~ Read the short extract and the notes in the box below.

Note the words in bold.

These words are called
adjectives. See how they
describe and make the
passage more interesting.

Prahlad Jani - The Foodless Man

Prahlad Jani is a strange man. He does not eat. He is not fasting. He is

neither bulimic nor anorexic. He is called the "foodless man". He says he
has not eaten for the last 68 years. How then has he survived? 400
confused doctors at a hospit al in Ahmedabad are said to have observed
him closely for ten days to see if what he claims is true. They had close-
circuit cameras to watch him day and night. The 76-year-old Prahl.ad is
like othe~ Hindu holy men in some respects. .He _puts on red robes, gold
chains, bangles and even has earrings and a nose-ring. He has a white
beard, white moustache and long, grey hair that is tied up in a pony-tail
Apparently, he is an ideal candidate for the X-files.

(NSf - Thursday, November 27, 2003)

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'4djectives
• Adjectives are words that describe nouns.

• Adjectives usually answer the question "What type/kind of. .. ?"

Example 1: Prahlad Jani is a strange man. NOTE: Both "strange" and
• What type of man is Prahlad? A strange man. "new" answer the question
"What type or kind of. .. ?
Example 2: That is a new book.
• What type of book is that?
Anew book.

• Adjectives that can be. used to describe colour.

Examples: He puts on red robes, gold chains ...
She likes the red lipstick.
Mother bought some green vegetables.

• Adjectives can be used to describe size.

Examples: He has a white beard, white moustache and long, grey hair ...
Grandmother has tiny feet.
Malik read a short passage.

• Adjectives can be used to describe quality.

Examples: Apparently, he is an ideal candidate for the X-files.
That hotel has excellent service.

Exercise 1
IIJJi,, Fill in the blanks with the most suitable adjectives given below.

1 The campers looked up at the sky.

2 She bought a necklace.
3 Allison ordered a burger.
4 Spiderman is a comic book
hero.
5 Erman picked up an book.
6 Father is wearing a shirt.
7 My sister is a girl.
8 They are watching an show.

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~~
Exercise 2
..... Read the passage below and underline the adjectives. There are eleven adjectives.

The Sahara Desert is an open expanse of sand. One creature

too long and thin for its body. The camel has rough hair and a
huge hump on its back. Some camels even have two humps! It
is said that camels have bad tempers. They will kick and bite
for no reason at all. The camel can only be taught a few
simple things. This animal can walk for days in the hot desert without food and water.

Prefixes
You can form negative adjectives by adding prefixes such as dis-, un - or im- before
the adjectives.
Examples: I had an unplea sa nt experience at the dentist's.
It is almost imp oss ible to open a crocodile's mouth once it is shut.

Exercise 3
..... Write the correct prefix for the following adjectives.

2 honest 7 real
3 loyal 8 suitable
4 known 9 grammatical
5 pure 10 mature

Exercise 4
..... Replace each of the underlined phrases with a negative adjective that has a prefix.
Add articles where necessary. Write your answers in the space provided below the
passage.

It was late at night. We heard a knock on the front door.

It was not a suitable time for guests to visit, because Manchester
United was up against Arsenal at Highbury Park. It was a football
match not to be missed. We wondered who the not invited guest
could be. Dad looked not happy. Mum was not pleased. They did
18
~~ ..."~--
not want to be not polite so Mum opened the front door to let the visitor in. It was
Grandpa Lim, smiling cheekily. We were all shocked to see him because it was not
possible for him to get here on his own, as he could not drive. Suddenly, my cousin walked
up from behind and said, "Grandpa wanted to watch the match of the season with us."

1 4
2 5
3 6

eomparing Adjpctives
• Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns or pronouns. You must add
-er and than to the adjective when comparing two objects.
Examples: NOTE: When comparing
two objem, the word than
This box is lighter than that one. must follow after the
Her hair is thicker than Aneeza's. comparative adjective.
She walks slower than all of us.

• For two-syllable adjectives ending with '-y', change the Y to '-i' and add -er.
Examples: happy - happier
lovely - lovelier

• For some adjectives with two or more syllables, use more followed by the adjective
and than.
Examples: modern - more modern than
comfortable - more comfortable than

• Superlative adjectives are used to compare at least three nouns or pronouns. You
must add -est to the adjective and the before it.
Examples: NOTE: When comparing
He is the tallest boy in the basketball team. at least three objects. add
the before the adjective.
Cik Salena is the prettiest girl in the beauty contest.

• Some adjectives are irregular.

Examples: good - better - best
bad - worse - worst

Exercise5
~ Complete the sentences. Use the correct form (comparative or superlative) of the
adjectives given in brackets.

1 Sungai Rajang is - - - -- - - - - Sungai Pahang. (long)

2 The Nile is river in the world. (long)

19
 3 The Pacific Ocean is __________ the Indian Ocean. (large)
4 The Pacific Ocean is sea in the world. (large)
5 Mount Everest is mountain in the world. (high)
6 Mount Tahan is Mount Jerai. (high)
7 Pahang is Kedah. (big)
8 Perlis is state in Malaysia. (small)
9 Fruits are for your health than chocolate. (good)
10 This is mee goreng I have ever tasted! (bad)
11 I have a pair of boots, a pair of sandals and a pair of sports shoes. The sandals
are the boots, but the spo1'ts shoes are
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of all. (comfortable)
12 This exercise is __________ that one. This is one of
_ _ _ _ _ _ ____ exercises in the book. (easy)
13 June ordered __________ food on the menu for her birthday dinner.
(expensive)
14 I think good health is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ fame. (important)
15 The Twin Towers is landmark in Kuala Lumpur.
(famous)

Exercise6
.... Complete the sentences to compare the sizes of three balls.

1 The ping pong ball is - -- - - - - - the tennis ball.

2 The football is the tennis ball.
3 The football is of all.
4 The ping pong ball is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ among the three balls.

20
t,P,~1m::t~=··
Exercise~
~ Write sentences comparing the prices of the three vehicles.

1
2 •
3

ExerciseB
~ Look at the picture and colour it. Then, write sentences to describe the people and the
scene. You may use the questions and notes given to- help you.

fi' ,I/., ~ -r·

1 Where are the clowns? (stage) ~· Writ\"':} · ·'P

r
Use as many suitable adjectives
2 Describe each clown. (height, size, hair) as possible to make the
3 Compare the clowns. description vivid and
4 What are they doing? (trumpet) (guitar and harmonica) t interesting. Unless a time phrase
is given (e.g. Yesterday), a
(juggling)
5 Describe the scene. (noisy) (bright) Il!::~~~..?~.~~
description is normally wrinen
in the present tense {the simple

21
~~~-~~