Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English example sentences. Degrees of comparison of English adjectives. Degrees of comparison in English

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two or more objects with each other: objects, people, animals, etc. Bigger, smaller, prettier, faster, cheaper, better, smarter, braver, smarter, more daring- these are all comparative degrees of adjectives in Russian.

IN English adjectives also have a comparative degree ( comparative adjectives or just comparative): bigger, less, more beautiful, faster, cheaper, better, cleverer, braver, more intelligent, more daring

The rules for the formation of comparative adjectives are very easy to understand, and to develop fluency you need experience, you need to repeat them more often, and it is better to repeat phrases, phrases or whole sentences. How to remember better, you can read in the article.

In this article we will give many examples of the formation and use of the comparative degree of adjectives in English.

Comparative adjectives. Rules of education. Examples.

Look at the table:

1. Examples for comparative adjectives formed from monosyllabic ones:

This coffee is very weak. I like it a bit stronger. (This coffee is very weak. I like it a little stronger)
Going by bus is cheaper than by train. (Travel by bus is cheaper than by train)
The weather is very cold today. I expected it to be warmer(The weather is cold today. I expected it to be warmer)
The water is colder today than it was two days ago. (The water is colder today than two days ago)
Mike studies harder than his brother. (Mike studies harder than his brother)
This building is higher than that one. (This building is taller than that)
My daughter is thinner than her. (My daughter is thinner than her)
My sister is older than me. (My sister is older than me)
Can we walk a bit faster? (Can we go a little faster?)

Pay attention to the following subtleties:
1. After the comparative degree of adjectives, a conjunction is often used than(than), emphasizing the object for comparison.
2. If a one-syllable adjective ends in -e, then to a comparative extent only -r: large - larger, late - later, wide - wider.
3. If a one-syllable adjective ends one vowel + one consonant, That comparative degree duplicates a consonant: big - bigger, wet - wetter, thin - thinner

2. Examples of comparative adjectives formed from two-syllable adjectives ending in -y:

Yesterday I woke up earlier than usual (Yesterday I woke up earlier than usual)
You look happier today (You look happier today)
My bag seemed to get heavier as I carried it (My bag seemed heavier when I carried it)
We were busier at work today than usual (We were busier at work today than usual)

3. Examples of the comparative degree of adjectives formed from two-syllable and more adjectives

I think Hungarian is more difficult than Spanish. (I think Hungarian is harder than Spanish)
For lanuage learners, enthusiasm is more important than talent. (For language learners, enthusiasm is more important than talent)
I expected the hotel to be more expensive. (I expected the hotel to be more expensive)
I'd like to do something more interesting(I'd like to do something more interesting)
Why don't you phone me more often? (Why don't you call me more often?)
I'd like to have a more reliable car (I would like to have a more reliable car)
Unfortunately his illness was more serious than we thought at first. (Unfortunately, his illness was more serious than we first thought)

4. Exceptions.

Some words do not obey general rules and form their own comparative adjectives in a special way. They are called incorrect - IRREGULAR:

A holiday by the sea is better than a holiday in the mountains. (A holiday by the sea is better than a holiday in the mountains)
The warmer the weather the better I feel. (The warmer the weather, the better I feel)
I can't walk any further. (I can't go any further)
The traffic is worse than usual today. (Traffic is worse than usual today)
The weather got worse and worse. (the weather is getting worse and worse)
His English is becoming better from day to day. (His English is getting better day by day)

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. This is it 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(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(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’re welcome (recommended for those who have already understood everything with the previous part):

Use less degree of comparison (i.e. less cold, less bright) goes by using 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 a connective to compare objects than (how):

She is cleverer than her sister(She is smarter than her sister).

And now degree scheme for those who love algorithms :)

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Usually, when forming degrees of comparison of adjectives in English, students do not make mistakes - the rules are quite clear. However, as with any other grammatical topic in the English language, we cannot do without exceptions. So, in English there are two degrees of comparison of adjectives: the Comparative Degree and the Superlative Degree. Before forming comparatives or superlatives, ask yourself: “How many syllables does this adjective have?” And depending on the answer, proceed to change the word. If the word is one-syllable, for example, short, then to form the comparative degree you should add a suffix -er to the basic form of the adjective (does not express comparison and is called a positive degree - The Positive Degree).

It turns out: short - short er(short - shorter).

To form superlatives, add a suffix -est to the main form of the adjective and the definite article is required the- the short est(shortest) . If the adjective is disyllabic or consists of three or more syllables, then to form the comparative degree you need to put the word more before the positive degree , for excellent - words the most.

For example: comfortable - more comfortable - the most comfortable (convenient - more convenient - the most convenient).

This video describes in sufficient detail the degrees of comparison of adjectives in English, and simple examples will help you remember everything faster.

In this table “Degrees of comparison of adjectives. Degrees of comparison." I have streamlined all the rules for forming degrees of comparison of adjectives. Study it carefully and start practicing - translating the phrases below under the table.

Table “Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. Degrees of comparison."

Exercises on degrees of comparison of adjectives in English.

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 highest degree quality of the 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 one cold winter, ever 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 most happy 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 most deep 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 any 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.

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Change rules 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 another 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, use indefinite article“a”, 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 before certain group people, objects and other things. 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 monosyllabic 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.