Medan
Showing posts with label Online Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Online Teaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Shopping vocabulary
- Transaction i.e. buying and selling
- To be on sale (adjective phrase): Sometimes shop keepers purposely reduce the price of the product to attract more customers. When this happens, we say that the products are on sale.
Example: This pair of shoes is on sale, 50% off.
- Price/Cost (noun): you probably already know these words. Here are some ways that you can use them.
Example: What’s the price for 3 cartons of milk?
- Pay (verb): you already know the word pay so here are some ways in which you can pay for something.
Pay with Credit/Debit card is to use your bank-issued plastic card to pay. A credit card lends you some money, which needs to be paid back to the bank later. A debit card directly links to your bank account.
- Taxes (noun): Have you noticed that when you buy something for 15 dollars, you may actually need to pay more than 15 dollars. This is because the government has imposed some taxes upon that product. There are two types of prices: taxes incl. (included) or taxes not included.
If it is taxes not include, well, you need to pay for what’s listed and for taxes as well. Be careful!
- Discount (noun): While a sale is something that the seller organizes, a discount is something that you need to ask for. For example, if your jacket has a small scratch, you may ask for a discount. Or if you want to buy 10 pair of shoes at the same time, you may also ask for a discount.
- Making it your own
- Style (noun): you already know how important the style of a product is. You can use kind or type to mean the same thing.
Example: Do you think this style suits me?
Example: This store doesn’t have the kind of jackets that I need.
- Size (noun): there are many ways to measure the size of a product, either by number or by letter. Depending on the metric system that your country uses, you can be wearing size 8 for your shoes or size 42. Using letters such a S, M and L is common too. S stands for small, M for medium and L for large. If you see XS, it means extra small, or even smaller than small.
- Color (noun): or colour in British English. Some people prefer to wear monochromatic clothing, which means clothes that have only one color. The prefix mono means one and the root chromatic means color.
- The base products
- Feature (noun): a feature is something that the product has. For example, a feature of a car is its brakes or a feature of a cup is the handle.
Example: There are many useless features in this fridge. I just need a durable one please.
Tip: You can use feature as a verb to mean to have something. For example: This camera features the latest technology in noise reduction.
- Benefit (noun): a benefit is something that is good for you. You may hear the salesman talking about a lot of modern features on a product but you do not really understand how they are going to help you. If so, you may ask “What are the benefits of using this product?”
Tip: It can also be used as a verb to mean to be good for something. For example: How does this TV benefit me?
- After you have bought it
- Warranty (noun): sometimes when you buy an expensive product like a laptop or a TV, the manufacturer issues a warranty. A warranty is a promise that, within a certain amount of time, if anything is wrong with the product, the manufacturer will fix it for you, for free.
Tip: You can ask if something is still in warranty to check if the company still offers to fix it for free.
- Return policy (noun): while the warranty is from the manufacturer i.e. who actually make the product, a return policy is issued by the store or the one who is selling the product. Some store may have a return policy which states that you will exchange a new product for you if the old one spoils, for example.
- Receipt (noun): a receipt is a proof that you have paid money for something. On your receipt, you will see the price, the date of purchase, If you do not have a receipt to prove that you own the product, there’s no warranty nor return policy for you!
In conclusion, we have learned about 4 steps of shopping. You start by studying the features and benefits of a product. Then, you choose the suitable style, size and color for your own usage. You can make a purchase by paying by cash or paying with credit/debit cards. You may even get a good deal if the product is on sale or if you ask for a discount. Finally, before leaving the store, remember to ask about the warranty and the return policy and DO NOT lose your receipt.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Very - Too - Enough
The following grammar notes show the difference uses (and word order) of Very, Too and Enough.
Very and Too + adjective
1. The exam is very difficult, but Jim can complete it.2. The exam is too difficult. Jim can't complete it.
Too difficult = It is impossible for Jim to complete the exam.
Remember that Too implies a negative result.
Too + adjective + infinitive
- Alex couldn't play basketball because he was too short.
- Alex was too short to play basketball.
- We are too tired to go to the gym.
- Mary was too ill to finish her food.
Too + adjective + for (someone) + infinitive
- I can't walk to Valparaiso because it is too far.
- Valparaiso is too far for me to walk.
- It is too late for me to go out.
- The soup is too cold for Tim to eat.
- The price of the ticket is too expensive for Mike to fly to Europe.
Enough + noun
Enough (pronounced "enuf")There was sufficient food for everybody at the party.
- There was enough food for everybody at the party.
- I had enough money to pay for dinner with my girlfriend.
- Is there enough time to finish the test?
Adjective + Enough
Everybody notices her because she is very pretty.- She is pretty enough for everybody to notice her.
- My friend lives close enough to my house to walk.
- Last summer it was hot enough to go swimming every day.
Enough + infinitive
- When she lost her dog, it was enough to make her cry.
- He was sick enough to stay home from work today.
- I arrived at the airport early enough to make my flight to New York.
Quantifiers
What are quantifiers?
Quantifiers tell us something about the amount or quantity of something (a noun).Some quantifiers express a small or large quantity:
- Small: I have a few things to do before finishing work.
- Large: I have many things to do before finishing work.
- Part: It rains most days in winter.
- All: It rained all day yesterday.
Examples of quantifiers
Quantifiers can be a single word (e.g. some) or a phrase (e.g. a lot of). Quantifiers that appear as a phrase are often called Complex Quantifiers.Simple Quantifiers: all, another, any, both, each, either, enough, every, few, fewer, little, less, many, more, much, neither, no, several, some.
Complex Quantifiers: a few, a little, a lot of, lots of
The position of quantifiers
We put quantifiers at the beginning of noun phrases.quantifier + noun
- some people
- many old books
- a lot of very crazy drivers
- These books are old but some are still in good condition. (Some refers to some books)
Quantifier + Noun
CHART COMING SOONFormal and Informal Quantifiers
Sometimes we can make a sentence more formal or more informal (or natural) just by changing the quantifier.Many people where invited to the wedding. (formal)
A lot of people arrived late. (informal/natural)
They made little progress. (formal)
They didn't make much progress. (informal/natural)
The Differerence Or Versus in English
HOUSE and HOME
Something that confuses people learning English is the difference between HOUSE and HOMEA HOUSE is the BUILDING where the majority of people live. It normally has bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a dining room.
A HOME is a PLACE where someone lives. Normally it is a house but it can be other things too: a narrowboat (a boat on a canal which someone lives in), a caravan (a house which is similar to a van or truck, which can be driven around) or an apartment (a kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom(s) in a building that has other apartments in it). Home is often associated with a family and/or the place you feel attached to.
Types of Houses
There are many types of houses. One of the most common is a detached house – a house which stands on its own and touches nothing else).Another type of house is a semi-detached house (called a duplex in the US). This type of house touches another house on one side, and they share the wall between them.
A common house in London is a terrace house (called a row house in the US) which touches another house on both sides.
A fourth type of house is a bungalow (called a ranch house in the US). This type of house only has one floor and doesn’t have any stairs. They are uncommon in the UK because they take up a lot of land but they are more common in the US.
So a HOUSE is a building where many people live and a HOME is the place you live.
Animals have homes but they don’t have houses (apart from dogs – a doghouse is the small wooden house where a dog sleeps outside).
What do we call a fox’s home? A den (the hole in the ground where a fox lives).
And a rabbit? A warren (the maze of tunnels underground where a large group of rabbits live).
Phrases and Idioms associated with Houses and Homes
There are many phrases and idioms associated with houses and homes. Here are some of them:Home Sweet Home
It means that the best and most comfortable place is your home. When arriving home from a long day at work you might think ‘Ahh… Home Sweet Home’.
Make a house a home
This means to change a house (just a building) into a home (somewhere comfortable where you can relax). People often say that it takes a woman to make a house a home!
To move house
This means to change the house that you live in. For example: ‘We used to live in New York but we moved house. Now we live in Chicago.’
To call somewhere home
A common phrase is ‘So, where do you call home?’. This means where do you come from? or where is your home? You might be living in another city or a foreign country for a while (months or years) though you may not consider it your home, just somewhere where you are living for now.
Numbers 0 to 100 and Large Number
Describing Someone Appearences
Menjelaskan ciri-ciri fisik seseorang, sering terjadi dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Seperti pada saat kita mencari seseorang yang kita tidak tahu identitasnya atau sebaliknya, interview melalui telepon, dll. Seorang siswa di tuntut harus mampu menjelaskan/mendeskripsikan ciri-ciri seseorang termasuk dirinya sendiri.
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| Contoh Dialog |
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| Ukuran Badan |
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| Bentuk Badan |
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| Warna Kulit |
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| Warna Rambut dan Bola Mata |
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| Model Rambut |
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| Kondisi Kulit |
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Learning English with Song #Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On
Song: My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
| In | Near | across | between | for | in |
| on | till | to |
Every night my dreams
I see you. I feel you.
That is how I know you go .
Far the distance
And spaces us
You have come show you go .
, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go
Once more you open the door
And youre here my heart
And my heart will go and
Love can touch us one time
And last a lifetime
And never go were one
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold
my life well always go
, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go
Once more you open the door
And youre here my heart
And my heart will go and
There is some love that will not
go away
Youre here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go
Well stay forever this way
You are safe my heart
And my heart will go and
Source : http://www.learnenglishthroughsongs.com/ ; https://www.youtube.com/
Season and Weather
Indonesia has just 2 seasons but the weather has similarity in several countries as well as in Indonesia. Get clear with the weather here... 
Uses of Must
Must is one of Modals Verb that often uses in daily conversation. Get close with it here...
Simple Conditionals Trick
Conditionals is one vocational grade lesson and may difficult to tackle by some students. Here is a simple trick to understand it. Nice learning
www.grammar.cl ;
www.vocabulary.cl ;
www.woodwardenglish.com Download :
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Conditional Sentences
IF Conditional
Because conditional sentences are quite complex in both form and meaning, they are a problem for most learners of English. If you have a good understanding of the English tense system and of the modal auxiliaries, you will find it easier to understand and use conditional sentences. (The sentence you just read is a predictive conditional sentence.) All conditional sentences contain a dependent clause and an independent clause. The dependent clause usually begins with if; it expresses a condition. The independent clause expresses a result of the condition. The if-clause is usually first, but the order of the clauses is usually not important. Thus, these two sentences have basically the same meaning:If she goes to the store, she will buy ice cream.
She will buy ice cream if she goes to the store.You have probably noticed that different teachers, textbooks, and Web sites sometimes explain the same thing in different ways. This seems to be especially true of conditional sentences. However, two different explanations can both be correct, especially if the difference is due to the fact that complicated material has been organized in different ways. This is often true of explanations of conditionals that you find in your textbooks. Here conditional sentences are divided into three types based on their meanings: real, predictive, and imaginative conditional sentences.
Also see The Sentence, Modal Auxiliaries, Verbs A-L, Verbs M-Z, Tenses, and Adverb Clauses.
A. Real conditional sentences can express generalizations and inferences.
1. Generalizations include facts that are always true and never change, and they include present or past habitual activities that are or were usually true.
Real conditionals expressing generalizations usually have the same tense (usually simple present or simple past) in both clauses. However, if the simple present tense is used in the if-clause, will + verb can be used in the main clause without changing the meaning.
Examples of real conditional sentences expressing facts:
If water boils, it turns to steam.
If water boils, it will turn to steam.Examples of real conditional sentences expressing habitual activities:
If he eats breakfast, he feels better all day.
If he eats breakfast, he will feel better all day.
If he ate breakfast, he felt better all day.These generalizations can also be expressed by using when or whenever instead of if:
When water boils, it turns to steam.
When he eats breakfast, he feels better all day.
When he ate breakfast, he felt better all day.2. Inferences are often expressed in real conditional sentences.
Real conditionals expressing inferences usually have parallel verb phrases in both clauses. However, if a modal which explicitly expresses an inference (must or should, for example) is used in the main clause, parallel verb phrases are not used.
Examples of real conditional sentences expressing inferences:
If today is Wednesday, it is George’s birthday.
If I can do it, anyone can do it.
if it is raining, the streets are getting wet.
If he was at school, he saw the accident.
If today is Wednesday, it must be George’s birthday.
If I can do it, anyone must be able to do it.
if it is raining, the streets must be getting wet.
If he was at school, he must have seen the accident.
B. Predictive conditional sentences can express predictions and plans.
1. Predictive conditional sentences usually contain simple present tense in the if-clause and will or be going to in the result clause. However, a weaker modal of prediction (may or should, for example) can be used in the result clause to express less certainty.
2. Examples of predictive conditional sentences:
If the exam is hard, many students are going to fail.
If Mary does well on the final exam, she will get an A in the class.
If George does well on the final exam, he may get an A in the class.
If Fred studies, he should pass the exam.
C. Imaginative conditional sentences are the most difficult for many learners of English because of the unusual relationship between form (the tenses used) and meaning.
In this type of conditional sentence, past tense refers to present or future time; past perfect tense refers to past time. Another problem for many learners of English is that were (not was) is used with singular subjects. Be is the only English verb with two past tense forms, but only one of them (were) is used in imaginative conditional sentences.
Imaginative conditional sentences can express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact events or states.
1. Hypothetical events or states are unlikely but possible in the present or future.
Imaginative conditional sentences expressing hypothetical events or states have a past tense verb in the if-clause and would + verb (or might or could + verb) in the result clause.
Examples of hypothetical conditional sentences (present and/or future time):
If George had enough money, he would buy a new car.
If I won the lottery, I would buy you a present.
If she knew the answer, she would tell us.(George probably does not have enough money; I probably will not win the lottery; she probably does not know the answer.)
2. Contrary-to-fact events or states are either impossible in the present time or did not happen in the past.
Imaginative conditional sentences expressing present contrary-to-fact events or states have a past verb in the if-clause and would + verb (or might or could + verb) in the result clause. Some examples:
If I were you, I would not do that.
If she studied for exams, she would get better grades.
If it were raining, the streets would be wet.
(I am not you; she doesn’t study for exams; it isn’t raining.)Imaginative conditional sentences expressing past contrary-to-fact events or states have a past perfect verb in the if-clause and would + have + verb (or might or could + have + verb) in the result clause. Some examples:
If George had had enough money, he would have bought a new car.
If I had won the lottery, I would have bought you a present.
If she had known the answer, she would have told us.
(George did not have enough money; I did not win the lottery; she did not know the answer.)
Adjectives
Definition
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. The Articles — a, an, and the — are adjectives.
- the tall professor
- the lugubrious lieutenant
- a solid commitment
- a month's pay
- a six-year-old child
- the unhappiest, richest man
Before getting into other usage considerations, one general note about the use — or over-use — of adjectives: Adjectives are frail; don't ask them to do more work than they should. Let your broad-shouldered verbs and nouns do the hard work of description. Be particularly cautious in your use of adjectives that don't have much to say in the first place: interesting, beautiful, lovely, exciting. It is your job as a writer to create beauty and excitement and interest, and when you simply insist on its presence without showing it to your reader — well, you're convincing no one.
Consider the uses of modifiers in this adjectivally rich paragraph from Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel. (Charles Scribner's, 1929, p. 69.) Adjectives are highlighted in this color; participles, verb forms acting as adjectives, are highlighted in this blue. Some people would argue that words that are part of a name — like "East India Tea House — are not really adjectival and that possessive nouns — father's, farmer's — are not technically adjectives, but we've included them in our analysis of Wolfe's text.
He remembered yet the East India Tea House at the Fair, the sandalwood, the turbans, and the robes, the cool interior and the smell of India tea; and he had felt now the nostalgic thrill of dew-wet mornings in Spring, the cherry scent, the cool clarion earth, the wet loaminess of the garden, the pungent breakfast smells and the floating snow of blossoms. He knew the inchoate sharp excitement of hot dandelions in young earth; in July, of watermelons bedded in sweet hay, inside a farmer's covered wagon; of cantaloupe and crated peaches; and the scent of orange rind, bitter-sweet, before a fire of coals. He knew the good male smell of his father's sitting-room; of the smooth worn leather sofa, with the gaping horse-hair rent; of the blistered varnished wood upon the hearth; of the heated calf-skin bindings; of the flat moist plug of apple tobacco, stuck with a red flag; of wood-smoke and burnt leaves in October; of the brown tired autumn earth; of honey-suckle at night; of warm nasturtiums, of a clean ruddy farmer who comes weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk; of fat limp underdone bacon and of coffee; of a bakery-oven in the wind; of large deep-hued stringbeans smoking-hot and seasoned well with salt and butter; of a room of old pine boards in which books and carpets have been stored, long closed; of Concord grapes in their long white baskets.
An abundance of adjectives like this would be
uncommon in contemporary prose. Whether we have lost something or not is
left up to you.
Position of Adjectives
Unlike Adverbs, which often seem capable of popping up almost anywhere in a sentence, adjectives nearly always appear immediately before the noun or noun phrase that they modify. Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they do, they appear in a set order according to category. (See Below.) When indefinite pronouns — such as something, someone, anybody — are modified by an adjective, the adjective comes after the pronoun:Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished.
Something wicked this way comes.
And there are certain adjectives that, in
combination with certain words, are always "postpositive" (coming after
the thing they modify):
The president elect, heir apparent to the Glitzy fortune, lives in New York proper.See, also, the note on a- adjectives, below, for the position of such words as "ablaze, aloof, aghast."
Degrees of Adjectives
Adjectives can express degrees of modification:- Gladys is a rich woman, but Josie is richer than Gladys, and Sadie is the richest woman in town.
The degrees of comparison are known as the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.
(Actually, only the comparative and superlative show degrees.) We use
the comparative for comparing two things and the superlative for
comparing three or more things. Notice that the word than frequently accompanies the comparative and the word the precedes the superlative. The inflected suffixes -er and -est suffice to form most comparatives and superlatives, although we need -ier and -iest when a two-syllable adjective ends in y (happier and happiest); otherwise we use more and most when an adjective has more than one syllable.
|  Click on the "scary bear" to read and hear George Newall's "Unpack Your Adjectives" (from Scholastic Rock, 1975). Schoolhouse Rock® and its characters and  other elements are
trademarks and service marks of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Used with permission. |
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
| rich | richer | richest |
| lovely | lovelier | loveliest |
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
Certain adjectives have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative degrees:
| Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms | ||
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| little | less | least |
| much many some | more | most |
| far | further | furthest |
Be careful not to form comparatives or superlatives of adjectives which already express an extreme of comparison — unique, for instance — although it probably is possible to form comparative forms of most adjectives: something can be more perfect, and someone can have a fuller figure. People who argue that one woman cannot be more pregnant than another have never been nine-months pregnant with twins.
Grammar's ResponseAccording to Bryan Garner, "complete" is one of those adjectives that does not admit of comparative degrees. We could say, however, "more nearly complete." I am sure that I have not been consistent in my application of this principle in the Guide (I can hear myself, now, saying something like "less adequate" or "more preferable" or "less fatal"). Other adjectives that Garner would include in this list are as follows:
| absolute | impossible | principal |
| adequate | inevitable | stationary |
| chief | irrevocable | sufficient |
| complete | main | unanimous |
| devoid | manifest | unavoidable |
| entire | minor | unbroken |
| fatal | paramount | unique |
| final | perpetual | universal |
| ideal | preferable | whole |
From The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Styleby Bryan Garner. Copyright 1995 by Bryan A. Garner. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., www.oup-usa.org, and used with the gracious consent of Oxford University Press.
Be careful, also, not to use more along with a comparative adjective formed with -er nor to use most along with a superlative adjective formed with -est (e.g., do not write that something is more heavier or most heaviest).
The as — as construction is used to create a comparison expressing equality:
- He is as foolish as he is large.
- She is as bright as her mother.
Premodifiers with Degrees of Adjectives
Both adverbs and adjectives in their comparative and superlative forms can be accompanied by premodifiers, single words and phrases, that intensify the degree.- We were a lot more careful this time.
- He works a lot less carefully than the other jeweler in town.
- We like his work so much better.
- You'll get your watch back all the faster.
The same process can be used to downplay the degree:
- The weather this week has been somewhat better.
- He approaches his schoolwork a little less industriously than his brother does.
And sometimes a set phrase, usually an informal noun phrase, is used for this purpose:
- He arrived a whole lot sooner than we expected.
- That's a heck of a lot better.
- She is wearing her very finest outfit for the interview.
- They're doing the very best they can.
- Of all the wines produced in Connecticut, I like this one the most.
- The quicker you finish this project, the better.
- Of the two brothers, he is by far the faster.
Authority for this section: A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used with permission.
| Less versus Fewer |
When making a comparison between quantities we often have to make a choice between the words fewer and less. Generally, when we're talking about countable things, we use the word fewer; when we're talking about measurable quantities that we cannot count, we use the word less. "She had fewer chores, but she also had less energy."
The managers at our local Stop & Shop seem to have mastered this:
they've changed the signs at the so-called express lanes from "Twelve
Items or Less" to "Twelve Items or Fewer." Whether that's an actual
improvement, we'll leave up to you.
We do, however, definitely use less when referring to statistical or numerical expressions:
|
| Taller than I / me ?? |
| When making a comparison with "than" do we end with a subject form or object form, "taller than I/she" or "taller than me/her." The correct response is "taller than I/she." We are looking for the subject form: "He is taller than I am/she is tall." (Except we leave out the verb in the second clause, "am" or "is.") Some good writers, however, will argue that the word "than" should be allowed to function as a preposition. If we can say "He is tall like me/her," then (if "than" could be prepositional like like) we should be able to say, "He is taller than me/her." It's an interesting argument, but — for now, anyway — in formal, academic prose, use the subject form in such comparisons. We also want to be careful in a sentence such as "I like him better than she/her." The "she" would mean that you like this person better than she likes him; the "her" would mean that you like this male person better than you like that female person. (To avoid ambiguity and the slippery use of than, we could write "I like him better than she does" or "I like him better than I like her.") |
| More than / over ?? |
| In the United States, we usually use "more than" in countable numerical expressions meaning "in excess of" or "over." In England, there is no such distinction. For instance, in the U.S., some editors would insist on "more than 40,000 traffic deaths in one year," whereas in the UK, "over 40,000 traffic deaths" would be acceptable. Even in the U.S., however, you will commonly hear "over" in numerical expressions of age, time, or height: "His sister is over forty; she's over six feet tall. We've been waiting well over two hours for her." |
The Order of Adjectives in a Series
It would take a linguistic philosopher to explain why we say "little brown house" and not "brown little house" or why we say "red Italian sports car" and not "Italian red sports car." The order in which adjectives in a series sort themselves out is perplexing for people learning English as a second language. Most other languages dictate a similar order, but not necessarily the same order. It takes a lot of practice with a language before this order becomes instinctive, because the order often seems quite arbitrary (if not downright capricious). There is, however, a pattern. You will find many exceptions to the pattern in the table below, but it is definitely important to learn the pattern of adjective order if it is not part of what you naturally bring to the language.
The categories in the following table can be described as follows:
- Determiners — articles and other limiters. See Determiners
- Observation — postdeterminers and limiter adjectives (e.g., a real hero, a perfect idiot) and adjectives subject to subjective measure (e.g., beautiful, interesting)
- Size and Shape — adjectives subject to objective measure (e.g., wealthy, large, round)
- Age — adjectives denoting age (e.g., young, old, new, ancient)
- Color — adjectives denoting color (e.g., red, black, pale)
- Origin — denominal adjectives denoting source of noun (e.g., French, American, Canadian)
- Material — denominal adjectives denoting what something is made of (e.g., woolen, metallic, wooden)
- Qualifier — final limiter, often regarded as part of the noun (e.g., rocking chair, hunting cabin, passenger car, book cover)
 THE ROYAL ORDER OF ADJECTIVES | |||||||||
| Determiner | Observation | Physical Description | Origin | Material | Qualifier | Noun | |||
| Size | Shape | Age | Color | ||||||
| a | beautiful | old | Italian | touring | car | ||||
| an | expensive | antique | silver | mirror | |||||
| four | gorgeous | long- stemmed | red | silk | roses | ||||
| her | short | black | hair | ||||||
| our | big | old | English | sheepdog | |||||
| those | square | wooden | hat | boxes | |||||
| that | dilapidated | little | hunting | cabin | |||||
| several | enormous | young | American | basketball | players | ||||
| some | delicious | Thai | food | ||||||
 | This chart is probably too wide to print on a standard piece of paper. If you click HERE, you will get a one-page duplicate of this chart, which you can print out on a regular piece of paper. |
a popular, respected, and good looking studentSee the section on Commas for additional help in punctuating coordinated adjectives.
Capitalizing Proper Adjectives
When an adjective owes its origins to a proper noun, it should probably be capitalized. Thus we write about Christian music, French fries, the English Parliament, the Ming Dynasty, a Faulknerian style, Jeffersonian democracy. Some periods of time have taken on the status of proper adjectives: the Nixon era, a Renaissance/Romantic/Victorian poet (but a contemporary novelist and medieval writer). Directional and seasonal adjectives are not capitalized unless they're part of a title:We took the northwest route during the spring thaw. We stayed there until the town's annual Fall Festival of Small Appliances.
See the section on Capitalization for further help on this matter.
Collective Adjectives
When the definite article, the, is combined with an adjective describing a class or group of people, the resulting phrase can act as a noun: the poor, the rich, the oppressed, the homeless, the lonely, the unlettered, the unwashed, the gathered, the dear departed. The difference between a Collective Noun (which is usually regarded as singular but which can be plural in certain contexts) and a collective adjective is that the latter is always plural and requires a plural verb:- The rural poor have been ignored by the media.
- The rich of Connecticut are responsible.
- The elderly are beginning to demand their rights.
- The young at heart are always a joy to be around.
Adjectival Opposites
The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways. One way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite — an antonym. The opposite of beautiful is ugly, the opposite of tall is short. A thesaurus can help you find an appropriate opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a number of prefixes. The opposite of fortunate is unfortunate, the opposite of prudent is imprudent, the opposite of considerate is inconsiderate, the opposite of honorable is dishonorable, the opposite of alcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properly filed is misfiled. If you are not sure of the spelling of adjectives modified in this way by prefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix), you will have to consult a dictionary, as the rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and too shifty to be trusted. The meaning itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.A third means for creating the opposite of an adjective is to combine it with less or least to create a comparison which points in the opposite direction. Interesting shades of meaning and tone become available with this usage. It is kinder to say that "This is the least beautiful city in the state." than it is to say that "This is the ugliest city in the state." (It also has a slightly different meaning.) A candidate for a job can still be worthy and yet be "less worthy of consideration" than another candidate. It's probably not a good idea to use this construction with an adjective that is already a negative: "He is less unlucky than his brother," although that is not the same thing as saying he is luckier than his brother. Use the comparative less when the comparison is between two things or people; use the superlative least when the comparison is among many things or people.
- My mother is less patient than my father.
- Of all the new sitcoms, this is my least favorite show.
Some Adjectival Problem Children
| Good versus Well |
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| Bad versus Badly |
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Other Adjectival Considerations
Review the section on Compound Nouns and Modifiers for the formation of modifiers created when words are connected: a four-year-old child, a nineteenth-century novel, an empty-headed fool.Review the section on Possessives for a distinction between possessive forms and "adjectival labels." (Do you belong to a Writers Club or a Writers' Club?)
Adjectives that are really Participles, verb forms with -ing and -ed endings, can be troublesome for some students. It is one thing to be a frightened child; it is an altogether different matter to be a frightening child. Do you want to go up to your professor after class and say that you are confused or that you are confusing? Generally, the -ed ending means that the noun so described ("you") has a passive relationship with something — something (the subject matter, the presentation) has bewildered you and you are confused. The -ing ending means that the noun described has a more active role — you are not making any sense so you are confusing (to others, including your professor).
The -ed ending modifiers are often accompanied by prepositions (these are not the only choices):
- We were amazed at all the circus animals.
- We were amused by the clowns.
- We were annoyed by the elephants.
- We were bored by the ringmaster.
- We were confused by the noise.
- We were disappointed by the motorcycle daredevils.
- We were disappointed in their performance.
- We were embarrassed by my brother.
- We were exhausted from all the excitement.
- We were excited by the lion-tamer.
- We were excited about the high-wire act, too.
- We were frightened by the lions.
- We were introduced to the ringmaster.
- We were interested in the tent.
- We were irritated by the heat.
- We were opposed to leaving early.
- We were satisfied with the circus.
- We were shocked at the level of noise under the big tent.
- We were surprised by the fans' response.
- We were surprised at their indifference.
- We were tired of all the lights after a while.
- We were worried about the traffic leaving the parking lot.
A- Adjectives
The most common of the so-called a- adjectives are ablaze, afloat, afraid, aghast, alert, alike, alive, alone, aloof, ashamed, asleep, averse, awake, aware. These adjectives will primarily show up as predicate adjectives (i.e., they come after a linking verb).- The children were ashamed.
- The professor remained aloof.
- The trees were ablaze.
Occasionally, however, you will find a- adjectives before
the word they modify: the alert patient, the aloof physician. Most of
them, when found before the word they modify, are themselves modified:
the nearly awake student, the terribly alone scholar. And a- adjectives
are sometimes modified by "very much": very much afraid, very much
alone, very much ashamed, etc.
Recognizing Adjectives
Adjective Order
Adjectives
WHO_WHOM_WHOSE_WHICH_THAT_WHERE_WHEN
Adjective Clauses
See The Sentence for definitions of sentence, clause, and dependent clause. A sentence which contains just one clause is called a simple sentence.A sentence which contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses is called a complex sentence. (Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses.)
There are three basic types of dependent clauses: adjective clauses, adverb clauses, and noun clauses. (Adjective clauses are also called relative clauses.)
This page contains information about adjective clauses. Also see Adverb Clauses and Noun Clauses.
A. Adjective clauses perform the same function in sentences that adjectives do: they modify nouns.
The teacher has a car. (Car is a noun.)
It’s a new car. (New is an adjective which modifies car.)
The car that she is driving is not hers.
(That she is driving is an adjective clause which modifies car. It’s a clause because it has a subject (she) and a predicate (is driving); it’s an adjective clause because it modifies a noun.)
Note that adjectives usually precede the nouns they modify; adjective clauses always follow the nouns they modify.
B. A sentence which contains one adjective clause and one independent clause is the result of combining two clauses which contain a repeated noun. You can combine two independent clauses to make one sentence containing an adjective clause by following these steps:
1. You must have two clauses which contain a repeated noun (or pronoun, or noun and pronoun which refer to the same thing). Here are two examples:
The book is on the table. + I like the book.
The man is here. + The man wants the book.2. Delete the repeated noun and replace it with a relative pronoun in the clause you want to make dependent. See C. below for information on relative pronouns.
The book is on the table. + I like which
The man is here. + who wants the book3. Move the relative pronoun to the beginning of its clause (if it is not already there). The clause is now an adjective clause.
The book is on the table. + which I like
The man is here. + who wants the book4. Put the adjective clause immediately after the noun phrase it modifies (the repeated noun):
The book which I like is on the table.
The man who wants the book is here.
C. The subordinators in adjective clauses are called relative pronouns.
1. These are the most important relative pronouns: who, whom, that, which.
These relative pronouns can be omitted when they are objects of verbs. When they are objects of prepositions, they can be omitted when they do not follow the preposition.
WHO replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. In informal writing (but not in academic writing), it can be used as the object of a verb.
WHOM replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It can be the object of a verb or preposition. It cannot be the subject of a verb.
WHICH replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to animals or things. It cannot replace nouns and pronouns that refer to people. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition.
THAT replaces nouns and pronouns that refer to people, animals or things. It can be the subject of a verb. It can also be the object of a verb or preposition (but that cannot follow a preposition; whom, which, and whose are the only relative pronouns that can follow a preposition).
2. The following words can also be used as relative pronouns: whose, when, where.
WHOSE replaces possessive forms of nouns and pronouns (see WF11 and pro in Correction Symbols Two). It can refer to people, animals or things. It can be part of a subject or part of an object of a verb or preposition, but it cannot be a complete subject or object. Whose cannot be omitted. Here are examples with whose:
The man is happy. + I found the man’s wallet. =
The man whose wallet I found is happy.
The girl is excited. + Her mother won the lottery. =
The girl whose mother won the lottery is excited.WHEN replaces a time (in + year, in + month, on + day,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted. Here is an example with when:
I will never forget the day. + I graduated on that day.=
I will never forget the day when I graduated.The same meaning can be expressed in other ways:
I will never forget the day on which I graduated.
I will never forget the day that I graduated.
I will never forget the day I graduated.WHERE replaces a place (in + country, in + city, at + school,...). It cannot be a subject. It can be omitted but a preposition (at, in, to) usually must be added. Here is an example with where:
The building is new. + He works in the building. =
The building where he works is new.The same meaning can be expressed in other ways:
The building in which he works is new.
The building which he works in is new.
The building that he works in is new.
The building he works in is new.
D. Adjective clauses can be restrictive or nonrestrictive.
1. A restrictive adjective clause contains information that is necessary to identify the noun it modifies. If a restrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause changes. A restrictive adjective clause is not separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. Most adjective clauses are restrictive; all of the examples of adjective clauses above are restrictive. Here is another example:
People who can’t swim should not jump into the ocean.2. A nonrestrictive adjective clause gives additional information about the noun it modifies but is not necessary to identify that noun. If a nonrestrictive adjective clause is removed from a sentence, the meaning of the main clause does not change. A nonrestrictive adjective clause is separated from the main clause by a comma or commas. The relative pronoun that cannot be used in nonrestrictive adjective clauses. The relative pronoun cannot be omitted from a nonrestrictive clause. Here is an example:
Billy, who couldn’t swim, should not have jumped into the ocean.
E. Adjective clauses can often be reduced to phrases. The relative pronoun (RP) must be the subject of the verb in the adjective clause. Adjective clauses can be reduced to phrases in two different ways depending on the verb in the adjective clause.
1. RP + BE = 0
People who are living in glass houses should not throw stones. (clause)
People living in glass houses should not throw stones. (phrase)
Mary applied for a job that was advertised in the paper. (clause)
Mary applied for a job advertised in the paper. (phrase)2. RP + OTHER VERB (not BE) = OTHER VERB + ing
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.(clause)
People living in glass houses should not throw stones. (phrase)
Students who sit in the front row usually participate more. (clause)
Students sitting in the front row usually participate more. (phrase)
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