Adjectives – English Grammar Shortcut Rules

Examples :

Sizes : big, small, large, thin, thick

Shapes : triangular, round, square, circular

Colors : black, blue, white, green, red

Personality : happy, sad, angry, depressed

Time : Yearly , monthly, annually

Ages : new, young, old, brand-new, second-hand

Sounds : Loud, noisy, quiet, silent

Tastes : juicy, sweet

Qualities : good, bad, mediocre

Shortcut Rule 1 : In a comparision, the conjunction \’than\’ should be followed by \’any other\’. If a person / thing is compared with any other person / thing among some / many.

Mumbai is greater than any city in India. ☓

Mumbai is greater than any other city in India. ✔

Shortcut Rule 2 : In comparisons, the monosyllable words like \”hot / easy / tall / small\” should not be used with more / most.

This question is more easier than that. ✔

This question is easier than that. ✔ 

He is more taller than Kumar. ☓ 

He is taller than Kumar. ✔

Shortcut Rule 3 : Elder / Eldest should be used with the members of the same family. Older/ Oldest these comparative adjective denote the age of person / thing.

Ex : He is elder to me. (He and me belong to one family).

Ronald Reagan was the oldest person elected to the Presidency in US history (Not specifying a family)

This is the eldest tree in the garden ☓

This is the oldest tree in the garden. ✔

Shortcut Rule 4 : While comparing the objects, we should see that a noun is compared with another but not with some other word.

The population of Hyderabad is greater than Nagpur ☓

The population of Hyderabad is greater than that of Nagpur (OR) ✔

The population of Hyderabad is greater than the population of Nagpur. ✔

The climate of Ooty is better than Chennai. ☓

The climate of Ooty is better than that of Chennai. ✔