Degrees of comparison in English, as in any other, serve to express relativity and evaluate the qualities of an object or phenomenon with reference to the same qualities of another object or phenomenon. In English, as in Russian, there are only three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative. In this article, each of these degrees will be considered separately using the example of the adjective small, which means "small" in English.
Positive degree
This degree of comparison small in English has a descriptive function, that is, it serves to describe this or that object or phenomenon in the literal sense of the word. To put it simply, this degree of comparison, however paradoxical it may sound, does not imply comparison, but simply states the fact that someone or something is small, regardless of the size of other objects or creatures.
Here are some examples of using the adjective small in a positive degreecomparisons:
- I'm not going to say my hometown was small, but the speed signs were standing 'back to back'. - I'm not saying that my hometown was small, but the speed limiters on the roads were "back to back" / very close to each other. (This classic British joke refers to the fact that in small towns, speed limiters only appear at the entrance and exit of the city, and if they are crowded, the town is really very small.)
- It was a strange small instrument he decided to repair my car with, and it was definetly the worst way for him to make me believe he is a good specialist. - He decided to fix my car with some weird little tool and that was the worst way to make me believe he was really good.
As the examples show, small is a simple characteristic in this case.
Comparative degree
In English, there are three ways to form the comparative degree small. All of them serve to describe or explain how small an object or phenomenon is in relation to another object or phenomenon, but depend on the context.
| Comparative degree | ||
| Exaggeration | Equality | Understatement |
| The item you are looking for is smaller than what it is being compared to | The item you are looking for is as small as what it is compared to | The item you are looking for is not as small aswhat it is compared to |
| Smaller | As small as | Less small |
| Your hand is smaller than mine | His cup is as small as her. | Our community is smaller than yours. |
| Your hand is smaller than mine | His mug is as small as hers | Our community is not as small as yours |
This degree of comparison small helps to describe one thing in relation to another: to say that it is more, less, or as small as what it is being compared to. It is used quite often because it is flexible in structure and easy to remember.
In addition, different forms of it can be used in the same sentence, creating a more accurate, unusual and interesting description. For example:
- It was a small cup of coffee, less small than the one you need to wake up, but definetely smaller than the one I'd like myself to be able to drink slowly it the morning instead of being in a hurry and affraid to be late to work. - It was a small cup of coffee; not as small as you need to wake up, but definitely smaller than what I would like to have a quiet drink in the morning instead of rushing and being afraid to be late for work.
- The justice works when everyone has got as small part of common success as others besides you, and everyone's part is smaller than yours. - Justice comes when everyone gets the samea small piece of overall success, like everyone else except you, and all their pieces are smaller than yours.
As you can see from the given examples, small is an adjective rich in commonly used degrees of comparison. When used wisely, very interesting ideas and thoughts can be expressed.
Superlatives
The superlative degree of comparison small, unlike the previous one, compares the desired object not with another object, but with all possible ones. It sounds like the smallest and literally translates as "the smallest" or "the smallest".
Here are some examples of its use:
- Even the smallest dog in the world is able to bite and hurt. - Even the smallest dog in the world can bite hard.
- I've seen a lot of cars and finally got the smallest one, because it seemed to be the most comfortable to me. - I saw a lot of cars, but in the end I bought the smallest one because it seemed the most comfortable to me.
- True friendship is real when your friends is being asked by you to share his happiness, devides it into two parts and takes himself the smallest one. - True friendship is when your friend, when you ask him to share happiness, splits it in two and keeps the smallest part for himself.
Summing up
All three degrees of comparison of the adjective small are actively used in English speech, you need to know them. Moreover, other adjectives obey the same laws and are formedin a very similar way. Therefore, having learned the degrees of comparison small, it is quite possible to trace the pattern and similarly use other words, expressing relativity or superiority. No one can say when and under what circumstances it will be necessary to know the degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. But anyone can say with confidence that they are one of the most important aspects of learning that cannot be ignored.
