The topic "Degrees of comparison of adjectives" in English requires special attention and careful study. Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative. By analogy with the Russian language, an example can be given:
big (positive) - bigger (comparative) - biggest (excellent)
There are three ways to form degrees of adjectives in English:
- suffix;
- compound;
- exceptions.
Suffixal way of forming adjectives
The method only applies to single-syllable adjectives and to adjectives consisting of two syllables ending in -y, -er, -ow. In this case, the comparative degree is formed by adding -er at the end of the word. And superlative - by adding -est and the definite article the before the adjective. For a clear example, let's make a table with the translation of the degrees of comparisonadjectives in English:
| tall (tall, incredible) | taller (higher, more incredible) | the tallest | Mike is the tallest boy in his class. |
| short | shorter (shorter) | the shortest | It was the shortest weekend in my life. |
Do not forget that when you add a suffix to a word, it may undergo some changes. So, for example, if a word begins with the letter -y, and it is preceded by a consonant, then the letter -y changes to -i.
If a monosyllabic adjective ends in a stressed vowel and one consonant, then the last consonant is doubled when forming a comparative degree.
Also see the adjective comparison table below.
| cozy (comfortable) | cozier (more comfortable) | the coziest | This house is the coziest of all I have ever seen. |
| hot (hot, hot) | hotter (hotter, hotter) | the hottest | It was the hottest day this year. |
Compound way of forming adjectives
This method of formation is used only for polysyllabic words. To form adjectives, we put the word more or the most before the adjective, depending onwhat degree we need. We will also consider a good example in the table of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English.
| talkative | more talkative | the most talkative | This boy is the most talkative person on the Earth! |
| beautiful | more beautiful | the most beautiful | As for me, rose is the most beautiful flower |
| difficult (heavy) | more difficult | the most difficult | This exercise is more difficult than others |
Exceptions in education
This method includes the so-called exception words. There are not so many of them in the English language, but they have their own characteristics that must be remembered. Below is a table of exceptions for the degrees of comparison of adjectives in English, which you need to know by heart.
| good | better | the best | She is the best student in her class. - She is the top student in her class |
| bad | worse | the worst | I got the worst mark in whole class. - I got the worst grade in the entire class |
| little | less | the least | This room in hotel is less preferable for me. - This hotel room is less suitable for me |
| many/much (many) | more | the most | I need more information for doing my job well. - I need more information in order to do my job well |
| old (old) | elder/older | the eldest/the oldest | This car is older than me. - This car is older than me |
| far | further/farther | the furthest/the farthest | Let's go further in our discussion. - Let's move on with our discussion |
The last two adjectives require close attention. It is necessary to understand the difference between the older and elder forms. We use elder/the eldest only when we are talking about family ties. In all other cases, we use the words older/the oldest.
My brother is elder than my sister. - My brother is older than my sister.
BUT!
It is the oldest house in our village. - This is the oldest house in our village.
The words farther/the farthest are used only in their direct meaning when talking about physical distance. Otherwise, we use the words further/the furthest.
We are going farther and farther in deep forest. - We are going deeper and deeper into the dark forest.
Let's go further in our discussion. - Let's move on with our discussion.
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that there are adjectives that do not change according to degrees. Such forms are typical only for thoseadjectives that express any degree of a particular feature, quality or phenomenon. It is worth remembering that this topic is studied at an early stage of language learning, so all tables of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English for children will be as useful as for adults.
Exercises to practice
Fill in the table of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English with translation:
|
positive shape |
comparative shape |
excellent shape |
translation |
| different | |||
| hot | |||
| innovative | |||
| musical | |||
| smart | |||
| good | |||
| much | |||
| peaceful | |||
| patient | |||
| fortunate | |||
| happy | |||
| easy | |||
| clever |
Put the adjectives given in brackets into the correct form:
- Do youknow our … (far) destination?
- I couldn't solve this task on my math test. It was the … (difficult) for me.
- History is … (easy) for me than Art lessons.
- My mum is … (old) than my dad.
Exceptions of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. The table must be filled in as a keepsake.
| good | ||
| worse | ||
| the most | ||
| elder | ||
| little |
Translate into English:
- My grandfather is the oldest in our family.
- It was the scariest memory of my life.
- Yesterday I met one of the most beautiful girls on the planet.
- I promised I would study better.
- My friend is the kindest person in the universe.
