ADJECTIVES

  • Adjectives name attributes of nouns.
  • Adjectives describe or express the properties or qualities or states of nouns.
  • Adjectives modify (adjectives are modifiers) nouns when used in the attributive position.  For example, “a big man”
  • Adjectives can be pre-modified (usually by intensifying adverbs, post-modified (usually by prepositional phrases or clauses), coordinated, and listed.

really really

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 38 in the category of ADVERBS/modifiers is defined as: DEGREE: ‘really really’ with verbs and adjectives for emphasis. 1 REALLY REALLY REALLY 2775 2 REALLY REALLY GOOD 2561 3 REALLY REALLY WANT 1526 4 REALLY REALLY LIKE 1090 5 REALLY REALLY BAD 1082 6 REALLY REALLY HARD 992 7 REALLY

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adverb + adjective (emphasis)

An adjective phrase can consist of an adverb + adjective.  In the following examples: ‘obvious‘ and ‘unlikely‘ are the head of the adjective phrases. Needless to say, Ares’ negotiating position was hugely strengthened when it became painfully obvious to everyone  that the giant US asset manager was the only bidder that had bothered to turn up at the auction. traveller.com.au   Therefore, all 42 Sinn Fein candidates would likely have to be elected to the 160-seat chamber  to give it a shot at emerging as the largest party, an outcome which remains highly unlikely. express.co.uk   The adverbs ‘painfully’ and ‘highly’ are used here to emphasize. C1

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BE + not + ADJECTIVE + that + CLAUSE

In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 197 in MODALITY/expressions with ‘be’ is defined as: HEDGING ‘be’ + ‘not’ + adjective + ‘that-‘ clause to make an assertion less direct The EGP adjectives include: ‘certain’, ‘likely’ and ‘sure’ which are all related to hedging and modality such as certainty and probability. A search in iWeb for:

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completely | totally | extremely + ADJECTIVE

C1 point 60 in ADVERBS/modifiers is defined as: a wide range of adverbs with adjectives to express degree or intensity. A search in iWeb for: completely|totally|extremely _JJ 1 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT 110150 She’s a completely different person. Listen 2 EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 53789 It’s extremely important that I get an answer as soon as possible. Listen 3 TOTALLY DIFFERENT 47353 4 COMPLETELY NEW 39714 5 EXTREMELY DIFFICULT 36700 6 EXTREMELY HIGH 36501

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extreme adverb + adjective

Let’s look at a few student speaking test examples and one from an expert using extreme adverbs modifying gradable adjectives: There are a few cases in which the parents have been excellent guides to the students, and as you know guides are extremely important for a child‘s career. TLC male India C1   Native speaker: I haven’t read it but I‘ve seen the film, have you seen the film? Student: Yes, I have, but it’s totally different from the book. TLC male India B1   It’s absolutely necessary to find a solution,  and I know that in some cases, for example,  in some sports facilities built in Madrid, they are trying to remodel the space. TLC male Spain C1   These are all details that are incredibly easy to record contemporaneously but are also incredibly easy to forget later on.

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superlative + noun + postmodifier

Here are examples of superlative phrases post-modified.   Daily Telegraph You‘re taught how to run in the most efficient way possible to make it feel easy. You’re the best choice by far. Listen A year ago, Amy being pregnant would have been the best thing ever! listen C1 point 68 in the category of adjectives is defined as: postmodifier to make the superlative stronger, in the structure superlative + noun + postmodifier ‘possible’, ‘ever’, ‘by far’ For example: It’s one of the most influential artworks ever made. A

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comparative AND comparative

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 47 in Adjectives is defined as: ‘and’ to repeat a comparative adjective to indicate change over time, usually after ‘become’ or ‘get’ However, the English Vocabulary Profile lists ‘worse and worse‘ at B2  used to emphasize how unpleasant, difficult, severe, etc. something is becoming A search in iWeb corpus: _V

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ADJECTIVE + enough

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 43 in ADJECTIVES is defined as: ‘ENOUGH’ to modify an ADJECTIVE *if the enough is followed by TO-infinitive, this structure is B2. A search in iWeb for: _JJ enough 1 GOOD ENOUGH 166044 2 LUCKY ENOUGH 76058 3 LARGE ENOUGH 72118 4 BIG ENOUGH 68590 PELIC STUDENT: Turkish female level

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