In English, as well as in our native language, adjectives are an independent part of speech, used to define the properties of a person, animal or object. But unlike our native language, in a foreign language it does not depend on the noun and changes only when compared. The formation of linguistic forms continued throughout the history of the formation of modern Great Britain.
This was due to constant wars of conquest and borrowings from other languages. But the basic word forms and grammatical rules were formed by the 15th century, then only changed. This also applies to adjectives and their degrees of comparison - Degrees of Comparison.
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A little history
No matter how surprising it may sound now, in Old English names are attached. varied across all known grammatical categories. When studying literary monuments of that time that have survived to this day, researchers found the genitive plural form alre from all, plural. part gode from god. But in Middle English there are practically no signs of change anymore - only remnants of number and declensions are found. Gradually, of all the categories, only .
Until about the 16th century, when changing names, add. alternation of vowels in the root was used: long – lenger – lengest. At the same time, derivatives began to be used in speech without replacing letters, which was later enshrined in the rules. Although sometimes the old form was separated into a separate word with a different meaning (older/elder).
Classification
To understand the correct formation of the desired word form, you need to know some important characteristics of adjectival names. Otherwise, you can make a number of serious mistakes.
In the course of its development, this part of speech acquired different structures and was used to describe objects, people, their qualities and properties. In this regard, adjectives are distinguished by:
Grammatical feature:
- monosyllabic - based on one syllable: sad (sad), slow (slow), long (long);
- disyllabic - two syllables: happy (happy), clever (smart), nice (cute);
- polysyllabic - more than 3 syllables: unhappy (unhappy), dangerous (dangerous), horrible (terrible);
- compound - formed by adding the basics: well-known (well-known), good-looking (good-looking).
English language learning
Lexical meaning:
- relative - describe those properties that are not compared: definition of a substance (silk - silk, gold - golden), area (rural - rural), field of science (historical - historical), era (classical - classical);
- qualitative - denote the properties of objects in which they differ from each other in outline, color characteristics, size, properties, taste, etc.
Important! Only qualitative adjectives are used to compare characteristics and properties. Nobody says “woolier”, “less round”.
Degrees of Comparison of adjectives in English
To better understand this topic, it would be most appropriate to provide analogues with your native language. “Higher”, “weaker”, “more powerful” - comparison. “Least bright”, “most envious”, “most friendly” - superiority. The only difference, perhaps, is the consideration of three degrees in foreign language.
- Positive is a common concept, it characterizes an object and shows presence of the required property. It is taken as the basis for the formation of adjectives in the comparative and superlative degrees.
- Comparative - drawing a parallel between two things according to a certain property. In statements with a comparative degree, the conjunction than is required: Daniel’s uncle was stronger than his father. – Uncle Daniel was stronger than his dad.
- Superlative adjective - used for choosing the best instance according to its attributes among the multitude. Combines with of or in. It is allowed to use the present perfect tense of the verb: He supposes Mohammed Ali is the greatest boxer that has ever lived. “He believes Muhammad Ali is the greatest boxer of all. Her dog was the angriest in their yard. – Her dog was the angriest in the yard.
Methods for generating degrees of comparison
Methods for forming degrees of comparison in English depend on the structure of the word:
- Transformation of the stem by adding -er (in the comparative) and -est (in the superlative) at the end: loose (free) – looser – loosest; tight (dense) – tighter – tightest.
- The use of special words more (less) - more (less) - comparative, most (least) - most (least) - superlative adjectives: unreasonable (unreasonable) - more unreasonable - most unreasonable; ancient (ancient) – less ancient – least ancient; fully-qualified (professional) – more fully-qualified – most fully-qualified.
- Changing the entire base of the word.
Errors in use
English grammar
Most mistakes are made when comparing the two.
NONSTANDARD – One of the two cakes, this is the best one.
STANDARD – One of the two cakes, this is the better one.
NONSTANDARD – Marie is the youngest of the two girls.
STANDARD — Marie is the youngest of the two girls.
When comparing one thing with a whole group, we must not forget about the order of words in a sentence:
NONSTANDARD – She is faster than any girl on her team. (She's a team member and she obviously can't be faster than herself).
STANDARD — She is faster than any other girl on her team.
Sometimes in colloquial speech reinforcement is allowed:
It's more simpler. - It is easier.
This was the best picture. - It was the best picture I've ever seen.
But this usage is actually a mistake. And double amplification is not allowed.
The table below will easily help you learn the exceptions for the formation of the comparative degree of adjectives in English.
Superlative education
In the case when there is a choice between two, the presence of some traits that are manifested to some extent is compared. Superlative adjectives are the choice of “best” from many similar people or things.
Comparatives and superlatives of abstract qualitative adjuncts. are formed by both methods: wise (wise), safe (safe), polite (polite), quiet (calm), common (general), cruel (cruel), clever (smart) and a number of others:
wise - the wisest/the most wise, quiet - the quietest/the most quiet.
Important! Polysyllabic names adj. In English, when forming superlatives, the stem is not changed.
Spelling rules for superlatives
In writing, when forming a superlative degree in English, you should remember the following norms:
- Doubling the last letter in short adjectives: dim – dimmest.
- Adding –st if there is an -e at the end of the word: fine – finest.
- Replacing -y with -i after a consonant:
- – driest.
But with a vowel before –y nothing changes: – gayest.
The difference in the derivatives of far, old, hear, late comes from the history of language development, as mentioned above. Here it is necessary to clearly understand the meaning of the word.
For greater clarity, please consider the following examples:
We continued researchers without further difficulties. – We continued our research without further difficulties.
The bank was farther than we were told. – The bank was further away than we were told.
I’m surprised Helen is 25. I thought she was older. – I’m surprised that Elena is 25. I thought she was older.
Their eldest sister is an actress. – Their oldest sister is an actress.
The next to dance was Jack. – Jack danced next.
Article
– a specific particle. It has no analogues in Russian. Adjectives in English are preceded by both indefinite and definite articles.
In the superlative degree, not using the article the will be one of the biggest mistakes.
Special attention should be paid to the use of most. It can be used for more than just superlatives.
Learning degrees of comparison in English
Most = very - “very”. At the same time, the word in units. h. Preceded by an indefinite article, and in the plural. h. it is missing:
I saw the most beautiful woman.
I saw an extremely beautiful lady.
I don't go out very often. I'm at home most days.
I don't go out very often. Most days I am at home.
Most of - “most”. After it, the noun is accompanied by a definite article or pronoun (possessive, demonstrative).
I wasn’t well yesterday. I spent most of the time in bed.
I didn't feel well yesterday and spent most of the time in bed.
Kate travels a lot. She has been to most of the European countries.
Katya travels a lot. She visited most countries in Europe.
Adjectives in the comparative degree, provided that the expression of the two is present in the statement, is used with the: Who of those two women is the better specialist? – Which of those two women is the best specialist?
beauty our speech depends from the correct use of various words in the right meaning, their pronunciation. Even in their native language, a person manages to make mistakes by placing the wrong emphasis on a word or using the wrong part of speech. What then can we say about a foreign language? With its many exceptions or the presence of any rules that do not exist in the native language.
The range of English words denoting a feature of an object is quite multifaceted. If in Russian we say “beautiful,” then in English this meaning is conveyed by a number of adjectives (nice, beautiful, handsome, good-looking). Moreover, in the British language there are words that have no equivalent in Russian (thirsty - to be thirsty).
To avoid getting into trouble when using the required degree of comparison, follows:
- have a good understanding of the grammatical structure of words;
- understand what a qualitative adjective means and what a superlative degree is;
- know the spelling rules for forming and writing the required form of comparison;
- be able to construct sentences correctly.
Types of degrees of comparison in English
Degrees of comparison of adjectives
Conclusion
The development of English does not stand still. Constantly simplification is underway and borrowings from other language groups. The variety of English (American, Australian, Canadian or British) should also be taken into account. This is especially true for spoken language. And it is quite possible that in the future more adjectives will appear that will join the list of exceptions.
Degrees of adjectives comparison - Degrees of comparison of adjectives
Adjectives in English do not change by number or case, they change by degrees of comparison. This applies to qualitative adjectives. Relative adjectives do not have degrees of comparison (about qualitative and relative adjectives - see the material "").
There are three degrees of comparison of qualitative adjectives in English:
1. Positive. An adjective in its usual form.big big
2. Comparative. Shows that one object has bo? higher degree of quality than the other. Often used with the preposition than.
bigger
3. Superlative. Indicates that the object has the highest degree of quality.
the biggest
Rules for the formation of degrees of comparison
1. The comparative degree is formed by adding the suffix -er [?r] to the stem of the word. Superlative - suffix -est [?st]. A few nuances:A. In adjectives with one syllable, the last letter is doubled.
hot - hotter - the hottest hot - hotter - the hottest
b. If the last letter of the adjective is -y, and there is a consonant before it, then it is replaced with -i; if it is a vowel, then -y remains unchanged.
busy - busier - the busiest
gray - grayer - the grayest gray - grayer - the grayest
V. If the last letter in an adjective is silent -e (that is, not pronounced), then when written it is omitted and merged with -e in the comparative or superlative suffix.
cute - cuter - the cutest
2. If an adjective has two or more syllables, then in the comparative degree more is used before it, and in the superlative degree - the most:
beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful/most beautiful
3. There are a number of two-syllable adjectives that can change according to both the first rule and the second:
able
angry angry
clever
common common
cruel
frequent
friendly friendly
gentle
handsome
narrow narrow
pleasant
polite polite
quiet
serious serious
simple
sour sour
4. Exceptional adjectives:
good/well - better - the best
good - better - the best/best
bad - worse - the worst
bad - worse - worst
little - less - the least
small - less - the smallest/smallest
much (with uncountable)/many (with countable) - more - the most
a lot - more - most of all
old - older - the oldest
old - older - the oldest
old - elder - the eldest
elder - older - the oldest (only about people; for example: my elder brother my elder brother)
late - later - the latest/the last
late - more recent - the latest (new, latest in time)
near - nearer - the nearest
closest - closer - closest (distance)
near - nearer - next/the next
close - closer - next (in time or in order)
far - farther - the farthest
farthest - more distant - farthest (distance only)
far - further - the furthest
distant - more distant - the most distant (in the abstract sense)
The adjective - an adjective in English denotes a distinctive feature of an object (subject) in three degrees. In accordance with the type (simple or complex, that is, monosyllabic or polysyllabic), you can form a comparative or superlative adjective construction.
Words denoting colors (white, red, blue), qualities of people and objects (prudent, strong, fearful, clean, wet) are all adjectives.
Rules for forming degrees of simple (monosyllabic) adjectives
- positive degree - positive degree;
- comparative degree - comparative degree;
- superlative degree - superlative degree.
A simple adjective is created by adding the suffix -est if the word is simple (one-syllable). In addition, the superlative degree is characterized by the addition of a definite article (the) to the adjective, since we are no longer talking about a simple object (the subject of a sentence or in a phrase), but about the best and most outstanding of its kind.
The simplest examples of using monosyllabic adjectives in the superlative degree of comparison:
- strong - the strongest (strong - the strongest or strongest);
- sharp - the sharpest (sharp - the sharpest or sharpest);
- clever - the cleverest (smart - the smartest or smartest);
- neat - the neatest (neat - the neatest or neatest);
- short - the shortest (short - the shortest or mildest);
- East or West home is best - East or West - home is better (analogous to the Russian proverb “It’s good when visiting, but at home it’s better”).
If the adjective ends in -y, as in other similar words, this letter changes to ending -i. And only then is the superlative sign added, that is, the ending -est:
- naughty - naughtiest (naughty - the most naughty);
- pretty - prettiest (lovely - the most charming);
- dry - driest (dry - the driest);
- noisy - noisest (noisy - the noisiest);
- happy - happiest (happy - happiest);
- dirty - dirtiest (dirty - the dirtiest);
- messy - messiest (sloppy - the most sloppy).
Simple words follow the same rule: ugly (ugly, ugly), busy (busy).
An adjective ending in the vowel e loses its final letter:
- nice - nicest (good - the best or the nicest);
- white - whitest (white - the whitest or whitest);
- rare - rarest (rare - the rarest or rarest).
In simple one-syllable adjectives, after a short vowel, the consonant is doubled:
- big - biggest (big - the biggest);
- fat - fattest (fat - the fattest);
- red - reddest (red - the reddest);
- hot - hottest (hot - the hottest).
The same rule includes the following words: sad (sad, sorrowful), hot (hot), wet (wet).
Example sentences:
Europe is the largest continent - Europe is the widest continent.
Oceania is the smallest continent - Oceania is the smallest continent.
Exceptions to the rules
The superlative degree of an adjective in English cannot be formed according to typical rules. People learning English at first try to memorize these examples or always have a cheat sheet with them:
- good - best (good - the best);
- bad - worst (bad - the worst);
- little - least (small - the smallest);
- many, much - most (many - most or largest).
The adjective OLD (old), in addition to its exclusivity, is distinguished by two forms of superlative formation. The most common form:
- old - oldest (old - the oldest or oldest).
But, if we are talking about family members (relatives), another form is used:
- old - eldest (old - the oldest or oldest).
Usage examples
Exceptional superlative adjective. Examples of use:
My diploma work in the best - My diploma work is the best.
This campaign has the worst production - This campaign has the worst production.
My son is the smallest in his class - My son is the smallest in his class.
This book is the oldest in my library - This book is the oldest in my library.
Our great-grandfather is the eldest member of the family - Our great-grandfather is the eldest member of the family.
Try forming the superlative degree of the following adjectives:
- new(new);
- fast (fast);
- tall (high);
- cheap (cheap);
- expensive (expensive).
Formation of degrees of polysyllabic adjectives
A polysyllabic adjective is one that has more than one syllable, that is, a combination of a consonant and a vowel.
In this case, the exceptional construction more - the most, already familiar from the previous explanation, is used. The superlative degree from this combination is simply substituted for the adjective:
- comfortable - the most comfortable (comfortable - the most comfortable or most comfortable);
- interesting - the most interesting (interesting - the most interesting or most interesting).
The same with the words: popular (popular), beautiful (beautiful).
Other comparative constructions with adjectives
The superlative degree of an adjective can also be formed by other comparative constructions.
The conjunction than is used if the degree of quality of one item is compared with the degree of quality of another:
This room is larger than that - This room is larger than that.
Better late than never - Better late than never.
Two heads are better than one - Two heads are better than one.
Green gallary is wider than red - The green gallery is wider than the red one.
Antarctida is bigger than Oceania - Antarctica is larger than Oceania.
Using the construction as...as (same...as, same...as). In this case, the adjective in the positive degree is compared between as and as:
This book is as interesting as that - This book is as interesting as that one.
Yellow car as fast as green - The yellow car is as fast as the green one.
This doctor as clever as that one - This doctor is as smart as that one.
Exercises to consolidate what you have learned
1) Quiz. Try to answer the questions using constructions of words with adjectives in the comparative degree.
Which country is smaller? (Scotland or England)
Which country is begger? (Russia or Spain)
Which is the largest continent on our planet?
Which is the biggest ocean on our planet?
Which city is older? (Moscow or London)
Which is the smallest country? (Vatican City or Monaco)
2) Read the dialogue between two friends Alison and Tony and try to understand what they are talking about.
Alison: My cat is big. It is beautiful and neat. Your dog is messier than my cat.
Tony: My dog is bigger than your cat. It is more beautiful than your cat.
Alison: My house is newer than your house. It is the newest in our street.
Tony: No, it is not. Your house is older than my house. Your garden is smaller than my garden.
Alison: Yes, it is. But it is more beautiful. It's the most beautiful garden in our city.
Tony: Our car is bigger, newer, more comfortable and more expensive than your car.
Alison's cat: Alison is as fast and clever as Tony.
Tony's dog: Tony is as fast and clever as Alison.
In English it requires special attention and careful study. Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative. By analogy with the Russian language, we can give an example:
- big (positive) - more (comparative) - biggest (superior).
In English, three ways are used to form adjective degrees:
- suffixal;
- composite;
- exceptions.
Suffixal way of forming adjectives
The method applies only to one-syllable adjectives and to adjectives consisting of two syllables but ending in -y, -er, -ow. In this case, the comparative degree is formed by adding -er to the end of the word. And superlative - by adding -est and the definite article the before the adjective. For a clear example, let’s create a table with the translation of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English:
| tall (high, incredible) | taller (higher, more incredible) | the tallest (the highest, the most incredible) | Mike is the tallest boy in his class. |
| short | shorter (shorter) | the shortest (the shortest) | It was the shortest weekend in my life. |
Don't forget that when you add a suffix to a word, it may undergo some changes. So, for example, if a word begins with the letter -y, and it is preceded by a consonant, then the letter -y changes to -i.
If a one-syllable adjective ends with a stressed vowel and one consonant, then the last consonant is doubled when forming the comparative degree.
Also look at the table of degrees of comparison of adjectives below.
| hot (hot, hot) | hotter (hotter, hotter) | the hottest (the hottest, the hottest) | It was the hottest day in this year. |
Compound way of forming adjectives
This method of formation is used only for polysyllabic words. To form adjectives we put the word more or the most before the adjective, depending on what degree we need. We will also consider a clear example in the table of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English.
Exceptions in education
This method includes so-called exception words. There are not many of them in the English language, but they have their own characteristics that need to be remembered. Below is a table of exceptions for degrees of comparison of adjectives in English, which you need to know by heart.
| good (good) | better | the best | She is the best student in her class. - She is the best student in her class |
| bad (bad) | worse | the worst | I got the worst mark in whole class. - I got the worst grade in the whole class |
| little (small) | less | the least | This room in hotel is less preferable for me. - This hotel room is less suitable for me |
| many/much (many) | more | the most | I need more information for doing my job well. - I need more information in order to do my job well |
| old (old) | elder/older | the eldest/the oldest | This car is older than me. - This car is older than me |
| far (far) | further/further | the furthest/the farthest | Let's go further in our discussion. - Let's move further in our discussion |
The last two adjectives require close attention. It is necessary to understand the difference between the older and elder forms. We use the words elder/the eldest only when talking about family ties. In all other cases we use the words older/the oldest.
My brother is elder than my sister. - My brother is older than my sister.
It is the oldest house in our village. - This is the oldest house in our village.
The words farther/the farthest are used only in their literal meaning when talking about physical distance. In other cases we use the words further/the furthest.
We are going farther and farther in deep forest. - We go deeper and deeper into the dark forest.
Let's go further in our discussion. - Let's move further in our discussion.
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that there are adjectives that do not change according to degrees. Such forms are characteristic only of those adjectives that express some degree of a particular attribute, quality or phenomenon. It is worth remembering that this topic is studied at an early stage of language learning, so all tables of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English for children will be as useful as for adults.
Exercises to practice
Fill out the table of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English with translation:
| positive | comparative | excellent | translation |
| different | |||
| hot | |||
| innovative | |||
| musical | |||
| smart | |||
| good | |||
| much | |||
| peaceful | |||
| patient | |||
| fortunate | |||
| happy | |||
| easy | |||
| clever |
Put the adjectives given in brackets into the correct form:
- Do you know our... (far) destination?
- I couldn't solve this task on my math test. It was the ... (difficult) for me.
- History is ... (easy) for me than Art lessons.
- My mum is... (old) than my dad.
Exceptions to degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. The table must be filled out from memory.
| good | ||
| worse | ||
| the most | ||
| elder | ||
| little |
Translate into English:
- My grandfather is the oldest in our family.
- It was the most terrible memory of my life.
- Yesterday I met one of the most beautiful girls on the planet.
- I promised that I would study better.
- My friend is the kindest person in the universe.
Cold - colder - the coldest. What were we doing now? Comparisons were made using Russian adjectives. Do you think there is no such thing in English? Please: cold - colder - the coldest. That's what it is degrees of comparison of adjectives. We are lucky: there are exactly the same degrees of comparison as in Russian. That is, simply comparative (colder) and superior (coldest). Now let’s find out how degrees of comparison of adjectives are formed.
1. If an English adjective is taken from one syllable ( old , big , hot , kind , great), then the comparative degree is formed by the ending -er (older , kinder), and excellent is an article the and ending - est (the oldest , the kindest ).
Two-syllable adjectives ending in - y , -er , -ow (spicy , clever , narrow) are subject to the same rules:
cleverer - the cleverest (smarter - the smartest), narrower - the narrowest (narrower (narrower) - the narrowest)
Moreover, adjectives that end in - y , change this letter to i :
spicier - the spiciest (spicier - the hottest)
If a one-syllable adjective ends in vowel+consonant (hot, big, sad, fat), then in comparative degrees the consonant doubles:
hotter - the hottest, fatter - the fattest.
2. All other two-syllable, three-syllable (etc. - in general, polysyllabic) adjectives form the comparative degree by adding more , and excellent - the most :
more significant - the most significant,more beautiful - the most beautiful
Exception Examples(favorite section of all English learners):
Good - better - the best
Bad - worse - the worst
Little - less - the least
Far
-
farther(more distant (by distance)) - the
farthest(the furthest),
But
far
-
further(further/subsequent) - the
furthest(most distant)
Near - nearer - the nearest/the next (closest (by distance)/next)
Old - older(older) - the oldest(the oldest),
But
old-elder(older)- the eldest(oldest)
Late
-
later(later) - the
latest(latest),
But
late
-
the latter(later in order) - the
last(most recent in order)
On the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives- All. I congratulate you on this. But if you want more, then you are always welcome (recommended for those who have already understood everything with the previous part):
Use less degree of comparison (i.e. less cool, less bright) comes with less , and to denote the smallest degree - the least (least cool, least bright):
less strong(less strong) - the least strong(least strong), less wide(less wide) - the least wide(least wide).
To strengthen the comparative degree it is used much , still , far :
much colder(much colder ), much more beautiful(much prettier).
The sentence uses the connective to compare objects than (how):
She is cleverer than her sister(She is smarter than her sister).
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