Degrees of comparison usual. Degrees of comparison Degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs

Having saved us from the need to memorize endings, the English adjective over time (namely centuries) stopped changing in numbers, gender and cases. But, as you understand, all the difficulties have not yet disappeared: the Degrees of Comparison have not gone away and continue to “delight” students. Why are they needed? Really, the richest means of speech will not allow us to do without all these additional forms?

Yes, they won't allow it. All our lives we compare people and objects: someone is taller, someone is more beautiful, someone has a more powerful car. And all these thoughts need to be able to express in English. Every day we choose the best, most interesting and exciting. The use of degrees of comparison is relevant in any language, because we are constantly looking for superiority. If you have already started studying this foreign language, then this topic should be mastered 100%.

So, first, remember that there are adjectives quality (Qualitative) And relative (Relative). And only the first group can be used in our rule.

Three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English: positive, comparative, superlative degrees.

Sometimes we use an adjective simply as a characteristic. So, we use a positive degree. If you say that a certain quality is expressed more in one object than in another, then you will need a comparative. And in the superlative we want to show that the object acts as the very-most. Let's look at examples.

Positive or absolute is the usual form in which the adjective appears in the dictionary:

interesting – big – clever

This house is big.

Comparative degree of adjectives in English (comparative) used when it is necessary to compare two or more objects or persons. In Russian it sounds like this: bigger, more beautiful, more interesting, older.

bigger, colder, more difficult.

This house is bigger than that. This house is bigger than that one.

Superlative degree in English (superlative) shows that an object or person has the highest quality characteristics. In Russian it sounds like this: the best - the best; the kindest - the kindest; the smallest is the smallest. In English it is always accompanied by the article “the” and is also formed in two ways:

the biggest, the most interesting.

This house is the biggest. This house is the biggest.

Education

Now is the time to consider the formation of degrees of comparison in English. How to add? When? How to write correctly?

Only two of them are worth considering here. After all, the positive completely coincides with its dictionary form. The comparative and superlative degrees in English are formed taking into account certain features and rules. Divide all adjectives mentally into groups: monosyllabic plus disyllabic, ending in –y, -er, -ow, -ble(this will be the first), disyllabic And polysyllabic(second).

1. Simple (monosyllabic)

For comparison, add the suffix "er" to the base of the word, and to indicate superior quality - article the + adjective + “est”.

short - shorter - the shortest

short - shorter - the shortest

When adding suffixes there are some writing features:

a. If at the end of a word there is "y", and there is a consonant before it, then "y" changes to "i":

Lovely - lovelier - the loveliest

dear - cuter - the cutest

But if "y" preceded by a vowel, then no changes need to be made, just adding a suitable suffix.

b. If at the end of a word there is "e" then when adding suffixes "er" or “est”, only one is saved "e":

Simple - simpler - the simplest

simple - simpler - the simplest/simplest

c. If a word ends with a consonant and is preceded by one short vowel, that is, it has a stressed short syllable, then we double the last letter:

Hot - hotter - the hottest

hot - hotter - the hottest

And everything would be cloudless if not for exceptions to this rule. Therefore, when studying this topic, it is important not only to understand, but also to stretch your brain a little.

Exceptions

Good – better – the best (good – better – the best)

Bad – worse – the worst (bad – worse – the worst)

Little – less – the least (small – less – the smallest)

Many – more – the most (numerous – more – the largest) – by quantity

Near – nearer – the nearest (close – closer – closest) – by distance

Near – nearer – the next (close – closer – next in line, in time, in order)

Far – farther – the farthest (far – more distant – the farthest) – by distance

Far – further – the furthest (far – further – the farthest) – according to information, actions

Old – older – the oldest (old – older – the oldest)

Old – elder – the eldest (old – older – the oldest) – about family members

Late – later – the latest (later – later / later – last – latest in time / newest)

Late – the latter – the last

2. Complex (more than two syllables in a word)

To compare two or more qualitative characteristics, you must use "more", and characterizing the highest qualities – “the most”. In this case, the adjective remains unchanged.

popular - more popular - the most popular

popular - more popular - most popular

The English language is filled with various exceptions. There is more than one thing in this rule. So, you need to remember a few more words that can form degrees of comparison in English two ways, i.e. using “er” and “est”, “more” and “the most”/”the least”:

Angry, common, friendly,cruel, gentle, narrow,handsome, polite,pleasant, serious, quite,simple, clever, sour.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the English adjective is very sensitive to what you add to it and from what side. Therefore, in addition to studying theory, engage in thorough practice, because only exercises will help you bring your knowledge to automaticity. Improve your language: use comparative and superlative adjectives and make your speech more literate, richer and more interesting.

One of the easy and understandable topics is degrees of comparison of English adjectives.
There are 2 nuances in it that are worth paying attention to.
The practical exercises at the end of the article will help you fully understand the material and use it in speech.

Goal: to understand the principle of formation of two degrees of comparison.
Comparative is needed to compare objects and phenomena, and superlative is needed to distinguish it from the mass on some basis.
Officially, there is also positive or neutral when the adjective is in the initial form. There are no differences in the formation of adjectives in English and Russian.
This is the first point.
Second: there are six exceptions.

Most qualitative adjectives that have a quality characteristic have degrees of comparison: big - bigger - the biggest.
For comparison: sea - sea - the most sea. “Marine” is not a qualitative adjective and has no degrees of comparison.
There are simple adjectives, and there are those with more syllables.

Simple adjectives

Consist of 1 - 2 syllables: strange, brave, tiny. Degrees of comparison are formed synthetically, that is, by adding a suffix and an article.
Further in the tables: positive - I, comparative - II, excellent - III.

Replacement: letter y changes to i.

Which consonants are doubled: g,n, t, p, l.

When: after a closed syllable.

What is a closed syllable: in a syllable after a vowel there must be a consonant.
Example in Russian: daughter, bank, diary.
Examples of an open syllable: do_ro_ga, ka_fe, kra_sa_vi_tsa_.
*Note: if the adjective has an “e” at the end, then it does not double. Fine - finer - the finest.

Compound adjectives

They change through the analytical method of education.
This is achieved by adding the words “more” and “most”, “more” and “the most”.

4 exceptions + 2 more

Ancient adjectives are not modified according to relatively new rules in English. Hence the exceptions.

There are six such words, two more are given below. Why are these adjectives “special”?
The words far and old: have some differences.

“Distant” in two senses: time and space. Comparative and superlative degrees have different meanings and spellings.
The word “far” has two meanings: space and time.
Also, these differences are obvious in the degrees of comparison: father/further, where the first means “distant” in space, and the second means “further” in time.

What shall we do with further generations? - What should we do with future generations?

The same is true with the word “old”: to say that someone is older, we use “older”.
If “older” is the form of the word for the comparative degree “elder”.
When we need superlative, we use “the oldest” to indicate age, and “the eldest” to indicate seniority, usually in the family.

Our lovely granny isn`t the oldest one in our family. - Our beloved grandmother is not yet the oldest in our huge family.

Use

The comparative degree presupposes the presence of the word “than,” exactly as in the Russian language. Its equivalent is "than".

Example: Mary`s husband is richer than Sue`s. This teacher is cleverer than that one. Those girls are more beautiful than models.

Practice

Understanding does not mean being able to. Only practice and skill training give the result of speaking.
Below are tasks that will help you do this. By repeating similar work on the Ebbinghaus scale, you can quickly master the topic in practice, and not just understand it.

Form degrees of comparison:

Poor - … - … .
Fluffy - … - … .
Good - … - … .
Interesting - … - … .
Difficult - … - … .
Sweet - … - … .
Wonderful - … - … .

Insert the desired option:

Betty is (funny) girl in our summer camp!
Mike`s sister is (successful) than Jack`s cousin.
Our pets are (nice) at this competition!
Grandfather`s (old) in our family.
My (old) brother is a real professional.
(Interesting) thing about travels is meeting new friends.

Translation into Russian:

I don`t know anybody more dangerous than Hitler.
We like reading the newest fashion magazines.
Father is the strongest!

Translation into English:

The farthest shop.
She's the best.
These kids are so smart!
I have never seen anyone more beautiful than you!

Writing:

1. Happy - happ.er - the happ.est.
2. Hungry - hungr.er - the hungr.est.
3. Thin - thin.er - the thin.est.
4. Fat - fat.er - the fat.est.

Difficulties that arise when using degrees of comparison of adjectives in English in oral and written speech suggest the presence of discrepancies.
In this case, you should focus on the structural combination of complex adjectives.

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 the highest degree of quality of an 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 is the coldest winter 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 happiest 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 deepest 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 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.

For those who feel like a Jedi, we recommend taking split training

Adjective [ˈadʒɪktɪv] or adjective in English is a part of speech that denotes a characteristic of an object/person/phenomenon. Perhaps, after the verb and noun, it is the most used of all tenses. According to their meaning, adjectives are divided into relative and qualitative. The latter differ in that they can vary in degree of comparison. Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English are formed according to certain rules, which will be discussed today.

There are three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. All of them are similar to Russian degrees, and therefore this topic should not be taken seriously. Let's look at each degree separately, examining its features, education and methods of use.

Positive degree [ˈpɒzɪtɪv dɪˈɡriː] or positive degree is the easiest. The English language has simplified your task, and therefore there is no need to obtain this degree. You just need to take an English adjective in its simple dictionary form and use the word in a sentence. Since when we use an adjective in this form we are not comparing it with anything, the positive degree is often considered separately, outside the topic of comparison. In any case, you need to know about it. Examples of positive degrees:

But for comparison, comparative and superlative degrees are used. There are more nuances in these degrees that need to be examined in more detail.

Comparative degree of adjectives in English

Comparative degree or comparative degree is used to compare the characteristics / attributes of two or more objects and persons. Perhaps such an explanation did not clarify anything for you, but this topic is characteristic of both the English language and the Russian language, so if you compare this form with the Russian comparative degree everything will become much clearer:

We are sure that you no longer have any questions regarding what a comparative degree is. But how do you create this degree in English? For this, two comparative forms are used:

1. If a word consists of one or two syllables, it has a comparative ending –er:

However, when adding –er, you need to take into account certain nuances:

• If the adjective ends in –e, this letter is omitted:

• But the ending –y changes to –i:

Exceptions are words that have a vowel before –y:

1. If the adjective has three or more syllables, the degree is formed by adding the words more (more) and less (less):

Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English - superlative adjectives

Superlative degree or superlative form in English is used to show that some object or person, in comparison with others, is “the very best,” that is, superior to all others. The superlative form is also compared with Russian adjectives in the same degree. Eg:

There are also two options for forming this form of the adjective. Each of them is preceded by a definite, since superlative adjectives imply a specific, special object or person:

1. The ending –est is added to an adjective with one or two syllables:

Please note that the rules for appending endings also apply to this form.

1. If an adjective has 3 or more syllables, then the words (the) most (most) and (the) least (least) are added to it:

Despite the rules, some two-syllable adjectives in comparative and superlative forms, however, can be formed with both –er / –est and more – less / most – least. For example, these include words such as:

Preference is now increasingly given to the forms more / less and most / least.

There are also three-syllable exception adjectives that form degrees with –er and –est. These include words that, with the help of prefixes, change the original meaning of a short adjective to the opposite. For example, adjectives: happy (happy) - unhappy (unhappy), tidy (neat) - untidy (untidy), kind (kind) - unkind (unkind), lucky (lucky) - unlucky (unsuccessful), safe (reliable) - unsafe (unreliable):

In addition, there are exception words, all 3 forms of which are significantly different from each other and do not obey standard formation, just like English irregular verbs. These words of the English language just need to be remembered. Study them in the table:

Compound adjectives in English that contain the above exceptions can be constructed in both ways:

The first option, however, is more preferable.

In other cases, compound adjectives use the second method of forming the comparative and superlative degrees:

Using the degree of comparison of adjectives in English

We talked about the rules for forming degrees, all that remains is to understand how to use these adjectives in sentences.

• When using English comparative adjectives in a sentence, use the conjunction than to introduce the comparison. Examples:

You can add the adverb rather to the sentence, or rather to the word more. Rather more is usually used for comparison in the sense of “better... rather than...” or “better... than...”:

Sometimes the subject being compared may be omitted if the context implies it, or if the speaker knows that the interlocutor will understand it. Example sentences:

If you want to emphasize that the first person/object is much (much) better, more beautiful, etc., the sentence should contain the word much, which is placed before the degree:

Study the following table with examples:

The comparative degree is also used in three constructions:

1. The comparative degree, the comparative degree. In simple language, this construction is similar to the sentences “than..., so...”. Table with examples for clarity:

1. More positive degree than positive degree. An analogue is the phrase “rather than... than.” This design is possible when we compare the characteristics of the same object/person.

1. You can also use “more than” in a row without adding words between them. This construction means “more than.” These two words can be followed by an adjective and/or a noun, both of which are acceptable:

• For superlatives, no additional conjunctions are needed. Such adjectives are used in a sentence as a standard instead of the positive degree:

As in the Russian language, in such sentences the option is not “most”, but “one of the most”:

Two degrees of comparison can fit in one sentence:

Today we looked at the features of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. Once you remember the rules for their formation, you will be able to use these degrees in speech without any difficulty. In order to consolidate the material, return to the article, review the tables with examples and make up your own sentences. And most importantly, have fun studying English, because if you are interested in the process, English grammar will be much faster and easier for you.

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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.

In contact with

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. Doubling the last letter in short adjectives: dim – dimmest.
2. Adding –st if there is an -e at the end of the word: fine – finest.
3. Replacing -y with -i after a consonant:
4. – 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 his 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.