Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden/ Bijwoorden
Bnw: zegt iets over een ZN
Bijw: zegt iets over een WW (of ander Bnw of Bijwoord)
Bijv. nw blijven hetzelfde (beautiful, nice etc.) --> He is a nice man.
Bijwoorden veranderen (+ly) --> He sings beautifully.
Uitzonderingen:
Als het eindigt op -ic: +ally (fantastically)
Als het eindigt op y: y wordt i +ly (happily)
Als het eindigt op -le: le wordt ly (terribly)
Na de woorden to appear, become, feel, get, go, keep, turn, look, like, smell, sound en taste komt ALTIJD een bijvoeglijk naamwoord.
What are adjectives?
Adjectives are words that tell us something about a noun, pronoun, impression or situation.
What do adjectives modify?
Adjectives can modify nouns or pronouns/names.
person | thing |
---|---|
Mandy is a careful girl | This is a nice car |
Mandy is careful | The car is nice |
She is careful | It is nice |
Where do adjectives go?
An adjective can be put before the noun. Then it is an attribute.
person | thing |
---|---|
Mandy is a careful girl |
This is a nice car |
An adjective can be put after the verb to be (is).
Then it is part of the predicate.
person | thing |
---|---|
The girl is careful | This car is nice |
Adjectives can also put after the following verbs:
to + appear, become, feel, get, go, keep, turn, look, like, smell, sound, taste and other verbs of experience.
Examples:
- The steak smells fantastic
- She turned red
- He got excited
- It tastes awful
What are adverbs?
Adverbs tell us in what way someone does something.
Adverbs can modify verbs (here: drive), adjectives or other adverbs.
adjective | adverb |
---|---|
Mandy is a careful girl | Mandy drives carefully |
She is very careful | She drives carefully |
Explanation:
Mandy is a careful driver.
This sentence is about Mandy, the driver, so use the adjective.
Mandy drives carefully.
This sentence is about her way of driving, so use the adverb.
Form of the adverb: adjective + -ly
adjective | adverb |
---|---|
dangerous | dangerously |
careful | carefully |
nice | nicely |
horrible | horribly |
easy | easily |
electronic |
electronically |
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending -y, pronounced like Dutch 'ie'
If the adjective ends in -y, change the final -y to -i. Then add -ly:
happy - happily
but:
shy – shyly (the 'y' in 'shy' does not sound like Dutch 'ie'.)
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -le
If the adjective ends in -le, drop the -e, and replace it with -y:
terrible – terribly
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -e
If the adjective ends in -e, then add -ly:
safe - safely
Not all words ending in -ly are adverbs:
- adjectives, ending in -ly: friendly, silly, lonely, ugly
- nouns, ending in -ly: ally, bully, Italy, melancholy
- verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply
There is no separate adverb for an adjective already ending in -ly.
Irregular forms
There are some irregular forms, where the adverb has a stem that differs from the adjective. Other irregular forms show no difference between the adjective and the adverb.
adjective | adverb |
---|---|
good | well |
fast | fast |
hard | hard |
Comparative is the name for the grammar used when comparing two things.
The two basic ways to compare are using as ... as or than. She's twice as old as her sister.
I'm almost as good in maths as in science.
Russian is not quite as difficult as Chinese.
It's much colder today than it was yesterday.
This grammar topic is easier than most others.
I find science more difficult than mathematics.
Comparisons with as ... as versus comparisons with than:
When comparing with as ... as, the adjective does not change.
When comparing with than, however, some changes are necessary.
Comparing with than depends on the number of syllables the adjective has:
Adjectives of one syllable:
1. syllable adjectives: add -er to the adjective
My sister is much taller than me.
It's colder today than it was yesterday.
Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually doubled in the comparative.
big - bigger, fat - fatter, hot - hotter
Adjectives of two syllables ending in -y:
2. syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -ier
She's looking happier today.
This grammar topic is easier than the last one.
Why is everyone else luckier than me?
Beware: Do not confuse adjectives and adverbs.
2-syllable adverbs ending in -y must be compared with the word more.
I drive more quickly (quicklier) than my brother.
Other adjectives with two syllables:
Other 2-syllable adjectives: use more with the unchanged adjective
The shops are always more crowded just before Christmas.
Is there anything more boring than reading about grammar?
My sister is more careful with her writing than I am with mine.
Exceptions to this rule
The comparative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with -er.
- simple - simpler
- clever - cleverer
- narrow - narrower
To be sure which comparative method to use, you will need to consult a good dictionary.
Adjectives with three syllables or more:
Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use more with the unchanged adjective
Russian grammar is more difficult than English grammar.
My sister is much more intelligent than me.
I find maths lessons more enjoyable than science lessons.
Formal forms of the pronouns after comparisons:
Many educated English speakers prefer to use the Subject form of Pronouns plus a verb rather than the Object form without a Verb in comparative sentences, especially in formal situations.
They say, for example, My sister is taller than I am.
The alternative, omitting the verb as in the following examples, is considered to be even more formal and is avoided by most British English speakers: My sister is taller than I.
In the superlative you talk about one thing only and how it is the best, worst, etc.
You do not compare two things. The following guidelines apply to the superlative:
Adjectives with one syllable:
1-syllable adjectives: add -est to the adjective (plus the)
My sister is the tallest in our family.
Yesterday was the coldest day of the year so far.
Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually doubled in the superlative.
big - biggest, fat - fattest, hot - hottest
Adjectives of two syllables ending in -y:
2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -iest (plus the)
The richest people are not always the happiest.
Which do you think is the easiest language to learn?
She's the luckiest person I know.
Beware: Do not confuse adjectives and adverbs.
2-syllable adverbs ending in -y form their superlative with the words the most.
Of all the people I know my father drives the most quickly (quickliest).
Other adjectives with two syllables:
Other 2-syllable adjectives: use the most with the unchanged adjective
The most boring thing about ESL class is doing grammar exercises.
My sister is the most careful person I know.
Exceptions
The superlative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with -est.
- simple - simplest
- clever - cleverest
- narrow - narrowest
To be sure which comparative method to use, you will need to consult a good dictionary.
Adjectives of three syllables or more:
Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use the most with the unchanged adjective
Some people think that Russian is the most difficult language.
Albert Einstein was the most intelligent person in history.
My most enjoyable class is English.
Irregular forms
Following are two common irregular comparative/superlative forms:
good - better - the best
bad - worse - the worst
The following guidelines apply to the comparative/superlative of most adverbs:
Adverbs of one syllable:
- 1. Syllable adverbs: add -er/-est
I can run faster than you. / I can run the fastest in my class.
She works harder than me. / She works the hardest of all students.
- 2. Other adverbs: use more / the most
She ran more quickly than me. / Of all the students she ran the most quickly.
Informal forms of adverbs
In informal English it is common to hear the adjectival comparative/superlative form of two-syllable adverbs. For example with quickly:
She ran quicker than me.
She ran the quickest. (instead of more quickly – the most quickly)
Formal forms of of the pronouns with comparisons
Many educated English speakers prefer to use the subject form of Pronouns plus a verb rather than the object form without a verb in comparative sentences, especially in formal situations.
They say, for example: She ran more quickly than I did.
The alternative, omitting the verb as in the following examples, is considered to be even more formal and is avoided by most British English speakers: She ran more quickly than I.