Adjectives 形容詞
BasicAdjectives: describing and comparing.
- Comparing two: -er + than: taller than me.
- Comparing many: the + -est: the tallest boy.
- Big doubles the g: bigger, biggest.
文體小知識：Learn basic grammar.
§Text Passage
1My cat Lucky has a small red ball. It is her favourite toy. She plays with it every day. My best friend Amy is taller than me. Ben is the tallest boy in our class.
2Amy's school bag is bigger than mine because she carries more books. My bag is small but light. The biggest watermelon in the shop looks very heavy.
3I buy a red apple and a green apple every week. The red apple is sweeter than the green one. On rainy days, the sky is grey and the streets are wet. Lucky is the happiest cat in the world when I come home. On hot days, we eat cold ice cream at the small shop near our school. The shop is small, but the ice cream is delicious. Lucky sleeps on a soft warm mat. Summer in Hong Kong is hot and wet, but I still love it.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
My cat Lucky has a small red ball.
我的貓 Lucky 有一個紅色的小球。
It is her favourite toy.
那是他最喜歡的玩具。
She plays with it every day.
他每天都同那個球玩。
My best friend Amy is taller than me.
我好朋友 Amy 比我高。
Ben is the tallest boy in our class.
Ben 是我們班最高的男孩。
Amy's school bag is bigger than mine because she carries more books.
Amy 的書包比我的大，因為他帶的書多一些。
My bag is small but light.
我的書包小但是輕。
The biggest watermelon in the shop looks very heavy.
商店裡面最大的西瓜看上去很重。
I buy a red apple and a green apple every week.
我每個星期都買一個紅蘋果同一個青蘋果。
The red apple is sweeter than the green one.
紅蘋果比青蘋果甜。
On rainy days, the sky is grey and the streets are wet.
下雨的日子，天空灰暗，街上濕漉漉。
Lucky is the happiest cat in the world when I come home.
我回到家的時候，Lucky 是全世界最開心的貓。
On hot days, we eat cold ice cream at the small shop near our school.
天熱的時候，我們會在學校附近的小店吃冰淇淋。
The shop is small, but the ice cream is delicious.
店小小的，但那些冰淇淋很好吃。
Lucky sleeps on a soft warm mat.
Lucky 睡在一張又軟又暖的墊上面。
Summer in Hong Kong is hot and wet, but I still love it.
香港的夏天又熱又濕，但是我依然很喜歡。
1Summary 重點摘要
Adjectives: describing and comparing.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
A word that describes a thing.
High from top to bottom.
Higher than something else (comparing two).
The highest of all.
Larger than something else (comparing two).
The largest of all.
Tasting like sugar.
Tasting more like sugar than another (comparing two).
Hard to lift.
Easy to lift.
3Step by step Steps
- Where adjectives sitAdjectives go before the noun: in a small red ball, both small and red describe ball; favourite does the same job in my favourite toy. One noun can take several adjectives, usually size first, then colour. Tip: adjectives can also follow is, as in The ball is red — both positions are correct.
- Comparatives with -erTo compare two things, add -er and use than: Amy is taller than me; My bag is smaller than Amy's bag. The frame is A + be + adjective-er + than + B. Tip: say clearly what is being compared — than must be followed by a person or a thing, never left hanging.
- Superlatives with the -estTo compare three or more, use the + -est: Ben is the tallest boy in the class; The biggest watermelon looks very heavy. The frame is the + -est, often with a scope phrase like in the class. Tip: never drop the before the -est form — say the biggest, not just biggest.
- Spelling changesAdding -er and -est has spelling rules: big is a short word, so double the last letter — bigger, biggest; happy ends in consonant + y, so y changes to i — happier; good is irregular — better, best. Tip: the comparative of good is better, never gooder; learn bad, worse, worst as one set.
- Do not drop thanWith -er you need than: The red apple is sweeter than the green one. After than comes the partner in the comparison — a noun, a pronoun or a possessive: than the green one, than me, than mine. Tip: Chinese may leave the partner out; an English comparison must name it, so keep than.
- mine replaces the nounIn Amy's school bag is bigger than mine, mine means my bag; the bag was mentioned before, so mine replaces it and the sentence stays short. The family: yours, his, hers, ours, theirs — each stands alone with no noun after it. Tip: my needs a noun after it; mine never takes one.
- Sentence practiceFollow the frames: two comparatives, such as My cat is smaller than my dog and I am taller than my sister; one superlative, such as Ben is the tallest boy in our class. Then check line by line: is there a than after -er, and a the before -est? Read all three aloud to make sure they flow.
5Worked example Example
Three degrees card: build sentences with -er + than and the + -est in order, then check the two markers.
- Compare two: Amy is taller than me. taller takes -er, and than brings in the partner me.
- Compare again: My bag is smaller than Amy's bag. The possessive Amy's bag names the other bag.
- Compare things: The red apple is sweeter than the green one. one stands for apple, avoiding a repeat.
- Superlative: Ben is the tallest boy in our class. the + -est, with in our class setting the scope.
- Extra: The biggest watermelon looks very heavy. Remember the before biggest.
- Check: is there than after -er? Is there the before -est? Any doubled letters or y changes?
- Answer: Amy is taller than me. My bag is smaller than Amy's bag. The red apple is sweeter than the green one. Ben is the tallest boy in our class.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Who is taller than me?
Q2Who is the tallest boy?
Q3Which apple is sweeter?
Q4What colour is the sky on rainy days?
Q5Fix it: This is the bigest melon.
8Recap Recap
- Comparing two: -er + than: taller than me.
- Comparing many: the + -est: the tallest boy.
- Big doubles the g: bigger, biggest.
- Mine replaces my + noun: bigger than mine.
- Check than and the before you finish.