Every day you and I compare different things: this car is better than that one, and the other one is generally the best. One person is cuter than the other. And someone considers himself the most beautiful.Today you will learn about degrees of comparison of adjectives in English: what they are and how they are formed.

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that denotes a quality (attribute) that an object or person has. For example: tall, clear, smart.

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What degrees of comparison are there for adjectives?

Depending on what we are comparing, we can distinguish several degrees of comparison. Let's look at examples of how we can compare objects.

1. Comparison of 2 items based on a common feature.

• And we need to understand who has these qualities more.

We can compare these apples by their redness.

Note that we can compare things only if they have the same qualities. For example, we cannot compare these apples based on their redness:

2. Comparing an object with the same thing, but at different times.

• We have an object (person) that has some quality during a certain period of time.
• There is the same item, but in a different time period.
• And we need to understand what has changed in this capacity over this period.

We can compare apples by freshness:

3. Comparing objects with each other in order to identify the one with the most pronounced characteristic.

• We have an object (person) that has some quality.
• There are other items that have the same qualities.
• And we understand which object (person) of all of them is the best in terms of these qualities.

This is the reddest apple of all the apples on this plate.

Thus, two degrees of comparison can be distinguished:

1. Comparative - we compare objects based on characteristics (examples 1 and 2).
2. Excellent - we compare objects in order to identify the object with the most pronounced characteristic (example 3).

Now we will consider each degree of comparison separately.

How the comparative degree of adjectives is formed in English

We need it to compare something or someone with each other. For example, one car is more expensive than another, my friend is older than me.

Depending on the adjective, there are 2 comparative forms:

1. Simple form of comparative degree formed with adjectives that consist of one, two or three syllables. For example: soft (soft), new (new), dirty (dirty), calm (quiet), cool (cool), deep (deep).

2. Complex form of comparative degree formed with adjectives that consist of three or more syllables. For example: dangerous, frightened, effective, handsome, interesting, surprised.

1. Simple form of comparative degree of adjectives formed by adding the ending -er.

adjective + -er

Small (small) - small er(less);
sweet (sweet) - sweet er(sweeter).

For example

Your hair is long er than mine.
Your hair is longer than mine.

Her car is cheap er than his.
Her car is cheaper than his.

Below we will tell you what nuances there are when adding -er.

2. Complex comparative form adjectives is formed using the words more (more) or less (less), which are placed before the adjective.

more/ less+ adjective

Cheerful (happy) - more cheerful (happier);
strange (strange) - less strange (less strange).

For example

Explain your idea more clearly.
Explain your idea more clearly.

This book is more interesting than that.
This book is more interesting than that one.

Rules for adding the ending -er

1. If the adjective ends in -e, then only the letter -r is added:

larg e(huge) - larg er(larger);
simple e(simple) - simple er(simpler).

Boys are brav er than girls.
Boys are braver than girls.

2. The last consonant is doubled if there is a vowel before it:

b ig(big) - bi gger(more);
h ot(hot) - ho tter(hot).

China is bi gger than Japan.
China is bigger than Japan.

3. If the adjective ends in -y, then -y changes to -i:

dr y(dry) - dr ier(drier);
eas y(light) - eas ier(easier).

He was lucky ier than many painters.
He was luckier than many artists.

How are the superlative degrees of adjectives formed in English?

We need superlatives to show that an item has the best characteristics: the largest, the most expensive, the best. For example: “This is the most talented writer I have ever read.”

Depending on the adjective, there are 2 superlative forms.

1. Simple superlative form formed with adjectives that consist of one, two or three syllables.

2. Complex superlative form formed with adjectives that consist of three or more syllables.

1. Simple superlative form adjectives formed by adding the ending -est. Before the adjective itself we put the article the.

the+ adjective + -est

The rules for adding the ending -est are the same as adding the ending -er.

Small (small) - the small est(smallest);
easy (easy) - the easi est(the easiest).

Examples

2. Complex superlative form adjectives is formed using the words most (most) or least (smallest), which are placed before the adjective. Before these words we put the article the.

the + most/least +adjective

beautiful (beautiful) - the most beautiful ( most Beautiful);
interesting (interesting) - theleast interesting ( least interesting or the most Not interesting).

For example

How much is the most expensive car?
How much does the most expensive car cost?

Summer is the most favorite season of mine.
Summer is my favorite time of the year.

He is the least talented actor in our class.
He is the least talented actor in our class.

Exceptional adjectives in the comparative degree in English

In English there are adjectives whose comparative and superlative degrees are not formed according to the rules. The only option is to remember them. Here are the most common ones.

Examples

The weather today is worse than yesterday.
The weather today is worse than yesterday.

This pen is the best.
This pen is the best.

So, today we looked at the comparative and superlative degrees of comparison of adjectives. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments.

Reinforcement task

Now put the following adjectives into comparative and superlative form:

• expensive,
• strong,
• loud,
• dangerous,
• high,
• clever, clever
• interesting,
• dirty
• lazy,
• generous,
• clean
• rich
• good,
• important.

Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

Comparative degree is needed mainly to compare some things with others. After all, you must agree that it would be difficult to explain without comparing any objects. Every day in our dialect such comparative adjectives as “more beautiful, better, warmer, colder, cooler, etc.” are scrolled through, we just may not notice it. Therefore, the entire topic below is important for digestibility and is presented with accessible simplicity.

How to turn a positive adjective into a comparative adjective?

First, let's figure out what is the positive degree of an adjective? It's simple. The positive degree of an adjective is the original form of an adjective that indicates the quality of an object and is used without any comparison with other objects. For example:

• It's beautiful day – Beautiful day.
• My teacher is very young - My teacher is too young.
• They're very friendly people – They are very friendly people.
• It's an expensive restaurant - This is an expensive restaurant.
• The rooms are very small – The rooms are very small.

Another question may arise here. What is the comparative degree of an adjective? And here everything is even simpler. A comparative adjective is a form of an adjective that indicates the quality of one thing in relation to another thing. For example:

• Vegetables are cheaper than meat – Vegetables are cheaper than meat.
• This bag of potatoes is heavier than that bag of tomatoes – This bag of potatoes is heavier than that bag of tomatoes.
• Spain is warmer than England – Spain is warmer than England.
• This new car is faster than my old one – This new car is faster than my old one.
• Sarah is older than her brother – Sarah is older than her brother.

Feel the difference? Now we will return to the main question: how to convert an adjective from a positive degree to a comparative degree?

When converting, the standard for all adjectives is to add the suffix “-er” to the end of the word. For example:

In English, when making comparisons, the conjunction “than” is often used:

• The coast road to the town is shorter than the mountain road – The road along the embankment to the city is shorter than the road through the mountains.
• My father is younger than my mother - My father is younger than my mother.
• His new mobile is smaller than his old one - His new mobile phone is smaller than his old one.
• The Empire State building is taller than the Statue of Liberty - The Empire State Building is taller than the Statue of Liberty.
• Wool is warmer than cotton – Wool is warmer than cotton.

However, there are always a number of the following conversion rules that must be followed:

1. For two-syllable adjectives ending with a consonant and “-y”: change “-y” to “-i” + suffix “-er”:

Examples:

• English is easier than Japanese – English is easier than Japanese.
• My suitcase is heavier than your suitcase - My suitcase is heavier than your suitcase.
• Your car is dirtier than mine - Your car is dirtier than mine.
• His new girlfriend is prettier than your Julia - His new girlfriend is prettier than your Julia.
• Last time she was happier than today - Last time she was happier than today.

2. If a one-syllable adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant: add the last consonant + the suffix “-er”:

Examples:

• The Grand Hotel is bigger than is the Sea View Hotel – “The Grand Hotel” is bigger than “The Sea View Hotel”.
• My cup of tea is hotter than yours - My cup of tea is hotter than yours.
• Mike is fatter than John - Mike is fatter than John.
• The screw-driver is thinner than mine – This screwdriver is thinner than mine.

3. To adjectives ending in “-e”, add only one suffix “-r”:

For example:

• My arguments are truer than yours - My arguments are truer than yours.
• Her shirt is whiter than her girlfriends’ – Her shirt is whiter than her friend’s.
• Wheels of your car is larger than wheels of mine – The wheels of your car are larger than the wheels of mine.

4. Before two-syllable adjectives that do not end in “-y” and before adjectives that consist of 3 or more syllables, when converting to the comparative degree, add the service word “more” without adding a suffix:

For example:

• The train is more expensive than the bus - The train is more expensive than the bus.
• Drivers in this country are more careless than drivers in my country – Drivers in this country are more careless than drivers in my country.
• The exam today was more difficult than last year’s exam - Today’s exam was more difficult than last year’s exam.
• The students ask more intelligent questions than they did before - Students ask more intelligent questions than they asked before.
• Her second book is more interesting than her first - Her second book is more interesting than her first.

5. We also cannot do without exceptions, which, when transformed, take on a completely different form than in all of the above points:

For example:

• Ms. Davies is a better teacher than Mr. Andrews – Mrs. Davis is a better teacher than Mr. Andrews.
• These boots are worse than those that we received last year - These boots are worse than those that we were given last year.
• I’ve less money than you have - I have less money than you.
• From here to Moscow is farther than to St. Petersburg – From here it is further to Moscow than to St. Petersburg.

To strengthen the expression, we can insert adverbs such as a bit (a little), a lot (much), much (significantly) before comparative adjectives:

• She’s a lot happier now - She’s much happier now.
• I’m a bit older than you - I’m a little older than you.
• This book is much more interesting than the other one - This book is much more interesting than the others.

This concludes this post. Perhaps you would like to ask or add something to this article. If so, please leave your comment below. Good luck.

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 are always 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 the connective to compare objects than (how):

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

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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 another 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.