broken wing.
His coat was dirty and torn.
4. Like other adjectives, ‘-ing’ and ‘-ed’ adjectives can be:
They still show amazing loyalty to their parents.
This is the most terrifying tale ever written.
I was thanked by the satisfied customer.
The worried authorities cancelled the match.
It's amazing what they can do.
The present situation is terrifying.
He felt satisfied with all the work he had done.
My husband was worried.
The film was quite boring.
There is nothing very surprising in this.
She was quite astonished at his behaviour.
He was a very disappointed young man.
His argument was more convincing than mine.
He became even more depressed after she died.
This is one of the most boring books I've ever read.
She was the most interested in going to the cinema.
5. A small number of ‘-ed‘ adjectives are normally only used after link verbs such as ‘be‘, ‘become‘, or ‘feel‘. They are related to transitive verbs, and are often followed by a prepositional phrase, a ‘to‘-infinitive clause, or a ‘that‘-clause.
| convinced | interested | prepared | tired |
e.g. The Brazilians are pleased with the results.
He was always prepared to account for his actions.
She was scared that they would find her.