Unit 4 comparison of adjectives

The only grammatical category that English adjectives have is the degrees of comparison. The plain stem of an adjective (a slow car) is called the positive form. To compare two persons, places, things or sets of objects the comparative form is used (a slow er car; slow er cars). To compare more than two persons, places, things or to denote the highest degree of a quality the superlative form is used(the slow est car, the slow est cars).

1. There are three regular ways of forming the comparative and the superlative degrees:

1) Most one-syllable adjectives (small) add the suffix - er for the comparative form: The rabbit was smaller than the hat. For the superlative form this kind of adjectives add - est: That was the smallest rabbit I’ve seen.

2) Some two-syllable adjectives ending in - er, -ow, -y, -le (clev er, narr ow, happ y, simp le) as well as having a stress on the last syllable (polite, complete) may have two comparative and two superlative forms: with - er/-est and with more/the most, for e.g.: This street is narrower/more narrow. This task is simpler/more simple. This time his answer was politer/more polite. This is the cleverest/the most clever decision. This is the narrowest /the most narrow street. This is the happiest/the most happy man. This is the simplest/the most simple task. The politest/the most polite answer was offered by him.

3) Other adjectives of two and all adjectives of more than two syllables form the comparative and superlative forms by the use of the auxiliary adverbs more (or less)and the most (or the least): beautiful – more beautiful – the most beautiful.

 

2. Some adjectives are irregular, their comparatives and superlatives are formed in a special way:

PositiveComparativeSuperlative

Good (well) better the best

Bad worse the worst

Little less the least

Many (much) more the most

Far farther farthest

Further the furthest

NOTE 1. Farther refers to a greater physical distance (go farther).

Further refers mostly to a greater degree, time, or quality (further details).

Old older the oldest

Elder the eldest

NOTE 2. Elder and eldest are used chiefly of people, and then almost exclusively of family relationship (my elder brother, his eldest sister but She is the oldest in the family). Older (not elder) is used with than (She is older than I am).

 

Late later the latest

Latter the last

NOTE 3. Latter as well as later means ‘nearer to the end' (The latter years of his life). Latter also refers to ‘the second of two’ (Of the pig and the cow, the latter animal is more valuable).

Last means ‘final’ (his famous last words). It can also mean ‘next before the present’ (This is better than his last film.). But to avoid misunderstanding to mean ‘next before the present’ a clearer word like previous or latest should be used (Her latest, but not we hope last, book).

 

Near nearer the nearest

The next

NOTE 4. Next means ’without anything coming before or between; nearest ’ (The next house to ours is a mile away).

3. The as … as pattern indicates equality, and the not as/so … as is used to indicate inequality: Molly is as smart as Susan. Molly is not as/so smart as Susan.

4. The words much (many before countable nouns), far, a great deal, still are also used as adverbs to intensify the quality expressed by the adjective in the comparative form and are translated into Russian as намного, гораздо, значительно: much/many more, much longer, far more interesting.

5. To denote a greater degree of quality the Russian expressions в два раза, в три раза больше etc. are translated as twice as or three times as (large/heavy/much). To denote a smaller degree of quality the expressions half as (large/heavy/much) or half (my age/the size/the weight).

 

6. The Russian expressions ‘чем (больше/меньше/темнее и др.), тем (меньше/больше/светлее)’ are translated into English by comparative degree with the definite article: The more you have, the more you want. The nearer the winter, the shorter the days.

 

7. They use how+an adjective of measure to ask about the degree of a specific quality (note that preference is given to some adjectives, for e.g., old to young, large to small, high to low, light to dark): How old are you? How large is your house? (Cf. in Russian: Сколько Вам лет? Какой размер Вашего дома?)

 

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