Grammaire

determiners

• Determiners help describe nouns, including countable (e.g., "apples") and uncountable nouns (e.g., "water").
• Countable nouns: Use numbers or words like "many" or "few" (e.g., "three books," "few opportunities").
• Uncountable nouns: Use words like "much," "some," or "little" (e.g., "much respect," "little time").
• Possessive determiners (e.g., "my," "your") work for both types.
• Articles like "a," "an," and "the" are also determiners, showing if something is specific or not.

Understanding these words makes communication clearer and more accurate.

phrasal verb & expression

A verb combined with one or two extra words that changes its meaning (look → look after, give → give up)

Two peas in a pod (idiom) – when two things are really similar and they go together very well

Figure out (phrasal verb) – to understand or calculate how something happens or how it works

Come to life (idiom) – to become active or interesting. 

adjectives

Adjectives describe things and feelings, and they change form to compare or show extremes:

• Regular Adjectives:
  • Add "er" for comparatives (e.g., "safer") and "est" for superlatives (e.g., "safest").
  • Use "more" and "most" for adjectives with two or more syllables (e.g., "more secure," "most secure").
• Irregular Adjectives: Change in unique ways:
  • Good → better, best
  • Bad → worse, worst
  • Far → farther/further, farthest/furthest
  • Little → less, least
  • Much/Many → more, most
• Special Cases:
  • Adjectives ending in "y" change to "ier" and "iest" (e.g., "happy," "happier," "happiest").
  • Use "than" with comparatives and "the" with superlatives (e.g., "faster than," "the fastest").

 

Comparatives and superlatives

help compare things or describe the highest degree of a quality:

• Comparatives: Compare two things (e.g., "bigger," "more productive"). Use "than" to connect them (e.g., "My desk is bigger than yours").

• Superlatives: Describe the highest degree (e.g., "biggest," "most productive"). Use "the" before the adjective (e.g., "This is the biggest desk").

 

How to Form Them:

One-syllable adjectives: Add "-er" for comparatives and "-est" for superlatives.

• Example: "fast → faster → fastest."

Ending in 'e': Add "-r" or "-st."

• Example: "large → larger → largest."

Ending in a consonant + vowel + consonant: Double the last consonant before adding "-er" or "-est."

• Example: "big → bigger → biggest."

Two or more syllables: Use "more" for comparatives and "most" for superlatives.

• Example: "beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful."

Ending in 'y': Replace "y" with "ier" or "iest."

• Example: "happy → happier → happiest."

Irregular forms: Learn these by heart (e.g., "good → better → best").