FORM
AND FUNCTION OF ADJECTIVES
Form of Adjectives
Rules
1.
Adjectives are invariable:
They do not change their form depending on the gender or number
of the noun.
| A hot potato | Some hot potatoes |
2. To emphasise or strengthen the meaning of an adjective use 'very' or 'really':
|
A very hot potato |
Some really hot potatoes. |
(BUT see also Modifiers/Adverbs)
Position of adjectives
a) Usually in front of a noun: A beautiful girl.
b) After verbs like "to be", "to seem" , "to look", "to taste":
Examples
- The girl is beautiful
- You look tired
- This meat tastes funny.
c) After the noun: in some fixed expressions:
Examples
- The Princess Royal
- The President elect
- a court martial
d) After the noun with the adjectives involved, present, concerned:
Examples
- I want to see the people involved/concerned (= the people who have something to do with the matter)
- Here is a list of the people present (= the people who were in the building or at the meeting)
Be careful! When these adjectives are used before the noun they have a different meaning:
- An involved discussion = detailed, complex
- A concerned father = worried, anxious
- The present situation = current, happening now
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