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ERRORS IN THE USE OF ADJECTIVES

What is an Adjective?

An adjective is a word that qualifies a noun or a pronoun, e.g. a beautiful flower, a hot day, the best boy, etc.

Points to be kept in mind in the use of adjectives:

Adjectives:

Rules:-

Rule 1:  Generally an adjective is placed before the noun it qualifies, for example, an intelligent girl, a large house, a good boy.

Exceptions: 

Wrong: This book is enough good for me.

Right: This book is good enough for me.

Wrong: The Great Akbar was a Mughal king.

Right: Akbar, the Great was a Mughal king.

Rule 2:  Adjectives like a junior, senior, inferior, superior, etc. are followed by ‘to’ not ‘than’:

Wrong: Mohan is junior to Sohan.

 Right: Mohan is junior to Sohan.

Wrong: Your coat is inferior to my coat.

 Right: Your coat is inferior to my coat.

 Rule 3: Use comparative degree for two and superlative degree for more than two:

Wrong: This is the best book of the two.

Right: This is a better book of the two.

 Wrong: He is the more intelligent boy in the class.

Right: He is the most intelligent boy in the class.

Rule 4: There is no comparative or superlative degree of the following adjectives as they possess qualities to the utmost possible extent: unique, eternal, triangular, weekly, monthly, ideal, entire, etc.

Wrong: This is a more complete picture of the situation.

Right: This is a complete picture of the situation.

 Wrong: He is the most unique person.

 Right: He is a unique person.

Rule 5: ‘Little’ and ‘few’ have a negative meaning and mean ‘almost nothing’. ‘A little’ and ‘a few’ have a positive meaning and mean ‘some’. ‘Little’ is used for quantity and `few’ is used for number:

Wrong: There was little water in the pitcher so I drank it.

 Right: There was a little water in the pitcher so I drank it.

Wrong: There were a few boys in the class, so the teacher went away.

 Right: There were few boys in the class, so the teacher went away.

Rule 6: The adjectives ending in —ior (prior, junior, senior, superior, inferior, posterior) take ‘to’ and not ‘than’ after them.

Rule 7: Some adjectives like unique, ideal, perfect, extreme, complete, universal, infinite, perpetual, chief, entire, round, impossible are not compared.

Wrong: It is the most unique book. 

Right:- It is a unique book 

 Rule 8: Comparative degree is comparing two things or persons. e.g. It is the better of the two books. The superlative degree is used in comparing more than two things or persons.

Rule 9: Double comparatives and double superlatives must not be used.

Wrong: He is wiser than his brother.

Right: He is wiser than his brother. 

 Rule 10: When we compare two qualities in the same person or thing, the comparative ending —er is not used.

Wrong: You are wiser than old. 

Right: You are more wise than old. 

 Rule 11: When two adjectives in the superlative or comparative degree are used together, the one formed by adding ‘more’ or ‘most’ must follow the other adjective.

Wrong: He is more intelligent and wiser than his brother. 

Right: He is wiser and more intelligent than his brother. 

 Rule 12: When two adjectives with differing degrees of comparison are used they should be complete in themselves.

Wrong: He is as wise, if not wiser than his brother. 

Right: He is an as wise brother. 

Rule 13: When two changes happen together, the comparative degree is used in both.

Rule 14: When the comparative degree is used in a superlative sense,

Wrong:  it is followed by any other’ Kapil is better than any bowler. 

Right:  Kapil is better than any other bowler. 

 Rule 15:  The compound adjective formed by adding worth’ is placed after the noun it qualifies.

Wrong:- This is worth seeing the sight.

Right: This is a sight worth seeing. 

 Rule 16:  When two or more comparatives are joined by ‘and’, they must be in the same degree.

Rule 17: When there are two objects of comparison, then to avoid repetition of a noun, ‘that’ is used for singular noun and ‘those’ for a plural noun.

Wrong: The debate of Randi is better than Gaya. 

Right: The climate of Ranchi is better than that of Gaya. 

 Rule 18: If the comparison is made by using ‘other’, ‘then’ is used instead of ‘but’.

Rule 19: Likely, certain and sure are followed by ‘to’.

Some More Examples:

ERRORS IN THE USE OF ADJECTIVES 5
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