English adjectives (Petición de mi alumno Pablo)

What is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that tells us more about a noun or a pronoun. An adjective describes or modifies a noun.

Where an adjective goes in a sentence

Usually an adjective comes in front of the noun it is describing.
The big balloon floated over the dark sea.
An adjective can also come after a linking verb, like to be, and describe the subject of the sentence. In this case it is called predicate adjective.
The balloon was dark.

Three Questions

Adjectives usually answer three questions about the nouns they describe:
1. What kind of?
I found a red rose in the cave.
What kind of rose? Red
2. How many?
Three tickets, please.
How many tickets? Three.
3. Which one(s)?
I would eat these muffins.
Which muffins? These.

Comparison of adjectives

Positive degree – the simplest form.
Comparative degree – comparing two things or persons.
Superlative degree – comparing three or more things or persons.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
large	larger	largest
horrible	more horrible	most horrible

How to compare adjectives
1. Add er and est to short adjectives of one syllable (sometimes two syllables)

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
short	shorter	shortest
great	greater	greatest
small	smaller	smallest
old	older	oldest

2. If a short adjective ends with consonant and y, change the y to i and add er and est.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
lucky	luckier	luckiest
heavy	heavier	heaviest
happy	happier	happiest
silly	sillier	silliest
ugly	uglier	ugliest

3. If a short adjective ends with e, add er and st.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
little	littler	littlest
fine	finer	finest

4. Put more(less) and most(least) in front of longer adjectives (with two or more syllables) to show comparison.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
appealing	less appealing	least appealing
remarkable	more remarkable	most remarkable
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful
alert	more alert	most alert

If you are uncertain whether to add er and est or to use more and most, then check dictionary. In most cases, you can trust your ears.
 
Some adjectives are irregular adjectives and don't follow thee rules. They change form considerably from one degree to the next. You need to study these changes carefully in order to recognize them easily.
List of irregular adjectives.

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
bad	worse	worst
far	further	furthest
far	farther	farthest
good	better	best
many	more	most
little	less	least
old	elder	eldest
well (healthy)	better	best

Never use er or est at the same time you use more or most. These are incorrect: more shorter, most alertest
Incomparable adjectives.
Some adjectives cannot be compared because the positive (simplest) form expresses the only degree possible.
List of incomparable adjectives: perfect, unique, fatal, universal, dead, wrong, straight, blind, final, vertical, right, left