Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives describe nouns (a quick runner) and adverbs describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs (she runs quickly). To compare two things we use the comparative: short adjectives add -er (taller), longer ones take 'more' (more interesting), and some are irregular (good - better - best, bad - worse - worst). To compare three or more we use the superlative with 'the' (the tallest, the most interesting). We say 'as ... as' for equal things and 'not as ... as' for unequal ones, and we can strengthen a comparative with much, far or a bit (much bigger). The structure 'the + comparative ..., the + comparative ...' shows that two things change together. When several adjectives come before a noun they follow a fixed order (opinion, size, age, colour, origin). We also use -ed adjectives for how we feel (bored) and -ing adjectives for what causes the feeling (boring), and 'too' (before an adjective) and 'enough' (after an adjective) to show excess or sufficiency. For example: 'The more you practise, the better you become.'