Adjectives formed from other parts of speech
ADJECTIVES MADE OUT OF VERB
VERB + -ABLE/ BLE
Adjective express something possible or simple to do:
admire – admirable
play – playable
move – movable
VERB + -IVE
Adjective express trait:
create – creative
act – active
explode – explosive
VERB + -ED
Adjective express effect:
move – moved
limit – limited
VERB + -ING
Adjective express “causing effect”: amuse – amusing
surprise – surprising
ADJECTIVES MADE OUT OF NOUNS
NOUN + -OUS
Adjective express “having this particular trait”:
danger – dangerous
fame – famous
ambition – ambitious
NOUN + -Y
Adjective express state:
anger – angry
hunger – hungry
noise – noisy
NOUN + -FUL
Adjective express “full of something”:
beauty – beautiful
faith – faithful
skill – skilful
NOUN + -ING
Adjective express “causing effect”:
interest – interesting
will – willing
NOUN + -LESS
Adjective express “without something”:
home – homeless
child – childless
hope – hopeless
NOUN + -AL
Adjective express “referring to something”:
nation – national
nature – natural
culture – cultural
NOUN + -AN
Adjective express “belongs to somebody or something”:
America – American
Russia – Russian
Christ – Christian
SPELLING RULES
Sometimes the spelling changes when we add the ending to the verb or noun.
Remember:
-closing -e disappear but ending -less is an exception to this rule:
admire – admirable
surprise – surprised
home – homeless
hope – hopeless
-nouns ending with -er creating adjective by adding an ending -y loses-e, ending -ous is an exception to this rule:
hunger – hungry
anger – angry
danger – dangerous
NATIONALITIES
It is worth mentioning adjectives based on the names of countries and describing people, places, languages, etc.
Very often noun expressing nationality has the same form as an adjective.
CREATING ADJECTIVES (AND NOUNS) FROM COUNTRY NAMES
country name | adjective/noun ending with -an |
---|---|
America Australia Belgium Chile Germany Hungary India Italy Mexico Russia | American Australian Belgian Chilean German Hungarian Indian Italian Mexican Russian |
This is Mexican food.
She’s Italian. She lives in Italy.
Nouns
country name | adjective/noun ending with -ese |
---|---|
China Japan Portugal Vietnam | Chinese Japanese Portuguese Vietnamese |
I love Japanese food.
He’s Japanese. He comes from Tokio
country name: | adjective/noun ending with -ish | inhabitant: |
---|---|---|
Great Britan England Denmark Finland Ireland Poland Scotland Spain Sweden Turkey | British English Danish Finnish Irish Polish Scottish Spanish Swedish Turkish | Briton Englishman/Englishwoman Dane Finn Irishman/Irishwoman Pole Scot Spaniard Swede Turk |
I like Spanish football teams.
Tom is English.
Tom is an Englishman.
Nouns
country name: | adjective/noun ending with -i |
---|---|
Iraq Israel Pakistan | Iraqi Israeli Pakistani |
The most famous Iraqi river is the Euphrates River.
Most Iraqi are Muslim.
country name: | Irregular noun & adjective | inhabitant |
---|---|---|
France Greece Holland Switzerland Wales | French Greek Dutch Swiss Welsh | Frenchman/Frenchwoman Greek Dutchman/Dutchwoman Swiss Welshman/Welshwoman |
This famous Welshman lives in Cardiff.
Frenchwomen like Swiss watches.