Language Learning
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. Normally it goes before a noun. It describes some quality of the noun.
Red is an adjective that describes the colour of something, for example a red hat.
Adjectives can be comparative or superlative. Comparatives compare one thing with another. New York is bigger than Oxford. Superlatives say that things are number one in their class. The class may be good or bad. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. That was the most disgusting meal I have ever had.
To form comparatives add ...er to all one syllable words and to all two syllable words ending in ...y. The y changes to an i. For one syllable words ending vowel consonant you need also to double the consonant. Late Later. Near Nearer. Lucky Luckier. Big Bigger. For all other adjectives we add more. Beautiful More Beautiful. Recent More Recent.
Superlatives nearly always start with "the". To form superlatives use the and add ...est to all one syllable words and to all two syllable words ending in ...y. The y changes to an i. For one syllable words ending vowel consonant you need also to double the consonant. Late The Latest. Near The Nearest. Lucky The Luckiest. Big The Biggest. For all other adjectives we add "the most". Beautiful The Most Beautiful. Recent The Most Recent.
The order in which adjectives come before a noun is a complicated and there are many exceptions. The general order is as follows:
1. quantity or number: Many, enough, a bit, twenty.
2. quality: Good, bad, nice, ugly, lovely.
3. size: Tiny, big, large, long, heavy.
4. age: Nineteenth century, old, modern, old fashioned, prehistoric, futuristic, fresh.
5. shape: Angular, curved, square, uneven, irregular.
6. colour: Red, burgundy, black and white, colourless, transparent.
7. proper adjective: Spanish, English, European, Middle eastern, Lunar, heavenly.
8. purpose or qualifier: tennis, sports, culinary, teaching.
A dozen best quality large ripe round green English eating apples.