Words · pillar 5 of 16

Adjectives, adverbs & comparison

adjective order · adverbs · comparison · intensifiers

22 lessons from A1 to C2 · 80 grammar points

Mindmap: Modifiers from A1 to C2

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# 5 Adjectives, adverbs & comparison ## A1 - Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never - Frequency adverbs: before the main verb, after be - How often…? every day, twice a week, once a month - Adjectives before nouns (a red car) and after be (The car is red) - Adjectives don't change for plural (two red cars) - very and really + adjective - too = more than is good (too hot) ## A2 - Comparatives with -er (cheaper, bigger, happier) - Comparatives with more (more expensive) - Irregular comparatives: good–better, bad–worse, far–farther/further - than + pronoun (taller than me / than I am) - elder vs older - Superlatives: the -est / the most - the best in the world / of all - the best … I've ever… - less / the least - as … as / not as … as - the same as, similar to, different from - as soon as possible, as much as you can - too + adjective; adjective + enough; enough + noun - very vs too - Adverbs of manner: -ly (quickly, carefully) - Adverb spelling: happy–happily, gentle–gently, basic–basically - good → well; fast, hard, late have no -ly - Adjective or adverb? (a careful driver / drives carefully) - -ed vs -ing adjectives (bored / boring) - already, yet, still - just (= a moment ago; = only) - also, too, as well, either - Comparative and superlative adverbs (faster, more carefully, the best) - a lot, a bit, much, very much after verbs (I like it a lot; It helps a bit) ## B1 - so + adjective; such (a) + adjective + noun - too / enough + (for somebody) + to (too hot to drink, old enough to drive) - much / far / a lot / a bit / slightly / even + comparative - comparative + and + comparative (more and more, bigger and bigger) - the … the … (The more you practice, the better you get) - fewer vs less - No double comparatives (more better ✗) - Front, mid and end position of adverbs - only, even, just, also: where they go - Manner – place – time (She sang beautifully at the concert last night) - probably / definitely with negatives (He probably won't…) - Adjective order: opinion before fact; size – age – color - Adverbs after prepositions (from here, until now, since then, by then) - any / no + comparative (no better; any longer) ## B2 - Gradable vs non-gradable adjectives (very cold / absolutely freezing) - Intensifiers: very, really, extremely, absolutely, completely, utterly, totally, highly - Softeners: quite, fairly, rather, pretty, a bit, slightly - quite in American vs British English - Full adjective order: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose - Compound adjectives (well-known, five-star, open-minded) - Adjectives only after a verb (asleep, alive, afraid, alone) - Adjectives only before a noun (main, only, elder, chief) - twice / three times as … as - by far / easily + superlative - nowhere near / not nearly as … as - like vs as (as a teacher / like a teacher; like me / as I do) - Adverbs with two forms: hard/hardly, late/lately, high/highly, near/nearly, most/mostly, free/freely - almost, nearly, hardly - Comment adverbs (fortunately, apparently, honestly, hopefully) - still, yet, anymore, no longer - Adjectives after nouns and pronouns (something interesting, the people involved, the president elect) - Commas and and between adjectives (a big, old house; tall and dark) ## C1 - Viewpoint adverbs (economically, technically speaking) - only / even: position changes the meaning - Adverb + adjective collocations (highly unlikely, deeply concerned, bitterly disappointed) - Order and position of several adverbials - Adjective + preposition / that / to (sure of, sure that, sure to) - easy to please (adjective + to with an object gap) - worth + -ing (worth seeing) - It's kind of you vs It's important for you - all the more, none the less, the better for it - more of a … than; not so much … as - as … as ever / as … as can be - Adjectives whose meaning depends on position (the responsible person / the person responsible) - Adjectives as sentence adjuncts (More importantly, Worse still, Strange to say) - Adverbs modifying adverbs, prepositions and noun phrases (right past me, well over ten, almost home) ## C2 - Scope and placement of adverbials (I only eat fish on Fridays) - Adjuncts, disjuncts and conjuncts - The split infinitive (to boldly go)

Lessons in this pillar

A1.19Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, neverCoreSoonComing soon
A1.29Adjectives: before nouns and after beCoreSoonComing soon
A1.30very, really, tooMiniSoonComing soon
A2.37ComparativesCoreSoonComing soon
A2.38SuperlativesCoreSoonComing soon
A2.39as … as, the same as, different fromMiniSoonComing soon
A2.40too, enough, veryMiniSoonComing soon
A2.41Adverbs of manner: quickly, wellCoreSoonComing soon
A2.42-ed or -ing adjectives: bored or boring?MiniSoonComing soon
A2.43already, yet, still, just; also, too, eitherMiniSoonComing soon
B1.44so & such; too & enough + toMiniSoonComing soon
B1.45Comparatives 2: much better, more and more, the … theCoreSoonComing soon
B1.46Where adverbs goCoreSoonComing soon
B1.47Adjective order (first steps)MiniSoonComing soon
B2.37Gradable & non-gradable adjectivesCoreSoonComing soon
B2.38Adjective order & compound adjectivesCoreSoonComing soon
B2.39Comparison 3: twice as…, by far, like or asCoreSoonComing soon
B2.40Adverbs 2: hard or hardly? late or lately?CoreSoonComing soon
C1.30Adverbs 3: viewpoint, focus & positionCoreSoonComing soon
C1.31Adjective complementationCoreSoonComing soon
C1.32Comparison 4: all the more, none the lessMiniSoonComing soon
C2.16Adverbials: expertCoreSoonComing soon

Every grammar point

The complete checklist for this pillar. Nothing is left out.

A1

Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never
Frequency adverbs: before the main verb, after be
How often…? every day, twice a week, once a month
Adjectives before nouns (a red car) and after be (The car is red)
Adjectives don't change for plural (two red cars)
very and really + adjective
too = more than is good (too hot)

A2

Comparatives with -er (cheaper, bigger, happier)
Comparatives with more (more expensive)
Irregular comparatives: good–better, bad–worse, far–farther/further
than + pronoun (taller than me / than I am)
elder vs older
Superlatives: the -est / the most
the best in the world / of all
the best … I've ever…
less / the least
as … as / not as … as
the same as, similar to, different from
as soon as possible, as much as you can
too + adjective; adjective + enough; enough + noun
very vs too
Adverbs of manner: -ly (quickly, carefully)
Adverb spelling: happy–happily, gentle–gently, basic–basically
good → well; fast, hard, late have no -ly
Adjective or adverb? (a careful driver / drives carefully)
-ed vs -ing adjectives (bored / boring)
already, yet, still
just (= a moment ago; = only)
also, too, as well, either
Comparative and superlative adverbs (faster, more carefully, the best)
a lot, a bit, much, very much after verbs (I like it a lot; It helps a bit)

B1

so + adjective; such (a) + adjective + noun
too / enough + (for somebody) + to (too hot to drink, old enough to drive)
much / far / a lot / a bit / slightly / even + comparative
comparative + and + comparative (more and more, bigger and bigger)
the … the … (The more you practice, the better you get)
fewer vs less
No double comparatives (more better ✗)
Front, mid and end position of adverbs
only, even, just, also: where they go
Manner – place – time (She sang beautifully at the concert last night)
probably / definitely with negatives (He probably won't…)
Adjective order: opinion before fact; size – age – color
Adverbs after prepositions (from here, until now, since then, by then)
any / no + comparative (no better; any longer)

B2

Gradable vs non-gradable adjectives (very cold / absolutely freezing)
Intensifiers: very, really, extremely, absolutely, completely, utterly, totally, highly
Softeners: quite, fairly, rather, pretty, a bit, slightly
quite in American vs British English
Full adjective order: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose
Compound adjectives (well-known, five-star, open-minded)
Adjectives only after a verb (asleep, alive, afraid, alone)
Adjectives only before a noun (main, only, elder, chief)
twice / three times as … as
by far / easily + superlative
nowhere near / not nearly as … as
like vs as (as a teacher / like a teacher; like me / as I do)
Adverbs with two forms: hard/hardly, late/lately, high/highly, near/nearly, most/mostly, free/freely
almost, nearly, hardly
Comment adverbs (fortunately, apparently, honestly, hopefully)
still, yet, anymore, no longer
Adjectives after nouns and pronouns (something interesting, the people involved, the president elect)
Commas and and between adjectives (a big, old house; tall and dark)

C1

Viewpoint adverbs (economically, technically speaking)
only / even: position changes the meaning
Adverb + adjective collocations (highly unlikely, deeply concerned, bitterly disappointed)
Order and position of several adverbials
Adjective + preposition / that / to (sure of, sure that, sure to)
easy to please (adjective + to with an object gap)
worth + -ing (worth seeing)
It's kind of you vs It's important for you
all the more, none the less, the better for it
more of a … than; not so much … as
as … as ever / as … as can be
Adjectives whose meaning depends on position (the responsible person / the person responsible)
Adjectives as sentence adjuncts (More importantly, Worse still, Strange to say)
Adverbs modifying adverbs, prepositions and noun phrases (right past me, well over ten, almost home)

C2

Scope and placement of adverbials (I only eat fish on Fridays)
Adjuncts, disjuncts and conjuncts
The split infinitive (to boldly go)