a dog who loves having fun – a fun-loving dog

1 a pit which is monitored closely —

2 a trip of two days —

3 a knife that cuts sharply —

4 a cave that has dim lights —

5 an adventure that never ends —

6 bones as white as snow —

7 a lynx with a kind heart —

8 a kitten with yellow eyes —

9 roast meat that makes your mouth water —

GRADABLE AND NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

Some adjectives in English are gradable, which means you can have different degrees of that quality. For example, Chilly can be: a little angry / rather angry / very angry / extremely angry

Other adjectives are non-gradable, meaning we can’t have different degrees of that quality. There are three types of non-gradable adjectives: extreme adjectives, absolute adjectives and classifying adjectives.

Extreme adjectives are words that mean extremely + adjective – for example, furious means extremely angry. Chilly can’t be a little bit furious or very furious – because the word furious itself automatically means extremely angry.

Another type of non-gradable adjective is called an absolute adjective. These are words that are either «yes or no.» For example, the word dead – you can’t be a little bit dead or very dead – either YES, you are dead, or NO, you’re not dead.

A third type of non-gradable adjective is a classifying adjective, which describes what type or category something is: for example, a leather collar – we can’t have a slightly leather collar or a very leather collar.

EXERCISE 5

Which one is the extreme adjective?

1 a bad / terrible day

2 the hungry / starving dogs

3 the exhausted / tired kitten

Which one is the absolute adjective?

4 a mysterious / unknown place

5 an essential / important part

6 an ideal / useful plan

Which one is the classifying adjective?

7 a pine tree / a tall tree

8 a dangerous animal / a carnivorous animal

9 a big cat / a predatory cat

DIFFERENCES IN USING GRADABLE

AND NON-GRADABLE ADJECTIVES

1 No comparatives / superlatives with non-gradable adjectives

With regular adjectives, we can use comparatives and superlatives: Cuba is big. Luna is bigger. The lynx is the biggest animal of them all.

With non-gradable (extreme, absolute and classifying) adjectives, we usually don’t use comparatives and superlatives. It’s impossible for one dead person to be deader than another, or for one wooden stick to be the most wooden.

2 Use different adverbs with non-gradable adjectives.

With gradable adjectives, we can use adverbs of degree like these:

Small degree: a little, a bit, slightly

Middle degree: fairly, rather, somewhat

Large degree: very, extremely, immensely, intensely, hugely, quite

With non-gradable adjectives, we CANNOT use these adverbs. However, we can use the adverbs absolutely, completely, and utterly to give additional emphasis to extreme adjectives:

The lynx was absolutely furious.The dogs were completely exhausted.

The words pretty and really can be used with gradable adjectives and with extreme adjectives, but not the absolute or classifying ones:

This cave was pretty dirty. (gradable)

This cave was pretty filthy. (extreme)

Other words that can be used with some non-gradable (absolute and extreme) adjectives include totally, nearly/almost, virtually, and quite: He was nearly dead.

With classifying adjectives, we can sometimes use the words entirely, completely, fully, largely, and mainly to say that all or most of the things fall into that category:

The lynx’s food is mainly organic.

EXERCISE 6

Complete 4 of the sentences with the word very, and the other 5 with one of the following words: entirely / almost / absolutely / practically / completely. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1 The lynx’s explanation was ***** clear and the dogs understood everything perfectly.

2 Chilly was ***** thrilled when the lynx kissed him and called him «my hero’.

3 However, Cuba responded to the situation in a ***** immature way

4 The whole experience seemed ***** humiliating to her.

5 The roast meat had some ***** strong side effects – everybody fell fast asleep.

6 They were ***** convinced that in the cave they were ***** safe.

7 Everybody was so exhausted that it was ***** impossible to move anywhere.

8 The lynx’s suggestion of spending the night in the cave sounded ***** clever.

9 Only Luna was ***** certain that something was wrong.

REGULAR COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS

Adjectives of one syllable add – (e) r/– (e) st to form their comparative and superlative forms: fast-faster-the fastest

Adjectives of two syllables ending in -Iy, -y, -w also add -er/-est: rainy-rainier-the rainiest

Adjectives of two or more syllables take more/most: dangerous-more dangerous – the most dangerous

There are a few exceptions to these rules:

often – more/most often

fun – more/most fun

real – more/most real

bored – more/most bored

pleased – more/most pleased

worn- more/most worn

Certain adjectives form their comparative and superlative in both ways, either by adding -er/-est to the positive form or with more/most: clever, common, cruel, friendly, gentle, narrow, pleasant, polite, shallow, simple, stupid, quiet.

For example, simple – simpler – simplest or simple – more simple – the most simple

A few common adjectives have irregular forms:

good – better – best

bad – worse – worst

far – further – furthest

When we compare two things in a sentence, we use the word than: The lynx is stronger than Luna.

Before comparatives, we can use these words to express the degree of difference:

small difference — a bit / a little / slightly

great difference — a lot / much / far

The lynx is far bigger than Kit.

We can use the structure The (comparative), the (comparative) when one quality depends on another: The more the dogs talked to the lynx, the friendlier they became.

We use superlatives when comparing three or more things, or when comparing one thing to all other things.

Remember that you must always use the with superlatives: The lynx is the biggest animal they have ever communicated with.

Before superlatives, we can use these words to express the degree of difference: easily, by far, altogether, simply, by a long way:

The dogs ate what was altogether the yummiest supper they had ever had.

If two things are equal, then we use as… as or just as… as with a positive form of the adjective:

The lynx is just as friendly as a home cat.

And for multiples of a quantity, we can say twice (the number of times) as… as…

But she is three times as big as a home cat.

EXERCISE 7

Put the adjectives in brackets into the correct form and add any necessary words:

It is what the lynx thinks of her new friends:

1 Kit is ten times /small/ me, but he is /brave/ a lion.

2 Chilly seems to be /courageous/ all of us.

3 I wonder why /long/ I communicate with Chilly, /jealous/ Luna becomes.

4 Cuba is far /modest/ Luna. I’d rather say, she is simply /shrinking/ in her ways.

5 Chilly is by far /clever/ dog I’ve ever met. He is even /clever/ me!

6 Kit is altogether /funny/ ha-ha. He is /fun/ to have around!

7 I wish I could be /beautiful/ Luna. On the other hand, I am a lot /graceful/ her.

8 I know nothing about Kudjo but everybody says he is by far /good/of /good/.

9 They say he is /bold/ a lion, /strong/ an ox, /smart/ paint and /handsome/ a young Greek god.

EXERCISE 8

Fill the gaps in the story with missing words:

As far as you have already *****, the friends were able to get the lynx out of the ***** and she led them to a scary huge *****, where she lived. The lynx behaved so ***** and hospitable that Kit and the dogs stopped feeling ***** and relaxed next to this big wild *****. ***** more ***** they spent together, ***** matier they *****. Chilly narrated their ***** in search of Kudjo. The lynx told them everything she ***** about a crazy ***** who had made such ***** all around the forest to catch wild animals for his weird *****. At this point Chilly remembered about Kudjo’s *****, which they had found near the pit, and he shuddered at the thought that Kudjo could have been ***** by that insane scientist. The friends were ***** exhausted to think about further steps ***** make and fell asleep immediately after ***** by far ***** yummiest supper they had ***** had.

EXERCISE 9

Find and correct 12 mistakes in the sentences:

1 After waking up at dawn, the dogs and Kit couldn’t recognize the cave. It looked a lot more lighter and cosier than during the night.

2 The lynx herself looked by far prettier, weaker and smaller than before. Fear takes molehills for mountains.

3 They thanked the lynx for her hospitality and most delicious meat they had ever eaten.

4 The lynx laughed and explained it by the fact that they were very starving, which made even the most simple dish taste absolutely moreish.

5 Kit woke up last and when he joined the dogs, everybody noticed him wearing Kudjo’s leather brick red massive collar on his body.

6 On the one hand, it was an absolutely good sign that they had been going in the right direction, but on the other hand, it made them worry more about Kudjo, who might have been trapped by a scientist so mad as a hatter.

7 They were thinking of taking farer action when suddenly the lynx offered her help.

8 She insisted on going with the friends because she knew the place far gooder than them and could lead them to the underground laboratory.

9 Everybody except Luna was absolutely happy to have such a large fearless companion.

EXERCISE 10

Choose the correct option:

1 The kitten is ***** the lynx but they became very good friends, which made Luna feel jealous.

a a few times smaller than

b few times smaller

c a few times as small as

2 ***** friends the lynx and Kit became, ***** Luna looked.

a The closer / the gloomier

b The more close / the more gloomy

c Than closer / than gloomier

3 Chilly has tried to convince Luna that the lynx is ***** animal they have ever met.

a the wild most gracious

b the most gracious wild

c most gracious wild

4 ***** Chilly was, *****Luna sounded.

a Than more convincing / more angrily

b More convincing / more angry

c The more convincing / the angrier

5 Cuba wasn’t ***** to have such a new member of their team, but she didn’t show it.

a very fascinated

b absolutely fascinated

c extremely fascinated

6 She found ***** piece of puzzle in the lynx’s cave but has had no chance to tell her friends about it yet.

a an old little dirty

b a dirty little old

c a dirty old little

7 The group of friends left the cave at dawn and headed for a ***** mountain, at whose foot the laboratory was hidden.

a huge dark grey and brown

b dark huge grey and brown

c huge dark grey brown

8 It took them several hours to get to the mountain and everybody was *****.

a very tired and hungry

b absolutely tired and hungry

c very exhausted and starving

9 Cuba’s feet were killing her and she lay down on ***** grass and refused to move *****.

a cool emerald green / further

b cool green emerald / farer

c emerald green cool / farther

EXERCISE 11

Translate the story:

Все настолько выдохлись, что никто не возражал, когда Рысь предложила немного отдохнуть, прежде чем пытаться проникнуть в лабораторию.

Чилли и Кит (как настоящие мужчины) отправились на поиски воды и какой-нибудь еды, а Луна, Куба и Рысь остались на лужайке возле подножья горы.

Вблизи гора казалась абсолютно невероятной – совершенно гладкая, без какой-либо растительности, похожая больше на башню, чем на скалу. Она была нереально красива, переливалась всеми оттенками серого и притягивала к себе своей прохладой. Трудно было представить, что где-то внутри пряталось настоящее зло в лице безумного ученого.

Это было странно еще и потому, что рядом с горой собаки совсем не ощущали никакую угрозу, наоборот, от нее исходило какое-то спокойствие и безмятежность.

Когда Чилли и Кит вернулись с рюкзаком полным грибов и орехов, собаки уже крепко спали, спрятавшись в высокой траве. Рыси нигде не было видно…

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