THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

There are three degrees of comparison:POSITIVE degree, COMPARATIVE degree, SUPERLATIVE degree:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVEcool cooler coolest

intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

01. COMPARATIVE OF EQUALITY

AS .... AS (for positive comparisons),(NOT) SO .... AS (for negative comparisons).

Her pronunciation is AS good AS yours.His pronunciation is NOT SO good AS yours.

Note: We may say NOT AS .... AS, especially after acontracted form: Her pronunciation isn't AS good AS yours.

02. COMPARATIVE OF INFERIORITY

LESS ..... THAN + the adjective.

It is LESS cold today THAN it was yesterday.Kelly is LESS old THAN Sandra.

03. SUPERLATIVE OF INFERIORITY

THE LEAST ....... OF (or IN) + the adjective.

Sunday was THE LEAST cold day of the week.Christina is THE LEAST old girl in that class.

04. COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE OF SUPERIORITY

a) Monosyllabic adjectives form their COMPARATIVE andSUPERLATIVE by adding - ER and - EST to the POSITIVE

degree.

tall tallER THAN THE tallESTwarm warmER THAN THE warmEST

Exceptions:

just MORE just THAN THE MOST justright MORE right THAN THE MOST rightreal MORE real THAN THE MOST realwrong MORE wrong THAN THE MOST wrong

b) Adjectives with more than two syllables form theirCOMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE by putting MORE and THE MOST in

front of the adjective.

difficult MORE difficult THAN THE MOST difficultimportant MORE important THAN THE MOST important

c) Disyllabic (two syllables) adjectives form theirCOMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE in two different ways:

1. Adjectives ending in ED, ING, RE, FUL, OUS and thosewith the stress on the first syllable usually take MORE and

THE MOST:

charming MORE charming THAN THE MOST charmingfamous MORE famous THAN THE MOST famoushopeful MORE hopeful THAN THE MOST hopefullearned MORE learned THAN THE MOST learnedobscure MORE obscure THAN THE MOST obscure

2. Adjectives ending in ER, Y, LE, OW and those with the

stress on the second syllable add ER and EST to thePOSITIVE degree.

clever cleverER THAN THE cleverESTnarrow narrowER THAN THE narrowESTpretty prettiER THAN THE prettiESTpolite politER THAN THE politESTsimple simplER THAN THE simplEST

Note: Adjectives ending in SOME and the words cheerful,common, cruel, pleasant, quiet, civil may be compared byadding ER and EST or by MORE and MOST.

pleasant pleasantER THAN THE pleasantEST

or

pleasant MORE pleasant THAN THE MOST pleasant

05. ORTHOGRAPHIC NOTESa) Add R and ST to adjectives ending in E.

large largeR THAN THE largeSTripe ripeR THAN THE ripeST

b) VOWEL SANDWICH (VOWEL + CONSONANT + VOWEL) (THE LASTVOWEL IS DOUBLED)

big bigGER THAN THE bigGESTfat fatTER THAN THE fatTEST

NO SANDWICH (JUST THE SUFFIX)

small smallER THAN THE smallESTsweet sweetER THAN THE sweetEST

c) Adjectives ending in - y preceded by a consonant, changeY into I before ER and EST.

happY happIER THAN THE happIEST

Exceptions:

shY shYER THAN THE shYESTgaY gaYER THAN THE gaYESTgreY greYER THAN THE greYEST

6. IRREGULAR COMPARISONS

good better than the bestbad worse than the worst

little less than the leastmuch more than the mostmany more than the mostfar farther than the farthestfar further than the furthestold older than the oldestold elder than the eldest

NOTES:1. FARTHER and FARTHEST generally refer to distance;FURTHER and FURTHEST also refer to distance but they mayhave the meaning of "additional".I live farther from here than you do.Give me further details.

2. OLDER and OLDEST refer to persons or things; ELDER andELDEST can only be used for members of the same family:My elder sister is afraid of mice.My older friend is afraid of wasps.

but ELDER can not be placed before THAN so OLDER is used:My sister is two years older than I am.

7. CONSTRUCTIONS WITH COMPARATIVES

a) Gradual increase:Those exercises are getting EASIER AND EASIER. ORThose exercises are getting MORE AND MORE EASY.

The weather is getting NICER AND NICER. ORThe weather is getting MORE AND MORE NICE.

The rent of our flat is getting MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE.

B) Parallel increase: (THE + comparative ...... THE +comparative).THE MORE I see you THE MORE I want you.THE HOTTER, THE BETTER.THE MORE he studies, THE BETTER he becomes.

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

1. COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE of SUPERIORITY.

a) Monosyllabic adverbs from their comparative andsuperlative of superiority in the same way as monosyllabic

adjectives.

high highER THAN THE highESTsoon soonER THAN THE soonESTfast fastER THAN THE fastEST

b) Adverbs of more than one syllable take MORE and MOST.

quickly MORE quickly THAN THE MOST quicklyslowly MORE slowly THAN THE MOST slowlyseldom MORE seldom THAN THE MOST seldom

Exception:

early earliER THAN THE earliEST

2. IRREGULAR COMPARISONS

well better than the bestbadly worse than the worstlittle less than the leastmuch more than the mostlate later than the last