English 3 comparative 3 superlative. Comparative adjectives in English

As in Russian, so in English language adjectives have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative.

Positive degree	Comparative	Superlatives
Short - short	In short, shorter - shorter	The shortest, the shortest theshortest
Useful - useful	More useful, more useful – moreuseful	Most/Most Useful – themostuseful
Difficult - difficult	Less difficult - less difficult	The least difficult the least difficult
Bad - bad	Worse - worse	Worst - the worst
Small - little	Less - less	The smallest - the least

As can be seen from the above examples, the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives in English are formed in three ways:
1) by adding suffixes - er And - est to the main form (synthetic);
2) through the use of words more/less And most/least before the main form (analytical);
H) by forming degrees of comparison from different roots. Adjectives in the superlative degree are preceded by the definite article. the.
The rules for choosing the method of forming degrees of comparison are very simple.
Synthetic way(using suffixes - er for the comparative degree and - est for superlatives) applies to:

all one-syllable adjectives: tall - taller - the tallest; fat - fatter - the fattest. The exceptions are: like- similar - more like - the most like; real- real - more real – the most real;
all two-syllable adjectives ending in – at : happy - happier - the happiest; funny - funnier - the funniest.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in – le , - ow , - er and disyllabic adjectives with stress on the second syllable (except: exact- accurate - only moreexact – themostexact), as well as adjectives common, handsome, pleasant, solid, quiet, wicked, cruel, stupid, tired can form degrees of comparison both synthetically and analytically:

Soft - gentle	More gentle/ gentler	The most gentle/ the gentlest
Empty - hollow	More hollow/hollower	The most hollow/ the hollowest
Smart - clever	More clever/ cleverer	The most clever/ the cleverest
Polite - polite	More polite/ politer	The most polite/ the politest
General - common	More common/Withcommoner	The most common/ the commonest

For almost all of these words, the analytical method of forming degrees of comparison is more preferable.
Adjectives formed with a negative prefix un- from two-syllable adjectives to -at, can also have two forms of degrees of comparison: unhappy- unhappy, unfortunate unhappier/moreunhappy-theunhappiest/themostunhappy.
When forming degrees of comparison by means of suffixes - er And
-est The following spelling rules apply:
if the adjective ends in mute - e , then adding - er and - mute - e omitted: mature - ripe -riper-theripest;
if the adjective ends in a consonant with a preceding short vowel, then in the comparative and superlative degree the final consonant is doubled: big – bigger – thebiggest; hot – hotter – thehot test; thin – thinner – thethinnest;
if the adjective ends in - at with a preceding consonant, then in a comparative and superlative degree - at goes into - i -: dirty -dirtier-thedirtiest;busy-busier-thebusiest;easy-easier-theeasiest. If before -at there is a vowel, then - at remains unchanged: cheerful - gay-gayer-thegayest.
Most two-syllable adjectives, as well as adjectives consisting of three or more syllables, form a comparative degree using the word Thatre- more , and the superlative degree with themost- most. For example: beautiful beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful, frequent - frequent - more frequent - the most frequent.
Analytical method formation of degrees of comparison using words less- less and theleast- least applicable to all quality adjectives without exception. For example: capable able - less able - the least able; interesting - interesting - less interesting - the least interesting.
adjectives good,much,many,late,near,old,far form degrees of comparison from different roots:

Good - good	Better - better	The best, the best - thebest
Bad - bad	Worse - worse	The worst, the worst theworst
Small - little	Less - less	The smallest - the least
Old - old	Older, older - older	The oldest, the oldest theoldest
Old - old	Older - elder	The eldest in the family theeldest
Late - late	later- later	Latest, latest (by time) - thelatest
Late - late	The last of the two (in order) - last	The most recent (in order), the last - thelast
close - near	Closer - nearer	Closest, nearest thenearest
close - near	Closer - nearer	Next (in order), future - thenext
Far, distant - far	More distant (about distance) - farther	Farthest (about distance) - thefarthest
Far, distant - far	More distant, next (in order) - further	The furthest - the furthest

adjectives far,old,near,late have double degrees of comparison. Forms farther/thefarthest are used in the meaning of the distance distance:
Weliveinthefarther sideofthe town. - We live on distant end of the city.

Forms further/thefurthest are also used in the meanings: further, later; additional. Moreover, the form further, as a rule, corresponds to the value "additional, one more":
Here is a further example.- Here Another one example.
adjective form theeldest- the oldest of the family members - is used only as a definition for a noun. Form elder- the eldest in the family - is never used in comparative constructions:
My brother John is three years old older (than I am).- My brother John for three years older(than me). in which it is not about seniority, but about the age of family members. In such cases, the forms older/theoldest.

The degrees of comparison of adjectives in English is one of the easiest grammatical topics. The reason is that the existing degrees of comparison and the methods of their formation largely coincide with those in the Russian language. As in Russian, in English there are two degrees of comparison: comparative And excellent. According to another classification, there is also a positive one - this is the usual form of adjectives. Comparative forms in English

There are two ways to form degrees of comparison: analytical(add words) and synthetic(adding suffixes). The choice of the desired method of formation depends on the adjectives themselves:

for monosyllabic (simple) - we use the synthetic method of formation
for polysyllabic - the analytical method.

Let's consider all this in detail, giving examples.

Monosyllabic adjectives and a synthetic method for comparing them

Almost all simple adjectives in English form comparative degrees with the help of suffixes:

adjective degree table There are several cases where adding suffixes requires minor changes to the word itself:

If in a one-syllable adjective there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then we double it:
- Big - bigger - the biggest
Silent trailing -e goes before -er, -est:
- nice-nicer-the nicest
The final letter -y is replaced by -i, provided that the -y is preceded by a consonant:
- Dry-drier-the dries

If there is a vowel before -y in a word, there will be no substitutions:

Grey-greyer-the greyest

Let's summarize.
In the next figure you will see the ultimate a simple circuit formation of degrees of comparison of simple adjectives in English. degrees of comparison of simple adjectives in English

There are no rules that do not have exceptions.

There is a small list of exceptions to the general rule: these words completely change their roots:

list of exceptions There is another type of exceptions, which is a small list of words that have two possible options for the formation of degrees, each of which has its own semantic characteristics. They need to be known for their correct use in the context:

Adjectives with two possible degrees of formation As for two-syllable adjectives, some of them form their comparative forms as monosyllabic ones - by adding - er And - est. These include those who

Ends in:
- -ow:
narrow - narrower - the narrowest
- -le:
simple - simpler - the simplest
- -er:
tender - tenderer - the tenderest
happy - happier - the happiest
They have two syllables, and the stress falls on the second:
severe - severer - the severest
Trisyllabic adjectives with a prefix -un
untidy - untidier - the untidiest

Polysyllabic adjectives and the analytical method of their comparison

So the time has come to deal with the analytical method of forming comparative degrees in English. This method involves changing the meaning of a word without any changes in itself, but by adding another word to it, which will change its semantic and grammatical characteristics.

Added adverb more(more) if we compare the qualities of two objects, one of which is superior to the other:
Anya is more obedient than Katya
Adverb most(most) used when referring to the top level quality characteristics of the subject:
Anya is the most obedient

Maybe you are wondering why not all adjectives in English follow the same way of forming degrees. The fact is that adding suffixes to already long words is quite inconvenient, as they will lengthen them even more.

Polysyllabic adjectives To consolidate the material, watch the following videos:

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 a 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?" There are two types of adjectives in English: quality And relative .

Of these, only qualitative ones can have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and excellent. 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" one can form two forms of adjectives - "colder" and "coldest".

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

Positive

The initial form of the adjective is the positive degree: dangerous (dangerous, risky), famous (famous), curious (curious). In English, adjectives do not have gender, number, or case forms. In other words, when forming phrases or sentences, we take an adjective and put it before a noun: a dangerous car (dangerous car), a famous singer (famous singer), curious girls (curious girls).

Comparative

The word "comparative" comes from the verb "compare". In other words, in a comparative degree, we compare the signs, properties of two or more objects. In this case, the union may appear in the sentence than (than) or design the ... the ... (than ..., the ...), and the adjective itself changes form. There are two ways to form the comparative degree 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 complex 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 the comparative degree we set ourselves the task of comparing two objects, then in the superlative we need to single out among the multitude one “the most that is.” To qualify for this degree, one of the following must be completed:

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

General rules

General rules for the formation of degrees of comparison can be presented in the table "Degrees of comparison in English".

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

Exceptions

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

*positive degree*	*comparative*	*Superlatives*
good - good	better - better, best	the best - the best, (the) best
bad - bad	worse - worse, worse	the worst - the worst, (nai) worst
little - little	less - less	the least - the smallest, the slightest
much, many - a lot	more - more	the most - the largest
far - far, distant	farther/further - more distant/more distant	the farthest / furthest - the farthest / the farthest)
old - old, older	older/elder - older/older	the oldest / eldest - the oldest / oldest

Pay attention to the meaning of the words farther - the farthest (more distant - the farthest) and further - the furthest (more distant - the farthest): in the first case, the physical distance is meant, and in the second, the range in order. 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, age is meant, 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 time 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, satellite words that are peculiar only to Present Simple Tense.

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Again, remember that the adjective ( Adjective) is a word that denotes a sign of an object, person or phenomenon. It answers the question "what?". Let's look at how to form degrees of comparison of adjectives in English.

All adjectives are divided into two groups: qualitative ( qualitative) and relative ( relative). But not all of them can be compared. For example, "wooden" is a relative adjective and we cannot say "more wooden". And quality adjectives can be represented in positive (beautiful), comparative (more beautiful) and excellent (most beautiful) degrees of comparison. And now we will talk about each degree in detail.

Comparative degree of adjectives in English. Comparative degree

First, let's briefly talk about the positive degree. The positive degree is a simple form of the adjective: smart, cheerful, gentle. This form is found in dictionaries. For example: brave(brave), new(new), cold(cold).

The comparative degree is used when comparing the characteristics of two or more objects, persons. Words like “faster”, “higher”, “stronger” are comparative adjectives. How to form it?

To short adjectives (consisting of one or two syllables), you need to add the ending -er: cheap(cheap) - cheaper(cheaper), narrow(narrow) - narrower(already), long(long) - longer(longer).
- -e, then we just add -r: close(close) - closer(closer).
- If the adjective ends in -y, That -y changes to -i: lucky(lucky) - luckier(more lucky) easy(simple) - easier(easier).
- If the adjective ends with a vowel + consonant combination, then the final consonant is doubled: big(big) - bigger(more), hot(hot) - hotter(hot).
The comparative degree of long adjectives (more than 2 syllables) is formed using the words more(more) and less(less): expensive(Expensive) - more expensive(expensive), serious(serious) - less serious(less serious) comfortable(comfortable) - more comfortable(more comfortable).

Superlative adjectives in English. superlative degree

If for a comparative degree two objects are needed to compare characteristics, then for an excellent degree, several objects are needed, among which we will single out one “most-most”. To form this degree, we do the following:

Add an ending to short adjectives -est: thin(thin) - the thinnest(the thinnest), fast(fast) - the fastest(the fastest). At the same time, the adjectives -e, -y and to a consonant letter they obey the same rules as in the formation of a comparative degree: the simplest(simplest), the busiest(busiest).
We use long adjectives with words most(most) and least(least): talented(talented) - the most talented(the most talented), interesting(interesting) - the least interesting(least interesting).

When forming this degree, it is necessary to use the article the as described in the examples above.

Special adjectives

And in English there is a list of adjectives that can be used both with suffixes and with words more/most, less/least.

Word	Translation
Able	Capable
Angry	Wicked
Clever	Smart
Common	General
Cruel	Cruel
Friendly	Friendly
Gentle	Gentle
handsome	Beautiful
Narrow	Narrow
Pleasant	Nice
politics	Polite
Quiet	Quiet
Serious	Serious
Simple	Simple
Sour	Sour

Exception adjectives

There are also adjectives, the degrees of comparison of which are not formed according to general rule. These adjectives, as well as their forms, should be known by heart.

Good – better – the best(good - better - best).
Bad – worse – the worst(bad - worse - worse).
Little – less – the least(small - less - smallest).
Many/much – more – the most(many - more - the largest).
old – older – the oldest(old - older - oldest).
old – elder – the eldest(old - older - oldest) - about family members.
Late – later – the latest/last(later - later - last / last in time).
Late – the latter – the last(late - the second of the two listed - the last in order).
near – nearer – the nearest(closer - closer - closest in distance).
near – nearer – next/the next(closer - closer - next in time / next in order).
Far – farther – the farthest(furthest - farthest - farthest).
Far – further – the furthest(distant, distant - further - further / additional).

We suggest you study the table with degrees of comparison.

Adjective	Degrees of comparison
Adjective	Positive	Comparative	excellent
Short, 1-2 syllables	Adjective cheap big happy	+ er cheaper bigger happier	+ est the cheapest the biggest the happiest
Long words of 2 or more syllables	Adjective expensive serious beautiful	More/less+ adjective more/less expensive more/less serious more/less beautiful	The most/least+ adjective the most/least expensive the most/least serious the most/least beautiful

(*.pdf, 180 Kb)

These are the basic rules for the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. Don't forget to take a test at the end to check how well you remember this material.

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Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

Here you can find degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. Degrees of Comparison.

DEGREES OF COMPARISON

1. Qualitative adjectives in English have three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.

a. The Positive Degree denotes the quality of an item beyond comparison with any other item that has the same quality.

b. The Comparative Degree indicates the presence of a greater degree of quality in one item compared to another item with the same quality. When comparing, the conjunction than is often used - than.

c. The Superlative Degree indicates the highest degree of quality in a particular item among all other homogeneous items with the same quality.

FORMATION OF DEGREES OF COMPARISON

2. One-syllable adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, -er, -ow form a comparative degree with the suffix -er, and a superlative degree with the suffix -est, which are added to the adjective in a positive degree:

dark - darker - (the) darkest
simple simple - simpler - (the) simplest
clever - cleverer - (the) cleverest
yellow - yellower - (the) yellowest

This highway is wider than that highway.
This highway is wider than that highway.

That is the highest building in the city.
This is the tallest building in the city.

In monosyllabic adjectives ending in one consonant after a short vowel, to preserve the brevity of reading this vowel, the consonant before the suffixes -er, -est is doubled:

big big - bigger - (the) biggest
hot hot - hotter - (the) hottest

In adjectives ending in -y after a consonant before suffixes -er, -est -y changes to i:
busy - busier - (the) busiest
happy happy -happier - (the) happiest

Before the suffixes -eg, -est, the letter combination ng is read as ;

strong strong - stronger ["stronge]
(the) strongest ["strongist]

Letter combinations -er, -re before suffixes -er, -est are read as:

clever ["kleve] - cleverer ["klevere] - cleverest ["kleverist]

3. All polysyllabic adjectives, as well as disyllabic adjectives that do not end in -y, -er, -ow, form degrees of comparison using the auxiliary words more more - for the comparative degree and (the) most most, most - for the superlative degree:

useful -more useful - (the) most useful
difficult difficult - more difficult - (the) most difficult

This subject is more important for you now.
This item is more important to you now (more important).

It is the most interesting book I have ever read.
This is the most interesting book which I have ever read.

To express a lower degree of quality, the auxiliary words are used less less - in a comparative degree and (the) least least, least - in an excellent:

This text is less difficult than that one.
This text is less difficult than that one.

This text is the least difficult of all.
This text is the least difficult of all.

4. Several adjectives form degrees of comparison from different bases. It is recommended to remember them:

good - better - (the) best
good best the best the best

bad - worse - (the) worst
bad - worse - the worst, worst of all

little - less - (the) least
small - smaller - smallest, smallest

5. The following adjectives have two different comparative and superlative forms:

far far	1.farther more distant, more distant (in distance)	1.(the) farthest
far far	2 further further, subsequent (in order), additional	2. (the) furthest most distant, most distant
near close	nearer closer	1. (the) nearest closest nearest (by distance)
near close		2. (the) next future, next (in order)
old old	1. older older	1. (the) oldest oldest, eldest
old old	2. elder older	2. (the) eldest oldest
late late	1. later later (by time)	1. (the) latest latest, latest
late late	2. last (in order)	2. (the) last latest (in order); last

She is older than my sister.
She is older than my sister.

My elder brother graduated from Moscow University.
My older brother graduated from Moscow University.

The nearest house is the library.
The nearest building is the library building.

The next lesson is English.
The next lesson is an English lesson.

Note: The union than is never used with the adjective elder.

Not is the elder of the two brothers.
He is the eldest of two brothers.

But:
She looked older than her friend.
She looked older than her friend.

6. To strengthen the comparison, before adjectives in a comparative degree, adverbs far, still, much are used. Such adverbs are translated into Russian by the words much, much, significantly:

much better - much (significantly) better
much more - much (significantly) more
much worse - much (significantly) worse

The weather is much better today.
The weather is much better today.

7. The combination the... the with adjectives in a comparative degree is translated into Russian by the union than ... so in combination with adjectives in a comparative degree:

The sooner the better.
The sooner, the better.

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