Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:01,230 --> 00:00:02,650
Hi, I’m Daniel.
2
00:00:02,650 --> 00:00:04,640
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
3
00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:10,160
In this lesson, you can learn about using
adjectives in English.
4
00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:15,350
You’ll see basic information about English
adjectives, what they do, and how you can
5
00:00:15,350 --> 00:00:16,350
use them.
6
00:00:16,350 --> 00:00:21,840
Then, you’ll see some more details about
different types of adjectives and what they
7
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:23,500
mean.
8
00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:29,460
Before we start, have you visited our website:
Oxford Online English dot com?
9
00:00:29,470 --> 00:00:34,090
If you want to improve your English, there
are free video lessons as well as listening
10
00:00:34,090 --> 00:00:35,090
lessons.
11
00:00:35,090 --> 00:00:39,600
We also have a large selection of professional
teachers who can help you to improve your
12
00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,820
English in online classes.
13
00:00:42,820 --> 00:00:49,140
But now, let’s get back to the lesson.
14
00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:55,220
First, a question: what do adjectives do?
15
00:00:55,220 --> 00:01:00,820
Adjectives describe nouns—they add information
to a noun or noun phrase.
16
00:01:00,820 --> 00:01:05,360
For example: ‘The sea was blue and clear.’
17
00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:12,300
The adjectives—‘blue’ and ‘clear’—add
information to the noun—‘sea’.
18
00:01:12,300 --> 00:01:18,680
Adjectives can be used in many ways, but there
are two common patterns.
19
00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:27,030
First, you can put adjectives directly before
the noun they describe, like this: ‘red
20
00:01:27,030 --> 00:01:30,040
high-heeled shoes’.
21
00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,740
‘A reliable friend.’
22
00:01:32,740 --> 00:01:38,640
‘He gave me an expensive Italian leather
wallet.’
23
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,720
Secondly, you can use a linking verb plus
an adjective after a noun, like this: ‘She
24
00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:46,720
felt happy.’
25
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:48,460
‘It’s sunny.’
26
00:01:48,460 --> 00:01:51,960
‘He seems quiet today.’
27
00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:56,680
By the way, what are ‘linking verbs’?
28
00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,760
Linking verbs add information to a subject.
29
00:02:00,770 --> 00:02:06,680
Common linking verbs include ‘be’, ‘seem’,
‘become’, ‘feel’ and ‘appear’,
30
00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,700
although there are many others.
31
00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:12,320
You don’t need to worry about this right
now.
32
00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:18,010
Remember the basic point: adjectives can go
before a noun, or after it.
33
00:02:18,010 --> 00:02:24,360
This will become more important later in the
lesson—keep watching to find out why!
34
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:29,810
Here’s another question for you: how can
you find the adjectives in a sentence?
35
00:02:29,810 --> 00:02:33,480
What do adjectives look like?
36
00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,980
There’s no simple answer to this question.
37
00:02:36,980 --> 00:02:42,749
With all parts of speech, it’s better to
look at full sentences and think about context
38
00:02:42,749 --> 00:02:44,780
and meaning.
39
00:02:44,780 --> 00:02:46,700
Let’s do a quick test!
40
00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:48,209
Here are five sentences.
41
00:02:48,209 --> 00:02:52,510
Can you find the adjective or adjectives in
each one?
42
00:02:52,510 --> 00:02:56,380
Pause the video if you need more time to think.
43
00:02:56,380 --> 00:03:01,400
You’ll see the answers in a few seconds.
44
00:03:01,409 --> 00:03:03,239
Ready?
45
00:03:03,239 --> 00:03:07,280
Here are the answers.
46
00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,709
You can see a few useful points here.
47
00:03:10,709 --> 00:03:15,180
Firstly, adjectives don’t look similar to
each other.
48
00:03:15,180 --> 00:03:21,800
Adjectives can have many different endings,
and they can even end with -ly, like many
49
00:03:21,810 --> 00:03:24,310
adverbs do.
50
00:03:24,310 --> 00:03:28,689
Secondly, adjectives also have different forms.
51
00:03:28,689 --> 00:03:35,620
For example, many adjectives have comparative
forms, like ‘good-better’, or superlative
52
00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:39,140
forms, like ‘hard-hardest’.
53
00:03:39,140 --> 00:03:46,400
Thirdly, some adjectives are compound, meaning
they’re made from two or more other words.
54
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:52,520
This is common with numbers, as in ‘a 25-year-old
man’.
55
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,020
Now, you know some of the basics about adjectives
and how to use them.
56
00:03:57,020 --> 00:04:04,380
Let’s go into more detail about different
types of adjectives.
57
00:04:04,380 --> 00:04:06,740
Look at four sentences.
58
00:04:06,740 --> 00:04:09,860
Two are right, and two are wrong.
59
00:04:09,860 --> 00:04:12,069
Can you see which sentences are correct?
60
00:04:12,069 --> 00:04:17,940
Do you know why the other two sentences are
incorrect?
61
00:04:17,940 --> 00:04:23,240
Pause the video if you need more time to think
about it.
62
00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,360
Ready?
63
00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,740
Let’s look together.
64
00:04:26,740 --> 00:04:30,980
Sentences one and four are correct.
65
00:04:30,980 --> 00:04:35,800
Two and three are incorrect.
66
00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,400
Did you get the right answers?
67
00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:44,200
And, can you explain why sentences two and
three are incorrect?
68
00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:50,880
To explain this, you need to know about an
important idea: gradability.
69
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,170
Some adjectives are gradable.
70
00:04:53,170 --> 00:04:55,680
That means they can have different levels.
71
00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,230
For example, ‘nice’ and ‘interesting’
are gradable.
72
00:05:00,230 --> 00:05:04,920
Something can be more interesting, or less
interesting.
73
00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:09,440
There are different levels of ‘interesting’.
74
00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,300
Some adjectives are ungradable.
75
00:05:11,300 --> 00:05:15,310
That means that they’re binary—either
‘yes’ or ‘no’.
76
00:05:15,310 --> 00:05:17,790
For example, ‘unique’ is ungradable.
77
00:05:17,790 --> 00:05:19,810
Either something is unique, or it isn’t.
78
00:05:19,810 --> 00:05:22,350
You can’t have different levels of uniqueness.
79
00:05:22,350 --> 00:05:26,240
It’s a yes-or-no property.
80
00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,580
Ungradable adjectives have two types.
81
00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:37,200
Firstly, there are words with a strong meaning,
like ‘delicious’, ‘exhausted’ or ‘furious’.
82
00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:42,890
Secondly, there are words with an absolute
meaning, like ‘unique’, ‘true’ or
83
00:05:42,890 --> 00:05:43,890
‘possible’.
84
00:05:43,890 --> 00:05:49,680
When we talk about ungradable adjectives,
we mean both of these types.
85
00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:51,440
What does this mean for you?
86
00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,330
Well, there are two important rules you should
know.
87
00:05:55,330 --> 00:06:00,770
First, you can’t make comparatives
from ungradable adjectives.
88
00:06:00,770 --> 00:06:03,530
You can’t say ‘more delicious’.
89
00:06:03,530 --> 00:06:07,670
You can’t say ‘truer’ or ‘most possible’.
90
00:06:07,670 --> 00:06:13,900
Secondly, if you want to emphasise an adjective
by adding a word like ‘very’, ‘really’
91
00:06:13,900 --> 00:06:19,150
or ‘absolutely’ before it, you need to
use different words for gradable and ungradable
92
00:06:19,150 --> 00:06:21,520
adjectives.
93
00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,480
‘Very’ is used with gradable adjectives.
94
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:30,460
So, you can say ‘very beautiful’, ‘very
cold’ or ‘very funny’, but you can’t
95
00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:35,780
say ‘very gorgeous’, ‘very freezing’
or ‘very hilarious’.
96
00:06:35,780 --> 00:06:42,200
You can’t say ‘very freezing’, but what
*can* you say?
97
00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:49,070
With ungradable adjectives, use ‘absolutely’;
you can say ‘absolutely freezing’, ‘absolutely
98
00:06:49,070 --> 00:06:53,710
exhausted’ or ‘absolutely unique’.
99
00:06:53,710 --> 00:06:56,080
What if you’re not sure?
100
00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:00,990
Use ‘really’, which can be used with both
gradable and ungradable adjectives.
101
00:07:00,990 --> 00:07:06,050
So, you can say ‘really cold’ or ‘really
freezing’.
102
00:07:06,050 --> 00:07:08,080
They’re both fine!
103
00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:13,640
Understanding the difference between gradable
and ungradable adjectives is important if
104
00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:17,460
you want to use adjectives correctly in English.
105
00:07:17,460 --> 00:07:21,980
There’s also one more important point you
should know.
106
00:07:21,980 --> 00:07:26,540
Let’s look!
107
00:07:26,540 --> 00:07:31,420
You heard in part one that adjectives can
go before the noun, or after the noun if you
108
00:07:31,420 --> 00:07:33,220
use a linking verb.
109
00:07:33,220 --> 00:07:37,990
So, are these sentences correct, or not?
110
00:07:37,990 --> 00:07:44,220
As always, pause the video if you want to
think about it for longer.
111
00:07:44,220 --> 00:07:45,140
Ready?
112
00:07:45,140 --> 00:07:46,800
Here’s the answer.
113
00:07:46,810 --> 00:07:51,200
All three sentences are incorrect; none of
them are possible.
114
00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,270
Do you know why?
115
00:07:54,270 --> 00:07:59,050
Many adjectives can be used either before
or after the noun they describe.
116
00:07:59,050 --> 00:08:03,320
For example, you can say ‘the car is new’
or ‘the new car’.
117
00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,520
Both are possible, and it doesn’t change
the meaning.
118
00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:15,020
However, some adjectives can only be used
in one position: either before or after the
119
00:08:15,020 --> 00:08:16,020
noun.
120
00:08:16,020 --> 00:08:20,890
That’s the problem with the three sentences
you saw just now.
121
00:08:20,890 --> 00:08:25,840
‘Asleep’ can only be used after the noun
it describes.
122
00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:32,419
You can say ‘The cat is asleep on the wall’,
but you can’t say ‘an asleep cat’.
123
00:08:32,419 --> 00:08:38,539
‘Main’ and ‘elder’ are examples of
adjectives which can *only* go before the
124
00:08:38,539 --> 00:08:39,539
noun.
125
00:08:39,540 --> 00:08:46,040
So, you could say ‘This is the main problem’
or ‘He is my elder brother.’
126
00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:47,960
Now, let’s do a test.
127
00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,400
Look at six adjectives:
128
00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,180
Here’s the question: can these adjectives
129
00:08:54,180 --> 00:08:59,300
be used before the noun, after the noun, or
in both positions?
130
00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:05,350
To do this, try making sentences with the
six adjectives, or go to an online dictionary,
131
00:09:05,350 --> 00:09:12,620
such as the Cambridge dictionary or Longman,
and find example sentences.
132
00:09:12,620 --> 00:09:15,570
When you make sentences, try saying them out
loud.
133
00:09:15,570 --> 00:09:16,899
Use your instinct.
134
00:09:16,899 --> 00:09:19,639
Does it sound strange or wrong?
135
00:09:19,639 --> 00:09:20,910
It probably is.
136
00:09:20,910 --> 00:09:23,430
Pause the video and do the test.
137
00:09:23,430 --> 00:09:28,140
You’ll see the answers in a few seconds!
138
00:09:28,140 --> 00:09:29,220
Ready?
139
00:09:29,220 --> 00:09:31,160
Let’s check together.
140
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,879
‘Alone’ can only be used after the noun
it describes.
141
00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:41,340
For example: ‘He was alone for most of the
summer.’
142
00:09:41,340 --> 00:09:45,460
‘Ill’ is also generally used after the
noun it describes.
143
00:09:45,460 --> 00:09:50,540
For example: ‘I didn’t work yesterday
because my daughter was ill.’
144
00:09:50,550 --> 00:09:53,930
‘Complete’ can be used in both positions.
145
00:09:53,930 --> 00:09:57,190
For example: ‘It was a complete disaster!’
146
00:09:57,190 --> 00:10:02,840
Or, ‘The first stage of the work is now
complete.’
147
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,120
‘Only’ is used before the noun.
148
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:10,240
For example: ‘The only way to do it is to
do it yourself.’
149
00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,579
‘Unhappy’ can be used in both positions.
150
00:10:13,579 --> 00:10:20,839
For example: ‘They had an unhappy marriage,’
or ‘He didn’t enjoy the last year of school
151
00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,860
and was often unhappy.’
152
00:10:23,860 --> 00:10:27,660
Finally, ‘afraid’ is only used after the
noun.
153
00:10:27,660 --> 00:10:33,000
For example: ‘I was afraid of the dark when
I was a child.’
154
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,490
So, you’re probably thinking: how do I know?
155
00:10:36,490 --> 00:10:42,690
How do I know whether an adjective can be
used before or after a noun?
156
00:10:42,690 --> 00:10:44,779
It’s a good question.
157
00:10:44,780 --> 00:10:49,240
Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer.
158
00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:54,060
Dictionaries don’t usually include this
information.
159
00:10:54,069 --> 00:10:57,519
However, we have good news!
160
00:10:57,519 --> 00:11:00,240
Most adjectives can be used in both positions.
161
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:05,399
Also, for most adjectives which can’t, you
already know the answer.
162
00:11:05,399 --> 00:11:09,390
For example, remember the sentence, ‘The
problem is main’?
163
00:11:09,390 --> 00:11:13,640
Most of you knew that this sentence sounded
wrong.
164
00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,709
Your instincts can be helpful!
165
00:11:16,709 --> 00:11:20,940
Anyhow, now you know about gradability and
adjective position.
166
00:11:20,940 --> 00:11:26,819
There’s a reason we’ve shown you these
two topics, because our last idea depends
167
00:11:26,819 --> 00:11:31,939
on these points.
168
00:11:31,939 --> 00:11:36,610
You know that adjectives can be gradable or
ungradable, or that they can go before or
169
00:11:36,610 --> 00:11:42,309
after the noun, but in some cases, the same
adjective can be used in different ways with
170
00:11:42,309 --> 00:11:44,300
different meanings.
171
00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:50,380
For example, look at these two sentences:
‘She handled the situation in a very professional
172
00:11:50,380 --> 00:11:51,380
way.’
173
00:11:51,380 --> 00:11:55,839
‘She’s a professional tennis player.’
174
00:11:55,839 --> 00:12:00,860
Both these sentences use the adjective ‘professional’,
but in different ways.
175
00:12:00,860 --> 00:12:03,339
Can you see the difference?
176
00:12:03,339 --> 00:12:09,000
In the first sentence, ‘professional’
is used as a gradable adjective, and it means
177
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,759
something like ‘effective’ or ‘competent’.
178
00:12:13,759 --> 00:12:19,250
In the second sentence, ‘professional’
is ungradable: it means that playing tennis
179
00:12:19,250 --> 00:12:22,959
is her job, and she makes money from it.
180
00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:29,460
Let’s do another example: ‘Jerome was
present at the meeting.’
181
00:12:29,460 --> 00:12:36,180
‘The present situation looks more hopeful
than it has for several months.’
182
00:12:36,189 --> 00:12:38,110
What about here?
183
00:12:38,110 --> 00:12:44,410
Can you explain the difference between these
two uses of ‘present’?
184
00:12:44,410 --> 00:12:49,180
In the first sentence, ‘present’ is used
after the noun, with a linking verb.
185
00:12:49,180 --> 00:12:52,649
It means that Jerome was there.
186
00:12:52,649 --> 00:12:57,320
In the second sentence, ‘present’ is used
before the noun, and it means ‘relating
187
00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,880
to now’.
188
00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:05,440
So, in this case, the adjective has different
meanings in different positions.
189
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,400
To be clear, this isn’t flexible.
190
00:13:08,410 --> 00:13:12,369
You can’t choose to use ‘present’ before
a noun to mean ‘there’.
191
00:13:12,369 --> 00:13:18,339
If you use ‘present’ before a noun, then
it means ‘relating to now’.
192
00:13:18,339 --> 00:13:21,610
So, what should you take away from this?
193
00:13:21,610 --> 00:13:25,730
What do you need to focus on?
194
00:13:25,730 --> 00:13:31,050
We aren’t showing you these points because
you need to learn lists of all the gradable
195
00:13:31,050 --> 00:13:33,420
and ungradable adjectives.
196
00:13:33,420 --> 00:13:40,740
This lesson gives you tools to help you understand
adjectives more deeply.
197
00:13:40,740 --> 00:13:47,319
The most important point is that adjectives
don’t follow one simple set of rules.
198
00:13:47,319 --> 00:13:53,980
Like with all vocabulary, you need to use
context to understand what an adjective means
199
00:13:53,980 --> 00:13:55,369
in a sentence.
200
00:13:55,369 --> 00:14:01,050
Next—and this is also a general point—one
word doesn’t have one meaning.
201
00:14:01,050 --> 00:14:06,209
With adjectives, whether a word is gradable
or not can make a difference.
202
00:14:06,209 --> 00:14:09,269
Where an adjective is used can make a difference.
203
00:14:09,269 --> 00:14:12,980
You can’t simply rely on a dictionary or
a translator.
204
00:14:12,980 --> 00:14:17,890
Again, you need to understand the context
to understand the words.
205
00:14:17,890 --> 00:14:23,119
Do you find anything especially confusing
about using English adjectives and adverbs?
206
00:14:23,119 --> 00:14:25,290
We’re sure you aren’t alone!
207
00:14:25,290 --> 00:14:29,649
Share your ideas in the comments, and maybe
you’ll get some help.
208
00:14:29,649 --> 00:14:31,430
Thanks for watching!
209
00:14:31,430 --> 00:14:32,220
See you next time!18046
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.