Adjectives ending in -ic and -ical A large number of adjectives end in -ic and -ical. In most cases, it is not easy to say which form is correct. Here is a list of some adjectives ending in -ic. academic artistic athletic catholic domestic dramatic emphatic energetic fantastic linguistic majestic neurotic pathetic phonetic public tragic Notes: In older English, some of these words ended in -ical. Examples are: majestical, tragical and fantastical. Adjectives ending in -ical: biological chemical critical cynical grammatical logical mathematical mechanical medical musical physical radical surgical topical Adjectives with both forms: Some adjectives can have both forms with no significant difference in meaning. Examples are: arithmetic or arithmetical egoistic or egoistical fanatic or fanatical geometric or geometrical strategic or strategical In some cases both forms exist, but there is usually a difference in meaning. Classic and classical: Classic means ‘belonging to the highest class or degree’. Classical refers to the culture of ancient Greece or Rome. It may also refer to works of art of the so called ‘classical’ period in the 18th century. I am studying classical languages. Comic and comical: Comic refers to artistic comedy. comic opera Comical means ‘funny’. She had a comical expression on her face. Economic or economical: Economic refers to the science of economics. Economic problems Economic theory Economical means ‘not wasting money’. An economical little car Politic and political: Politic means wise or prudent. Political means ‘connected with politics’.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 02:39:27 +0000