ADJECTIVES (EXERCISES)

Exercise 1. Choose the correct adjective.

1. That knife's no good. It's _____.

A flat B worn C blunt D loose
2. Don't eat that sandwich - the bread’s _____.
A off B stale C rancid D addled
3. We need a new carpet for the bedroom. This one's ______.
A mushy B dog-eared C scratched D worn
4. You shouldn't eat that cheese. It's ______.
A smutty B mouldy C jaded D stuffy
5. I've washed these jeans many times so they're a bit _______.
A faded B chipped C humid D filthy
6. Have you got a new battery for the radio? This one's ______.
A stale B worn C flat D off
7. Careful when you drink from that cup. The rim is _______.
A split B dented C jarred D chipped
8. I had a small accident with the car. One of the wings is a little ______.
A stained B dented C jammed D cracked
9. Someone spilt red wine on the carpet and now it's _______.
A dyed B scratched C faded D stained
10. I can't open the window. I think it's _____.
A strained B fixed C stuck D loose
11. She's read this book twice already. That's why it's so _________.
A wasted B dusty C dented D dog-eared
12. Charlie doesn't have as much hair as he used to. He’s got a receding hairline at the front and
it’s ________ on top.
A shrinking B thinning C lightening D weakening

Exercise 2. Fill in the gap with the correct adjective derived from the suggested noun.

1. My car is really very __________(economy).

2. In September last year there was a wide-ranging debate on the government’s _________
(economy) policy.
3. There was a ________ (comedy) opera on TV last night.
4. This situation was so _________ (comedy) that it prompted Saturday Night Live to parody it.
5. She cries a lot because she's really very ______(sense) .
6. I’ve always worn _________ (sense) shoes – no high heels, no pointed toes.
7. The plane was caught in an __________ (electricity) storm.
8. The news had an __________ (electricity) effect on the waiting crowd.
9. We visited a _________(history) house last weekend.
10. Today is a _________ (history) occasion for our country.
11. This news report is a ________(class) example of poor journalism and bad English.
12. I love __________(class) music.
Exercise 3. Choose the correct adverb.

1. The cost of a new house in the UK has become __________ high over the last few years.
A astronomically B totally C utterly D blatantly

2. The drug company should not have put a new product on the market with_________ fatal
side-effects.
A partially B particularly C potentially D painfully

3. After a warm start to the month, the weather in the second half of June was_________ cold.
A unfortunately B unseasonably C unpredictably D astronomically

4. Even when the costs of running the event were _______ subsidised by local government,
tickets were still in the region of fifty pounds.
A tremendously B avidly C heavily D astronomically

5. For the last ten years Malcolm Sargant's gossip column in the Daily Planet has been ______
read by thousands of readers.
A avidly B vividly C heavily D tremendously

6. To award a man like Thomas Green with the greatest lifetime achievement award seems
_________ unfair.
A painfully B blatantly C widely D bitterly

7. Our test this week is quite challenging in places but the one we got last week was _____
easy.
A laughingly B humorously C highly D absurdly

8. There were some exciting moments in the second half of the film but the first ninety minutes
were _______ slow in places.
A massively B astronomically C utterly D painfully

9. Hugh Tomlinson is ______ believed to be the best director of his generation in Hollywood at
the moment.
A thoroughly B widely C greatly D massively

10. I am _______ appalled by the thoughtless attitude of people who needlessly endanger other
people's lives by using mobiles while driving.
A tremendously B terribly C awfully D utterly

11. This holiday offer does seem ________ attractive but I think we are going to have to pass on
it because of the high cost.
A avidly B absolutely C irresistibly D heavily
__________(history)
12. After all her hard work, Martha was ________ disappointed when she got a grade B in her
CAE exam.
A painfully B bitterly C completely D totally