Comparative degree noisy. Comparative and superlative degrees in English

In English, adjectives have 3 degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative. The general rules for the formation of each of them can be presented in the form of tables.

Adjective as part of speech

What is an adjective? This is a part of speech that is designed to describe the signs and properties of objects. She answers the questions “Which?”, “Which?” and “Whose?” In English there are two types of adjectives: quality And relative .

Of these, only qualitative ones can have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative. Relatives cannot be combined with an adverb very (very) and form degrees of comparison. For example, from the relative adjective “wooden” it is impossible to form the comparative degree “more wooden”, while from the qualitative “cold” two forms of adjectives can be formed - “colder” and “coldest”.

As can be seen from the examples, degrees of comparison of adjectives in Russian are formed using suffixes or by adding words to the initial form. Let's look at how things are in English using examples.

Positive

The initial form of the adjective is the positive degree: dangerous (dangerous, risky), famous (known), curious (curious). In English, an adjective has no gender, number or case forms. In other words, when forming phrases or sentences, we take an adjective and put it in front of a noun: a dangerous car, a famous singer, curious girls.

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Comparative

The word “comparative” comes from the verb “to compare.” In other words, to a comparative degree we compare the characteristics and properties of two or more objects. In this case, a conjunction may appear in the sentence than (than) or design the...the...(than...,them...), and the adjective itself changes form. There are two ways to form the comparative form:

• To a simple adjective consisting of one or two syllables, the ending is added -er : fast - faster (fast - faster), weak - weaker (weak - weaker);
• To a compound adjective consisting of three or more syllables, the words are added more (more) or less (less) : aggressive - more aggressive (aggressive - more aggressive), desperate - less desperate (desperate - less desperate).

Excellent

If in a comparative degree we set ourselves the task of comparing two objects, then in a superlative degree we need to single out one “best thing” among the many. To obtain this degree you must do one of two things:

• Add the definite article to a simple adjective consisting of one or two syllables the and ending -est : fast - the fastest (fast - the fastest), weak - the weakest (weak - the weakest);
• To a complex adjective consisting of three or more syllables, add the words the most (most) or the least (least) : aggressive - the most aggressive (aggressive - the most aggressive), desperate - the least desperate (desperate - the least desperate).

General rules

The general rules for the formation of degrees of comparison can be presented in the table “Degrees of comparison in the English language.”

Pay attention to the following examples from the table: hot (hot) and lazy (lazy). In the comparative and superlative degree, in the word hot, the final consonant has been doubled, since the word ends with a vowel and a consonant, and in the word lazy, the final vowel -y has changed to -i.

Exceptions

In English, there are adjectives that are exceptions to the general rule of forming degrees of comparison. These are presented in the following exclusion table:

Pay attention to the meaning of the words farther - the farthest (further - the farthest) and further - the furthest (further - the most distant): in the first case, we mean physical distance, and in the second - strand range. The same can be observed in the words older - the oldest (older - the oldest) and elder - the eldest (older - the oldest). In the first case, this refers to age, and in the second, seniority in the family.

What have we learned?

From this article we learned how Present Simple Tense is formed, in what cases this tense is used, and also how to distinguish Present Simple Tense from other tenses. We learned how to correctly construct a negative sentence in this tense and how to ask a question correctly. We also learned all the adverbs of time, companion words that are characteristic only of Present Simple Tense.

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Adjectives in English do not change either by gender, or by number, or by case. Adjectives in English can only be modified by degrees of comparison.

Adjectives can be simple or derived. Simple adjectives have neither prefixes nor suffixes. Derived adjectives contain suffixes or prefixes, or both at the same time.

Adjectives form, as in Russian, two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative. The basic form of the adjective does not express comparison and is called the positive degree.

Adjective

An adjective is a part of speech that is used to denote a characteristic of an object.

• a clever boy
• an English book (English book)
• good butter (good butter)
• a cold winter

An adjective in English has three forms of degrees of comparison:

• positive degree
• comparative degree
• superlative degree.

Adjective degrees

Formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives

The basic form of an adjective is the positive degree. The comparative and superlative forms are usually formed from the positive degree in one of two ways:

The first way to form degrees of comparison of adjectives. If the form of an adjective in the positive degree consists of one syllable, the form of its comparative degree is formed using the suffix -er, and the superlative form - using the suffix -est, which are added to the base of the form of the positive degree.

The second way to form degrees of comparison of adjectives. From adjectives whose positive form consists of three or more syllables, the comparative degree is formed using the word more, and the superlative degree - using the word most, which are placed before the positive form of the adjective.

From two-syllable adjectives, the comparative and superlative forms are also formed using the words more and most.

Sometimes there are forms of two-syllable adjectives, formed using the suffixes -er and -est.

Most often these are adjectives whose positive form ends in -у, -er, -ow.

Some adjectives form special forms of degrees of comparison, and these adjectives must be immediately memorized in all forms.

The adjective old forms degrees of comparison in two ways. In most cases, the suffix -er or -est is added to the base of the positive degree form.

However, in cases where they talk about members of the same family - “elder brother”, “eldest of the brothers”, they use the form elder (elder) or eldest (eldest). To correctly write forms of degrees of comparison of adjectives, you need to know

• that when adding the suffixes -er and -est, the final letters of the adjective in the form of a positive degree change as follows:
• y changes to i after a consonant and does not change after a vowel: dry dry (dry) - drier - driest But: gay (cheerful) - gayer - gayest
• e is omitted: nice (good) - nicer - nicest

the consonant is doubled in one-syllable adjectives after a short vowel: big - bigger - biggest

Using an adjective The adjective is usually used in a sentence
as a definition of a noun and stands before the word being defined. An adjective can also be a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate (predicative) and in this case stand after the linking verb to be.

Not a clever boy. He's a smart boy. (Clever - definition.) Not is clever He is smart. (Clever is a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate.) Not all adjectives are used in these two functions.

Adjectives

alive (alive), afraid (scared), asleep (sleeping), awake (awake), ill (sick) and some others are used only as a nominal member of a compound nominal predicate.

To denote a lower or lowest degree of quality of one item compared to another, the adjective is usually preceded by the word less (fewer, less) or least (least of all).

Additional material.

1. Degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.
2. In English, just like in Russian, adjectives and adverbs have three degrees of comparison:
3. positive

comparative

1. For short (one syllable) words:

Notes:

The definite article is often used with a superlative adjective; When constructing degrees of comparison of adjectives in writing:

1. the final consonant with the preceding short vowel is doubled: big (bigger ((the) biggest
2. if there is a consonant before the final -y, then -y goes into -i:
   easy (easy ((the) easiest; early (earlier ((the) earliest
3. when adding -er u -est, the final -e is omitted: (see large above). Spelling features do not affect pronunciation.

2. For long (two or more syllables) words:

It doesn't make sense to lengthen the word any further, so in English we add another short word in front:

• beautiful beautiful
• more beautiful
• easily easy
• more easily easier
• most easily

To pass values least and least of all (least) the words less and least are used respectively:

• less beautiful
• least beautiful least beautiful

Note:

Sometimes monosyllabic words form degrees of comparison using more / less or most / least , and conversely, words consisting of more than one syllable have -er / -est at the end; it depends only on the sound - if some form is perceived better by ear than another, it is put into the sentence: crisp - more crisp - (the) most crisp sounds better than crisp - crisper (the) crispest.

The forms of degrees of comparison of some adjectives and adverbs in English are not formed according to the rule:

Note: The word little can be either an adjective or an adverb; in this case it is used only as an adverb little; if you need to construct degrees of comparison from the adjective small, we use the word small (see above).

Note: the forms elder / eldest are used more often when the speaker is talking about members of his family:

• My father is older than my mother. My father is older than my mother.
• This is my eldest son.

This is my eldest son.

In most other cases, degrees of comparison of adjectives are formed using method 1: old old er old

est

The word most with the indefinite article (a most) is not a degree of comparison, but means very: a most beautiful girl is a very beautiful girl.

The definite article is preserved before the superlative form even if there is no noun: Not is the best.

He is the best.

• To denote the comparative degree of an adjective, the word than is used; however, in order to avoid repetition of the same noun, the word one is often used as a substitute for this noun or a possessive pronoun in absolute form: My car is bigger than their one / theirs.
• My car is bigger than theirs. These cigars are stronger than those ones.

These cigars are stronger than those.

• In the second part of comparative constructions, you can use pronouns both in the objective case (colloquial version) and the accusative case (literary version, usually with an auxiliary verb): She reads more than him / he does.
• She reads more than him. You are taller than me / I am.
• You are taller than me. Didn't come earlier than them / they did.
• He arrived earlier than them but
• I know him better than her. I know him better than her.

I know him better than she does. I know him better than she does. When comparing the same quality, the combination as ... as (same (same) ... as (s) / as (same) ... as (s) is used: She is When comparing the same quality, the combination as ... as (same (same) ... as (s) / as (same) ... as (s) is used: as beautiful

my mother (She is as beautiful as my mother. When comparing quality in a negative form, the combination not so ... as is more often used (not such ... as:

I am not so beautiful as her / she is.

• (I'm not as beautiful as her. When comparing with a multiple effect, the combination as ... as with numerals is used; the second as may be omitted if another comparison object is not mentioned in the situation:
• My sister is twice as beautiful (as yours).(My sister is twice as beautiful (as yours).

His car is about three times as big (as my car)

I have half as much money (as you have).

(I have half as much money (than you).

• Sometimes a comparison can be strengthened with the help of additional words; more often than others, much is used for this: much more / less beautiful; The Russian version of than..., the... is translated into English the + comparative degree of the adjective... the + comparative degree of the adjective: The faster you come the more
• you will get. The faster you arrive, the more you will get.. The sooner you do it

The rules for inflecting English adjectives are not very difficult to understand, but they have many features that cause some difficulties. The fact is that individual words do not obey general rules, since they are exceptions. Let's discuss all the possible comparative adjective constructions in English.

What is the comparative degree of an adjective?

Any adjective has three degrees: positive, comparative and superlative. The first degree is the word itself in its original form, and the other two are modified versions of it. They are formed using two principles: analytical and synthetic. In the first case, additional words are used, in the second, all changes occur due to the addition of special suffixes. There are also words that can be compared using both of these methods.

Synthetic form

The simple comparative degree of adjectives is used mainly for monosyllabic words and usually does not cause learning difficulties. Changes occur using two types of suffixes: “er” - for the comparative degree and “est” - for the superlative. Example:

• fast (thin) - faster (thinner) - fastest (the thinnest).

When using comparative phrases, you need to pay attention to some spelling points. If a monosyllabic word ends with a consonant preceded by a short vowel, then in the process of comparison in writing the last consonant is doubled:

• thin (thin) - thinner (thinner) - thinnest (the thinnest).

The simple comparative degree of adjectives has one more nuance regarding words ending with the silent letter “e”. When adding special suffixes, this letter disappears, since both of these suffixes begin with the letter “e”, and there is no point in doubling it:

• huge (huge) - huger (more huge) - hugest (the hugest).

Words ending with "y"

Although the synthetic comparative degree is used most for one-syllable words, it can also work with some types of two-syllable words, particularly those ending with the vowel sound "u".

If in a word this vowel is preceded by a consonant sound, then during the comparison the letter “u” changes to “i”, but the rule for its pronunciation remains the same:

• busy (busy) - busier (busier) - busiest (busiest).

In cases where there is a vowel before “u”, the letter “u” does not change.

Analytical form

The compound comparative degree of adjectives is used for most disyllabic and polysyllabic words, since they are already difficult to pronounce, and adding some suffixes to them is not at all convenient, besides, the English language is very capacious and always strives for compactness and abbreviations. In such cases, four additional words are used for comparison: more, most, less and least. They are placed before the adjective:

• aromatic (fragrant) - more aromatic (more aromatic) - most aromatic (the most fragrant);
• expensive (expensive) - less expensive (less expensive) - least expensive (the most inexpensive).

Example suggestions:

• It was the most difficult day this week - it was the most difficult day this week.
• This trip is less expensive - this trip is less expensive.

Placing articles before adjectives

The comparative degree has one more important rule: any superlative adjective, whether it is created using an analytical construction or a synthetic one, always has the definite article “the” in front of it. This rule works because any modifier in most cases denotes the noun that comes immediately after it. If there is no noun, then using the definite article is still an integral action, since the adjective in any case implies a person or thing:

• My grandfather is the oldest man in his village - my grandfather is the oldest in his village.
• It was a very expensive restaurant, the most expensive which I saw - it was a very expensive restaurant, the most expensive I have seen.

As can be seen from the second part of the second example, the superlative comparative degree of an adjective must have a definite article even without the presence of a noun that follows. In the example, the noun is not written, but is implied: the most expensive (restaurant) I have seen.

The word "most" in other meanings

The word “most” is used not only in cases where the comparative degree of adjectives is used in English, but also for other tasks. In particular, it is used in the meaning of “extremely”, “very”, “very”. In such cases, when using the singular, the indefinite article “a” is used, and when using the plural, the article is not used at all:

• they are most polite people - they are quite/very polite people.

Also, the word “most” is often used in combination with the preposition “of”, creating a combination that is translated into Russian as “most of ...” or “most of ...”. This phrase is used in front of a certain group of people, objects, etc. In such a construction, articles before “most” are not used, but are placed immediately before nouns or are not placed at all:

• Most of people in Russia don`t know English - most people in Russia do not know English.
• Most of the students know this rule - most students know this rule.

Some nuances

It is worth noting that the English language is developing dynamically, and spelling rules and the composition of certain verbal structures also undergo some changes. Certain metamorphoses did not bypass the rule of using adjectives. The fact is that, when comparing some words, it is possible to change them using a synthetic or analytical form, regardless of how many syllables a particular word has. That is, some vocabulary units do not obey general rules. Let's try to figure it out more specifically.

There are one-syllable adjectives that can be compared in two possible ways:

• true (truthful) - truer or more true (more truthful) - truest or most true (the most truthful);
• hot (hot) - hotter or more hot (hotter) - hottest or most hot (the hottest).

There are also those monosyllabic words that in most cases are used in analytical forms. Here are examples of such words:

• right (true, correct) - righter (rarely used)/more right (or rather) - most right (most correct/faithful);
• real (real) - more real (more real) - realest/most real (most real).

In English there are those that are equally compared using the two above-mentioned methods, for example, clever, sincere and stupid. The words remote and polite, although they are found in two forms of comparison, are still more often changed by means of the analytical method.

If you are not sure which of the two is more correct to apply to a particular word, then use analytical: in this case, you risk making only a grammatical one.

Exception words

The comparative degree of an adjective works in a slightly different way for a group of fairly common words that use their own unique ways of inflecting. There are few such words, so learning their forms will not take much time, but it is necessary to know them. Conventionally, such words can be called “irregular adjectives.” These include words such as “bad” - bad (worse - worst), “little” - little (less - least), “many” - much\many (more - most), “good” good (better - best ). An interesting fact is that such definitions are “incorrect” in a number of other languages, where their comparative degree of the adjective also does not obey general rules.

Don't get confused with the words little and small. In both cases, the comparative degree is translated as “less,” but in the version with little it is less, and in the version with small it is smaller:

• I have less powers than you - I have less powers than you.
• I`m smaller than my brother - I am smaller than my brother.

Also worthy of special attention is the comparative degree of the adjective, which is translated into Russian as “more”:

• You have more money than he - you have more money than him.
• My brother is bigger than you - my brother is bigger than you.

As you can see, these words are quite common, and everyone has encountered them in one way or another.

Afterword

In this article, we figured out how the comparative degree of adjectives works. The English language is rich in various nuances and exceptions that cannot be contained in one article, but all the most basic rules have been discussed above. It is worth recalling once again: if you are not sure of the correct use of a particular comparative phrase for adjectives, then use the analytical version. In this case, you will always remain understood, except that the stylistic side of the phrase, which uses an adjective in the form of a comparative degree, will suffer.

Adjectives (Adjectives) are words that express qualities, characteristics of objects. They answer the question Which?. In a sentence, they usually define a noun. In English they do not change either by gender, or by number, or by case:

a little girl - little girl

a little boy - little boy

little children - little children

With a little boy - with a little boy.

Adjectives change only by degrees of comparison (Degrees of Comparison). There are three degrees of comparison of adjectives: positive (Positive Degree), comparative (Comparative Degree), excellent (Superlative Degree).

Rules for the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives.

Adjectives in the positive degree do not have any endings, for example: quick (fast), slow (slow), old (old), new (new). The comparative and superlative degrees are formed using the suffixes -er and -est or by adding the words more (more) and most (most). The choice of method depends on the original form of the adjective.

Monosyllabic and some two-syllable adjectives form the comparative degree with the suffix -er, and the superlative degree with the suffix -est. Using the suffixes -er, -est, degrees of comparison are formed into two-syllable adjectives ending in -er, -ow, -y, -le (clever, narrow, early, simple).

Here are some examples:

One- and two-syllable adjectives

When writing, certain spelling rules must be followed.

1. If an adjective has a short vowel and ends in one consonant, then in the comparative and superlative degrees this consonant is doubled:

big – bigger – biggest

big - bigger - biggest, biggest

Fat – fatter – fattest

thick, fatty – thicker – the thickest

Wet-wetter-wettest

wet, humid – more humid – the most humid

Sad – sadder – saddest

sad, sad – sadder – saddest

thin – thinner – thinnest

thin, thin – thinner – thinnest

2. If the adjective ends with a letter -y with a preceding consonant, then in the comparative and superlative degrees the letter y changes to i:

Easy – easier – easiest

light - lighter - lightest, lightest

early – earlier – earliest

early – earlier – earliest

dry – drier – driest

dry, arid – drier – driest

But the word shy (shy, fearful) does not obey this rule and forms degrees of comparison as follows:

shy – shyer – shyest.

3. If the adjective ends with a letter -e, then in the comparative and superlative degrees it is added -r, -st:

wide – wider – widest

wide - wider - widest, widest

late – later – latest

late – later – the latest

fine – finer – finest

good, wonderful – better – the best

simple – simpler – simplest

simple - simpler - simplest

Polysyllabic adjectives, i.e. Adjectives consisting of three or more syllables form degrees of comparison using the words more for the comparative degree and most for the superlative degree. Consider the following examples:

Polysyllabic adjectives

In the same way, i.e. Using the words more for the comparative degree and most for the superlative degree, some two-syllable words that end in -ed and - form degrees of comparison.

In English there are 3 degrees of comparison of adjectives: the positive degree, the comparative degree and the superlative degree.

Please note that the adjective comes before the noun and does not change in gender or number.

Positive degree adjective means that it is in its initial form and simply denotes the quality of an object, without comparing it with others: tall, old, long, big, thin, fat ). Education comparative And excellent degrees comparison depends on how many syllables the adjective contains.

Here are a few rules for forming degrees of comparison of adjectives in English with example sentences.

1. Monosyllabic adjectives add a suffix -er comparative degree and suffix -est superlative:

• tall - taller - the tallest (high - higher - the highest)
• old - older - the oldest (old - older, older - the oldest, the oldest)
• long - longer - the longest (long - longer - the longest)

Here are some examples:

• Katie is taller than Rob. - Katie is taller than Rob.
• Katie is the tallest of all my friends. - Katie is the tallest of my friends.
• Rob is older than John. - Rob is older than John.
• Of the three students, Rob is the oldest. - Rob is the oldest of three students.
• My hair is longer than your hair. - My hair is longer than yours.
• Rob's story is the longest story I've ever heard. - Rob's story is the longest I've ever heard.

1. If a one-syllable adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a vowel, the consonant is doubled:

• big - bigger - the biggest (big - bigger - the biggest)
• thin - thinner - the thinnest (thin - thinner - the thinnest)
• fat - fatter - the fattest (full - fuller - the most complete)

Examples:

• My house is bigger than your house. - My house is bigger than your house.
• My house is the biggest of all the houses in the neighborhood. - My house is the largest of all in the area.
• Rob is thinner than John. - Rob is thinner than John.
• Of all the students in the class, Rob is the thinnest. - Rob is the skinniest of all the students in the class.
• My dog ​​is fatter than your dog. - My dog ​​is fatter than your dog.

1. Two-syllable adjectives form the comparative degree of comparison by adding more before adjectives, and the superlative degree, adding most:

• peaceful - more peaceful - the most peaceful (calm, peaceful - calmer - the calmest)
• pleasant - more pleasant - the most pleasant (pleasant - more pleasant - the most pleasant)
• careful - more careful - the most careful (careful - more careful - the most careful)

Example sentences:

• This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning. - This morning is more peaceful than yesterday.
• John is more careful than Mike. - John is more careful than Mike.
• This evening is the most pleasant I"ve ever had. - This evening is the most pleasant of all that I have had.

1. If a two-syllable adjective ends in -y, then to form a comparative degree you need to change -y on -i and add a suffix -er, and to form a superlative degree - the suffix -est:

• happy - happier - the happiest (happy - happier - the happiest)
• angry - angrier - the angriest (angry - angrier - the angriest)
• busy - busier - the busiest (busy - busier - the busiest)

Example phrases:

• Robert is happier today than he was yesterday. - Today Robert is happier than yesterday.
• He is the happiest boy in the world. - He is the happiest boy in the world.
• John is angrier than Rob. - John is angrier than Rob.
• Katie is busier than John. - Katie is busier than John.
• Katie is the busiest person I've ever met. - Katie is the busiest person I've ever met.

1. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -er, -le, -ow form comparative and superlative degrees of comparison by adding suffixes -er And -est respectively.

• narrow - narrower - the narrowest (narrow - already - the narrowest)
• gentle - gentler - the gentlest (noble - nobler - the most noble)

Examples:

• The streets in European countries are narrower than the streets in Russia. - The streets of European cities are narrower than in Russia.
• This street is the narrowest of all the roads in this town. - This street is the narrowest in this city.
• Big dogs are gentler than small dogs. - Big dogs are nobler than small ones.

An interesting English-language video about common mistakes when using comparative degrees of adjectives (and a bonus - about adverbs!):

1. For adjectives of three syllables, the comparative and superlative degrees are formed by adding more And most before an adjective.

• generous - more generous - the most generous (generous - more generous - the most generous)
• important - more important - the most important (important - more important - the most important)
• intelligent - more intelligent - the most intelligent (smart - smarter - the smartest)

Example sentences:

• Katie is more generous than Mary. - Katie is more generous than Mary.
• John is the most generous of all the people I know. - John is the most generous person I know.
• Health is more important than money. - Health is more important than money.
• Katie is the most intelligent person I"ve ever met. - Katie is the smartest person I know.

1. Exceptional adjectives that have their own comparative and superlative form:

• Good - better - the best (good - better - the best)
• Bad - worse - the worst (bad - worse - the worst)
• Far - farther - the farthest (far - further - the farthest)
• Little - less - the least (small - less - the smallest)
• Many - more - the most (many - more - most of all)

Examples of phrases with exceptions:

• Italian food is better than American food. - Italian food is better than American food.
• My dog ​​is the best dog in the world. - My dog ​​is the best in the world.
• My sister"s cooking is worse than your sister"s cooking. - My sister cooks worse than yours.

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