17 Kinds of adjectives
A The main kinds are:
(a) Demonstrative: this, that, these, those (see 9)
(b) Distributive: each, every (see 46); either, neither (see 49)
(c) Quantitative: some, any, no (see 50); little/few (see 5); many, much (see 25); one. (d) Interrogative: which, what, whose (see 54) 4
(e) Possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their (62)
(0 Of quality: clever, dry, fat, golden, good, heavy, square (19)
B Participles used as adjectives
Both present participles (ing) and past participles (ed) can be used as adjectives. Care must be taken not to confuse them. Present participle adjectives, amusing, boring, tiring etc., are active and mean ’having this effect’. Past participle adjectives, amused, horrified, tired etc., are passive and mean ’affected in this way’.
The play was boring. (The audience was bored.) The work was tiring. (The workers were soon tired.) The scene was horrifying. (The spectators were horrified.) an infuriating woman (She made us furious.)
an infuriated woman (Something had made her furious.)
C Agreement
Adjectives in English have the same form for singular and plural, masculine and feminine nouns:
a good boy, good boys a good girl, good girls
The only exceptions are the demonstrative adjectives this and that, which change to these and those before plural nouns:
this cat, these cats that man, those men
D Many adjectives/participles can be followed by prepositions:
good at, tired of (see 96).
18 Position of adjectives: attributive and predicative use
A Adjectives in groups (a) – (e) above come before their nouns:
this book which boy my dog
Adjectives in this position are called attributive adjectives.
B Adjectives of quality, however, can come either before their nouns:
a rich man a happy girl
33
or alter a verb such as be, become, se,m: I
Tom became rich. Ann seems happy. or (b) appear, feel, get/grow (= become), keep, look (= appear), make.
smell, sound, taste, turn: H
Tom felt cold. He got/grew impatient.
He made her happy. The idea sounds interesting. Adjectives in this position are called predicative adjectives. Verbs used in this way are called link verbs or copulas.
Note on link verbs (see also 169)
A problem with verbs in B(b) above is that when they are not used as link verbs they can be modified by adverbs in the usual way. This confuses the student, who often tries to use adverbs instead of adjectives after link verbs Some examples with adjectives and adverbs may help to show the different uses:
He looked calm (adjective) » He had a calm expression. He looked calmly (adverb) at the angry crowd, (looked here is a deliberate action.) She turned pale (adjective) = She became pale. 9
He turned angnly (adverb) to the man behind him. (turned here is a deliberate action.)
The soup tasted horrible (adjective). (It had a horrible taste.)
He tasted the soup suspiciously (adverb), (tasted here a deliberate action.) ; . Some adjectives can be used only attributively or only predicatively, and some change their meaning when moved from one position to the other.
bad/good, big/small, heavy/light and old,
used in such expressions as bad sailor, good swimmer, big eater, small farmer, heavy drinker, light sleeper, old boy/friend/soldier etc., cannot be used predicatively withoutchanging the meaning:
a small farmer is a man who has a small farm,
but The farmer is small means that he is a small man physically.
Used otherwise the above adjectives can be in either position.
(For little, old, young, see also 19 B.)
chief, main, principal, sheer, utter come before their nouns.
frightened may be in either position but afraid and upset must follow the verb and so must adrift, afloat, alike (see 21 G), alive, alone, ashamed, asleep.
The meaning of early and late may depend on their position.
an early/a late train means a train scheduled to run early or late in the day. The train is early/late means that it is before/after its proper time.
poor meaning ’without enough money’ can precede the noun or follow the verb.
poor meaning ’unfortunate1 must precede the noun
poor meaning ’weak inadequate’ precedes nouns such as student, worker etc. but when used with inanimate nouns can be in eitherposition:
He has poor sight. His sight is poor.
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3 Adjectives
Use of and
With attributive adjectives and is used chiefly when there are two or more adjectives of colour. It is then placed before the last of these:
a green and brown carpet
a red, white and blue flag
With predicative adjectives and is placed between the last two:
The day was cold, wet and windy.
19 Order of adjectives of quality
A Several variations are possible but a fairly usual order is: adjectives of
(a) size (except little; but see C below)
(b) general description (excluding adjectives of personality, emotion etc.)
(c) age, and the adjective little (see B)
(d) shape
(e) colour
(f material (g) origin
(h) purpose (these are really gerunds used to form compound
nouns: walking stick, riding boots).
A long sharp knife
a small round bath
new hexagonal coins
blue velvet curtains
an old plastic bucket
an elegant French clock
Adjectives of personality/emotion come after adjectives of physical description, including dark, fair, pale, but before colours:
a small suspicious official
a long patient queue
a pale anxious girl
a kindly black doctor
an inquisitive brown dog
B little, old and young are often used, not to give information, but as part of an adjective-noun combination. They are then placed next to their nouns:
Your nephew is a nice little boy. That young man drives too fast. little + old + noun is possible: a little old lady. But little young is not.
When used to give information, old and young occupy position (c) above:
a young coloured man
an old Welsh harp
Adjectives of personality/emotion can precede or follow young/old:
a young ambitious man
an ambitious young man
young in the first example carries a stronger stress than young in the second, so the first order is better if we wish to emphasize the age. little can be used similarly in position (c):
a handy little calculator
an expensive little hotel
a little sandy beach
a little grey foal
But small is usually better than little if we want to emphasize the size.
(For little,meaning a small amount’, see 5.)
3 Adjectives
C fine, lovely, nice, and sometimes beautiful, + adjectives of size (except little), shape and temperature usually express approval of the size etc. If we say a beautiful big room, a lovely warm house, nice/fine thick steaks we imply that we like big rooms, warm houses and thick steaks.
fine, lovely and nice can be used similarly with a number of other adjectives:
fine strong coffee
a lovely quiet beach
a nice dry day
When used predicatively, such pairs are separated by and:
The coffee was fine and strong.
The day was nice and dry. beautiful is not much used in this sense as a predicative adjective
D pretty followed by another adjective with no comma between them is an adverb of degree meaning very /quite:
She’s a pretty tall girl means She is quite/very tall. But a pretty, tall girl or, more usually, a tall, pretty girl means a girl who is both tall and pretty.
20 Comparison A There are three degrees of comparison:
B
D
Positive Comparative Superlative
Dark darker darkest
Tall, taller, tallest
Useful, more useful, most useful
One-syllable adjectives form their comparative and superlative by adding er and eat to the positive form:
bright brighter brightest
Adjectives ending in e add r and est:
brave braver bravest
Adjectives of three or more syllables form their comparative and superlative by putting more and most before the positive:
interested more interested most interested
frightening more frightening most frightening
Adjectives of two syllables follow one or other of the above rules. Those ending in f u l or r e usually take more and most: (
doubtful more doubtful most doubtful
obscure more obscure most obscure
Those ending in e r, y or- l y usually add e r, e s t:
clever cleverer cleverest
pretty prettier prettiest
(note that the y becomes i)
silly sillier silliest
E Irregular comparisons:
bad far
good little
many/much old
worse
farther
further
better
less
more
elder
older
&
3 Adjectives
worst
farthest (of distance only)
furthest (used more widely; see F, G)
best
least
most
eldest (of people only)
oldest (of people and things)
F farther/farthest and further/furthest Both forms can be used of distances:
York is farther/further than Lincoln or Selby.
York is the farthest/furthest town or
York is the farthest/furthest of the three.
(In the last sentence farthest /furthest are pronouns. See 24 B.) further can also be used, mainly with abstract nouns, to mean ’additional/extra’:
Further supplies will soon be available. Further discussion/debate would be pointless. Similarly: further enquiries/delays/demands/information/instructions etc. furthest can be used similarly, with abstract nouns:
This was the furthest point they reached in their discussion.
This was the furthest concession he would make. (For adverb use, see 32.)
) far (used for distance) and near
In the comparative and superlative both can be used quite freely:
the farthest/furthest mountain the nearest river But in the positive form they have a limited use. far and near are used used chiefly with bank.’end, side, wall etc.:
the far bank (the bank on the other side)
the near bank (the bank on this side of the river)
near can also be used with east, and far with north, south, east , and west.
With other nouns far is usually replaced by distant/remote and near by nearby/neighbouring:
a remote island, the neighbouring village. For far (adverb), see 32: for near (adverb or preposition), see 30 C.
elder, eldest; older, oldest
elder, eldest imply seniority rather than age. They are chiefly used for comparisons within a family:
my elder brother,
her eldest boy/girl;
but elder is not used with than, so older is necessary here:
He is older than I am. (elder would not be possible.) In colloquial English eldest, oldest and youngest are often used of only two boys/girls/children etc.
His eldest boy’s at school; the other is still at home.
This is particularly common when eldest, oldest are used as pronouns:
Tom is the eldest, (of the two) (See 24 B.)
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36
21 Constructions with comparisons (see also 341)
A. With the positive form of the adjective, we use as … as/AS in the affirmative and not as/not so as in the negative:
A boy of sixteen is often as tall as his father. He was as white as a sheet. . Manslaughter is not as/so bad as murder. Your coffee is not as/so good as the coffee my mother makes. B With the comparative we use than:
The new tower blocks are much higher than the old buildings. ”””B He makes fewer mistakes than you (do). He is stronger than I expected = I didn’t expect him to be so strong. It was more expensive than I thought = I didn’t think it would be so expensive.
When than is omitted, it is very common in colloquial English to use a superlative instead of a comparative.
This is the best way could be said when there are only two ways.
(See comparatives, superlatives used as pronouns, 24 B.)
C Comparison of three or more people/things is expressed by the superlative with the in/of:
This is the oldest theatre in London.
The youngest of the family was the most successful. A relative clause is useful especially with a perfect tense:
It/This is the best beer (that) I have ever drunk.
It/This was the worst film (that} he had ever seen.
He is the kindest man (that) I have ever met.
It was the most worrying day (that) he had ever spent. Note that ever is used here, not never. We can, however, express the same idea with never and a comparative:
I had never drunk better beer. I have never met a kinder man.
He had never spent a more worrying day. Note that most + adjective, without the, means very:
You are most kind means you are very kind. most meaning very is used mainly with adjectives of two or more syllables:
annoying, apologetic, disobedient, encouraging, exciting, helpful, important, misleading etc
3 Adjectives
P Comparison of actions with gerunds or infinitives:
Riding a horse is not as easy as riding a motor cycle. It is nicer/more fun to go with someone than to go alone. (See 341.)
G Comparisons with like (preposition) and alike:
Tom is very like Bill. Bill and Tom are very alike.
He keeps the central heating full on. It’s like liinng in the tropes.
H Comparisons with like and as (both adverb and adjective expressions are shown here)
In theory (like), (preposition) is used only with noun, pronoun or gerund:
He swims like a fish. You look like a ghost.
Be like Peter/him: go jogging.
The windows were all barred. It was like being in pnson. and as (conjunction) is used when there is a finite verb:
Do as Peter does: go jogging.
Why don’t you cycle to work as we do? But in colloquial English like is often used here instead of as:
Cycle to work like we do.
I like + noun and as + noun:
He worked like a slave, (very hard indeed)
He worked as a slave. (He was> a slave.)
She used her umbrella as a weapon. (She struck him with it.)
22
B
the
299 D Parallel increase is expressed by the * comparative . . . the + *Hfl
comparative:
House AGENT: Do you want a big house?
ANN: Yes. the bigger the better. Mr TOM: But the smaller it is, the less it will cost us to heat. E Gradual increase or decrease is expressed by two comparatives joined by and:
The weather is getting colder and colder. It became less and less interested.
than/as + pronoun + auxiliary
When the same verb is required before and after than/as we can use an auxiliary for the second verb:
I earn less than he does, (less than he earns)
The same tense need not be used in both clauses:
He knows more than I did at his age.
When the second clause consists only of than/as + I/we/you t verb, and there is no change of tense, it is usually possible to omit the verb:
I’m not as old as you (are). He has more time than I/we (have). In formal English we keep I/we, as the pronoun is still considered to be the subject of the verb even though the verb has been omitted. In informal English, however, me/us is more usual:
He has more time than me. They are richer than us.
verb, we normally keep the
When than/as is followed by he/she/it + verb, we normally keep the
verb: You are stronger than he is.
But we can drop the verb and use he/she/they in very formal English
or him/her/them in very colloquial English.
These rules apply also to compansons made with adverbs:
/ swim better than ke does/better than him.
They work harder than we do/harder than us.
You can’t type as fast as I ran/us fast a* me.
38
3 Adjectives ’’!?F’PI’’’¥ra’*^^
23 the + adjective with a plural meaning ^iH
A blind, deaf, disabled, healthy/sick, living/dead, rich/poor, HI
unemployed and certain other adjectives describing the human HI character or condition can be preceded by the and used to represent a|H class of persons. These expressions have a plural meaning; they take ajH plural verb and the pronoun is they: ^1
Ttut poor get poorer; the rich get richer. HI
the can be used in the same way with national adjectives ending in ch HI
tkt Dutch the Spanish the Welsh H
and can be used similarly with national adjectives ending in se or as: |H
the Burmese the Chinese the Japanese the Swiss JH
though it is just possible for these to have a singular meaning. HI
B Note that the + adjective here refers to a group of people considered!!
in a general sense only. If we wish to refer to a particular group, we |H
must add a noun: HI
These seats are for the disabled. EH
The disabled members of our party were let in free. HI
The French like to eat well. . H
The French tourists complained about the food. |H
Some colours can be used in the plural to represent people but these HI
take • like nouns: the blacks, the whites. ^1
C the + adjective can occasionally have a singular meaning: HI
the accused (person) the unexpected (thing) HI
24 Adjectives + one/ones and adjectives used as pronouns •
A Most adjectives can be used with the pronouns one/ones, when |H
one/ones represents a previously mentioned noun: ^1
Don’t buy the expensive apples; get the cheaper ones. HI
Hard beds are healthier than soft ones. HI
/ lost my old camera; this is a new one. HI
Similarly with a number + adjective: HJ
If you haven’t got a big plate, two small ones will do.
B Adjectives used as pronouns
first/second etc. can be used with or without one/ones; i.e. they can be used as adjectives or pronouns:
Which train did you catch? ~ I caught the first (one). the + superlative can be used similarly:
Tom is the best (runner). The eldest was only ten. and sometimes the + comparative:
Which (of these two) is the stronger?
But this use of the comparative is considered rather literary, and in informal English a superlative is often used here instead:
Which (of these two) is the strongest?
3 Adjectives
Adjectives of colour can sometimes be used as pronouns:
/ like the blue (one) best.
Colours of horses, especially bay, chestnut, grey are often used as pronouns and take s in the plural:
Everyone expected the chestnut to win.
The coach was drawn by four greys.
25 many and much (adjectives and pronouns)
A many and much
many (adjective) is used before countable nouns. much (adjective) is used before uncountable nouns:
He didn ’t make many mistakes. W.e haven’t much coffee. They have the same comparative and superlative forms more and most:
more mistakes/coffee most men/damage many, much, more, most can be used as pronouns:
He gets a lot of letters but she doesn ’t get many.
You have a lot of free time but I haven’t much.
more and most can be used quite freely, and so can many and much, with negative verbs (see above examples). But many and much with affirmative or interrogative verbs have a restricted use.
B many and much with affirmative verbs
many is possible when preceded (i.e. modified) by a good/a great. Both are possible when modified by so/as/too.
/ made a good many friends there.
He has had so many jobs that…
She read as much as she could.
They drink too much (gin).
When not modified, many, as object or part of the object, is usually replaced by a lot/lots of (+ noun) or by a lot or lots (pronouns). much, as object or part of the object, is usually replaced by a great/good deal of (+ noun) or a great/good deal (pronouns):
/ saw a lot/lots ofseabirds. I expect you saw a lot too.
He spends a lot/lots of/a great deal of money on his house. As subject or part of the subject, either many or a lot (oft etc. can be used, but much here is normally replaced by one of the other forms. much, however, is possible in formal English:
Much will depend on what the minister says.
Compare negative and affirmative sentences:
He hasn ’t won many races.
You ’ve won a lot/lots of races or You ’ve won a lot or
You ’ve won a great many (races).
He didn’t eat much fruit. •
She ate a lot/lots of fruit/a great deal of fruit or She ate a lot/a great deal.
40
41
3 Adjectives
many and much with interrogative verbs
Both can be used with how: How many times? How much?
In questions where how is not used, many is possible, but a lot (o0
etc. is better when an affirmative answer is expected:
Did you take a lot of photos? I expect you did. much without how is possible but the other forms are a little more
usual:
Did you have a lot of snow/much snow last year?
(For much as an adverb, see 33.)
26 Adjectives + infinitives
A . Some of the most useful of these adjectives are given below, grouped roughly according to meaning or type. Some adjectives with several meanings may appear in more than one group. (For adjectives + prepositions, see 96.)
Starred adjectives can also be used with thai-clauses. Sometimes that. . . should is more usual. (See 236.) In sections B-E, with the exception of B2, the constructions are introduced by it. (For introductory it, see 67.) If it + be . . .is pYeceded by find/think/believe etc. that it is sometimes possible to omit that and the verb be:
He found that it was impossible to study at home =
He found it impossible to study at home.
B 1 it + be + adjective (+ of + object) 4- infinitive is used chiefly with adjectives concerning:
(a) character: brave, careless, cowardly, cruel, generous, good/ nice (= kind), mean, rude, selfish, wicked, wrong (morally) etc., and.fair*/just*/right* with negative or interrogative verbs, or
(b) sense: clever, foolish, idiotic*, intelligent, sensible, silly, stupid.
absurd*, ludicrous*, ridiculous* and unreasonable* are sometimes also possible.
// was kind of you to help him. (You helped him. This was kind.)
// was stupid (of them) to leave their bicycles outside. of + object can be omitted after group (b) adjectives, and sometimes after group (a) adjectives, except good and nice. (Omission of of + object would change the meaning of good and nice. See E.)
2 Pronoun + be + adjective + noun + infinitive is also possible with the above adjectives and with a number of others, including: astonishing*, curious*, extraordinary*, funny* (» .strange*), odd*, queer*, surprising* etc. and pointless, useful, useless
It was a sensible precaution to take.
That wat a mched thing to say. Comments of this type can sometimes be expressed as exclamations:
What a funny way to park a car! What an odd time to choose!
D
3 Adjectives
The adjective is sometimes omitted in expressions of disapproval:
What a (silly) way to bring up a child!.
What a time to choose! Example with a that-clause:
// is strange/odd/surprising that he hasn ’t answered. C it -t- be + adjective + infinitive is possible with advisable *, ’ inadvisable*, better*, best, desirable*, essential*, good ( = advisable), important*, necessary*, unnecessary*, vital* and with only + fair*/just*/right*:
Wouldn ’t it be better to wait? ~ No. it’s essential to book in advance. for + object can be added except after good (where it would change the meaning; see E below) and after just:
It won’t be necessary for htm to report to the police.
It is only fair for him to have a chance. inessential and unimportant are not normally used, but not essential is possible.
D it + be + adjective (-t- for + object) +• infinitive is possible with convenient*, dangerous, difficult, easy, hard*, possible*, impossible, safe, unsafe. (For possible that, see 27 E.) Would it be convenient (for you) to see Mr X now?
It was dangerous (for women) to go out alone after dark
We found it almost impossible to buy petrol. (See A above.) The above adjectives, with the exception of possible, can also be used in the noun + be + adjective + infinitive construction:
This cake is easy to make.
The instructions were hard to follow.
This car isn ’t safe to drive.
E it + be + adjective/participle + infinitive is also possible with adjectives and participles which show the feelings or reactions of the person concerned:
agreeable dreadful’ lovely* terrible*
awful* good*/nice* marvellous* wonderful*’
delightful* (- pleasant) splendid* etc. disagreeable horrible* strange*
and with the prevent participles of:
alarm* bewilder discourage* excite* surprise*
amaze* bore disgust* frighten temfy
amuse* depress* embarrass horrify* upset
annoy* disappoint* encourage* interest* etc. astonish*
ftui (» an exciting experience) and a relief can be used similarly. It’s awful to be alone in sudh a place. It’s boring to do the same thing every day. It was depressing to find the house empty. It would be fun/exciting/interesting to canoe down the river, ft teas a relief to take off our wet boots.
lovely* marvellous * splendid* strange *
terrible* wonderful* ’ etc.
excite* frighten horrify* interest*
surprise* temfy upset etc.
3 Adjectives
for + object is quite common after lovely, interesting, marvellous, nice, wonderful and possible after the other adjectives:
It’s interesting (for children) to see a house being built.
It was marvellous (for the boys) to have a garden to play in. Note that for + object placed after good restricts the meaning of good to healthy/beneficial: It’s good for you to take regular exercise. (good + infinitive can have this meaning but can also mean pleasant/kind/advisable. See B, C above.) it + be + adjective +• noun + infinitive is also possible with the above
adjectives/participles:
It was an exciting ceremony to watch. It was a horrible place to live (in).
F Somewhat similar meanings can be expressed by subject + adjective + infinitive with angry*, delighted*, dismayed*, glad*, happy*, pleased*, relieved*, sad*, sorry* and the past participles of the verbs in E above: I’m delighted to see you. The most useful infinitives here are tofind/learnAuar/see, but glad/happy/sad/«orry are also often followed by to say/tell/inform and sometimes by other infinitives: He was glad to leave school. She was dismayed to find the door locked.
G Subject + be + adjective/participle + infinitive with: able/unable; apt, inclined, liable, prone; prepared, not prepared (- ready /willing/unwilling), reluctant; prompt, quick, slow:
We are all apt to make mistakes when we try to hurry. y|
/ am inclined to believe him. I am prepared/ready to help him. B He was most reluctant (o lend us the money. 9
He was slow to realize that times had changed = «
He realized only slowly that times had changed. H
27 Adjectives + infinitive/that-clause/preposition constructions m
A due, due to, owing to, certain, sure, bound, confident m
due, used of time, can take an infinitive: II
The race is due to start in ten minutes. jt
But it can also be used alone: ||
The plane was due (in) at six. It is an hour overdue. . M
due to (preposition) means ’a result of: H
The accident was due to carelessness. ||
owing to mews’because of: m
Owing to his carelessness wt had an accident. •: I
due to should be preceded by subject -+ verb, but English people are ||
careless about this and often begin a sentence with due to instead of ||
with owing to.
certain and sure take infinitives to express the speaker’s opinion.
bound is also possible here:
44
3 Adjectives
B
Tom is certain/sure/bound to win. (The speaker is confident of this.)
But subject + certain/sure + thai-clause expresses the subject’s opinion:
Tom is sure that he will win. (Tom is confident of victory.) confident that couJd replace certain/sure that above, but confident cannot be followed by an infinitive.
sure, certain, confident can be followed by of + noun/pronoun or gerund:
Unless you ’re early you can’t be sure of getting a seat. bound can take an infinitive, as shown above, but not a thai-clause. bound + infinitive can also mean ’under an obligation’:
According to the contract we are bound to supply the materials. B afraid (of), ashamed (of), sorry (for or about)
afraid of, ashamed of, sorry for/about + noun/pronoun or gerund: She is afraid of heights/of falling.
He was ashamed of himself (for behaving so badly)/ashamed of behaving so badly.
I’m sorry for breaking your window, (apology) I’m sorry about your window, (apology/regret) I’m sorry for Peter, (pity)
afraid, ashamed, sorry can be followed by an infinitive: She was afraid to speak. (She didn’t speak.) I’d be ashamed to take his money. (I don’t/won’t take it.) I’m sorry to say that we have no news. or by a thai-clause:
I’m ashamed that I’ve nothing better to offer you. She’s afraid (that) he won’t believe her. (fear) I’m afraid (that) we have no news, (regret) I’m sorry (that) you can’t come.
(For the difference in meaning between these three constructions, see
271. For I’m afraid not/so, see 347.)
anxious (about), anxious + infinitive, anxious that anxious (+ about + noun/pronoun) means worried:
I’m anxious (about Tom). His plane is overdue. be anxious (+ for + noun/pronoun) -t- infinitive = ’to desire/to wish’:
I’m very anxious (for him) to see the Carnival. anxious + that . . . + should is possible in very formal English:
The committee is anxious that this matter should be kept secret.
fortunate and lucky can take either a that-clause or an infinitive, but
there is usually a difference of meaning.
It is fortunate/lucky that usually means ’It’s a good thing that’:
// ’i lucky that Tom has a car.
It’s lucky that he passed his test. (Now he can drive himself to the
station/take the children to the seaside etc.)
It’s lucky for us that he has a car. (He can give us a lift etc.)
^ _45
3 Adjectives
Subject + b« •*• fortunate/lucky +• infinitive, however, emphasizes the subject’s good fortune:
He’s lucky to haw a car. (Many people haven’t got one.)
He was lucky to pass his test. (He wasn’t really up to the standard.) is/are -t- fortunate/lucky + present infinitive is used mainly with static verbs. With was/were or the continuous or perfect infinitive there is a wider choice:
You were fortunate to escape unharmed.
You are lucky to bf going by air.
He is lucky to have sold his house before they decided to build the
new airport.
It is lucky/unlucky can, however, be followed by the infinitive of any verb:
It is unlucky to break a mirror. (It brings misfortune.) fortunate and unfortunate are not used here but can be used in the other constructions. They are chiefly found in more formal English.
These adjectives can also be used alone or with a noun: / wasn ’I lucky. He’s fortunate.
Thirteen’$ my lucky number. He’s a fortunate man.
possible, probable and likely can take a that-clause introduced by it likely can also be used with subject + infinitive
(a) // ’s possible that he ’II come today =
(b) Perhaps he ’II come/He may come today.
(a) // ’s probable that he ’II come today –
(b) He ’II probably come today.
In each case the (b) form is more usual than the (a) but the that-clause is convenient when we want to modify the adjectives:
It’s just/quste possible that . . .
It’s not very probable that . . . With likely both forms are equally useful:
It’s quite likely that he’ll come today =
He’s quite likely Ui come today.
is/are + subject + likely + infinitive is very useful as it supplies an interrogative form for may (= be possible):
Is he likely to ring today?
possible, probable, likely can be used without a that-clause when it is quite clear what this would be:
Do you think he’ll sell his house? – It’s quite possibU/probableAikely
(that he’ll sell it).
aware and conscious take a that-clause or of + noun/pronoun or gerund:
It’ll be dangerous -I’m aware that it’ll be dangerous/I’m aware
of that.
I was conscious of being uvtcked –
1 felt that someone was wcucking mt. conscious used by itself has a physical meaning:
I had only a load anatstintx. I was conscious 0* wkoU tirnt.
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