College English Grammar Grammar and Writing By Zhu

College English Grammar: Grammar and Writing By Zhu Xiangjun

Unit 3 Modifiers: adjectives • Grammar: Adjectives • Writing: Correcting: Comparison Problems Rewriting: How to rewrite sentences

Modifiers A modifier is any word that acts to describe or qualify another word in such a way that it enriches the other words meaning. It usually may be an adjective, an adverb or a prepositional phrase. Adding modifiers can make sentences more explicit, more interesting and more powerful. Let’s look at an example. • • The girl married. The girl was poor. She married immediately. She married after graduation. Now, you may combine all these details into one sentence. The poor girl married immediately after graduation.

Adjectives • An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun by limiting its meaning. It tells a characteristic or quality of a noun or pronoun. Adjectives tell such things as which one? what kind? whose? how many/much? • Generally, adjectives may be classified into two: one is attributive adjectives which are placed before nouns and the other is predictive adjectives which are placed after link verbs. attributive adjectives predictive adjectives the big house → The house is big. a popular singer → The singer is popular.

Some words can only be used as predictive adjectives. They have no degree of comparison and cannot be modified by degree adverbs such as too, very, much, almost, nearly, enough, hardly and so on. Most adjectives with initial letter a- are predictive adjectives, such as afraid，alike，alive，alone， asleep，awake, ahead, ashamed etc. And some others are ill, well, faint, glad, pleased, sorry, sure, certain, unable, ready, fond and so on. • The dog is asleep. • The boy was ill. → → an asleep dog an ill boy

1 Degrees of comparison • Many adjectives have different forms to indicate their degree of comparison. There are three levels of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. • The positive degree, the adjective in its most basic form, indicates no increase or diminution of the original quality. We are lucky. I have something important to tell you.

To compare people, places, events or things, when they are equal, we use as + adj. + as; when they are unequal, we use not so/as+ adj. + as. • Summer in England is lovely. • Spring in China is lovely. • Summer in England is as lovely as spring in China. • • • Your story is interested. My story is very interested. Your story is not so interested as mine.

When we make a comparison of quantity, we use the structure “as + much/many n. + as” or “as + few/little n. + as” • I earn much money. • My son earns much money. • I earn as much money as my son does. • • • Harry has few cards as you have. You have few cards. Harry has as few cards as you have. • • Notice: In an informal style, we use object pronouns (us, them, him etc. ) after the second “as”. I received as many postcards as he did. (formal) I received as many postcards as him. (informal)

The comparative degree compares two nouns or pronouns: one holds a greater or lesser degree of a quality than the other. Single syllable adj. : adj. -er Two-syllable adj. : more + adj (-ful/ -re). (more careful, more mature); adj(-er/ -y or -ly). -er. (cleverer, prettier, sillier). Multi-syllable adj. : more + adj. (more interesting) • • • She is thirty eight years old. Her husband is fifty years old. She is twelve years younger than her husband. • • • This work is difficult. I had thought it was easy. This work is more difficult than I had thought it was.

We can use the comparatives with “the comparative degree …, the comparative degree …” to say that things change or vary together. Notice the structure is “the comparative degree + (n. ) + subject + verb …”. • The older I grow, the happier I am. • The more mistrust we feel, the less confidence we have.

The following structures are used to indicate multiple: 1) A is …times the size /height/length/width of B. • The Oriental Pearl Tower is three times the height of this Hotel. 2) A is …times as big /high/long/wide/large as B. • Asia is four times as large as Europe. 3) A is …times larger /higher/longer/wider than B. • Salt Lake is five times saltier than any oceans.

Some adjectives (most with –or such as prior, superior, inferior, senior, junior, etc. ) use to instead of than when indicating comparative degree. • The task is prior to all others. • Health without riches is preferable to riches without health.

The superlative degree compares more than two nouns or pronouns. It is the highest degree of comparison for adjectives， usually formed either by adding -est to the shorter words (kindest, fastest) or by putting most before longer words and adverbs (most extraordinary, most quickly). We use the definite article ‘the’ while using the superlative degree. • There are three books. • This one is best. • Of the three books, this one is best. • • • I have ever done many kinds of work. That is the most time-consuming work I have ever done.

Exercises 1: Combine the sentences in each set into a single clear sentence which represents the degrees of comparison. 1. The earth is big. The moon is small. About 50 moons equal to one earth. The earth is 50 times the size of the moon. 2. 3. My mother is sixty eight years old. My father is seventy four years old. . My father is six years older than my mother. The living room is 36 square meters. The bedroom is 12 square meters. The living room is three times as big as the bedroom.

4. You think the dictionary is interesting. Actually the dictionary is not interesting. The dictionary is not as/so interesting as you think it is. 5. Europe has a land of 3, 837, 000 Sq. Miles. Asia has a land of 17, 212, 000 Sq. Miles. Asia is larger than Europe. 6. This book is in simple English. The other one is in difficult English. This book is simpler than the other one. 7. This book is in simple English. The other one is in difficult English. My pronunciation is not so good as yours.

Adjective word order • Sometimes adjectives appear in a string, and when they do, they are in a set order according to category. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. • • Determiners – a, an, the, my, your, several, etc. Observations – lovely, boring, beautiful, etc. Size – big, small, huge, etc. Shape –long, high, round, square, etc. Age – old, new, ancient, etc. Color – red, blue, green, etc. Origin – Chinese, British, American, etc. Material – gold, copper, silk, etc. Qualifier – limiters for compound nouns. I bought ______ dress. (Chinese, a, red, silk, beautiful, long ) I bought a beautiful, long, red, Chinese, silk dress.

Position of adjectives in a sentence Adjectives are usually put immediately before the nouns or pronouns they modify. • There is an elegant German clock in his sitting room. • Before her is a long patient queue. • Jane is a charming girl. When indefinite pronouns, such as something, someone, anybody, are modified by an adjective, the adjective comes after the pronoun: • Do you have anything important to tell me? • Anyone capable of doing something horrible to someone nice should be punished.

Exercises 2: Combine the sentences 1. Jeff was a business planner. Jeff was at a Fortune 500 company. Jeff was successful. Jeff was a successful business planner at a Fortune 500 company. 2. My friend is a scientist. He is famous. He is an American. He is respected. My friend is a famous respected American scientist. 3. Pumas are animals. They are large. They are cat-like. They are found in America. Pumas are large, cat-like animals (which are found) in America.

4. I met two people. They are very smart. I met them at the conference. I met two smart people at the conference. 5. His boss lost a car last night. The car was white. The car was expensive. The car was very pretty. His boss lost a very pretty, expensive, white car last night. 6. Have you met that boy? The boy was cute. The boy was new. The boy lives next door. Have you met that cute new boy (who lives) next door?

Comparison Problems There are five common errors writers sometimes make with comparisons. 1. Different items We make a comparison between two or more things only when they have something in common. So, be sure your comparisons are between similar items. • • The slaves were given food worse than their master’s dogs. The slaves were given food worse than that for their master’s dogs. Our program is like Fudan University. Our program is like the one of Fudan University.

2. Unbalanced structure Make sure your comparison is balanced. Use the same pattern on both sides of the comparison to make it readable and clear. The salary of a teacher is lower than a doctor’s. The salary of a teacher is lower than that of a doctor’s. A teacher’s salary is lower than a doctor’s (salary).

3. Other or else When you compare one member of a group with another, do not omit the word other or else. New York has more skyscrapers than any city in America. New York has more skyscrapers than any other city in America. Of the class, Simon is obviously much brighter than anyone else.

4. Double comparison Words that end in -er or -est and certain irregular comparisons do not need to be modified with the words more, most, less, or least since they are already comparative or superlative. The film was more funnier than the one I saw last night. The film was funnier than the one I saw last night. I felt worser today. I felt worse today.

5. –or than Some adjectives that end in –or use to not than when indicating comparisons. The new operating system is superior than its rivals. The new operating system is superior to its rivals. Many managers in our company are junior than me now. Many managers in our company are junior to me now.

Exercises: Correct the following comparison errors. 1. Linda is taller of the two sisters. 2. Stephen’s house is so large as John's. 3. The area of our city is larger than your city. 4. Jinan University has a better Business English Program. 5. No resource is as vital as water. 6. The situation goes from worse to worse. 7. John is senior than me by two years. 8. He is much more older than me. 9. Life was much harder than today. 10. She knows more English than I.

• Correcting: • the taller of 2. as large as 3. that of your city 4. . than any other universities do. 5. No other resources 6. from bad to worse 7. senior to me 8. much more older 9. than it is today 10. than I did

The exercise in this section is to create effective passages by combining the short sentences which you think is related into longer, more complex ones. If there are some mistakes, correct them. Passage 1 (Adapted from Lesson 10, New Concept English by L. G. Alexander) • We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord. It was made in Germany. It was made in 1681. We keep our clavichord in the living room. Our family has it for a long time. My grandfather bought the instrument many years ago. Recently a visitor damaged it. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard. She broke two of the strings. My father was shocked. Now he does not allow us to touch it. A friend of my father's is repairing it now.

Passage 2 (Adapted from Lesson 22, New Concept English by L. G. Alexander) • My daughter is called Jane. She never dreamed of receiving a letter. The letter was from a girl. She is of her own age. She lives in Holland. Last year, we were traveling across the Channel. Jane wrote her name and address on a piece of paper. She put it into a bottle. She threw the bottle into the sea. She never thought of it again. Ten months later, she received a letter. It came from a girl. She was in Holland. Both girls write to each other regularly now. They have decided to use the post office. Letters will cost a little more. Letters will certainly travel faster.