The most difficult superlative. Three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English: rules of formation, examples. Comparative and superlative degrees: words of exception

Bigger – smaller

An adjective is a part of speech that denotes a characteristic of an object, person, or phenomenon. As in the Russian language, there are three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English language: positive, comparative and superlative.

What are the degrees of comparison of an adjective?

Degrees of comparison are three forms of an adjective expressing different degrees of quality. Here are some examples:

• Positive degree- this is the basic form of an adjective, as in the dictionary, when it is not compared with anything:

This dog good- This dog is kind.

• comparative- two characteristics are compared:

This dog kinder than mine - This dog is kinder than mine.

• Superlative- characteristics of the “best” type:

This the kindest dog in the world. - This is the kindest dog in the world.

As you can see, the positive degree is just an adjective in its usual form without any special endings, there are no difficulties here. When talking about degrees of comparison, we always mean comparative and superlative degrees.

Comparative Degree of Adjectives

The comparative degree is used when the characteristics of objects, persons, and phenomena are compared.

The comparative degree of adjectives can be formed in two ways:

• With the help of ending -er.
• With words more And less(more and less).

The method depends on how many syllables are in the word.

Let's look at the table in more detail.

Monosyllabic adjectives

-er.

kind - kind er(kind - kinder)

smart – smart er(smart - smarter)

tall – tall er(high – higher)

When the comparative degree is formed using -er, possible changes in the spelling of the word:

• If the adjective ends in -e, this letter is omitted before -er,

cut e– cut er(darling - cuter)

whit e– whit er(white - whiter)

• In adjectives on -y, final -y changes to -i,

bus y– bus i er (busy – busier)

laz y– laz i er (lazy – lazier)

• If an adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a short vowel, it is doubled.

bi g– bi gg er (big - more)

thi n-thi nn er (thin - thinner)

Two-syllable adjectives

As can be seen from the table, two-syllable adjectives can be formed in both ways. How do you know which method to choose?

Some manuals say that you need to add -er to adjectives ending in -e, -er, -ow, -le, and the words more \ less to the rest. But in practice this is not always the case; it is easier to be guided by these simple principles:

• In most cases, two-syllable adjectives form the comparative degree using more\less.
• Some two-syllable adjectives form the comparative degree in both ways, it's just that one way is more popular than the other.
• more\less– it is grammatically correct in any case.

Three-syllable adjectives

In all cases, three or more complex adjectives form the comparative form using more\less(more\less).

beautiful – more beautiful (beautiful – more beautiful)

reliable – more reliable (reliable - more reliable)

Superlative Degree of adjectives

The superlative degree is used when one object (person, phenomenon) is superior to all others in some way, is “the very best.”

The superlative degree of adjectives, like the comparative, can be formed in two ways:

• With the help of ending -est.
• With words most\least(most\least).

Please note that adjectives (more precisely, the nouns they define) are used in the superlative degree with the article the, since we are talking about a certain very, and therefore unique, object:

the nearest town - nearest city,

the longest journey - the longest journey.

The method of forming superlatives depends on the number of syllables in the word.

Monosyllabic adjectives

Monosyllabic adjectives form the comparative degree using the ending -est.

broad – the broad est(wide – widest)

fine – the fin est(graceful - the most graceful)

At the same time, the same changes occur in the spelling of the word as in the formation of the comparative degree:

• If the adjective ends in -e, it is dropped before -est

cut e– the cut est(darling - the cutest)

whit e– the whit est(white – the whitest)

• In adjectives on -y, final-changes to -i

bus y– the bus i est (busy – busiest)

laz y– the laz i est (lazy – the laziest)

• If an adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a short vowel, it is doubled.

bi g– the bi gg est (big – the biggest)

thi n– the thi nn est (thin - the thinnest)

Two-syllable adjectives

The situation is the same as with the comparative degree. Somewhere it is written that you need to add -er to adjectives ending in -e, -er, -ow, -le, and the words more \ less to the rest. But in practice it is easier to be guided by these principles:

• In most cases, two-syllable adjectives are added most\least.
• Some two-syllable adjectives can also form superlatives with -er.
• When in doubt, use the adding method most\least- he's a win-win.

Three-syllable adjectives

In all cases, three or more complex adjectives form the superlative form using most\least.

expensive – the most expensive (expensive - the most expensive)

underestimated - the most underestimated (underestimated - the most underestimated)

Table: degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

Let's summarize all of the above in one table.

Non-standard education of degrees of comparison

Some adjectives in English form degrees of comparison in a non-standard way, you need to remember them.

Sentences with comparative and superlative adjectives

In the sentence, degrees of comparison are used according to formulas similar to similar constructions in Russian

comparative

When comparing one object to another, the conjunction than is used.

My bike is faster than your car. - My bicycle faster than your car.

Martin swims slower than Kate. – Martin is swimming slower than Kate.

It is better than nothing. - This better than nothing.

As in the Russian language, the object with which the comparison is made can only be implied.

The book is better(than the movie). - Book better(than the movie).

My boat is more comfortable(thanks to you). – My boat convenient(than yours).

Superlative

In sentences with superlatives, than is not used because there is no comparison.

This is the best day in my life. - This best day in my life.

The worst nightmare I had was about rabbits. – The worst the nightmare I had was about rabbits.

What's the shortest way home? - Which The shortest the way home?

Where is the nearest ATM? - Where nearest ATM?

Expressions like “The more, the better”

Quite often there are expressions like the more, the better- the bigger, the better. They are built using a simple formula:

The + comparative degree, the + comparative degree.

The phrase can be supplemented with other words, but its basis is exactly that.

For example:

The more, the better. - The bigger, the better.

The longer you think, the less time you have. - The longer you think, the less time you have.

The older you get the more you realize - The older you get, the more you understand.

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Adjectives in Russian. They are indispensable when it is necessary to compare one characteristic of an object or phenomenon with another. Let's try to understand the intricacies of this topic.

Adjective

Before you start studying the topic “Degrees of comparison of adjectives in the Russian language,” you need to find out how this part of speech differs from all others. And it really has a lot of features. It is difficult to imagine our speech without this colorful, graceful group. With the help of adjectives we describe appearance (short, handsome, homely), character (kind, grumpy, difficult), age (young, elderly). However, not only human qualities, but also many other things can be represented with their help. For example, not a single work of art can do without the use of adjectives. And even more so the lyrics. Thanks to this part of speech, stories, poems, novels acquire expressiveness and imagery.

Helps to form such artistic media, as epithets (dazzling beauty, wonderful morning), metaphors of a heart of stone), comparisons (looks like the happiest; the sky is like azure watercolor).

A distinctive feature of adjectives is their ability to form short forms. The latter always play the role of a predicate in a sentence, which gives this part of speech another advantage - it gives dynamics to any text.

What is a degree?

Anyone who studies the Russian language faces this question. Degrees of comparison of adjectives are a characteristic that helps to compare one object with another.

For example, there are two balls in front of us. They are exactly the same, only one of them is slightly different in size. We need to compare them with each other and draw a conclusion: one ball more another. We can approach this issue from the other side and note that one ball less than the second one. In both cases, we used a word that characterizes the degree of comparison of these objects.

Now let’s add to our items another one of the same kind, but much larger. We need to differentiate it from others. How will we do this? Of course, use comparison. Only now you need to indicate that the third ball is immediately different from the first and second. In this case we will say that he biggest among them.

This is precisely why we need them. We will describe each of their types in detail below.

comparative

When we have an adjective in front of us that no one compares with anything, it is characterized by a positive degree. But if one object needs to be compared with another, then we will use the comparative degree of the adjective.

It has two subspecies. The first is called simple, or suffixal. This means that the word used in this degree has a suffix characteristic of it.

For example: This table chic. Neighbor's table more luxurious ours.

In the first case, the adjective is in the positive degree. In the second, the suffix “ee” was added to it and with the help of this they compared one table with another.

The second type is the composite degree. As the name suggests, its formation occurs not with the help of morphemes, but with the use of special words.

For example: This project is very successful. The last project was more successful.

The word “more” helps us compare one project to another.

Another example: We received valuable information. The previous one turned out to be less valuable.

Now, using the word “less”, we indicated a feature that manifested itself to a lesser extent.

It is worth remembering that degrees of comparison of adjectives in the Russian language, regardless of variety, are formed only from Neither possessive nor relative have this ability.

Superlative

In some situations, we need not just to compare one object or phenomenon with another, but to distinguish it from all others similar to it. And here the degrees of comparison of adjectives in Russian will also come to our aid. This degree of comparison is called excellent, which already implies the highest limit.

Like comparative, it has two varieties.

Using suffixes, a simple degree is formed.

For example: Ivanov strongest of all the athletes on the team.

The word “strong” with the suffix -eysh- formed and distinguished the athlete Ivanov from other members of the national team.

Next example: New tulle the most beautiful from those that I have seen.

IN in this case the auxiliary word "most" gave this sentence the same meaning as in the previous example. This form is called compound.

Sometimes it can be accompanied by the prefix nai- for emphasis: the most beautiful.

Peculiarities

In some cases, forms of degrees of comparison of adjectives have exceptions.

These include the words “good” and “bad.” When we begin to compare objects with their help, we will encounter some difficulties.

For example: We held good evening. Let's try to form a chain of degrees of comparison.

In a simple comparative we will see that the word “good” does not exist. It is replaced by “better.” And for the word “bad” we’ll choose “worse”. This phenomenon in Russian is called suppletivism of fundamentals. This means that the word needs to change dramatically in order to form a comparative degree.

Conclusion

Thus, we managed to find out not only the basics, but also some nuances on the topic “Degrees of comparison of adjectives in the Russian language.”

Now this rule will not cause you any difficulties, since it is not at all complicated.

Qualitative adjectives (see) have an inconsistent morphological sign of degrees of comparison.

School grammar indicates that there are two degrees of comparison - comparative and superlative. It is more correct to distinguish three degrees of comparison - positive, comparative and superlative. The positive degree of comparison is the initial form of the adjective, in relation to which we recognize other forms as expressing greater/lesser or greatest/smallest degrees of the attribute.

comparative

comparative adjective indicates that the characteristic is manifested to a greater / lesser extent in this object compared to another object ( Petya is taller than Vasya; This river is deeper than the other) or the same item in other circumstances ( Petya is taller than he was last year; The river is deeper in this place than in that one).

The comparative degree can be simple or compound.

Simple comparative degree

Simple comparative degree denotes a greater degree of manifestation of the characteristic and is formed as follows:

• positive degree stem + formative suffixes -ee(s), -e, -she/-zhe (faster, higher, earlier, deeper);
• if there is an element at the end of a positive power stem To /OK, this segment is often truncated: deep - deep;
• Some adjectives have suppletives, i.e. formed from another base, form: bad is worse, good is better.

When forming a simple comparative degree, a prefix can be added By- (newer). Simple comparative degree with prefix By- is used if the adjective takes the position of an inconsistent definition ( Give me a newer newspaper) and does not require introducing into the sentence what this feature is being compared with. If there is in a sentence both what is being compared and what is being compared with, the prefix By- adds a conversational tone ( These boots are newer than those).

The morphological features of the simple comparative degree are uncharacteristic of an adjective. These signs are:

1) immutability;

2) the ability to control a noun;

3) use primarily as a predicate ( He is taller than his father). A simple comparative degree can occupy a position of definition only in a separate position ( Much taller than the other students, he seemed almost an adult) or in a non-separated position with an attachment By- in position after a noun ( Buy me some fresh newspapers).

Compound comparative degree denotes both a greater and lesser degree of manifestation of a characteristic and is formed as follows: element more/less + positive degree ( more/less high).

The difference between a compound comparative degree and a simple one is as follows:

1) the compound comparative degree is broader in meaning, since it denotes not only a greater, but also a lesser degree of manifestation of a characteristic;

2) the compound comparative degree changes in the same way as the positive degree of comparison (original form), i.e. according to gender, number and cases, and can also be in a short form ( more beautiful);

3) the compound comparative degree can be either predicate or non-separate and separate definition (A less interesting article was presented in this journal. This article is less interesting than the previous one.)

Superlative

Superlative comparison indicates the greatest/smallest degree of manifestation of the trait ( highest mountain ) or to a very large/small degree of manifestation of the trait ( kindest person).

The superlative degree of comparison, like the comparative, can be simple or compound.

Simple superlative

Simple superlative comparison of the adjective denotes the greatest degree of manifestation of the attribute and is formed as follows: the basis of the positive degree + formative suffixes -eysh- / -aysh-(after k, g, x, causing alternation): good, Supreme

When forming a simple superlative degree of comparison, the prefix can be used nai-: kindest.

The morphological features of the simple superlative degree of comparison of adjectives are the same as those of the positive degree, i.e., variability by gender, number, case, use of the attribute and predicate in the syntactic function. Unlike the positive degree, the simple superlative degree of comparison of an adjective does not have a short form.

Compound superlative comparison of adjectives denotes both the greatest and the least degree of manifestation of a characteristic and is formed in three ways:

1) element the most + positive degree ( the cleverest);

2) element most/least+ positive degree ( most/least smart);

3) simple comparative degree + element total/everyone (He was smarter than everyone).

The forms of the compound superlative degree, formed by the first and second methods, have morphological features characteristic of the positive degree, i.e. they change according to gender, number and cases, and can have a short form ( most convenient), act both as a definition and as a nominal part of the predicate. Forms of the compound superlative degree, formed in the third way, are unchangeable and act primarily as the nominal part of the predicate.

Not all qualitative adjectives have forms of degrees of comparison, and the absence of simple forms of degrees of comparison is observed more often than the absence of compound forms.

The absence of simple comparative and superlative degrees may be due to

1) with the formal structure of the adjective: if the adjective contains a suffix that matches the suffixes of relative adjectives, it may not have a simple comparative degree ( emaciated - * emaciated, * emaciated, advanced - * more advanced);

2) with lexical meaning adjective: the meaning of the degree of manifestation of a characteristic can already be expressed at the base of the adjective - in its root ( barefoot - *barefoot) or in the suffix ( fat-en-y - *thicker, angrier-y - *angry, whitish-y - *whitish, blue-yush-y - *blue-ish).

Compound forms of degrees of comparison are not formed only in words with a semantic limitation, i.e. in the second case. Yes, no forms *more feisty, *less whitish, but there are forms less emaciated, more advanced.

See Litnevskaya E.I. Russian language: short theoretical course for schoolchildren

Let us remember once again that the adjective ( Adjective) is a word that denotes a characteristic of an object, person or phenomenon. It answers the question “which one?” 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 we can’t compare all of them. For example, “wooden” is a relative adjective, and we cannot say “woodier.” And qualitative adjectives can be represented in the positive (beautiful), comparative (more beautiful) and superlative (most beautiful) degrees of comparison. 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 the simple form of the adjective: smart, cheerful, gentle. You find this form in dictionaries. For example: brave(brave), new(new), cold(cold).

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

1. For short adjectives (consisting of one or two syllables) you need to add an ending -er: cheap(cheap) - cheaper(cheaper), narrow(narrow) - narrower(already), long(long) - longer(longer).
   • -e, then we simply add -r: close(close) – closer(closer).
   • If the adjective ends in -y, That -y changes to -i: lucky(lucky) - luckier(luckier) 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).
2. The comparative degree of long adjectives (more than 2 syllables) is formed using 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 the comparative degree you need two objects to compare characteristics, then for the superlative degree you need several objects, among which we will single out one “the best”. To create this degree we do the following:

1. Add endings to short adjectives -est: thin(thin) - the thinnest(the thinnest), fast(fast) - the fastest(the fastest). At the same time, adjectives -e, -y and the consonant letter is subject to the same rules as when forming the comparative degree: the simplest(simplest), the busiest(busiest).
2. 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 written in the above examples.

Special adjectives

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

Exceptional adjectives

There are also adjectives whose degrees of comparison are not formed by 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 – worst).
• Little – less – the least(small – smaller – smallest).
• Many/much – more – the most(many - more - greatest).
• Old – older – the oldest(old - older - oldest).
• Old – elder – the eldest(old – older – the eldest) – about family members.
• Late – later – the latest/last(late – more recent – ​​latest/latest in time).
• Late – the latter – the last (late – the second of the two listed – the last in order).
• Near – nearer – the nearest(close – closer – closest in distance).
• Near – nearer – next/the next(closer – closer – next in time/next in order).
• Far – farther – the farthest(distant - more distant - furthest).
• Far – further – the furthest(distant, distant – further – further/additional).

We invite you to study the table with degrees of comparison.

(*.pdf, 180 Kb)

These are the basic rules for forming 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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Test

Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

The comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives are used very often, both verbally and in writing. And this applies not only to the Russian language. Today we are interested in foreign vocabulary, namely comparative and superlative degrees in English. Nowadays, there is an increasing need to communicate in it. In order to speak correctly and to be correctly understood by the foreigners around you, you need to study the rules for the formation of these degrees.

What is an adjective

Before we talk about how comparatives and superlatives are formed in English, let's take a quick look at the adjective itself. What part of speech is this? In a nutshell, an adjective is used when we need to describe an object, person or process. Answering questions which one?, which one?, which one?, which ones?, this part of speech helps us not only describe them, but also compare them with each other, as well as declare the superiority of a particular object or character.

• We live in it big home for a very long time.
• Old the park looks much better better early in the morning.
• We are the youngest experts in this field.

The highlighted words clearly show what function the adjective performs in a sentence. This function is definition. And in this sense there is no difference between Russian and English.

Degrees of comparison: rule

Comparative and superlative adjectives are two of the three forms in which this part of speech can be used. There are three degrees of comparison:

• Positive - here the adjective has its own initial form, for example: white, fat, tall, good, etc.
• Comparative - this form is used when we want to compare something with something, to show the advantage of something over something, for example: better, taller, fatter, smarter, smaller, etc.
• Excellent - we use this option when we want to show that someone or something has highest degree qualities, for example: highest, most expensive, best, smallest, etc.

The choice of word option also depends on what idea you want to convey to your interlocutor. We will consider all possible rules for the formation of both degrees separately.

comparative

In English grammar, there are rules by which both comparative and superlative degrees are formed. Exercises to check your understanding of this topic are aimed at ensuring that you correctly form one degree or another with any adjective. First, let's look at the comparative form. In order to form a comparative form from any adjective, you need to follow these rules:

• If the word is one-syllable or two-syllable, but the stress falls on the first syllable, then we add the suffix “er” to it: smart (smart) - smarter (smarter); hard (heavy) - harder (heavier).

• If a word ends in “e”, one letter “r” is added to it: large (large) - larger (more); polite (polite) - politer (more polite).

• If monosyllable ends with a consonant letter preceded by a short vowel sound, then the last letter is doubled when adding a suffix: big (large) - bigger (more); hot (hot) - hotter (hotter).

• If the adjective ends with the letter “y”, when adding a suffix it changes to “i”: noisy (noisy) - noisier (noisier); easy (simple) - easier (simpler).

• If an adjective has more than two syllables, no suffix is ​​added to it. We put before this adjective the comparative adverb “more”, which translated into Russian means “more”: beautiful (beautiful) - more beautiful (more beautiful); interesting (interesting) - more interesting (more interesting).

• If you need to indicate that the quality is lower than that of another object, then instead of the above-mentioned word we take “less”, translated as “less”: beautiful (beautiful) - less beautiful (less beautiful); interesting (interesting) - less interesting (less interesting).

Thus, we can easily form sentences where we want to compare the qualities of different objects.

Superlative

Comparatives and superlatives are formed very easily by Russian-speaking users, since the concept of comparison and superiority is very similar to what we know in Russian. So, to form the last degree, we need to apply concepts such as “most, most/least”. But here too there is certain rules to follow:

• If the word has one syllable, we add the suffix “est” to such an adjective, and the article “the” will appear before the newly formed word: smart (smart) - the smartest (smartest); hard (heavy) - the hardest (the heaviest).

• If there is an ending “e” at the end of a word, we will only use the suffix “st”: large (large) - the largest (largest); polite (polite) - the politest (the most polite).

• If a word ends with a consonant preceded by a short vowel sound, we double the last letter in the letter. This does not manifest itself in speech: big (large) - the biggest (largest); hot (hot) - the hottest (hottest).

• If the last place in a word is the letter y, when adding a suffix we change it to i: noisy (noisy) - the noisiest (noisiest); easy (simple) - the easiest (simplest).

• For long polysyllabic words there is another way of formation. We put the adverb “the most” in front of the word, which translates as “the most, the most”: beautiful (beautiful) - the most beautiful (the most beautiful); interesting (interesting) - the most interesting (the most interesting).

• If you need to indicate that the quality is the lowest, then instead of the word “most,” we take “the least,” translated as “the least”: beautiful (beautiful) - the least beautiful (least beautiful); interesting (interesting) - the least interesting (least interesting).

• There are words consisting of two components. In this case, we also put the indicated adverbs in front of them: easy-going (sociable) - more easy-going (more sociable) - the most easy-going (the most sociable); easy-going (sociable) - less easy-going (less sociable) - the least easy-going (least sociable).

Comparative and superlative degrees: words of exception

There are words that, despite everything existing rules, form degrees in their own way. Such words must be learned by heart. The comparative and superlative degrees of such words are included in a separate table.

When using a word consisting of two components, one of which is an exception word, you need to use exactly its form: good-looking (beautiful) - better-looking (more beautiful) - the best-looking (the most beautiful).

Set phrases

Both the comparative degree and the superlative degree are used in sentences as part of special constructions. Most often these are the following options:

• The construction “the... the...”. The more I read, the more I know. The more I read, the more I know.
• The construction “as... as...”. He is as tall as his brother. He is as tall as his brother.
• The construction “not so... as...”. She is not so fit as me. She's not as slim as me.

These are the most common variants of sentences in which we use the mentioned degrees of comparison.