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ÍNDICE

I. GLOSSÁRIO 2
II. ADJETIVOS 3
II.1. GRADABLE AND NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES 3
II.1.1. GRADABLE ADJECTIVES 3
II.1.2. NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES 4
II.1.3. NON-GRADING ADVERBS 4
II.2. ADJECTIVES WITH ING/ED 5
II.3. SUPERLATIVES 7
II.3.1. SUPERLATIVES – STRUCTURE AND SPELLING 8
II.4. COMPARATIVES 10
COMPARATIVES – STRUCTURE AND SPELLING 10
II.5. WORD ORDER 12

III. ADVERBS 14
III.1. SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS 14
III.1.1. HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS 15
III.2. COMPARATIVE ADVERBS 15
III.2.1. HOW TO FORM COMPARATIVE ADVERBS 16
III.3. ADVERBS – WORD ORDER 17
III.3.1. ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY 17
III.3.2. ADVERBS OF MANNER 17
III.3.3. ADVERBS OF PLACE 18
III.3.4. ADVERBS OF TIME 18
III.3.5. ADVERBS OF DEGREE 18
III.4. ADVERBS OF DEGREE 19
III.5. ADVERBS OF MANNER 20
III.6. ADVERBS OF PLACE 21
III.7. ADVERBS OF TIME 21
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I. GLOSSÁRIO

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II. ADJETIVOS

adjectiv
a word which describes a noun A beautiful girl.
e

II.1. GRADABLE AND NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

II.1.1. GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Look at this diagram.

0 degrees → 5 degrees → 10 degrees → 15 degrees

Freezing → Very cold → Cold → Quite cold

Typical gradable adjectives are:

angry, big, busy, clever, cold, deep, fast, friendly, good, happy, high, hot, important, long,
popular, rich, strong, tall, warm, weak, young.

Gradable adjectives have a comparative and superlative form. We can use different
words to say ‘it is more or less cold’. Very and quite modify the intensity of the
word cold.

Adjectives that can vary in intensity are called gradable adjectives.

For example:

John’s workload is heavier than Mary’s.

The delivery was faster than last time.

Gradable adjectives can be preceded by grading adverbs, such as:

a little, extremely, fairly, rather, reasonably, slightly, unusually, very.

For example:

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The receptionist was fairly friendly.

Your feedback is extremely useful.

The number of attendees was unusually high.

II.1.2. NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Look at the diagram again. We cannot say:

‘quite freezing’ or ‘very freezing‘ because ‘freezing‘ is an extreme. It cannot be more or

less freezing.

0 degrees → 5 degrees → 10 degrees → 15 degrees

Freezing → Very cold → Cold → Quite cold

Adjectives that cannot vary in intensity are called non-gradable adjectives.

Non-gradable adjectives do not have a comparative or superlative form.

Non-gradable adjectives are usually:

1. extremes (for example: freezing, enormous, spotless, tiny, hilarious, horrible, wonderful,
fantastic)

2. absolutes (for example: dead, imposible, unique, ideal, inevitable)

II.1.3. NON-GRADING ADVERBS

The non-grading adverb used depends on the type of non-gradable adjectives.

Typical non-gradable adverbs are:

Extremes completely, utterly,

absolutely

Absolutes totally, virtually, nearly

For example:

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The phoneline is absolutely dead.

The task was virtually impossible.

They’re an absolutely fantastic team.

Exceptions

The adverbs really (very much), fairly and pretty (quite) can often be used with
gradable and non-gradable adjectives.

The meaning of the adverb “quite” changes according to the type of adjective we use it
with:

It’s quite warm today.

Adject qui
ive te =

fair
Grada ly,
ble rat
her

Are you quite certain?

Adjective quite =

non- completely,
gradable absolutely

II.2. ADJECTIVES WITH ING/ED

Some adjectives have two forms:

1. An –ed form. For example: bored.

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2. An –ing form. For example: boring.

Look at these examples:

The presentation was boring.

John was bored by the presentation.

The –ing form describes situations. In the first example above, we describe the
presentation.

The –ed form describes how people feel. In the second example above, we describe
John’s feeling.

Common adjectives with two forms are:

How people feel Situation

Interested Interesting

Excited Exciting

Confused Confusing

Frustrated Frustrating

Annoyed Annoying

Worried Worrying

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Surprised Surprising

Disappointed Disappointing

Examples:

They are interested in our products. They say our latest model is very interesting.

Mark was confused by Denis’s explanations. Denis’s explanations were confusing.

The client was annoyed by the delay. His constatant interruptions are really annoying.

I’m worried about the sales figures. Last month’s sales figures look worrying.

The team were disappointed with the leader. The customer’s response was disappointing.

Exceptions:

Scared Scary

Stressed Stressful

II.3. SUPERLATIVES

Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more objects to show which
object is ‘the most’ of something.

Look at the three squares.

The blue square is smaller than the red square. (comparative)

The red square is bigger than the blue square. (comparative)

The green square is bigger than the blue square and the green square. The green square
is the biggest.

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The biggest is the superlative form.

II.3.1. SUPERLATIVES – STRUCTURE AND SPELLING

II.3.1.1. ONE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES

We usually form the superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding–est.
big>bigger>biggest.

There are some exceptions. The table below explains the exception.

change the -y to
If the adjective ends in: consonant + - an –i
y dry > drier > driest
add –est

remove the –e
If the adjective ends in: consonant + -
add –est late > later > latest
e

double the last

If the adjective ends in: consonant + letter hot > hotter > hottes
vowel + consonant add -est t

Two Syllable Adjectives

We usually form the superlative forms of a two-syllable adjective by adding ‘the most‘:
peaceful> more peaceful> the most peaceful.

There are some exceptions. The table below explains the exceptions.

If the adjective ends in: change the -y to happy > happier > happies
consonant + -y t

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an –i

add –est

little > littler > littlest

If the adjectives ends in –er, -
add –est (referrring to size)
le, or –ow

Three or More Syllable Adjectives

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the superlative with the most:
beautiful> more beautiful>the most beautiful.

Irregular Forms

Adjecti Superlat
ve ive

Good Best

Bad Worst

Far Farthest

Least
(referrin
Little
g to
amount)

Many Most

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II.4. COMPARATIVES

We use comparative forms to show the difference between two objects. Look at the two
squares.

The blue square is smaller than the red square.

The red square is bigger than the blue square.

Smaller than and bigger than are comparatives.

Comparatives – Structure and Spelling

One Syllable Adjectives

We usually form the comparative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er to

the basic form.

For example:

This model is quicker than last year’s model.

This report is clearer than the previous one.

There are some exceptions:

change the y to
an i
If the adjective ends in: consonant + -y
dry > drier
add -er

remove the e
If the adjective ends in: consonant + -e add -er late > later

If the adjective ends in: consonant + vowel + double the last hot > hotte

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letter
consonant add -er r

For example:

Summers in Madrid are hotter and drier than in the north of Spain.

Could we meet a bit later than 7am?

Two Syllable Adjectives

We usually form the comparative forms of a two-syllable adjective by adding ‘more‘:

peaceful> more peaceful

There are some exceptions:

change the y to
If the adjective ends in: consonant + - an i
y happy > happier
add -er

little > littler

If the adjectives ends in –er, -le, or –
add -er (referring to size)
ow

For example:

Ben’s advice was more useful than the long explanations in the manual.

The new intern is lazier than the previous one.

Wednesdays are busier than Mondays in our office.

There is a simpler way to change the format.

Three or More Syllable Adjectives

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For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with ‘more‘:
beautiful> more beautiful.

For example:

You should rewrite the letter using more diplomatic language.

This year the feedback from our clients was more positive than last year.

We have to find a more practical solution.

Irregular Forms

Adject Comparati
ive ve

Good Better

Bad Worse

Farther/
Far
further

Less
Little (referring
to amount)

Many More

The traffic is much worse at weekends than on week days.

The Red Lion Hotel is farther from the airport than the Hilton.

II.5. WORD ORDER

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An adjective describes a noun.

A beautiful girl.

Girl is the noun. The adjective ‘beautiful’ describes the girl.

In English we place the adjective before the noun.

For example:

an old book. NOT: A book old.

When we use more than one adjective, the order is:

Opi bea
nio utif
n ul

Size big

Sha squ
pe are

Age old

Col
red
our

Ori Fren
gin ch

Mat
leat
eria
her
l

Nou bag

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So we could say: It is unusual to use more than three adjectives at one time.

A beautiful, red, French bag.

Or

An old, French, leather bag.

III. ADVERBS

a word which describes a verb, adjective or She

adverb
adverb sings beautifully.

III.1. SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS

Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more objects to show which
object is ‘the most’ of something. Look at the examples in the table:

Top Speed: 100

Car A
Km/hour

Top Speed: 120

Car B
Km/hour

Top Speed:
Car C
140Km/hour

Car B drives more quickly than Car A.

Car C drives more quickly than Car B.

Car C drives the most quickly.

The most quickly is the superlative adverb.

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III.1.1. HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS

If an adverb ends in -ly, we use the structure: the most + adverb

Quickly The most quickly

Quietly The most quietly

Beautifull
The most beautifully
y

If the adverb is the same as the adjective, the superlative form is the same for the
adjective and the adverb.

Fast The fastest

Hard The hardest

Late The latest

Some adverbs have irregular superlative forms.

Badly The worst

Little The least

Far The furthest/farthest

III.2. COMPARATIVE ADVERBS

We use the comparative form to show the difference between two objects. Look at the
examples in the table:

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Car A Car B

Top Speed: 100 Km/hour Top Speed: 120 Km/hour

Car A drives more slowly than Car B.

Car B drives more quickly than Car A.

More slowly and more quickly are comparative adverbs.

III.2.1. HOW TO FORM COMPARATIVE ADVERBS

If an adverb ends in -ly, we use the structure: more + adverb + than.

Quickly More quickly than

Quietly More quietly than

Beautifully More beautifully than

If the adverb is the same as the adjective, the comparative form is the same for the
adjective and the adverb.

Fast Faster

Har
Harder
d

Late Later

I’ll try to work faster.

You have to try harder.

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I’ll ask Peter to call you later.

Some adverbs have irregular comparative forms.

Badl
Worse
y

Little Less

Far Further/farther

They did badly on the first task. They did even worse on the second.

We didn’t make much money In January. We made even less in February.

There’s no need to discuss this point any further.

III.3. ADVERBS – WORD ORDER

III.3.1. ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

Adverbs of frequency go after the verb to be.

He’s (not) always happy to answer our questions.

Adverbs of frequency go before all other verbs.

The company always makes a profit.

In a sentence with a main verb and an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes before the main
verb.

I have never run an advertising campaign.

We didn’t often sell that many items.

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III.3.2. ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adverbs of manner usually go after the verb.

He listened carefully.

If there is a direct object, we put the adverb of manner after the direct object.

He checked the figures carefully.

III.3.3. ADVERBS OF PLACE

Like adverbs of manner, these adverbs are put behind the direct object or the verb.

Please wait over there.

Please put the books over there.

III.3.4. ADVERBS OF TIME

Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence.

We visited the factory last week.

The training course finished yesterday.

We can put the adverb at the beginning of the sentence if we want to emphasise the
time.

Last week we visited the factory.

Yesterday the training course finished.

III.3.5. ADVERBS OF DEGREE

Adverbs of Degree are usually placed:

Before adjectives and adverbs

He drove incredibly slowly.

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Their response was very positive.

She is extremely dedicated to her work.

After the main verb:

Our sales increased significantly.

He replied almost immediately.

III.3.6. ADVERBS OF DEGREE

Adverbs of Degree can describe verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

For example:

We don’t quite understand your position.

Elena is very efficient.

John typed incredibly slowly.

Adverbs of degree tell us about the degree or extent of an action, quality or manner.

Examples are:

almost, little, enough, much, too, partly, fully, so, rather, quite, nearly, just, too, hardly,
scarcely, very.

Adverbs of Degree – Word Order

Adverbs of Degree are usually placed:

Before adjectives and adverbs

He drove too slowly.

Your help would be much appreciated.

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The design was almost perfect.

After the main verb:

He typed rather slowly.

The report is nearly ready.

III.3.7. ADVERBS OF MANNER

Adverbs of manner describe a verb. They tell us how someone does something.

She sings beautifully.

Beautifully is an adverb of manner.

Adverbs of Manner – Spelling and Construction

To make an adverb, we add -ly to the end of the adjective: loud > loudly

Exceptions

If the adjective ends in: -ll Add –y full > fully

Remove the final

–e
If the adjective ends in: -consonant + -le terrible > terribl
y
Add –y

Remove the –y
If the adjective has more than 1 syllable and Add –ily happy > happily
ends in: -y

Adverbs of Manner – Word Order

Adverbs of manner usually go after the verb.

He drove carefully.
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He spoke loudly.

If there is a direct object, we put the adverb of manner after the direct object.

He drove the car carefully.

He speaks four languages fluently.

III.3.8. ADVERBS OF PLACE

Adverbs of place indicate where something happens.

These include: abroad, anywhere, here, outside, somewhere, there, underground, upstairs

For example:

Where did you go on holiday?

We went abroad.

The meeting is upstairs.

I’m sure I saw it somewhere.

Adverbs of Place – Word Order

Like adverbs of manner, these adverbs are put behind the direct object or the verb.

Please wait over there.

You can put the box anywhere

III.3.9. ADVERBS OF TIME

Adverbs of time answer the questions: When..? and How long…?

When did you go to Rome?

I went to Rome last month.

How long did you stay?

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I stayed for a week.

We can start now.

Common adverbs of time are: yesterday, today, tomorrow, last week, finally,
eventually, now, then.

Adverbs of Time – Word Order

Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence.

He signed the contract last week.

We can put the adverb at the beginning of the sentence if we want to emphasise the
time.

Last week he signed the contract.

III.3.10. ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

III.3.11.

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