English Grammar – Adjectives – Forming Adjectives

Typical Adjective Endings

Some adjectives can be identified by their endings. Typical adjective endings include:

1. –able / –ible : understandable, capable, readable, incredible
2. –al : mathematical, functional, influential, chemical
3. –ful : beautiful, bashful, helpful, harmful
4. –ic : artistic, manic, rustic, terrific
5. –ive : submissive, intuitive, inventive, attractive
6. –less : sleeveless, hopeless, groundless, restless
7. –ous : gorgeous, dangerous, adventurous, fabulous

Sometimes when adding these endings changes have to be made. Here are some rules for forming adjectives and their exceptions:

Add	Exceptions	Word	Adjective
-al	If ending with an ‘e‘, drop it.	Nature, Function	Natural, Functional
-y	If ending with an ‘e‘, drop it.	Ice, Oil	Icy, Oily
-ful	If ending with a ‘y‘, replace with an ‘i‘.	Beauty, Peace	Beautiful, Peaceful
-ous / -ious	If ending with a ‘y‘, drop it.	Mystery, Danger	Mysterious, Dangerous
-ic	If ending with a ‘y‘, drop it.	History, Rust	Historic, Rustic

Forming Adjectives from Nouns and Verbs

Adjectives can be formed from different words. They can be formed from nouns:

Noun	Adjective
accident	accidental
danger	dangerous
length	long
star	starry
wind	windy

From verbs:

Verb	Adjective
enjoy	enjoyable
help	helpful
obey	obedient
play	playful
talk	talkative

Or even from other adjectives:

Adjective	Adjective
comic	comical
correct	corrective
elder	elderly
red	reddish
sick	sickly

Examples of Forming Adjectives

1. Our house color is a kind of yellow. → We live in a yellowish house.
2. He often acts like a child. → He often acts in a childish way.
3. The event was a big success. → We enjoyed a successful event.
4. We enjoyed the sound of the drum’s rhythm. → We enjoyed the drum’s rhythmic sound.
5. She adopted a dog without a home. → She adopted a homeless dog.
6. Look out, that plant is poison. → Look out for that poisonous plant.
7. It looks like it will rain today. → It looks like we’ll have rainy weather today.
8. She always acts with courtesy. → She always behaves in a courteous manner.
9. Her hair is pretty. → She has the prettiest hair.
10. We go for a walk each day. → We go for a daily walk.