In English, as well as in our mother tongue, adjectives - an independent part of speech used to determine the properties of a person, animal or object. But unlike our native language, in a foreign language it does not depend on a noun and only changes when compared. The formation of linguistic forms continued throughout the history of the formation of modern Great Britain.

This was due to constant wars of conquest and borrowings from other languages. But the basic word forms and grammatical rules were formed by the 15th century, then only changed. This also applies to adjectives and their degrees of comparison - Degrees of Comparison.

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A bit of history

Surprising as it may sound now, in Old English the names are appended. changed in all known grammatical categories. When studying the literary monuments of that time that have survived to this day, the researchers found the form of the genitive case plural alre from all, pl. h. gode from god. But in Middle English there are practically no signs of change - there are only remnants of number and declension. Gradually, of all the categories, only remain.

Until about the 16th century, when changing names, they will add. vowel alternation was used in the root: long - lenger - lengest. In parallel, derivatives began to be used in speech without replacing the letter, which later became fixed in the rules. Although sometimes the old form was separated into a separate word with a different meaning (older / elder).

Classification

To understand the correct formation of the desired word form, it is necessary to know some important characteristics of adjective names. Otherwise, you can make a number of gross mistakes.

In the course of its development, this part of speech acquired a different structure and was used to describe objects, people, their qualities and properties. In this regard, adjectives are distinguished by:

Grammar feature:

• monosyllabic - based on one syllable: sad (sad), slow (slow), long (long);
• disyllabic - two syllables: happy (happy), clever (smart), nice (cute);
• polysyllabic - more than 3 syllables: unhappy (unhappy), dangerous (dangerous), horrible (terrible);
• composite - are formed by adding the basics: well-known (well-known), good-looking (good-looking).

Learning English language

Lexical meaning:

• relative - describe those properties that are not compared: definition of substance (silk - silk, gold - gold), terrain (rural - rural), field of science (historical - historical), era (classical - classical);
• qualitative - denote the properties of objects in which they differ from each other in shape, color, size, properties, palatability and other.

Important! Only qualitative adjectives are used to compare features and properties. Nobody says "more woolly", "less round".

Degrees of Comparison of adjectives in English

To better understand this topic, it will be most appropriate to bring analogues with the native language. "Higher", "weaker", "more powerful" - a comparison. "Least flamboyant", "most envious", "most friendly" - superiority. The only difference, perhaps, is the consideration of three degrees in a foreign language.

1. Positive - a common concept, characterizes the subject and shows the presence of a required property. It is taken as a basis for the formation of adjectives in comparative and superlative degrees.
2. Comparative - drawing a parallel between two things according to a certain property. In statements with a comparative degree, the conjunction than is required: Daniel's uncle was stronger than his father. Uncle Daniel was stronger than his dad.
3. Superlative adjective - used for choosing the best instance in terms of its attributes among the many. Combines with of or in. The present perfect tense of the verb is allowed: He supposes Mohammed Ali is the greatest boxer that has ever lived. “He thinks Mohammed Ali is the greatest boxer of all. Her dog was the angryest in their yard. Her dog was the meanest in the yard.

Methods for forming degrees of comparison

Methods for the formation of degrees of comparison in English depend on the structure of the word:

• Transformation of the stem by adding -er (in comparative) and -est (in excellent) at the end: loose (free) - looser - loosest; tight (dense) - tighter - tightest.
• The use of special words more (less) - more (less) - comparative, most (least) - most (least) - superlative degree of adjectives: unreasonable (unreasonable) - more unreasonable - most unreasonable; ancient (ancient) - less ancient - least ancient; fully-qualified (professional) - more fully-qualified - most fully-qualified.
• Changing the whole stem of the word.

Usage errors

English grammar

Most mistakes are made when comparing two.

NONSTANDARD - One of the two cakes, this is the best one.

STANDARD - One of the two cakes, this is the better one.

NONSTANDARD - Marie is the youngest of the two girls.

STANDARD - Marie is the younger of the two girls.

When comparing one thing with a whole group, one should not forget about the word order in a sentence:

NONSTANDARD - She is faster than any girl on her team. (She is a member of the team and obviously cannot be faster than herself.)

STANDARD - She is faster than any other girl on her team.

Sometimes amplification is allowed in colloquial speech:

It's more simpler. - It is easier.

This was the best picture. It was the best picture I have ever seen.

But this usage is actually a mistake. And double amplification is not allowed.

The table below will easily help you learn the exceptions to the formation of the comparative degree of adjectives in English.

Superlative education

In the case when there is a choice between the two, the presence of some features, manifested to some extent, is compared. Superlative adjectives - choosing the "best" of many similar people or things.

Comparative and superlative degrees of abstract qualitative appendices. are formed by both methods: wise (wise), safe (safe), polite (polite), quiet (calm), common (general), cruel (cruel), clever (smart) and a number of others:

wise - the wisest / the most wise, quiet - the quietest / the most quiet.

Important! Polysyllabic names adj. in English, when forming a superlative degree, they do not change the basis.

Spelling rules for superlatives

In writing, when forming a superlative degree in English, one should remember the following rules:

1. Doubling the last letter in short adjectives: dim - dimmest.
2. Adding -st if -e is at the end of the word: fine - finest.
3. Replacing -y with -i after a consonant:
4. – driest.

But with a vowel before -y nothing changes:- gayest.

The difference in derivatives from far, old, hear, late comes from the history of the development of the language, as mentioned above. Here it is necessary to clearly understand what the meaning of the word is.

For more clarity, please consider the following examples:

We continued researchers without further difficulties. We continued our research without further difficulty.

The bank was farther than we were told. The bank was further than we were told.

I'm surprised Helen is 25. I thought she was older. - I'm surprised that Elena is 25. I thought she was older.

Their eldest sister is an actress. – Their oldest sister is an actress.

The next to dance was Jack. Jack danced next.

Article

is a specific particle. She has no analogues in Russian. In English, adjectives are preceded by both the indefinite and the definite article.

In superlatives, not using the article the will be one of the worst mistakes.

Separately, we should dwell on the use of most. It can be used for more than just superlatives.

Learning degrees of comparison in English

Most = very - "very". At the same time, the word in units. h. The indefinite article precedes, and in the plural. h. it is missing:

I saw a most beautiful woman.

I saw an extremely beautiful lady.

I don't go out very often. I'm at home most days.

I don't go out very often. Most days I am at home.

Most of - "most". After it, the noun is followed by a definite article or pronoun (possessive, demonstrative).

I wasn't well yesterday. I spent most of the time in bed.

I didn't feel well yesterday and spent most time in bed.

Kate travel a lot. She has been to most of the European countries.

Katya travels a lot. She has visited most of Europe.

Comparative adjectives, provided the expression of the two is present in the utterance, are used with the: Who of those two women is the better specialist? Which of those two women is the better specialist?

the beauty our speech depends from the correct use of various words in the right meaning, their pronunciation. Even in the native language, a person manages to make mistakes by placing the stress in a word incorrectly or using the wrong part of speech. What then to say about foreign language? With its many exceptions or the presence of any rules that are not in the native language.

A circle English words, denoting a sign of an object, is quite multifaceted. If in Russian we say “beautiful”, then in English this meaning is conveyed by a number of adjectives (nice, beautiful, handsome, good-looking). Moreover, in the British language there are words that have no equivalent in Russian (thirsty - to be thirsty).

In order not to get into trouble when using the right degree of comparison, follows:

• good understanding of the grammatical structure of words;
• understand what a qualitative adjective means and what a superlative degree is;
• know the spelling rules of education and writing desired shape comparisons;
• be able to construct sentences correctly.

Types of degrees of comparison in English

Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Conclusion

The development of English does not stand still. Constantly simplification is underway and borrowing from others language groups. The variety of English (American, Australian, Canadian or British) should also be taken into account. This is especially true for spoken language. And it is quite possible that in the future there will be more adjectives that will add to the list of exceptions.

Expressing various degrees of quality inherent in the subject, the name of which is determined by this adjective or adverb. These degrees are positive(positive degree) comparative(Comparative Degree), excellent(Superlative degree).

Positive degree (interesting - interesting) adjectives is called their basic form, not expressing the degree of comparison.

Comparative degree (more interesting - more interesting)(comparative) adjectives. The comparative degree allows you to compare things.

If the adjective consists of the 1st syllable is added ending -er: nice - nicer; big - bigger. If there are two syllables and the ending of the verb in the main form -y, the ending changes to -ier: heavy - heavy; early - earlier. If the adjective is long (consists of 2/3/4 syllables), the word more is used - more: expensive - more expensive.

Superlatives (the most interesting - the most interesting)(superlative) adjectives. The superlative degree of adjectives in English is necessary to indicate the quality to which the word "most" can be added.

Don't forget to add the article the! If the adjective consists of the 1st syllable, the ending the …-est is added: nice - the nicest; big - the biggest. If two syllables and the ending of the verb in the main form -y, the ending changes to the ... -iest: heavy - the heaviest; early - the earliest. If the adjective is long (consists of 2/3/4 syllables), the word most is used - the most (most): expensive - the most expensive.

positive degree	comparative	Superlatives
cold - cold	cold er	the cold est
hot - hot	hot ter	the hott est
sunny - sunny	sunn ier	the sunn iest
dangerous - dangerous	more dangerous	the most dangerous
Exceptions:
good/well - good	better - better	(the) best - the best, the best
bad / badly - bad / ill - sick, unhealthy (about a person)	worse - worse / in the worst state of health (about a person)	(the) worst - the worst, worst / in the most difficult condition (about a person)
little - little, small	less - less	(the) least - the least, the smallest, the smallest
many, much - a lot	more - more	(the) most - most of all. largest (in number, size, degree)
far - distant, distant	farther ["fɑːðə], further ["fɜːðə] - further: further news = any more news	(the) farthest, furthest - the farthest
old - old	older (about age) / elder (about seniority) - older: elder brother - older brother	(the) oldest/eldest - the oldest
late - late	later - later	(the) last

Use after superlative adjectives in with cities, buildings, etc. exceptions: of my life, of the year. For example, It "s one of the oldest castles in Britain. - It is one of the oldest castles in Great Britain. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. - It was one of the worst experiences of my life.

The ... the ... rule

Rule than ... so ... (the ... the ...) You can use the … the … with two comparative adjectives to show the dependence of one on the other. For example:

The warmer the weather, the better I feel. - The warmer the weather, the better I feel.

The harder he works, the more money he get. The more he works, the more money he gets.

The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be. - The more electricity you use, the higher your utility bill will be.

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

The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow.

as ... as /than rule

The rule is so ... as ... (or such ... as ...) (as ... as ...). Between as and as only an adjective is used without a comparative or superlative degree. For example:

… as often as he could... - as often as he could

Adjectives ( Adjectives ) are words that express qualities, attributes of objects. They answer the question which?. In a sentence, they usually define a noun. In English, they do not change either by gender, or by numbers, or by cases:

a little girl - a little girl

a little boy - little boy

little children - little children

With a little boy - with a little boy.

Adjectives change only in degrees of comparison (Degrees of Comparison). There are three degrees of comparison of adjectives: positive (Positive Degree), comparative (Comparative Degree), excellent (Superlative Degree).

Rules for the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives.

Adjectives in a positive degree do not have any endings, for example: quick (fast), slow (slow), old (old), new (new). Comparative and superlative degrees are formed using the suffixes -er and -est or by adding the words more (more) and most (most). The choice of method depends on the original form of the adjective.

One-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives form the comparative with the suffix -er and the superlative with the suffix -est. With the help of the suffixes -er, -est, two-syllable adjectives ending in -er, -ow, -y, -le (clever, narrow, early, simple) form degrees of comparison.

Here are some examples:

One-syllable and two-syllable adjectives

positive degree	comparative	Superlatives
high - high	higher - higher, higher	highest - the highest
small - small	smaller - less	smallest - smallest, smallest
strong - strong	stronger - stronger, stronger	strongest - the strongest
cheap - cheap	cheaper - cheaper, cheaper	cheapest - the cheapest
quick - fast	quicker - faster	quickest - the fastest
new - new	newer - newer	newest - the newest
clean - clean	cleaner - cleaner, cleaner	cleanest - the cleanest
cold - cold	colder - colder, colder	coldest - the coldest
short - short	shorter - shorter, shorter	shortest - the shortest
great - great, big	greater - more	greatest - the greatest, greatest
weak - weak	weaker - weaker	weakest - the weakest
deep - deep	deeper - deeper, deeper	deepest - the deepest
low - low	lower - lower	lowest - the lowest
clever - smart	cleverer - smarter, smarter	cleverest - the smartest, the smartest
narrow - narrow	narrower - narrower	narrowest - the narrowest
shallow - small	shallower - smaller	shallowest - the smallest

When writing, you must comply certain rules spelling.

1. If the adjective has a short vowel and ends in one consonant, then in the comparative degree and in the superlative degree this consonant is doubled:

big-bigger-big

big - more - largest, largest

Fat-fatter-fattest

thick, fat - thicker - the thickest

Wet-wetter-wettest

wet, wet – wetter – wettest

sad-sadder-saddest

sad, sad - more sad - the saddest

thin - thinner - thinnest

thin, thin - thinner - thinnest

2. If the adjective ends with a letter -y with a preceding consonant, then in the comparative and superlative degrees the letter y changes to i:

Easy - easier - easiest

light - lighter - lightest, lightest

early-earlier-earliest

early – earlier – earliest

dry-drier-driest

dry, arid – drier – driest

But the word shy (shy, fearful) does not obey this rule and forms degrees of comparison as follows:

shy - shyer - shyest.

3. If the adjective ends with a letter -e, then in comparative and superlative degrees is added -r, -st:

wide - wider - widest

wide - wider - widest, widest

late - later - latest

late – later – latest

fine-finer-finest

good, beautiful - better - the best

simple - simpler - simplest

simple - easier - simplest

Polysyllabic adjectives, i.e. adjectives of three or more syllables form degrees of comparison using more for the comparative and most for the superlative. Consider the following examples:

Polysyllabic adjectives

positive degree	comparative	Superlatives
interesting - interesting	more interesting - more interesting	most interesting - the most interesting
beautiful - beautiful	more beautiful - more beautiful	most beautiful - the most beautiful
expensive - expensive	more expensive - more expensive	most expensive - the most expensive
difficult - difficult	more difficult - more difficult	most difficult - the most difficult
dangerous - dangerous	more dangerous - more dangerous	most dangerous - the most dangerous
important - important	more important - more important	most important - the most important
comfortable - comfortable	more comfortable - more comfortable	most comfortable - the most comfortable

In the same way, i.e. using the words more for the comparative degree and most for the superlative degree, form degrees of comparison of some disyllabic words that end in -ed and -

Degrees of comparison is a grammatical phenomenon characteristic of qualitative adjectives, that is, those that express certain qualities of a particular subject. The meaning of such degrees is to express this quality to a greater or lesser extent. There are three degrees of comparison of adjectives in English - they are positive, comparative and superlative. The positive degree is a qualitative adjective in its initial form (cold). A comparative degree is one in which this quality is already expressed to a greater extent (colder), and an excellent one is when the quality is expressed in its highest degree (coldest, coldest).

Cold - colder- the coldest - Cold - colder (than) - the coldest
Smart-smarter-the smartest - Smart - smarter - smartest

As you have noticed, adjectives of the superlative comparative degree acquire a “satellite” - the article the.

The hottest news of the week - The hottest news of the week (meaning - the hottest of all news)
The scariest movie I've ever seen - The scariest movie I've ever seen

The only exception is when a very high degree of quality is meant, but there is no comparison with another subject.

Sunrises are most beautiful there - There are extraordinarily beautiful sunrises

Ways of forming degrees of comparison of adjectives in English

English grammar distinguishes three ways of forming comparative degrees: synthetic (using suffixes), analytic (with comparison words more-most, less-least) and suppletive (for special cases, such as good-better-the best). The ways of forming degrees of comparison of adjectives in English depend on the structure of the adjective.

Synthetic way used when the adjective contains one syllable, or two, with the stress on the last syllable.

Thin-thinner-the thinnest - Thin - thinner - the thinnest
Rude - ruder - the rudest - Rough - rougher (than) - the roughest

The same way applies to two-syllable words, with -ble, -er, -y, -some, -ow at the end

noble – nobler – noblest
tender - tenderer - tenderest
happy - happier - happiest
narrow-narrower-narrowest

But in order to correctly form a comparative degree, it is not enough just to “stick” a suffix at the end. There are a number of rules to follow.

Silent - e is omitted at the end of adjectives, do not try to double it.
Strange-stranger-the strangest - strange - stranger - the strangest

If the adjective ends with a short vowel and a consonant, the final consonant is doubled to form the comparative and superlative.
Hot-hotter-the hottest

Instead of the letter y, if the adjective ends in it, the suffix must be preceded by the letter i
Crazy-crazier-the craziest
Lazy-lazier-the laziest

Polysyllabic words form their own comparative forms via auxiliary words more\less, for example

effective - more effective - the most effective
dangerous – more dangerous –the most dangerous

Recall that if we are not talking about comparison, but only about a high degree of quality, we do not use the article the, and the word itself takes on the meaning of “extremely” or “very”.

The suppletive method has absorbed those examples that are an exception to the general rules. There are few such words, but enough to put them in a separate category. For example:

good-better-best
bad - worse - worst
little - less - least
many - more - most
far-farther/further-farthest/furthest
old-older/elder-oldest/eldest

At the same time, when we say farther, we mean geographical range

I live farther from zoo than Mary - I live farther from the zoo than Mary

Further is used in a broader sense - "further information", "on other issues", etc.

You can find further information on our website.

Elder (older) is used when it comes to seniority in a family or social group (older sister, older brother), in most cases older is used as an indicator of age.

Compound adjectives in English

Compound adjectives in English form their degrees of comparison with the words more-most, or by changing the first element if the word consists of two parts separated by a hyphen. Especially when at the beginning of the word there is good- bad- well- and other adjectives that have their own form of formation.

well-known – better-known – best-known
good-looking - better-looking - best-looking

Degrees of adjectives comparison Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Adjectives in English do not change in number or case, they change in degrees of comparison. This applies to quality adjectives. Relative adjectives do not have degrees of comparison (about qualitative and relative adjectives - in the material "").

There are three degrees of comparison of quality adjectives in English:

1. Positive (positive). Adjective in its usual form.
big
2. Comparative (comparative). Shows that one object has bo? a higher degree of quality than the other. Often used with the preposition than (than).
bigger more
3. Excellent (superlative). Indicates that the object has the highest degree of quality.
the biggest

Rules for the formation of degrees of comparison

1. The comparative degree is formed by adding the suffix -er [?r] to the stem of the word. Excellent - suffix -est [?st]. A few nuances:
a. In adjectives with one syllable, the last letter is doubled.
hot - hotter - the hottest
b. If the last letter of the adjective is -y, and it is preceded by a consonant, then it is replaced by -i; if a vowel, then -y remains unchanged.
busy - busier - the busiest
gray - grayer - the grayest
in. If the last letter in the adjective is mute -e (that is, not pronounced), then when writing it is omitted and merges with -e in the comparative or superlative suffix.
cute - cuter - the cutest
2. If an adjective has two or more syllables, then more is used in the comparative degree before it, and the most in the superlative degree:
beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful
3. There are a number of two-syllable adjectives that can change both according to the first rule and according to the second:
able
angry
clever
common
cruel
frequent
friendly
gentle
handsome
narrow
pleasant pleasant
polite
quiet
serious
simple
sour sour
4. Adjectives-exceptions:
good/well - better - the best
good - better - the best / the best
bad - worse - the worst
bad - worse - worst
little - less - the least
small - smaller - smallest/smallest
much (innumerable) / many (incalc.) - more - the most
many - more - most
old - older - the oldest
old - older - oldest
old - elder - the eldest
older - older - the oldest (only about people; for example: my elder brother is my elder brother)
late - later - the latest/the last
late - later - latest (new, latest in time)
near - nearer - the nearest
close - closer - closest (distance)
near - nearer - next / the next
close - closer - next (in time or in order)
far-farther-the farthest
farthest - farthest - farthest (distance only)
far - further - the furthest
farthest - more distant - most distant (in the abstract sense)