ADJECTIVES ORDER

Copyright British Council

Sometimes we use more than one adjective in front of a noun:

He was a nice intelligent young man.
She had a small round black wooden box.

Opinion adjectives:

Some adjectives give a general opinion. We can use these adjectives to describe almost any noun:

good	bad	lovely	strange
beautiful	nice	brilliant	excellent
awful	important	wonderful	nasty

Some adjectives give a specific opinion. We only use these adjectives to describe particular kinds of noun:

Food: tasty; delicious
Furniture, buildings: comfortable; uncomfortable
People, animals: clever; intelligent; friendly

We usually put a general opinion in front of a specific opinion:

Nice tasty soup.
A nasty uncomfortable armchair
A lovely intelligent animal

Usually we put an adjective that gives an opinion in front of an adjective that is descriptive:

a nice red dress; a silly old man; those horrible yellow curtains

We often have two adjectives in front of a noun:

a handsome young man; a big black car; that horrible big dog

Sometimes we have three adjectives, but this is unusual:

a nice handsome young man;
a big black American car;
that horrible big fierce dog

It is very unusual to have more than three adjectives.

Adjectives usually come in this order:

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
General opinion	Specific opinion	Size	Shape	Age	Colour	Nationality	Material

We use some adjectives only after a link verb:

afraid	alive	alone	asleep
content	glad	ill	ready
sorry	sure	unable	well

S
ome of the commonest -ed adjectives are normally used only after a link verb:
annoyed;  finished;  bored; pleased; thrilled
We say:

Our teacher was ill.
My uncle was very glad when he heard the news.
The policeman seemed to be very annoyed

but we do not say:

We had an ill teacher.
When he heard the news he was a very glad uncle
He seemed to be a very annoyed policeman

A few adjectives are used only in front of a noun:

north south east west

northern southern eastern western

countless occasional lone

eventful indoor outdoor

We say:

He lives in the eastern district.
There were countless problems with the new machinery.

but we do not say:

The district he lives in is eastern
The problems with the new machinery were countless.

Try these tasks to improve your adjective ordering.

EXERCISE 1
EXERCISE 2
EXERCISE 3

NARRATIVE & DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Types of Papers: Narrative/Descriptive (FROM ROANE STATE EDU)

To write a narrative essay, you’ll need to tell a story (usually about something that happened to you) in such a way that he audience learns a lesson or gains insight.
To write a descriptive essay, you’ll need to describe a person, object, or event so vividly that the reader feels like he/she could reach out and touch it.
Tips for writing effective narrative and descriptive essays:

• Tell a story about a moment or event that means a lot to you--it will make it easier for you to tell the story in an interesting way!
• Get right to the action!  Avoid long introductions and lengthy descriptions--especially at the beginning of your narrative.
• Make sure your story has a point! Describe what you learned from this experience.
• Use all five of your senses to describe the setting, characters, and the plot of your story. Don't be afraid to tell the story in your own voice.  Nobody wants to read a story that sounds like a textbook!

How to Write Vivid Descriptions

Having trouble describing a person, object, or event for your narrative or descriptive essay?  Try filling out this chart:

What do you smell?	What do you taste?	What do you see?	What do you hear?	What might you touch or feel?

Remember:  Avoid simply telling us what something looks like--tell us how it tastes, smells, sounds, or feels!
Consider this…

• Virginia rain smells different from a California drizzle.
• A mountain breeze feels different from a sea breeze.
• We hear different things in one spot, depending on the time of day.
• You can “taste” things you’ve never eaten: how would sunscreen taste?

Using Concrete Details for Narratives

Effective narrative essays allow readers to visualize everything that's happening, in their minds.  One way to make sure that this occurs is to use concrete, rather than abstract, details. 

Concrete Language…	Abstract Language…
…makes the story or image seem clearer and more real to us.	...makes the story or image difficult to visualize.
…gives us information that we can easily grasp and perhaps empathize with.	…leaves your reader feeling empty, disconnected, and possibly confused.

The word “abstract” might remind you of modern art.  An abstract painting, for example, does not normally contain recognizable objects.  In other words, we can't look at the painting and immediately say "that's a house" or "that's a bowl of fruit."  To the untrained eye, abstract art looks a bit like a child's finger-painting--just brightly colored splotches on a canvas. Avoid abstract language—it won’t help the reader understand what you're trying to say!
Examples:
Abstract:  It was a nice day.  Concrete:  The sun was shining and a slight breeze blew across my face. 
Abstract:  I liked writing poems, not essays.  Concrete:  I liked writing short, rhythmic poems and hated rambling on about my thoughts in those four-page essays. 
Abstract:  Mr. Smith was a great teacher. Concrete:  Mr. Smith really knew how to help us turn our thoughts into good stories and essays.

Sample Papers - Narration

• Student Sample: Holiday Warfare
• Student Sample: Leandro
• Student Sample: Small-Town Terror

Sample Papers - Descriptive

• Student Sample: Young Lions, Young Ladies
• Student Sample: The Old Fence
• Student Sample: The Curse of the Dump
• Student Sample: Diller's Dilemma
• Student Sample: Lou’s Place

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE vs PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.

Form

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs Example: I / you / we / they have spoken he / she / it has spoken regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed Example: I / you / we / they have worked he / she / it has worked	form of 'have' + been + verb + ing   Example: I / you / we / they have been speaking he / she / it has been speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - worried but: play - played	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming aber: agree - agreeing after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: sit - sitting after a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English). Example: travel - travelling final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

Use

Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.

Result or duration?

Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been going on yet?

Present Perfect SimplE	Present Perfect Progressive
Result (what / how much / how often) I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.	Duration (how long) I have been writing for an hour.

Certain verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive form).

• state: be, have (for possession only)

Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks.

• senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch

Example: He has touched the painting.

• brain work: believe, know, think, understand

Example: I have known him for 3 years.

Emphasis on completion or duration?

Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (how has somebody spent his time)?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
Emphasis on completion I have done my homework. (Meaning: My homework is completed now.)	Emphasis on duration I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have spent my time. It does not matter whether the homework is completed now.)

Result or side effect?

Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that the action had an unwanted side effect?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
desired result I have washed the car. (Result: The car is clean now.)	unwanted side effect Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became wet when I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean now.)

Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action?

In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the last time the action took place or since the beginning of the action?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
since the last time I haven't played that game for years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last played that game.)	since the beginning I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10 minutes. (Meaning: It's not even an hour ago that I started to play that game.)

Permanent or temporary?

If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent situation, we would usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situations, we would prefer the Present Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency.

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
permanent James has lived in this town for 10 years. (Meaning: He is a permanent resident of this town.)	temporary James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation is only temporary. Maybe he is an exchange student and only here for one or two years.)

Signal words

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
how often ... times	how long since for

Exercises on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive

EXERCISE ONE

EXERCISE TWO

EXERCISE THREE

 

PRONOUNS

EXERCISE ONE

COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

By www.espressoenglisn.net

Have you ever noticed some English words with hyphens between them? For example:

•  a well-known author
•  an English-speaking country
•  a three-hour movie
•  a part-time job
•  a middle-aged woman

These are called compound adjectives – meaning an adjective that has two or more words.
In this lesson, you’re going to learn some of the most compound adjectives with example sentences.

Compound Adjectives with Numbers

• three-second
  There’s a three-second delay.
• ten-minute
  Let’s take a ten-minute break.
• two-hour
  She attended a two-hour seminar.
• five-day
  He went on a five-day trip.
• six-week
  We took a six-week course.
• one-month
  The penalty for cheating is a one-month suspension.
• two-year
  I have a two-year contract with my cell phone provider.
• four-year-old
  I have a four-year-old son.
• twelve-storey
  We live in a twelve-storey apartment building
• twenty-page
  He handed me a twenty-page report.

Common Error: adding -S

Don’t use -s at the end of compound adjectives with numbers:

• Let’s take a ten-minutes break.
• Let’s take a ten-minute break.

Adjective / Adverb + Past Participle

• narrow-minded = not open to different ideas/thoughts
  I can’t stand narrow-minded people who are intolerant of new ideas.
• well-behaved
  They have three well-behaved children.
• old-fashioned
  We had lunch in an old-fashioned restaurant with décor from the 1950s.
• densely-populated
  This densely-populated area has the highest crime rates in the country.
• short-haired
  He was dancing with a short-haired woman.
• widely-recognized
  She’s a widely-recognized expert in technology.
• high-spirited = with a lot of energy
  The students gave a high-spirited musical performance.
• well-educated
  A lot of well-educated people are still having trouble finding jobs.
• highly-respected
  Our speaker tonight is a highly-respected scholar.
• brightly-lit
  We live on a brightly-lit street in the city center.
• absent-minded = forgetful, not thinking
  His absent-minded comment hurt his sister’s feelings.
• strong-willed = strong desires, stubborn, does not desist
  She’s a strong-willed woman who won’t stop until she gets what she wants.
• quick-witted = intelligent, clever, fast at thinking and discovering things
  The quick-witted detective solved the crime before anyone else had a clue.
• middle-aged = around 40-50 years old
  A lot of middle-aged men are dissatisfied with their lives.
• kind-hearted = friendly
  A kind-hearted stranger helped us find the train station.

Adjective / Adverb / Noun + Present Participle (-ING)

• good-looking = attractive, beautiful, handsome
  Who’s that good-looking guy over there?
• long-lasting
  This long-lasting makeup will keep you looking lovely day and night.
• record-breaking
  The athlete’s record-breaking performance won him the gold medal.
• never-ending
  Learning a language seems to be a never-ending process.
• mouth-watering
  There was a variety of mouth-watering desserts at the wedding reception.
• thought-provoking
  It was a thought-provoking novel.
• slow-moving
  I was stuck in slow-moving traffic for over an hour.
• far-reaching
  The new law will have far-reaching effects in the economy.
• time-saving
  These time-saving techniques will help you work more efficiently.
• forward-thinking
  Some forward-thinking politicians are proposing reforms to the educational system.

Other Compound Adjectives

• ice-cold
  There’s nothing better than drinking an ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day.
• last-minute
  I hate it when my boss wants to make last-minute changes to a publication.
• full-length
  The director produced his first full-length movie in 1998.
• world-famous
  We had dinner at a world-famous Italian restaurant.
• fat-free
  These fat-free cookies are delicious!

When to use a hyphen?

Use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes BEFORE the noun it modifies, but not when it comes AFTER the noun.

This is a world-famous museum.
This museum is world famous.

We walked into a brightly-lit room.
We walked into a room that was brightly lit.

It was quite a thought-provoking book.
The book was quite thought provoking.

EXERCISE ONE

EXERCISE TWO 

THE ... THE. COMPARISON.

THE MORE ENGLISH YOU STUDY 

THE FASTER YOU LEARN IT.

Adverb
1. With a comparative or more and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.

• The hotter, the better.
• The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
• The more money donated, the more books purchased and the more happy children.
• It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.

2. With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.

• It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
• It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
• I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.

IN BRIEF: That's a standard construction for comparatives: the ... the ...

Each 'the' is followed by a comparative. That example above is the simplest formation and would refer back to something previously said, so many of the words are simply understood. For example, if someone had offered you a piece of cake and wanted to know whether you wanted a big piece or a small piece, you might answer "The bigger (the piece of cake is) the better (I will like it)."

you will also find more complex the... the... sentences:
The longer you wait, the worse it will get.
The more fruit you eat, the healthier you will be.
The less time you waste, the better off you will be.

EXERCISE ONE  EXERCISE TWO