Adjectives Basics Exercises PDFSet 2: Adjective Position: Attributive & Predicative
20 questions·12 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.The baby is ___. Don't wake her up.
a) asleepb) sleepingc) sleepyd) slept
2.She is the ___ reason I came to this city.
a) mainlyb) mainc) maintaind) most
3.The ___ boy won the race.
a) heightb) tallc) tallnessd) highly
4.Be careful! The snake is still ___.
a) aliveb) alivenessc) survived) life
5.My ___ brother is a doctor. I'm the younger one in the family.
a) eldestb) elderc) elderlyd) elders
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.asleep
2.main
3.tall
4.alive
5.elder
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."asleep"(a)
'Asleep' is a predicative-only adjective — it can only come after a linking verb (be, seem, etc.), never before a noun. We say 'The baby is asleep' but NOT 'an asleep baby'.
2."main"(b)
'Main' is an attributive-only adjective — it can only come before a noun. We say 'the main reason' but NOT 'The reason is main'. 'Mainly' is an adverb, and 'maintain' is a verb.
3."tall"(b)
'Tall' is the adjective used in attributive position (before the noun 'boy'). 'Height' and 'tallness' are nouns, and 'highly' is an adverb.
4."alive"(a)
'Alive' is a predicative-only adjective — it only comes after a linking verb. We say 'The snake is alive' but NOT 'an alive snake'. 'Aliveness' and 'life' are nouns, and 'survive' is a verb.
5."elder"(b)
'Elder' is an attributive-only adjective used before a noun to describe a family member. We say 'my elder brother' but NOT 'My brother is elder'. 'Eldest' means the oldest of three or more, but 'the younger one' implies only two siblings. 'Elderly' means 'old in age', and 'elders' is a noun.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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