Comparative degree of adjectives in English bad. English adjectives

This topic is very simple, it lends itself easily even to those who have recently started learning English. If you already know several 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... This is a simple adjective as you learn it: interesting, beautiful, good and so on.

The next degree is comparative... If you have two subjects, and you compare them according to one or another criterion, then you will talk about this 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 for any reason, one of them will outperform the others. We say about him that he is the most: the most interesting, the biggest, the best.

IN english language 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. As an 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 subject without comparing it to anything else, then a simple adjective is used, without suffixes. But as soon as the second item appears, for comparison, it becomes necessary to use comparative degree.

To form it, you need to look at the adjective: how many syllables it contains, how long it is. The method you use to complete your degree depends on this. If the adjective is short (1-2 syllables), then you need to add a suffix to it - er:

Small (small) - smaller (less)
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

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

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.
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 objects in front of you that you need to compare, choose one for some reason, then you need to use not a comparative, but an excellent form.

How you form this degree will depend on how many syllables you have in your adjective. If the adjective is short (1-2 syllables), then a suffix is \u200b\u200badded - 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

The prepositions IN and OF.

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

Prepositions are used in superlative degree with adjectives 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?

Also, the preposition is used when it comes to a group of people, an organization:

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

Pretext of use 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 may ask why most examples use the article the... We remember that this article is used to indicate something definite, known to the interlocutors. When it comes to the superlative degree, we single out one object from the group as one of a kind or unique in its kind and it becomes definite:

He is the cleverest boy in the class. - He's 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 would like to draw your attention to the fact that the article the is not always used with superlative adjectives. If the adjectives are preceded by a word that answers the question Whose? / Whose? (or 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 Maria.

Changes in spelling.

As you form comparative and superlative adjectives, you should remember that the addition of suffixes in English is often accompanied by spelling changes.

There are two basic rules with adjectives to remember:

1. If a short adjective ends in -y, then adding a suffix -y changes to i and adds a suffix:

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

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

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

If the adjective ends in two consonants, or in a consonant in front of which a combination of vowels, then nothing is doubled, but the required suffix is \u200b\u200bsimply added:

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

Exceptions.

In English, there are adjectives-exceptions, the comparative and superlatives of which are not formed according to the rule, without adding suffixes:

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

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

far - farther - the farthest - far / 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 are used in a positive degree. Read more about this construction.

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!

We all want to have the best, at least not the worst, as a result of which we always compare everything with our own standard of quality. Therefore, we constantly use degrees of comparison in English and not only. Comparison Degrees in English have and.

Comparison degrees in English. Adjective

An adjective in English has two degrees of comparison (some grammarians distinguish three).

1. Positive ( the Positive Degree). Indicates the quality of the item, without comparing this quality.
   

   This car is old. - This car is old.

2. Comparative ( the Comparative Degree). Used to compare the quality of two or more items.
   

   This car is older than that car. “This car is older than that car.

3. Excellent ( the Superlative Degree). Used to express the highest degree quality.
   

   This is the oldest car I have ever seen. “This is the oldest car I have ever seen.

Comparative degree of monosyllabic adjectives, some disyllabic and adjectives ending in y formed by adding the suffix - er to a positive degree.

• cold (cold) - colder (colder)
• noisy (noisy) - noisier (more noisy)

The superlative degree of the above adjectives is formed by adding the suffix - est, and is used with.

• cold (cold) - the coldest (the coldest)
• noisy (noisy) - the noisiest (the noisiest)

If an adjective ends with a consonant letter preceded by one vowel, then in comparative and superlative degrees of comparison in English, the final consonant is doubled.

• big (large) - bigger (more) - the biggest (the largest)

If an adjective ends with a letter y, before which there is a consonant letter, then in the comparative and superlative degree y changes to i.

• pretty (nice) - prettier (nicer) - the prettiest (the cutest)

If before y there is a vowel, then y remains unchanged

• gray (Gray) - greyer (more gray) - the greyest (the grayest)

Most adjectives that have two or more syllables form a comparative degree using the word more most... The adjective itself remains positive.

• Difficult (complicated) - more difficult (more difficult) - the most difficult (the most difficult)

There is a group of adjectives that form the degree of comparison not according to the rules.

• good (good) - better (it's better) - the best (the best)
• little (small) - less (less) - the least (least)
• bad (bad) - worse (worse) - the worst (worst, worst)
• much (many and uncountable) - many (many with calculus) - more (more) - the most (most)

To strengthen the comparative degree, words are used much, far, a great deal.

This film is far more interesting than that one. - This film is much more interesting than that.

Words are used to enhance the superlative degree by far, much.

He is by far the best student in his group. - He is the most excellent student in his group.

When comparing two items of the same quality, use the design as as.

This skirt is as expensive as yours. - This skirt is as expensive as yours.

In negative sentences, the same function is performed by the construction not so + positive adjective + as.

This car is not so new as that one. “This car is not as new as that one.

Comparison degrees in English. Adverb

Many adverbs have degrees of comparison and form them like adjectives.

The comparative degree of monosyllabic adverbs is formed by adding the suffix - er, to a positive degree, and excellent by adding a suffix - est.

• fast (quickly) - faster (faster) - fastest (fastest)

Adverbs ending in ly form a comparative degree using the word more, and excellent with the word most.

• bravely (bravely) - more bravely (more courageous) - most bravely (the bravest of all)

Exceptions are:

• well (OK) - better (it's better) - best (the best thing)
• badly (badly) - worse (worse) - worst (worst of all)
• much (a lot of) - more (more) - most (most)
• little (few) - less (less) - least (least of all)
• far (long away) - further (further) - furthest (furthest)

These are the basic rules for the formation of degrees of comparison in English.

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comparative is needed mainly in order to compare some things with others. After all, you must agree that it would be difficult to express oneself without comparing any objects. Comparative adjectives such as "prettier, better, warmer, colder, cooler, etc." are scrolled in our dialect every day, we just might not notice it. Therefore, the entire topic below is important for digestibility and is presented with accessible simplicity.

How to make a comparative adjective from a positive degree of an adjective?

First, let's figure out what is a positive degree of an adjective? It's simple. A positive adjective is the original form of an adjective that indicates the quality of an item and is used without any comparison with other items. For instance:

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

Another question may come up here. What is the comparative degree of an adjective? And here everything is even easier. The comparative degree of an adjective is an adjective form that indicates the quality of one subject in relation to another subject. For instance:

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

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

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

Standard rule: Adjective + suffix "-er"
Adjective (pos. Step)	Transfer	Adjective (compare step)	Transfer
Old	Old	Old er	Older
Tall	Tall	Tall er	Higher
Slow	Slow	Slow er	Slower
Cold	Cold	Cold er	Colder
Small	Small	Small er	Less
Strong	Strong	Strong er	Stronger
Clean	Clean	Clean er	Cleaner
Short	Short	Short er	Shorter
Long	A long	Long er	Longer
Cheap	Cheap	Cheap er	Cheaper

In English, comparison often uses the conjunction "than - than":

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

In this case, there are always a number of the following transformation rules that must be observed:

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

Rule for two-syllable adjectives ending in "-y": change y → i + suffix "-er"
Adjective (pos. Step)	Transfer	Adjective (compare step)	Transfer
Happy	Happy	Happ ier	Happier
Easy	Easy	Eas ier	Easier
Dirty	Dirty	Dirt ier	Dirtier
Pretty	Cute	Prett ier	Prettier
Wealthy	Rich	Wealth ier	Richer

Examples:

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

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

Adjective (pos. Step)	Transfer	Adjective (compare step)	Transfer
Big	Large	Big ger	More
Hot	Hot	Hot ter	Hot
Fat	Fat	Fat ter	Thicker
Thin	Thin	Thin ner	Thinner

Examples:

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

3. For adjectives ending in "-e", add only one suffix "-r":

Adjective (pos. Step)	Transfer	Adjective (compare step)	Transfer
Nice	Pleasant	Nic er	Nicer
True	Right	Tru er	Rather
White	White	Whit er	Whiter
Polite	Polite	Polit er	More polite
Large	Large	Larg er	Larger

For instance:

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

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

For adjectives consisting of 2 or more syllables
Positive degree	Transfer	comparative	Transfer
Careful	Careful	More careful	More careful
Worried	Excited	More worried	More excited
Expensive	Dear	More expensive	More expensive
Intelligent	Smart	More intelligent	Smarter
Beautiful	Beautiful	More beautiful	More beautiful

For instance:

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

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

Exceptions of comparative adjectives
Positive degree	Transfer	comparative	Transfer
Good	Good	Better	It's better
Bad	Bad	Worse	Worse
Little	Small	Less	Less
Far	Far	Farther	Further

For instance:

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

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

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

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

Cold - colder - coldest. What were we doing now? Compared using Russian adjectives. Do you think there is no such thing in English? You are welcome: cold - colder - the coldest ... That's what it is degree of comparison of adjectives... We are lucky: the degree of comparison is exactly the same as in Russian. That is, just comparative (colder) and excellent (coldest). Now let's find out how the degrees of comparison of adjectives are formed.

1. If an English adjective is taken from one syllables ( old , big , hot , kind , great ), then the comparative degree is formed by the ending -er (older , kinder ), and excellent - by the article the and ending - est (the oldest , the kindest ).

Two-syllable adjectives ending in - y , -er , -ow (spicy , clever , narrow ) are subject to the same rules:

cleverer - the cleverest (smarter is the smartest), narrower - the narrowest (narrower (narrower) - narrowest)

Moreover, adjectives that end in - y , change this letter to i :

spicier - the spiciest (sharper - the sharpest)

If a monosyllabic adjective ends in vowel + consonant (hot, big, sad, fat), then in comparative degrees the consonant doubles:

hotter - the hottest, fatter - the fattest.

2. All other two-syllable, three-syllable (and so on - in general, polysyllabic) adjectives form a comparative degree by adding more , and excellent - the most :

more significant - the most significant,more beautiful - the most beautiful

Examples of exclusion (a favorite section of all English learners):

Good - better - the best
Bad - worse - the worst
Little - less - the least

Far - farther (farther (by distance)) - the farthest (the furthest),
but far - further (further / subsequent) - the furthest (most distant)

Near - nearer - the nearest / the next (nearest (distance) / next)

Old - older (older) - the oldest (the oldest),
but old - elder (older) - the eldest (oldest)

Late - later (later) - the latest (latest),
but late - the latter (in order later) - the last (most recent in order)

By the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives - everything. With which I congratulate you. But if you want more, then you are always welcome (recommended for those who have already understood everything with the previous part):

Use lesser the degree of comparison (i.e. less cold, less bright) goes with the help less , and to denote the least degree - the least (least cold, least bright):

less strong (less strong) - the least strong (least strong), less wide (less wide) - the least wide (least wide).

To enhance the comparative degree, much , still , far :

much colder (much colder ), much more beautiful (much prettier).

The sentence uses the bundle to compare items than (than):

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

And now degree scheme for those who love algorithms :)

everything is ok pay attention Stop! Just cram!

In English, the adjective does not change in gender, cases and numbers. But it is not devoid of degrees of comparison. He has three of them: positive, comparative and superlative.

Part of speech

Before proceeding to the consideration of the question "Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English", it is necessary to understand what an adjective is. This is the part of speech that answers the questions "Which?", "Which?", "Whose?" and denotes a sign, property of an object, phenomenon or person. English adjectives unlike their Russian counterparts, they do not bend, that is, they do not change in cases, gender and numbers. If we need to describe or evaluate an object, then we simply "take" the adjective and put it before the noun:

A wonderful day is a wonderful day.

3 degrees of comparison of adjectives

All adjectives in English are divided into two types: quality and relative ... There is one significant difference between them - we can compare words of one kind, but not the other. For example, the lexical unit "glass - glass" is a relative adjective, and in relation to it one cannot say "glasser is more glass". As for the qualitative ones, they can be represented in three degrees of comparison: positive (cold) - comparative (colder) - excellent (coldest).

Degree rules and examples

Positive and comparative

Positive degree is the initial form of a qualitative adjective, which is fixed in the dictionary: big - big, sad - sad, tender - gentle... It describes a feature or property of an object.

When the need arises to compare the characteristics of two or more objects, the comparative degree comes into play. How is it formed? The comparative degree of adjectives in English can be formed in two ways:

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• If the word consists of one or two syllables, then the ending is added to it -er :

clean - cleaner, great - greater, sharp - sharper.

• more (more) or less (less) :

delicate - more delicate (gentle - more gentle), terrible - more terrible (terrible - more terrible), difficult - less difficult (difficult - less difficult).

Superlative degree

Superlative degree does not tolerate any comparison. She surpasses everyone and does not hide this, because she is the most-most of the many. As in the comparative and the superlative degree, before starting to form new forms of adjectives, it is necessary to ask the question of how many syllables are in a word. Depending on the subsequent answer, there are two ways of education:

• If a word consists of one or two syllables, then a definite article is added to it the and ending -est :

clean - the cleanest, great - the greatest, sharp - the sharpest (sharp - the sharpest).

• If a word consists of three or more syllables, then an additional word appears in front of it most (most) or least (least) with the definite article the:

delicate - the most delicate (gentle - the most delicate), terrible - the most terrible (terrible - the most terrible), difficult - the least difficult (difficult - the least difficult).

If an adjective consisting of one or two syllables ends in a dumb vowel -e, then when adding the endings -er or -est it is omitted: cute - cuter - cutest (adorable - more charming - the most adorable). If a short adjective ends in -y, then adding -er or -est changes the letter to -i: hungry - hungrier - hungriest (hungry - hungrier - hungrier). If a short adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, then when the endings -er or -est are added, the final consonant is doubled: fat - fatter - fattest (thick - thicker - thickest).

Exceptions

In English, there is a list of adjectives that are exceptions to general rule education degrees of comparison. There are not so many of them, so it will not be difficult to learn by heart:

good - better - (the) best (good - better - best);
bad - worse - (the) worst (bad - worse - worst);
little - less - (the) least (small - less - smallest);
many (much) - more - (the) most (a lot - more - the greatest);
far - farther / further - (the) farthest / furthest (farthest - farther / farthest - farthest / farthest);
old - older / elder - (the) oldest / eldest (oldest - oldest / oldest - oldest / oldest).

In the list of exceptions, pay attention to the meaning of the following words: farther - farthest (used to describe distance), further - furthest (used in a broader sense, additional, further in order) older - oldest (used to describe age), elder - eldest (used to describe seniority in a family).

What have we learned?

In the 6th grade in the lesson, the topic "Comparative and excellent adjectives in English" is studied, which we discussed in this article. There is no declension of adjectives in English. They change only when the degrees of comparison are formed. There are three of them in the language: positive, comparative and excellent.

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