adjectives and adverbs Flashcards
what nouns are never used before the noun they describe
- alone, afraid, alike, alive, ashamed, asleep, awake, aware
possible alternatives:
alive- living, afraid- frightened, alike-similar, alone-lone, asleep - sleeping - unwell, content, fine, glad, ill (but ill health), unsure, upset (but upset stomach), well
awake colloc
wide awake, stay awake, keep sb awake, lie awake,
be awake to
content colloc
easily contented, content yourself with
the table of contents, the contents of
fibre content
contented smile
what adj are seldom or never used after a linking verb
- emphasising adj. complete, absolute, entire, mere, sheer, total, utter: the suggestion is sheer nonsense ( but not the nonsense is sheer)
- classifying adj. are seldom or never used after a linking verb: nuclear, atomic, chemical, digital, domestic, environmental, medical, general, occasional, maximum, minimum, underlying
NOTE = some classifying adj can be used with different meanings and be placed after a linking verb: academic qualifications(institutions/standards) or a distinctly academic turn of mind
OTHERS: 1. be conscious of - aware of( we’re conscious of the extent of the problem), be fully conscious - or a conscious effort/decision, 2. educational establishment- a highly educational experience, 3. scientific data/evidence, the scientific community- a scientific approach
used to emphasise how small or insignificant sth is
mere
it cost a mere 20 dollars, the mere thought/mention/idea/possibility/prospect
for emphasis - nothing other than
sheer
sheer willpower and perseverance, a sheer - steep mountain/drop
to say sth
utter
to utter sth
utter - complete
utter chaos/drivel/nonsense, a complete and utter waste of time
produced in one’s country
domestic
domestic and foreign competition
domestic manufacturing
domestic retailers are facing relentless pressure from imports, (to impose export/import constraints so as to)
medical colloc
medical advice/equipment/research/skills, despite concerns about security, many doctors believe that the benefits of having medical records in the digital form outweigh the liabilities
impossible to prevent or avoid
inevitable
the inevitable consequences/results/outcomes
when can adj. be used immediately after a noun?
- before a to-inf : it was a speech calculated to appeal to the unions
- some -ible adv. (available, imaginable, possible, suitable) when the noun follows the
- with : concerned, involved, opposite, present, proper, responsible
planned and deliberate
calculated
a policy calculated to win voted
the quality of being right or suitable for sth
suitability
suitability for, evaluate the suitability of the site for development
difficult and complicated
involved
an involved reason/excuse/argument
extremely - 2 synonyms
immensely and intensely
list a few examples of non-grading adverbs and grading ones
grading : a bit, dreadfully, extremely, hugely, immensely, intensely, rather, slightly
non-grading: absolutely, completely, entirely, practically, simply, totally, utterly, virtually, almost, primarily, mainly
give a few examples o adj that have different senses when they are gradable and non-gradable
civil government/ceremony= in a civil- polite manner
a clean fight/contest/record/driving licence, make a clean break of it, a clean break with the past, make a clean sweep of- a spotlessly clean room
be highly critical of , a highly critical report- win/receive critical acclaim/// a critical decision, be critical to
electric power/kettle- electric performance
empty house/room- empty threats/rhetoric/promises
late news- late(dead= the late husband)
odd(strange/weird)- odd (not often) do odd jobs(casual labour), have the odd drink with friends
straight(honest)- see straight/think straight, get sth straight
sincere or loyal, and likely to continue to be so in difficult situations:(colloc)
true
true believers in, remain true to, true to your word
a true reflection of, partly true, strictly true, his is esp. true of, true to say that, give a true picture of
something that you say that is not based on facts and is probably wrong(colloc)
wild
wild rumours/accusations/guess
a wild region, wild dancing, a wild party, go wild, be wild with excitement
participle adj, that are almost always used after the noun
participle adj, that can be used before or immediately after nouns
applying, caused, found, included, provided
my watch was among the things taken
affected, alleged, allocated, broken, chosen, identified, infected, interested, remaining, resulting, stolen
the crowd watching grew restless/ the watching crowd …
list a few examples of compound adj
well-behaved, fast-growing
social networking is a fast-growing activity
a ready-made meal
the longest-serving employee
a money-making enterprise
a tree-lined street
brick-built
long-lasting
hair-raising
nerve-wracking
ill-equipped
wide-ranging
clean-shaven
in formal english, …….. can be used as pronouns before a participle adj.
that /those
the flour is of a higher quality than that produced by other varieties of wheat
the touchscreens perform less well than those manufactured elsewhere
organic oranges contain 30 percent more vitamin c than those grown conventionally
cars today are much more fuel-efficient than those manufactured in 1990
the president’s salary is 25 times higher than that earned by the average citizen
great and tremendous
terrific
a terrific speed/bang
adj. with it …. of + subject + to
rude, brave, generous, kind, mean, thoughtful, unprofessional, unreasonable
