What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that defines, qualifies or modifies the meaning of a noun, or more rarely of a pronoun. It expresses the qualities or attributes of the word it qualifies. There are two main categories of adjectives:

a) Determining adjectives.

b) Descriptive adjectives.

These adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:

Big: man/house/car/boy/dog/smile/problem/surprise/question/difference

Large: numbers/part/area/room/company/eyes/family/volume/population/problem

Great: success/majority/interest/importance/difficulty/problem/pleasure/beauty/artist/surprise

Big: Adjective

Word Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘liberal in giving, lavish, ample in quantity’): via Old French from Latin larga, feminine of largus ‘copious’.

Forms of use Example

Size/Measure The city has a big stadium

informal (number: high) What's the biggest number you can think of?

informal (important, major) My upbringing had a big influence on the way I view poverty.

informal (loud) The engine exploded with a big bang and a cloud of smoke.

informal (sibling: older) My big sister's always mean to me.

(intense) I get a big thrill watching live football.

informal (adult, grown) The boy wants to be a fireman when he is big.

figurative, informal (pretentious)

He's too big to associate with normal people.

informal, ironic (generous) You've forgiven me? Well, that's very big of you.

informal (tall) Your little brother's getting really big!

informal (boastful) He's full of big claims about what he intends to do.

Extra examples of the adjective “Big”

● That is a big house:● That is a big elephant.● You have to think where you will study next semester that is a big decision.● Big girls do not cry.● Disco music was big in the 1970s.● Anthony is big Eminem fan.● Tommy is a big gambler.● Faustus’s big brother is at university.● Avengers were a big blockbuster.● He is a big shopper.● He was a short man with great big glasses. ● The whole story is just a big fat lie. ● This house is rather big for us. We need something smaller. ● This is a fairly big decision to make. ● We were hoping the show would be a really big success.

Large: Adjective

Large is more formal than big and should be used in writing unless it is in an informal style. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’.

Forms of Use Examples

big in size or quantity A large area/family/house/car/appetite.

A large number of people.

shirt size I usually wear a large.

wide in range and involving many things

A large and complex issue.

Some drugs are being used on a much larger scale than previously.

exaggeratedly He likes to talk large, but I think he exaggerates.

large-scale This is a very large project, which will affect hundreds of people.

person: fat He has put on weight, and is now quite large.

Extra Examples of the Adjective “Large”

● By this time his debt had become extremely large. ● His eyes were abnormally large. ● Isn’t that jumper rather large? ● Our house was not overly large. ● Some of the clothes looked very large. ● The issue looms large in political campaigns nationwide.● The plant had grown quite large. ● The universe is infinitely large. ● The increasingly large numbers of senior citizens. ● Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee.● I grew up in a large family.

GREAT

GREAT is used mostly with abstract nouns - things you cannot see, touch etc.

EXAMPLES:

● It was a great mistake.

● I have great respect for her ideas.

FORM OF USE

LARGE

1) MUCH MORE THAN AVERAGE IN DEGREE OR QUANTITY

EXAMPLES:

Ø a matter of great importance

Ø The concert had been a great success.

Ø Her death was a great shock to us all.

Ø It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today.

Ø Take great care of it.

Ø You've been a great help.

Ø We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.

2) [USUALLY BEFORE NOUN] VERY LARGE; MUCH BIGGER THAN

AVERAGE IN SIZE OR QUANTITY

EXAMPLES:

Ø A great crowd had gathered.

Ø People were arriving in great numbers.

Ø The great majority of (= most) people seem to agree with this view.

Ø He must have fallen from a great height.

Ø A great many people died in the attack

3) only before noun] (informal) used to emphasize an adjective of size or

quality

EXAMPLES:

Ø There was a great big pile of books on the table.

Ø The concert had been a great success.

Ø Her death was a great shock to us all.

Ø It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today.

Ø Take great care of it.

Ø You've been a great help.

Ø We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.

ADMIRED

4) EXTREMELY GOOD IN ABILITY OR QUALITY AND THEREFORE

ADMIRED BY MANY PEOPLE

EXAMPLES:

Ø He has been described as the world's greatest violinist.

Ø Sherlock Holmes, the great detective

Ø Great art has the power to change lives.

Ø This represents a great achievement.

GOOD

5) (INFORMAL) VERY GOOD OR PLEASANT

EXAMPLES:

Ø He's a great bloke.

Ø It's great to see you again.

Ø What a great goal!

Ø We had a great time in Madrid.

Ø ‘I'll pick you up at seven.’ ‘That'll be great, thanks.’

Ø (ironic) Oh great, they left without us.

Ø (ironic) You've been a great help, I must say (= no help at all).

IMPORTANT/IMPRESSIVE

6) [ONLY BEFORE NOUN] IMPORTANT AND IMPRESSIVE

EXAMPLES:

Ø The wedding was a great occasion.

Ø As the great day approached, she grew more and more nervous.

Ø The great thing is to get it done quickly.

Ø One great advantage of this metal is that it doesn't rust.

WITH INFLUENCE

7) HAVING HIGH STATUS OR A LOT OF INFLUENCE

EXAMPLES:

Ø We can make this country great again.

Ø Alexander the Great

IN GOOD HEALTH

8) IN A VERY GOOD STATE OF PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH

EXAMPLES:

Ø She seemed in great spirits (= very cheerful).

Ø I feel great today.

Ø I don’t feel too great.Everyone's in great form.

SKILLED

9) [NOT USUALLY BEFORE NOUN] GREAT AT (DOING) SOMETHING

(INFORMAL) ABLE TO DO SOMETHING WELL

EXAMPLE:

Ø She's great at chess.

USEFUL

10)GREAT FOR (DOING) SOMETHING (INFORMAL) VERY SUITABLE

OR USEFUL FOR SOMETHING

EXAMPLES:

Ø This gadget's great for opening jars.

Ø Try this cream—it's great for spots.

FOR EMPHASIS

11) [ONLY BEFORE NOUN] USED WHEN YOU ARE EMPHASIZING A

PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF SOMEBODY/SOMETHING.

EXAMPLES:

Ø We are great friends.

Ø I've never been a great reader (= I do not read much).

Ø She's a great talker, isn't she?

Ø I am a great admirer of your work.

Bibliography:

http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=big.

http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/adjectives/order-of-adjectives/

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/large_1

http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=large

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/great_1

Classroom Activity Answered

· Complete the following sentences with the correct adjective.

1) There is a nice house with a big garden.

2) Albert Eintsein was a great physicist.

3) He is making a big mistake.

4) Can you see the big trees behind the lake?

5) My grandfather lived to a great age.

6) I think she is making a big mistake.(Large is not normally

used with abstract nouns)

7) His work shows great intelligence.

8) You have got rather large feet.

9) I have great respect for her ideas.

10) Do you think Winston Churchill was really a great

man?

11) I grew up in a large family.

12) The universe is infinitely large.