Comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives. Three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

ONLY QUALITATIVE ADJECTIVES HAVE DEGREES OF COMPARISON!

Qualitative adjectives differ in that they can denote a characteristic in varying degrees of its manifestation ( large – larger – largest). These forms are called degrees of comparison:

Comparative

Excellent

The paradigm of degrees of comparison also includes the adjective from which the forms of degrees of comparison are formed. The semantic basis of degrees of comparison is the quantitative assessment of the measure of the attribute. In the comparative degree paradigm, the original adjective is called the positive degree form.

Comparative degree (comparative) - denotes a quality that is found in one subject to a greater extent than in another, the name of which is put in the form of the gender or nominative case; the latter is preceded by a comparative conjunction How(truth is more valuable than gold).

Superlative (superlative) - denotes the highest degree of quality in a subject compared to another: most favorite writer; inflected like regular adjectives.

Comparative and superlative degrees can be expressed in simple (synthetic) and complex (analytical) forms.

comparative

The simple form of the comparative degree does not change by gender, number and case; and therefore you need to be able to distinguish it from the form of the comparative degree of the adverb. If a word of this type is syntactically related to a noun, then it will compare the degree of the adjective; if it is connected to a verb, then it will compare the degree of the adverb ( oak is stronger than birch– adj; he squeezed the handle tighter– adverb)

Comparative forms tend to be used in the position of a connective, i.e. in the role of a predicate, but can also be a definition.

Formed from the base of the original adjective using suffixes –ee(s) – bolder,whiter(productive way) or –e, -she – more expensive, richer(unproductive way).

From adjectives with a stem on k, g, x and some words based on d, t, st comparative degree is formed using the suffix -e(in this case, final consonant stems alternate with sibilants) ( loud - louder, quiet - quieter, steep - steeper). In adjectives on -OK And -To the producing stem is truncation, the remaining final consonant alternates with a sibilant or paired soft ( high - above, low - below).

Comparative forms with suffix –she single ( distant - further, early - earlier, long - longer).

From three adjectives the form is formed suppletive way ( small - less, good - better, bad - worse).

Comparative forms are not formed from adjectives that name characteristics that do not change according to degrees. Sometimes they are not formed in accordance with the usage and not the meaning ( dilapidated, alien, scanty).

The complex form of degrees of comparison is formed by adding the word more. Moreover, such combinations can also be formed with a short form ( faster, more red).

Superlative

The simple form of the superlative degree has features in its meaning: in addition to the above basic meaning of the superiority of quality in an object compared to other objects, this form can denote the highest, extreme degree of quality in any object without comparison with others. In other words, it can denote a relatively high degree of quality: worst enemy, kindest creature.

The simple form is formed by adding a suffix –eysh (-aysh). Moreover, it is not formed from all adjectives; usually it is not found in those lexemes from which the comparative form is not formed. It may also be absent in those forms that have the form of a comparative degree. These are qualitative adjectives with suffixes –ast-, -ist, as well as many words with suffixes - liv-, -chiv-, -k-(narrow - narrower, hairy - hairier, silent - more silent).

A complex form is formed by combining a qualitative adjective and the word most. It is not related to lexical restrictions: the reddest, the kindest, the narrowest.

For adjectives with suffixes –ovat-(-evat-) no superlative form is formed, because the value of the incompleteness of the attribute is incompatible with the value of the high degree of the attribute ( the most deaf, the most deaf).

The superlative form denotes the highest degree of quality. Unlike the comparative degree, the superlative forms cannot express a comparative assessment of the degree of a characteristic in the same subject and in two subjects.

The adjective is the very part of speech without which our language cannot exist. And the point here is not only the need to impart imagery. Without adjectives, even banal specification of objects is impossible. If we do not know the exact characteristics of an object, we cannot imagine it and, therefore, we can hardly predict what actions we will be able to perform in relation to this object.

We all understand that objects cannot be the same. One of them is larger, the second is smaller, the third is heavier, and the fourth is generally darker in color. So how can we describe something that differs from other objects in its characteristics? How to highlight this difference? This is precisely why the comparative degree and superlative degree of comparison of adjectives are needed. Let's try to figure out what it is.

And for what?

As mentioned above, comparative is needed in order to identify an object by comparing it with another object. Usually, one of the objects is initially named so that a person can imagine what he will have to compare with, and only then the characteristics of the new object relative to the original are listed, so that, by comparing, we can get an idea of ​​​​what is still unknown to us.

Comparatives and superlatives are indeed necessary in education to help the learner better understand the nature of the subject, which of course helps in successful learning. At the same time, our everyday speech would become much more sparse if it did not contain these very comparisons - then in a number of situations we simply could not express our thoughts! Forming comparatives, superlatives and adverbs (which will be discussed later) is not at all difficult. The main thing is to be able to apply them correctly.

What do we form from?

First of all, you need to understand that the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives are a phenomenon characteristic only of qualitative parts of speech. for example, which indicate that an object belongs to someone, cannot form something similar: the ball, for example, cannot be more Tanin than Sasha, and the tail cannot be more fox than wolf. The same can be said about a table that is more wooden than a chair? Nonsense!

So be sure to remember that only the comparative degree and the superlative degree are available.

Comparative - synthetics

Let's start with the comparative degree of the adjective. First, you need to understand that it can be simple and compound, that is, it is formed either with the help of special suffixes, or by adding certain words that emphasize the difference between objects. A simple degree, also called synthetic, as mentioned above, is formed with the help of formative suffixes that are added to. The choice of suffix depends on what sound this very base ends with. For most consonant sounds (except for a few exceptions, which will be discussed below), the suffixes -ee- and -ee- are suitable: light - lighter, hot - hot and so on.

The suffix -e- is used in the following cases:

• When the adjective ends in g, x, d, t (expensive - more expensive, dry - drier, rich - richer, young - younger). By the way, here, as you have already noticed, there is an alternation of the consonant sound at the root of the word, which is also an important point.
• When an adjective ends with the suffix -k- (high - above, low - below).
• In exceptional cases, which, unfortunately, do not lend themselves to any logic (cheap is cheaper).

And the last group of suffixes -she- and -zhe- are also used in isolated cases, more as exceptions (thin - thinner, deep - deeper).

In addition, it is impossible not to mention that there is a certain number of words in which, even when forming the comparative and superlative forms, the root itself changes (good - BETTER, bad - WORSE).

Everyday speech allows the addition of the prefix -po- to an adjective that is already in the comparative degree in order to slightly soften this difference (light - LIGHTER - LIGHTER, dear - more expensive - MORE expensive). In a sentence, this form of the adjective is most often part of a compound nominal predicate. Moreover, it does not change by gender, number and case.

Comparative - analytics

Let's move on to the compound-analytic form of the comparative degree of the adjective. Here everything is much simpler: the words “more” and “less” are used before the adjective (risky - more risky, educated - less educated). In a sentence, the analytical form fully corresponds to the functions of an ordinary adjective.

Excellent - synthetic

The superlative degree of comparison demonstrates, as the name implies, the absolute superiority of a characteristic, the highest degree of its manifestation. It also has synthetic (simple) and analytical (compound) forms.

“Synthetics” is formed using a series of suffixes -eysh-, -aysh-, -sh- (simple - simplest, quiet - quietest). In addition, the literary style allows the use of the prefix -nay-, which is added to the adjective in the comparative degree (small - the smallest, simple - the simplest). Here there is already a change in gender, number and cases, in contrast to the comparative degree.

Excellent - analytics

With the compound form everything is as simple as with the comparative degree. Here the words “most”, “most/least” are usually added, which are typical for the most part in the book style (MOST successful, LEAST rational, MOST simple), and “all/all” in combination with an adjective in the comparative degree, which are used in colloquial speech (smarter than EVERYONE, more interesting than EVERYONE).

Degrees of comparison of adverbs

Now let's move on to another part of speech - an adverb. Its necessity and usefulness are undeniable. Basically, they have a lot in common. Comparative and superlative degrees of adverbs are usually much smaller and much lighter compared to adjectives.

Firstly, it should be noted that degrees of comparison are formed only by adverbs ending in -о,-е, which are based on qualitative adjectives (simple, quiet, deep).

Secondly, we still have the same two forms: comparative and superlative, with the division in the first case into simple and composite. To form a simple comparative degree, the suffixes -ee-, -ey-, -e- and -she- are used, added to the adverb without this characteristic -o, e: simply - simpler, funny - funnier. Whereas the compound form is created using the already known words “more/less” and the original form of the adverb - LESS loudly, MORE freely. With the superlative degree of the adverb it is even much simpler: there is no synthetic form here, and the analytical form is formed by adding a short “all” to the comparative degree of the adverb (quietly - quieter - quieter than ALL, boldly - bolder - bolder than ALL).

Let's summarize

We studied comparative and superlative degrees. A table that will help summarize and repeat all the above material is presented below.

Conclusion

The comparative degree and the superlative degree are, in principle, an elementary topic. Here it is enough to know a few suffixes to successfully perform numerous grammatical exercises. By the way, this feature of adjectives and adverbs is characteristic of many languages. Here, for example, is English: comparative and superlative degrees in this language are formed by adding either a suffix to monosyllabic words or intensifying words to polysyllabic ones. Everything here is even simpler than here! If you wish, you can master this rule without difficulty. Practice, practice and more practice!

It Is Very Unimportant

Pronunciation - Pronunciation

Letter r gives length to the vowel sound.

b or n, h or n, p or t, l or d, m or ning, sh or t, rep or t

b ar k, b ar n, c ar t, d ar k,d ar t, sh ar k, sm ar t, t ar t

h er,t er m, b ir d,d ir ty, sh ir t, s ir,sk ir t, t ur n, l ear n

Question - Question

Just started the lesson and already have questions? What is it? Does the name of the lesson sound strange? Does the title of the lesson sound strange? Adjective unimportant we remembered in connection with that noisy trial in Wonderland - in the case of the theft of pies... Hints are given to the King in this scene by the Rabbit, the court secretary.

Both words are important for us - and important, And unimportant, and besides them all other adjectives: big(big), small(small), strange(strange)...

Grammar - Grammar

An adjective is placed before or after a noun.

I like hot tea I like when my tea is hot.
He is a funny man. His jokes are funny.

English adjectives have no number, no gender, and do not change by case.

There is hot water in the cup. - There is hot water in the cup.
There is hot tea in a cup. - There is hot tea in the cup.
Buy hot pies. - Buy some hot pies.

Let's compare the "thickness" of the Dorkins. They are fat. We put fat in the comparative degree, adding the suffix -er. We use conjunction to construct “comparative” phrases than(how).

Albert is fater than Herbert. - Albert is fatter than Herbert.
A lion is stronger than a wolf. - A lion is stronger than a wolf.
You are taller than me. - You are taller than me.
Is she older than you? - Is she older than you?

Now let's put the adjective in the superlative degree using the suffix -est. Let's clarify who is the fattest of the Dorkins. The superlative degree requires a definite article.

Who is the fattest of the Dorkinses? -Who is the fattest of the Dorkins?

Fattie is the fattest in the family. - The fat man is the fattest in the family.

Not is the fattest man in the village. - He is the fattest man in the village.

Albert is the second fattest of them. - Albert is the second fattest of them.

Hot, strong, tall, fat- adjectives of one syllable. Most two-syllable adjectives form degrees of comparison using the same rule, using -er And -est. For example, those ending in -y, -ow, -er, -le.

happy (happy) - happi er- the happy est
narrow (narrow) - narrow er- the narrow est
tender (tender) - tender er- the tender est
simple (simple) - simple er- the simple est

In comparative and superlative degrees, sometimes you have to change the spelling slightly. For example, the final consonant is doubled so that the syllable remains closed, so that the vowels continue to sound short. Single -y at the end of the stem changes to i.

big - bigger - the biggest
fat - fatter - the fattest
dry - drier - the driest
funny - funnier - the funniest
silly - sillier - the silliest

There are exceptions, but they are very few. First of all, you need to remember better And best, special forms of adjective good.

good (good) - better - the best
bad (bad) - worse - the worst
far (distant) - farther - the farthest

Not always Russian bad translated into English bad and vice versa. Compare:

I feel bad. - I'm not well. Or: I'm unwell.
He's a bad swimmer. - Not is a poor swimmer.
I have a terrible headache. - I have a bad headache.
Smoking is a bad habit. - Smoking is a bad habit.

Reading - Reading

Winnie the Pooh, impressed by Tigger's constant jumping, reflects on what would happen if...

If Rabbit
Was bigger
And fatter
And stronger,
Or bigger
Than Tigger;
If Tigger
Was smaller,
Then Tigger's
Bad habit
Of bouncing at Rabbit
Would matter
No longer
If Rabbit
Was taller.

(Here) if Rabbit
There was more
And thicker
And stronger
Or bigger
Than Tiger;
If Tigger
Was smaller
Then it's a bad habit
Tigers
Jump on the Rabbit
Wouldn't have any more
No meaning
If Rabbit
Was taller.

Notes - Notes

1. Winnie the Pooh says: If Tigger was smaller(If Tiger were smaller). In comparative and superlative degrees instead little used small.

Tim has a little sister. - Tim has a younger sister.
She is smaller than Tim. - She's smaller than Tim.
She is the smallest in their family. - She is the smallest in their family.

2. In the following examples, the comparative degree works in tandem with get(in meaning become).

It gets warmer. - It is getting warmer. Or: It's getting warmer.
It gets darker. - It's getting darker. Or: It's getting dark.
The wind is getting stronger. - The wind is getting stronger.

Word - Word

Verb matter["mætǝ] is often found in spoken English. Translation: matter. Typically, it is used in interrogative and negative sentences. Matter can also act as a noun.

Does it matter? - Does it matter?

It does not matter to me what she does. - It doesn't matter to me what she does.

It does not matter any longer. - It doesn't matter anymore.

What's the matter with you? - What's wrong with you?

Grammar - Grammar

While discussing adjectives, we forgot the word with which we started today's lesson - unimportant(unimportant). They forgot on purpose, because for “long” words, which have three or more syllables, another rule applies: they form the comparative degree using the word more(more), and superlatives using most(most).

important - more important - the most important
amazing - more amazing - the most amazing

Quotation - Quote

In the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 19) we find a “demonstrative” example with an adjective easy(easy). There we also get acquainted with the prediction, which plays on adjectives high(high) and low(short)

I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. “I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Many who have the highest place in life now will have the lowest place in the future. And many who have the lowest place now will have the highest place in the future. - Many who occupy the highest position in life today will occupy the lowest position in the future. And many who occupy the lowest position today will occupy the highest position in the future.

There was also a statement with an adjective important.

Life is more important than food. And the body is more important than clothes. - Life is more important than food. And the body is more important than clothes.

Reading - Reading

Remember, Mr. Bliss was stopped on the forest road by “raiders” - three bears. Mr Bliss was stopped in the woods by three bears. The bears threaten: We shall eat you up! Of course, here you will give away both the bananas and the car... However, the bears are joking. They are tempting.

A Hold-Up
Raid

Of course the bears are only tempting. But they roll their yellow eyes, and growl, and look so fierce that Mr Bliss is frightened (and so are Mr Day and Mrs Knight). So they give the bears the cabbages and the bananas.

Archie and Teddy pile them on the donkey and take them away to their house in the wood. Bruno stays and talks to Mr Bliss. In fact he is watching Mr Bliss and Mr Bliss cannot drive away.

When Archie and Teddy come back they say, "Now we want a ride in your car!"

"But I am going to see the Dorkinses," says Mr Bliss, "and you do not know them.

"Never mind," say the bears, "we can know them."

They start off again. The road runs uphill and down on the other side. They come out of the wood to the top of the hill and begin to go down.

Mr Bliss is so squeezed by Mrs Knight that he cannot put on the brakes. Soon they begin to whizz and the donkey, who is tied behind the car, is flying in the air. Faster and faster they run, and then they crash into the wall of the Dorkinses" garden. They all shoot out of the car head first and fly over the wall. All except the donkey, who turns a somersault into the car...

And then, as you remember from the text without punctuation, the entire honest company landed on the neat lawn of the Dorkins.

Words - Words

tease- tease; roll- rotate; growl- growl; fierce- ferocious; watch- guard, guard; squash- crush; squeeze- squeeze, squeeze; hardly["hɑ:dli] - barely; steer- steer; brakes- brakes; whizz- rush ( with a whistle); crash- bump into; shoot[ʃu:t] (out) - fly out (from); somersault["sʌmǝso:lt] - somersault ( in the air), somersault.

Notes - Notes

Pretext by reports the situation near, near with something: by the river(by the river), by the road(near the road). We also know about the use by in stable expressions of the following type: by car(by car), by plane(by plane, by plane) by sea(by sea).

In other cases by indicates the person who performs the action: itself by is not translated, but the noun denoting the figure is placed in the instrumental case in Russian.

In English, all adjectives can have 3 degrees of comparison: positive and superlative. And English-speaking people always use them, despite the fact that almost every one of them could already have forgotten about the names of such degrees. As a result, it has long become clear: it is not at all necessary to know all the names of the elements of the language, the main thing is to use them skillfully and correctly. In everyday life, you rarely have to talk about topics like grammar or vocabulary. It is possible that only children and language learners need such discussions.

Such a preface does not touch on the main topic, but simply helps to gradually focus on the material. Well, now briefly about the superlative degree of adjectives in English.

Superlative adjectives helps highlight the highest degree of quality of an object. For example: the Russian adjective “cheap” in the superlative degree will sound like “the cheapest”. Or the adjective “good” in the superlative degree will sound like “the best.” And so on.

Now let's look at how to compose superlative degree in English.

Here we either add the suffix “est” to the end of the adjective, or we add the adverb “most” before the adjective. Usually the definite article “the” is used before a superlative adjective. Let's look at everything in more detail:

To adjectives with one syllable, add the suffix “est”:

Example:

• The house is the cheapest in the district – This house is the cheapest in the district.
• My satchel is the smallest in the class - My backpack is the smallest in the class.
• It's the coldest winter I’ve ever seen – This is the coldest winter I’ve ever seen.

For adjectives with two syllables ending in er, ow or y (“y” changes to “i”) add the suffix “est”

Example:

• I'm the happiest man in the world - I am the happiest man in the world.
• It was the narrowest way I’ve ever gone – It was the narrowest path I’ve ever walked on.
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world – Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.

For other adjectives with two syllables there is an adverb "most"

Example:

• All say that he’s the most careful player in poker – Everyone says that he is the most careful player in poker.
• My uncle is the most honest man in our family - My uncle is the most honest man in our family.
• It's the most boring game I’ve ever seen – This is the most boring game I’ve ever seen.

Before adjectives with three or more syllables, we also use the word “most”

Example:

• Fedor is the most dangerous fighter – Fedor is the most dangerous fighter.
• This collection of book is the most interesting I’ve ever read - This is the most interesting collection of books that I have ever read.
• I think Helen is the most beautiful girl in the group - I think Lena is the most beautiful in the group.

This is what all the material on this topic is based on. But any rule always has a couple of exceptions:

• good – best
• bad – worst

Example:

• You're the best singer in your collective - You are the best singer in your collective.
• It was the worst day in his holidays – It was the worst day on his holiday.

As you can see, superlative adjectives used to compare one thing with things of the same kind for a certain quality. And is often used in combination with the…in, the…of or simply the:

• This is the most comfortable car in the world
• This is the most interesting book of them all
• This is the strongest man here

It is worth noting that superlative adjectives with a negative prefix are formed in exactly the same way as without it:

• unkind – unkindest
• unhappy - unhappiest
• dishonest - dish mostonest

P.S. However, it would be better and more common to say no as kind as... or not as honest as... than unkindest or dishonest.

Superlative adjectives can also be combined with it’s by far or it’s easily:

• It’s by far the most expensive car in the world
• It’s easily the most expensive of all the cars I’ve seen

This is probably the end. Studying degrees of comparison of adjectives will help you combine and compare some objects with others, as well as formulate more colorful speech, which certainly will not hurt anyone.

For those who feel like a Jedi, we recommend taking split training