Questions tagged [adjectives]
Adjectives are just one of several different types of noun modifiers, typically used to premodify or describe a noun. Do not confuse adjectives with nouns used attributively to modify other nouns. Adjectives have comparative and superlative degrees, can be used as predicate adjectives in copulae, and can themselves be modified by intensifiers and adverbs but not by other adjectives. Nouns in attribution fail all those tests.
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What is the rule for adjective order?
I remember being taught that the correct order of adjectives in English was something along the lines of "Opinion-Size-Age-Color-Material-Purpose."
However, it's been a long time and I'm pretty sure ...
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"More clear" vs "Clearer": when to use "more" instead of "-er"?
Which one of these adjectives is correct? I can see that both of them are being used, I'm just not sure which one is grammatically correct.
Are there any general rules to follow as to the use of one ...
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What is the difference between "complicated" and "complex"?
I can't understand: what's the difference between complicated and complex?
They seem to be used interchangeably. Are they actually different at all?
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Why does "I was happy to do my homework" work, but "I was tired to do my homework" doesn't?
I'm teaching ESL, and I came across a question from one of my students that I don't know how to answer. Using the form "{subject} {verb} {adjective} {infinitive phrase}" we've been going over ...
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"Maximum" vs. "maximal"
What is the difference in usage between maximum and maximal? When would you use one or the other?
Maximum can be a noun or an adjective:
This is the maximum it can be set to.
This is the ...
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"Updatable" vs. "Updateable": which is correct?
Which spelling is correct, "updatable" or "updateable"?
For example, "The file is not updat(e)able."
By the way, I did go to Google and ref.dic.com for this first, and they both seem to indicate ...
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"Extensible" vs. "extendible"
Where does the adjective form extensible come from and does it connote anything different than extendible? What's the difference, if any, between the two?
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Is there a word for "air can pass through it"?
If light can pass through an object, or if you can see through it, it is transparent.
Is there a similar word for "air can pass through", or you can breathe through an object? This adjective would be ...
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How do you handle "that that"? The double "that" problem
Have you ever had a case where you felt compelled to include strange things like a double that in a sentence? If so, then what did you do to resolve this?
For me, I never knew whether it was ...
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X, Y, Z — horizontal, vertical and ...?
When working in a 2D coordinate system you could say that X is the horizontal axis and Y is the vertical axis.
Extending this to 3D, is there a similar word for the Z axis?
(I'm aware of Width, ...
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Why is the word "Holy" used before swear words?
People usually use the word "Holy" before "Shit", "Crap" or any other bad words to express their feelings, like surprise, anger, etc. Is there any reason why the word "Holy" is used with these bad ...
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What is worse than "mediocre"?
What is worse than mediocre? Is it bad, or is there a level between mediocre and being pure bad?
Is mediocre slightly better than bad, and bad better than pathetic?
I want to use this in my prose ...
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Retriable or retryable?
As in "it is possible to try it again". "Tryable" seems to be the one mostly used online, if you type it in Google. Onelook Dictionary Search only returns an entry for "tryable" from Wordnik, not from ...
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When to use "nude" and when "naked"
The question is quite clear.
Is there any difference (semantically or connotationally, if that's a word) between nude and naked? Nude seems more formal to me, but I'm not quite sure.
Interesting:
...
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What's the difference between the adjectives "strategic" and "tactical"?
I recently read this sentence:
It was a strategic move rather than a tactical one.
I have trouble interpreting it. Can someone help?
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What is the word for always YES (100%) or always NO (0%), never in-between
For example:
1) In statistics, this attribute will always either be 0% or 100%, never in-between.
2) The boundary is either safe or destroyed, because there is never a state where it is only '...
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What is the difference between "proven" and "proved"?
"Proven" and "proved" both seem to mean the same thing. Are there any differences in meaning or usage between them?
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Which is more wet: ‘moist’ or ‘damp’?
Which contains more liquid, something that is moist or something that is damp?
Context of question:
This question was asked to a young friend of mine in her high school freshman English class. It was ...
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What does "non-normative" mean in this context?
From the ECMAScript language specification ECMA-262 page 1 Section 4
This section contains a non-normative overview of the ECMAScript
language
The text goes on to say
ECMAScript is an object-...
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Is there a word to describe someone who tends to disagree with others only to upset them?
What's the word to describe someone who acts arrogantly and always disagrees with others unreasonably in order to upset people around him/her?
[I'm not looking for adjectives like unpleasant, ...
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What is the etymology of “yellow”, and why is it so different in other European languages?
It seems like most of our names for colors come from our German roots (blue/blau, green/grün, red/rot, etc.). But yellow is gelb in German, amarillo in Spanish, jaune in French, and giallo in Italian. ...
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Why can we say 'an American' but not 'a British'?
I am confused with the use of an indefinite article in front of British or Chinese.
To my understanding, we can place an indefinite article in front of any “countable noun”.
So, we can say a cup and ...
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Should I use " related" or "-related"
What is the correct use of the term "related?" For example, should I use it like computer related, or is it more proper to use computer-related (where the word "computer" is just part of my example?)...
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How long can you say "the late so and so"?
When you refer to the deceased, you say "the late so and so."
How long can you say that? Is JFK referred to as the late John F. Kennedy?
How about Abraham Lincoln?
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Grammatically correct sentence where "you're" and "your" can be interchanged? [closed]
Most grammar checkers are capable of detecting the the misuse of "your" and "you're"; providing the necessary correction.
I'm curious though, is there any sentence that can be constructed where ...
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Weekly, Daily, Hourly --- Minutely...?
What is the correct word for "happening every minute"? How do you pronounce it?
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Mimsy were the Borogoves - why is "mimsy" an adjective?
I'm reading Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass" and I've found a famous poem Jabberwocky:
Twas bryllyg, and the slythy toves
Did gyre and gymble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the ...
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What is the difference between "illicit" and "illegal"?
What is the difference between "illicit" and "illegal"? Are they just synonymous? Used in different contexts?
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Alternative to "manned" when referring to an extraterrestrial spacecraft?
In this question about manned spaceships versus drones, a user (perhaps jokingly) pointed out that "manned" wouldn't technically be correct when talking about an extraterrestrial spacecraft:
By ...
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Should the word Boolean be capitalized?
I keep second guessing myself on this one.
On one hand it seems like it should because the word Boolean is derived from the name of George Boole, the inventor of Boolean logic. However, the term as ...
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What is the most common English term for a person who attempts a coup d'état?
In Latin America, we have the Portuguese/Spanish word golpista (from the word golpe = coup d'état). In the British media, I've read coup monger and also putschist (from German word putsch = coup d'...
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What is the difference between "electric" and "electrical" and their usage?
What is the difference between electric and electrical and their usage?
For example, what is the difference between "electrical machine" and "electric machine"?
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Oil is slippery; rubber is _____?
What's the best word (or words) to describe rubber's 'gripping' property that is the opposite of oil's slipperiness?
It's not 'rough', since rubber grips without necessarily being rough.
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"Electronic" vs. "electric"
Most people would refer to computers as being electronic, whereas a flashlight would be described as electric.
I know the general difference (electronic devices use transistors?), but what is it ...
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My shoes can't think; how can they be sensible?
Recently as some of us were getting ready to take a walk through the snow, somebody said to me "you're wearing sensible shoes". Now my shoes haven't developed cognitive abilities so far as I know (...
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Why is quixotic not Quixotic (a proper adjective)?
Adjectives derived from proper nouns are known as proper adjectives, and are capitalized:
A piece of writing could be Shakespearean, not shakespearean.
A person may be Canadian, not canadian.
Even ...
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Does "300-odd pages" mean "about 300 pages" or "somewhat more than 300 pages"?
I've always understood the adjective -odd used in combination to mean about, as in "She read 300-odd pages and then stopped." After reading a comment by Edwin Ashworth in another question (&...
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List of expertise levels from beginner to expert [closed]
I would like to create a list of terms, from beginner to expert, using as many terms as possible which represent different levels of expertise.
I have constructed by myself:
Newbie
Novice
Rookie
...
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Does a word meaning "Created Recklessly for Temporary Use" exist?
Imagine you are surviving in the wilderness traveling in a wandering manner. You've found this landscape that is wonderfully abundant in food and basking in a very favorable climate. Therefore, you ...
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'Earth-based' adjective counterpart to 'Lunar' or 'Solar'
We have adjectives relating to various celestial bodies: 'Solar', 'Lunar', 'Martian', 'Venusian' etc. What would be the counterpart to Earth? 'Earthian' sounds very awkward to me... is it valid?
For ...
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Is there word like "excruciating" but relating to pleasure rather than pain?
I was hoping for some help on this one. I'm looking for a word that carries all the connotations of "excruciating" (intense, prolonged, unbearable, torturous, etc) but relating to pleasure rather than ...
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What is a word for a person who uses resources to the maximum?
Is there a word (or words) for a person who uses all resources to the maximum; for example, a person who keeps on using pencils even if they are very small?
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What's the difference between "big" and "large"?
What's the proper way to say: a large family or a big family? What's the difference between them?
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What do you call a person who keeps talking about art; studies art, criticizes art, and thinks he'd be amazing with it. But he doesn't practice it
I've come across this word before. It's not "hypocrite". But the definition of the word was very specific. Basically it's an adjective, it's something you call a person who's really into art; like for ...
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Opened vs open?
Is there are rule when to use opened vs open? I always get confused even though I've been speaking English as the dominant language for more than half my life.
E.g.
Is the door open(ed)?
...
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Why are not "infamous" and "inflammable" the opposite of "famous" and "flammable"?
Why are not infamous and inflammable the opposite of famous and flammable, like incomplete, inactivity, inappropriate and so on?
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"The point is moot"
I was recently called out for using the phrase "the point is moot" incorrectly. My intent was to indicate that I felt that the point wasn't really worth debating or discussing. I was then shown that ...
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Pluralization rule for "five-year-old children", "20 pound note", "10 mile run"
Why are year, pound and mile in the singular form in the phrases below?
five-year-old children
20 pound note
10 mile run
Is that because they're acting as adjectives, which are always invariable in ...
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What do you call a road that goes up and down? [closed]
How does one describe a road that goes upwards and downwards, as in the image below?
I'm not quite sure what word to use, although I am sure that there is one. Is it a zig-zag road?
By the way, the ...
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Underwater equivalent of "aerodynamic"?
I was reading this book that features a description of a shark:
It had fins at its sides, a triangular fin that rose from its back, a raked, aerodynamic tail, and eyes that were small, black, and ...
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