Grammar / Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives

Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives have three degrees of comparison: Positive, Com­parative and Superlative.

The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of quality. Mary is taller than her sister.

The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of a quality. Mary is the tallest girl in our group.

The comparative and the superlative degrees are formed in the following way:

1. by adding the suffixes -er, -est (synthetic way);

2. by placing more and most before the adjective (analytical way);

3. some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of com­parison.

	Positive		Comparative		Superlative			Notes
(a)	big strong busy clever	narrow simple polite severe	bigger stronger busier cleverer	narrower simpler politer severer	(the) biggest (the) strongest (the) busiest (the) cleverest	(the) narrowest (the) simplest (the) politest (the) severest	monosyllabic adjectives disyllabic adjec­tives, ending in -y, -er, -ow, -le and those having a stress on the last syllable
(b)	famous interesting		more fa­mous more inter­esting		(the) most famous (the) most interest­ing			most of disyllabic and polysyllabic adjectives
(c)	good bad many / much little / few		better worse more less		(the) best (the) worst (the) most (the) least			adjectives which have irregular forms of degrees of comparison

1. The adjectives far and old have two forms of comparative and superlative degrees.

far — farther (further) — farthest (furthest) Farther, farthest denote distance; further denotes time and distance.

old (elder ) — older (eldest) —oldest Older, oldest are used to denote age; elder,

eldest are used when speaking about the members of the same family. Older (not elder) is used with the conjunctive than.

2. Nouns modified by an adjective in the superlative degree are used with the definite article. This is the easiest text in the book.

3. The forms of the comparative degree of adjectives may be emphasized by the word much.

The Volga is much longer than the Don. Волга значи­тельно длиннее Дона.

This book is much more interesting than that one. Эта книга значительно интереснее той (книги).

4. Remember that most can be used to emphasize an adjec­tive as well. In that case the noun in the singular has the in­definite

article and it has no article in the plural. Most in this case means крайне, весьма, чрезвычайно.

Compare the following sentences:

This is the most interesting book. (самая интересная) This is a most interesting book. (крайне интересная) These are the most interesting books. (самые интересные) These are most interesting books. (крайне интересные)

This book is the most interesting of all. (самая инте­ресная) This book is most interesting, (крайне интересная) These books are the most interesting of all. (самые инте­ресные) These books are most interesting. (крайне интересные)

5. An equal degree of quality and quantity is expressed by the adjective in the positive degree with the conjunction as... as.

Ann's brother is as tall as his father.

6. An unequal degree of quality and quantity is expressed:

(a) by the adjective in the positive degree and the conjunction not so ... as: Ann's brother is not so tall as his father;

(b) by the adjective in the comparative degree and the con­junction than: Ann's brother is taller than she (is).

7. Remember the word-combination as -f- adjective + as possible.

Your letter must be as short as possible. (как можно короче)

Your composition must be as interesting as possible. (как можно интереснее)

8. Remember the word combination the + the comparative de­gree of an adjective + better.

Your letter is very short. The shorter the better. (чем короче, тем лучше)

Spelling Rules:

1. if the adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a stressed short vowel the consonant is doubled: thin – thinner – (the) thinnest.

2. if the adjective ends in –y: preceded by a consonant, –y is changed into –i: happy – happier – (the) happiest;

but: gay – gayer – (the)gayest.

3. if the adjective ends in –e: the –e is dropped before –er and –est: late – later – (the) latest