The comparative degree of good in English. Three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

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 education
• 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:

1. If in a one-syllable adjective there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then we double it:
   • Big - bigger - the biggest
     
2. Silent trailing -e goes before -er, -est:
   • nice-nicer-the nicest
3. 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 following figure, you will see an extremely simple scheme for the 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

1. Ends in:
   • -ow:

   narrow - narrower - the narrowest

   • -le:

   simple - simpler - the simplest

   • -er:

   tender - tenderer - the tenderest

   happy - happier - the happiest

2. They have two syllables, and the stress falls on the second:
   severe - severer - the severest
3. 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.

1. 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
2. Adverb most(most) is used to indicate the highest level of an item's quality characteristic:
   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:

This topic is very simple, it lends itself easily even to those who have recently started learning English. If you already know a few adjectives in English, then after studying the material in this article, you can easily form degrees of comparison.

But first, let's figure out how many degrees of comparison there are and why they are needed.

There are three degrees of comparison of adjectives. First degree - positive. It's a simple adjective as you learn it: interesting, beautiful, good and so on.

Next degree - comparative. If you have two objects, and you compare them on one or another basis, then you will talk about it in a comparative degree: bigger, smaller, more interesting, more beautiful and so on.

And the third degree that adjectives can have is excellent. When you compare several items on any basis, one of them will be superior to others. We say about him that he is the most: the most interesting, the biggest, the best.

In English, everything is exactly the same: there are three degrees of comparison, which are formed according to their own rules.

The first degree is positive. This is a common adjective. For example, let's remember some adjectives in English that you probably know:

Small - small
big - big
easy - easy, simple
interesting - interesting
popular - popular

If we describe one thing without comparing it with anything else, then a simple adjective is used, without suffixes. But as soon as the second object appears, for comparison, it becomes necessary to use comparative degree.

To form it, you need to look at the adjective: how many syllables it has, how long it is. It depends on the way you will use in the formation of the degree. If the adjective is short (1-2 syllables), then you need to add a suffix to it - er:

Small (small) - smaller (smaller)
big (big) - bigger (more)
easy (simple) - easier (easier)

If your adjective is long (more than two syllables), then if you load it with another suffix, it will be unrealistic to pronounce it. Therefore, to form the comparative degree of such adjectives, the word is used more(more), which is placed before the adjective, just like in Russian:

Interesting - more interesting (more interesting)
popular - more popular (more popular)

If you are comparing two objects or phenomena in a sentence, then you will also need the word than(than) to indicate what you are actually comparing and against:

My room is smaller than my brother "s. - My room is smaller than my brother's.
His dog is bigger than mine. - His dog is bigger than mine.
This rule is easier than that one. - This rule is easier than that one.
Detectives are more interesting than historical novels. - Detective stories are more interesting than historical novels.
Is Lady Gaga more popular than Madonna? Is Lady Gaga more popular than Madonna?

Now let's move on to superlatives. If you have several items in front of you that you need to compare, choose one on some basis, then you need to use not a comparative, but an excellent form.

How you form this degree will depend on how many syllables your adjective has. If the adjective is short (1-2 syllables), then the suffix is ​​added - est:

Small - the smallest
big - the biggest
easy - the easiest

If the adjective is long (more than two syllables), then the superlative degree should be formed using the word most(most):

Interesting - the most interesting
popular - the most popular

Prepositions IN and OF.

It was already mentioned above that when you compare two objects, then in comparison you need to use the word than (than).

Prepositions are used with adjectives in the superlative degree. in and of. The choice of preposition is determined by what you are comparing and what information comes after the comparison.

If you are talking about a place (country, city, world), then use the preposition in:

This is the oldest building in our town. - This is the oldest house in our city.
He is the most popular singer in the country. - He is the most popular singer in the country.
What is the highest mountain in the world? - What is the highest mountain in the world?

The preposition is also used when talking about a group of people, an organization:

I am the youngest pupil in the class. - I am the youngest student in the class.

Pretext of used when talking about a period of time:

Today is the longest day of the year. - Today is the longest day of the year.
It was the happiest day of my life. - It was the happiest day of my life.

The article the.

You ask why the article is used in examples with the word most the. We remember that this article is used to indicate something specific, known to the interlocutors. When it comes to superlatives, we single out one item from the group as the only or unique of its kind and it becomes defined:

He is the cleverest boy in the class. - He is the smartest boy in the class. (There is only one smartest student in the class)

This is the oldest house in the town. - This is the oldest house in the city. (There is only one oldest house in the city)

I want to draw your attention to the fact that the article the is not always used with superlative adjectives. If adjectives are preceded by a word that answers the question Whose? / Whose? (or a noun in ), then the article the is not needed:

This is my smallest bag. - This is my smallest bag.
She is Maria "s youngest daughter. - She is the youngest daughter of Mary.

Spelling changes.

When forming the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives, you must remember that adding suffixes in English is often accompanied by changes in spelling.

With adjectives, there are two main rules to remember:

1. If a short adjective ends in -y, then when adding a suffix, -y changes to i and a suffix is ​​added:

Easy (simple) - easier - the easiest
noisy (noisy) - noisier - the noisiest
busy (busy) - busier - the busiest

2. If a short adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a stressed vowel (closed stressed syllable), then the last consonant is doubled:

Big (big) - bigger - the biggest
fat (fat) - fatter - the fattest

If the adjective ends in two consonants, or in a consonant preceded by a combination of vowels, then nothing is doubled, but the necessary suffix is ​​simply added:

Strong (strong) - stronger - the strongest
cold (cold) - colder - the coldest
weak (weak) - weaker - the weakest

Exceptions.

In English, there are exception adjectives, the comparative and superlative degrees of which are not formed according to the rule, without adding suffixes:

good - better - the best- good / better / the best

bad - worse - the worst- bad / worse / worst

far-farther-the farthest- distant / farther / farthest

little - less - the least- small/smaller/smallest

To compare two objects in English, you can also use the construction as...as (not as...as), with which adjectives in the positive degree are used. Read more about this design.

Try to avoid common mistakes, remember that if you have already added a suffix to the adjective, then you do not need to use the words more or most.

Now you can easily compare objects, people and phenomena and talk about it in English. To consolidate the material covered, remember as many adjectives as possible and try to form degrees of comparison from them, and it will be even more effective to make sentences with them. Leave comments, ask questions, success in learning English!

Objects and people are different. Therefore, adjectives are used to describe them in different degrees of comparison. This allows you to reflect the shades of qualities, properties and features.

Just like in Russian, only qualitative adjectives have degrees of comparison of adjectives in English (beautiful - beautiful, wonderful - wonderful, large - large, early - early, etc.). Most adjectives belong to this group. They can be used in positive, comparative and superlative degrees.

Relative adjectives do not form degrees of comparison in English, because they do not show qualities that can change. For example, a scarf can be silk (silk), but cannot be more silk or the most silk. Such adjectives only show what property an object has.

Three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

In theory, there are three of them. In practice, no one usually takes into account a positive degree, considering it to be the initial form. Therefore, many believe that two degrees of comparison can be distinguished, as such - comparative and superlative.

However, let's analyze all the forms in order.

1. positive degree. This is the name of the initial form in which the adjective is written in the dictionary (what? what? what?). For example, This river is deep . (This river is deep).
2. comparative . Used to show that an object (or person) has more pronounced qualities compared to its own kind. For example, The Congo is deeper than the Amazon. (The Congo River is deeper than the Amazon). Please note that for comparison in such revolutions, the conjunction “than” is used.
3. Superlatives . Shows the most pronounced quality of the object (or person), in which he excels all others. It is translated into Russian with the word “most / most / most”. For example, Congo is the deepest river in the world. Remember that the article the is always used with this degree.

Ways to change adjectives

Different adjectives in English change in different ways when compared. In this regard, they can be divided into three large groups, according to the ways in which their forms are changed.

The suffixal way of forming forms is called synthetic, by adding the words more, the most - analytical. All special cases (forming forms not according to the rule) are formed suppletively (individually).

Degrees of comparison of adjectives: a table with examples

Exceptions

This is a separate (third) group of adjectives that form a comparative and superlative degree in none of the above methods of comparison. That is, they have individual forms that must be remembered. These adjectives include the following:

Pay special attention to the adjective far, the degrees of comparison of which, depending on the spelling, reflect the meaning invested in it. In the first of the given examples, the word far is used in the sense of "further in distance", and in the second "further in time".

Important! Special function little

The adjective little forms degrees of comparison individually. But it, in addition to the main one, has an additional function. The forms less, the least themselves help to form degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. In contrast to the usual shades of meaning enhancement, they, on the contrary, reduce the degree of expression of any quality of the adjective. The word less is translated into Russian “less”, the least - “the least”, “least”.

For example, She is less sensitive than her sister. - She is less sentimental than her sister.

She is the least sensitive person in our family. She is the least sentimental person in our family.

These are the same degrees of comparison in English as with the words more, the most.

Spelling (or spelling rules)

When forming degrees of comparison according to the first method (using suffixes), the following spelling rules must be observed:

• if the word ends in mute -e, it is omitted when adding suffixes that form the comparative degrees of adjectives in English, as well as superlatives: cute - cuter - the cutest (cute);
• if the last letter of the adjective is -y, and before it comes a consonant, then -y changes to i, and then the suffix is ​​​​added: dirty - dirtier - the dirtiest (dirty);
• if the last letter in a word is a consonant preceded by a short vowel, then the consonant is doubled: thin - thinner - thinnest (thin).

Articles with degrees of comparison

You already know that articles do not refer to adjectives, but to nouns. Therefore, when we talk about articles in this case, we mean that a noun follows the adjective.

When using positive and comparative adjectives in English, the indefinite article (a/an) is used before them if the noun is used in the singular. If in the plural, the article is omitted (that is, zero is used).

Superlatives in English require the use of the definite article (the).

Special adjectives

There is a separate group of adjectives that can change both synthetically and analytically: that is, with the help of suffixes or with the help of the words more, the most.

This includes adjectives such as angry, clever, friendly, handsome, pleasant, polite, serious, quiet and some others.

Example: narrow → narrower → the narrowest (narrow)
narrow → more narrow →the most narrow

So, now you know how the comparative degree of adjectives is formed in English and how it differs from the superlative. Practice using adjectives in different forms in speech. Come up with suggestions to work out all the forms at once in a complex. Repeat good and bad again, the degrees of comparison of which are different from others. All success!

Degrees of comparison of adjectives- this is a lexical and grammatical category of adjectives, which indicates the ability of an adjective feature to manifest itself to a lesser, greater or highest degree. Degrees of comparison are inherent only in qualitative adjectives.

In English, adjectives have positive, comparative, and superlative degrees.

positive degree– denotes a trait that does not compare with other traits (dry, shiny, quiet, wide, exciting).
comparative- denotes a sign that manifests itself in one object more strongly (less) than in another object, as well as a sign that appears in an object at different times with varying degrees (whiter, cleaner, deeper, less strict).
Superlatives- denotes a sign in its highest manifestation in comparison with other signs or without it (the simplest, strongest, most daring, least convenient).

Rules for the formation of comparative and superlative degrees of comparison of adjectives

Comparative and superlative degrees of comparison are formed by adding suffixes (a morpheme after the root, which serves to form new words (old - old age) or new word forms (float - floated) and special words.

The degrees of comparison of monosyllabic adjectives are formed by adding suffixes -er- in the comparative degree and -est- in the superlative degree: deep-deep er - the deep est(deep - deeper - deepest).

The degrees of comparison of two-syllable adjectives that end in -y, -er, -le, -ow: simple - simpler - the simplest (simple, easier, the easiest), narrow - narrower - the narrowest (narrow - already - the narrowest), easy - easier - the easiest (simple - easier - simplest).

Most adjectives with two or more syllables form degrees of comparison with the help of special words: in a comparative degree - more(more), less(less); in superlatives - the most(most), the least(least): difficult - more difficult - the most difficult (difficult - more difficult - the most difficult).

NB! The superlative degree of comparison of adjectives is always used with the definite article. the!

One-syllable adjectives (One syllable adjectives)

• young - younger - the youngest (young - younger - the youngest);
• big - bigger - the biggest (big - more - largest);
• short - shorter - the shortest (short - shorter - shortest)

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y (Two-syllable adjective ending in -y)

• lovely - lovelier - the loveliest (cute, beautiful - sweeter, more beautiful - sweetest, most beautiful);
• pretty - prettier - the prettiest (beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful);
• funny - funnier - the funniest (funny - funnier - the funniest).

Other two-syllable adjectives

• pleasant - more pleasant - the most pleasant (pleasant - more pleasant - the most pleasant);
• annoyed - more annoyed - the most annoyed (irritated - more annoyed - the most annoyed);
• modern - more modern - the most modern (modern - more modern - the most modern);
• careful - more careful - the most careful (careful - more careful - the most careful);
• careless - more careless - the most careless (careless, carefree - carefree - the most carefree).

Trisyllabic or polysyllabic adjectives (Adjectives of theree or more syllables)

• expensive - more expensive - the most expensive (expensive - more expensive - the most expensive);
• attractive - more attractive - the most attractive (attractive - more attractive - the most attractive);
• exciting - more exciting - the most exciting (exciting - more exciting - the most exciting);
• intelligent - more intelligent - the most intelligent (smart, intelligent - smarter - the smartest).

Degrees of comparison of adjectives formed from different stems (exceptions) (Adjectives with irregular comparatives and superlatives)

• good - better - the best (good - better - best);
• bad - worse - the worst (bad - worse - worst);
• far - further / farther - the furthest / farthest (distant - more distant - the most distant);
• little - less - the least (small - smaller - smallest);
• many (with countable) / much (with uncountable nouns) - more - the most (a lot - more - the biggest).

Note!

1. Do not use at the same time more/less, most/least and suffixes -er, -est: faster, fastest, more modern, the most modern.
2. adjectives elder/eldest(older - the oldest), formed from old(old), mean members of the same family: my elder brother - my older brother.
3. Adjectives such as central (central), dead (dead), empty (empty), infinite (infinite), perfect (perfect), straight (direct), unique (unique), right ( correct), wrong (wrong), real (real), as well as adjectives in -ed: bored (bored), pleased (pleased).
4. Some two-syllable adjectives can form degrees of comparison in two ways: by adding suffixes to the word stem -er, -est and with special words more, most. These are adjectives such as: clever (smart), common (general), cruel (cruel), gentle (gentle), pleasant (pleasant), polite (polite), quiet (secret, calm), stupid (stupid), etc.

Degrees of comparison with words more, most form adjectives that end in suffixes ful, -less: careful (caring), useful (useful), hopeless (hopeless).

Spelling rules in the formation of degrees of comparison of one-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives

• • letter -e"discard" before adding -er, -est: nice - nicer - the nicest;
  • letter -y after a consonant it changes to -ier, -iest: pretty - prettier - the prettiest;
  • the final consonant before which there is a vowel doubles: hot - hotter - the hottest, big - bigger - the - biggest.

Degrees of comparison of adjectives. Exercises Adjective in English. List of basic adjectives with transcription and translation

In English, as in Russian, adjectives (qualitative) form two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative. The positive degree of adjectives is their basic form, which does not express the degree of comparison.

Just like in Russian, adjectives form degrees of comparison either analytically - with the help of additional words more– more and most – most, most(complex forms); or synthetically - by changing the adjective itself with the help of suffixes –er and –est(simple forms (. And just like in Russian, the analytical form of the comparative degree can be formed from any adjective, and the synthetic form can be formed from some adjectives, but not from others.

The vast majority of monosyllabic adjectives form degrees of comparison using simple (synthetic) forms:

Comparative degree is formed with the suffix –er, which is pronounced, and before words beginning with a vowel sound -.

excellent degree is formed with the suffix -est which is pronounced.

At the same time, the following rules :

1 In monosyllabic adjectives ending in one consonant with a preceding short vowel, the final consonant doubles(to keep the syllable closed):

big [bIg] big- big ger["bIgq]-big gest["bIgIst]

thin [TIn] thin- thin ner["TInq] - thin nest["TInist]

2 If the adjective ends in y with a preceding consonant, then ychanges to i :

bus y["bIzI] busy- bus ier[ "bIzIq ] - bus iest["bIzIst]

happy y["hxpi] happy- happy ier[ "hxpIq ] - happ iest["hxpIst]

Note: But if before y stands for a vowel, then y remains unchanged:

gre y[greI] grey-gre yer["greIq]-gre yest["greIIst]

3 final vowel e (not mine e ) before suffixes -er, -est omitted:

whit e[waIt] white- whit er[waItq] - whit est["waitist]

However, even here not everything is so clear-cut. For some adjectives, both synthetic and analytical forms are equally common, for example:

And some in the overwhelming majority of cases are found in analytical forms:

Before adjectives in excellent degree is put definite article the, since it is usually an attribute to the noun behind it (gives it the qualities of exclusivity). The article is also preserved in cases where the noun is not mentioned, but only implied:

Polysyllabic and most disyllabic adjectives form comparative degree with word more - more, a excellent degree - most - most (most). And the smallest and lowest degree of quality are expressed in words less - less and least – least. These words are placed before the adjective in the form of put. degrees (basic form).

For example:

Note 1:Mostused before adjectives not only to form a superlative degree, but also with a meaningvery - very, as well as extremely, very, denoting simply a high degree of quality regardless of other subjects . In this case, the singular noun is used with an indefinite article, and in the plural - without an article:

Note 2: Mostalso used with the prepositionofin front of a noun denoting a certain group of objects, persons or a quantity of something. Combinationmost ofused without an article and means " most (of), most (of)". In this case, the noun to which it refers carries with it the definite article, demonstrative or possessive pronoun.

Some two-syllable adjectives and some monosyllabic ones are used both in synthetic and analytical forms to convey various stylistic nuances and shades. In general, simple forms are more typical for colloquial speech, and complex ones for writing.

It should be noted that over the past few decades, some changes have taken place in the English language, and where only synthetic forms were previously considered, analytical ones appeared, which are used in parallel with the old, simple forms.

In domestic grammars, it is traditionally written that disyllabic adjectives ending in – y, -er, -ow, -le, as well as some having stress on the second syllable, form simple comparison forms. However, even here everything is not so simple, the language is alive and gradually changing. In cases where you do not know which form to use, choose the analytical one, the error may be stylistic, not grammatical.

Adjectives that are much more likely to form simple forms of comparison include:

Some adjectives with the same frequency occur in both simple and complex forms of comparison, for example:

More often found in complex forms of comparison:

1 Form degrees of comparison from another root:

Note 1:word less

a) less- in the case when less few:

b) smaller- in the case when less is a comparative degree of small. That is, when we need to form a comparative degree fromlittle- in meaning small, we replace it with small – small, from which we formsmaller and smallest. For example:

Note 2:word more corresponds in English:

a) more- in the case when more is a comparative degree of a lot of:

b) bigger or larger - in the case when more is a comparative degree of big:

2 They have two forms of degrees of comparison, differing in meaning: