Cheatsheet: Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives and Adjective Order

Point	Rule	Example
adjective + noun	the adjective goes before the noun	She has a new phone.
verb + adjective	the verb is be, look, feel, sound, taste or smell	You look tired.
A2Several adjectives	opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material, purpose	a nice old wooden chair
A2-ed / -ing	-ed: how a person feels; -ing: what causes it	I'm bored. / The film is boring.
Trap	one form for singular and plural	two red cars
A2Trap	size before colour, age before material	a big red bag / an old wooden table

Comparatives and Superlatives

Point	Rule	Example
One syllable, or two ending in -y	+ er / + est	Trains are faster than buses. / It's the cheapest.
Spelling	add r after -e; y becomes i; double one final consonant	nice → nicer / happy → happier / big → bigger
Other adjectives of two or more syllables	more + adjective / the most + adjective	This bag is more expensive.
Irregular	good → better → the best / bad → worse → the worst	It's the best film of the year.
comparative + than	compares two things; speech has an object pronoun after than	She is taller than me.
the + superlative + in / of	top of three or more; in a place or group, of a number	She is the tallest in the class.
as + adjective + as / not as + adjective + as	equal; not equal	My flat is as big as yours. / Tea is not as strong as coffee.
Trap	better and worse are already comparatives	This is better.

Adverbs of frequency and manner

Point	Rule	Example
Frequency	how often: always (100%), usually, often, sometimes, never (0%)	I always walk to work.
A2Manner	how it happens: adjective + ly; y → ily	He walks slowly. / They sing happily.
A2Manner: irregular	fast, hard, late and early keep the adjective's form	He runs fast.
How often?	frequency expressions go at the end	How often do you swim? — I swim every day.
Frequency: position	before the main verb, after be	I often walk. / She is always late.
A2Frequency: with an auxiliary	between the auxiliary and the main verb	I can never find my keys.
A2Manner: position	after the verb, or after the object	He opened the door slowly.
A2Trap	good describes a noun; well describes a verb	She sings well.

Too, Enough, So and Such

Point	Rule	Example
too + adjective / adverb	more than is good; the result follows with to + V	The box is too heavy for me to lift.
adjective + enough / enough + noun	enough follows an adjective and comes before a noun	She is old enough to drive. / We have enough chairs.
so + adjective / adverb	the result follows with that	I was so tired that I fell asleep.
such a + adjective + singular noun / such + adjective + plural noun	such goes with a noun, so with an adjective or adverb	It's such a good film. / They are such nice people.
Trap	not + adjective + enough	The room is not big enough.
Trap	so many + plural noun	I have so many friends.