Download COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES

COMPARATIVES
&
SUPERLATIVES
Types of comparisons
Comparisons are of different types,
depending on whether the things being
compared are seen as different or
similar on the dimension on which they
are being compared. The two main types
of comparisons:
 inequality comparisons
 equality comparisons
Inequality comparisons:
• It presents two things being compared
as a different points on a scale related
to the dimension on which they are
being compared.
John is taller than Bill is.
(Bill and John are compared in the
respect of height, which has different
degrees on a scale represented by the
adjective tall.)
• In the example the second clause of
comparison is a reduced version of
preceding clause, with omission of
content that is like the content in the
first clause. Thus we can write the
sentence in different ways:
 John is taller than Bill is tall.
 John is taller than Bill is.
 John is taller than Bill.
Inequality comparisons may express:
superiority relationship:
• It has the meaning “x is greater than y”. It is
expressed by more or –er on certain
adjectives and adverbs and with than
introducing a second clause.
• The element on which things are compared
can be one that is expressed by an adjective,
an adverb, a noun or a verb.
• Adjectives used in comparisons need to be
gradable adjectives.
Examples:
 Fred is smarter than Alice.
 George is more considerate
than Alan is.
adjective (with –er)
adjective (with more)
 She tries harder than Susan does.
 She speaks more frequently than
he does.
adverb (with –er)
adverb (with more)
 John has more problems than I do.
noun
 He talks a lot more than she does.
verb
• Although generally expressed with
comparative sentences, superiority
relationships can also be expressed by
certain verbs, such as surpass, prefer (to)
and favor (over) and certain combination of
be + adjective + to.
 I prefer opera to the ballet.
 His entry was superior to hers.
 The solution he suggested is preferable to
the one you just made.
Inferiority relationships:
•
•
It has the meaning “x is less than y”.
It is expressed by less- or with count nouns, fewer followed by than introducing the second clause.
 The first estimate was less expensive
adjective
than the second.
 He drives less cautiously than I do.
adverb
 She has much less money than
you do.
noncount noun (with less)
 Alice has fewer friends than
Susan does.
count noun (with fewer)
 She contributes much less to the
discussion than her husband does.
verb
• Although the rule for less and fewer is that
less is used with noncount nouns and fewer
with count nouns; in spoken English, less is
used sometimes instead of fewer.
 On the midterm exam, he made fewer
mistake than the other students.
 On the midterm exam, he made less mistake
than the other students.
Equality comparisons:
• When we present two things as being
equal in some respect, we make
equality comparisons.
• It say that in some respect “x is equal
to y”.
• Equality comparisons are expressed
through as…..as, which links the two
clauses.
 The hat was as expensive as
adjective
the sweater.
 This course covers the material
adverb
as thoroughly as that other course.
 He has as much/little money as
she does.
noncount noun (with much/little)
 They have as many/few friends
as we do.
count noun (with many/few)
 He contributed as much/little to
the discussion as Susan did.
verb
• Equality comparisons can be made in a
number of ways. For example, with be or a
similar verb followed by the same + noun +
as, similar to or equal / identical to or (just)
like.
 Susan’s car is the same color as the car we
saw in front of Steve’s house.
 His views on that matter are similar to those
of the other speaker.
 His raincoat is identical to mine.
 He is just like his sister.
• By inserting not , we can change the
sentence expressing inequality
comparisons.
 The hat was not as/so expensive as the
sweater.
 This course doesn’t cover the material as
thoroughly as that other course.
 He doesn’t have as much money as she
does.
 They don’t have as many friends as we do.
 He didn't contribute as much as to the
discussion as Susan did.
Exercises:
Indicate whether each sentence conveys an
inequality relationship, an equality
relationship or just a difference.
1.Her opinion on that matter is definitely
different from that of the editorial board.
Answer: just a difference
2.Bill is less judgment than Alan is.
Answer: an inequality relationship.
3.Sally is definitely more ambitious than
Marcia is.
Answer: an inequality relationship
4.He isn’t really like his brother at all.
Answer: just a difference
5.A snowshoe hare is just as fast as a lynx.
They escape them about 50 percent of the
time
Answer: an equality relationship
6.NASA’s successful landing of robot explorer
on Mars does not really surpass some of its
previous accomplishment, such as landing a
lunar module.
Answer: an inequality relationship
COMPARATIVE FORMS of
ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS
Single-Syllable Adjectives
• Several single-syllable adjectives have special
comparative forms
ADJECTIVE
COMPARATIVE
good
better
bad
worse
far
farther/further
old
older/elder
little
less
much/many
more
•For the remaining single- syllable adjectives, -er is
preferred.
ADJECTIVE
tall
old
cheap
late
nice
fat
big
thin
COMPARATIVE
taller
older
cheaper
later
nicer
fatter
bigger
thinner
Most adjectives:
+ -er
Adjectives ending
in -e: + -r
One vowel+one
consonant: double
consonant
• Some adjectives do commonly occur
with either –er or more.
 quick
quicker
more quick
 fierce
fiercer
more fierce
Two-Syllable Adjectives:
• With two-syllable adjectives, some
must form the comparative with more
whereas others tend to form it with –
er.
• An –er is preferred with adjectives that
are stressed on the first syllable and
end in -y, -ly, -le, or –ow.
-y
-ly
-le
-ow
ADJECTIVE
COMPARATIVE
angry
Angrier
dirty
Dirtier
Easy
easier
friendly
Friendlier
lovely
Lovelier
costly
costlier
simple
Simpler
ample
Ampler
gentle
gentler
narrow
Narrower
Shallow
Shallower
mellow
mellower
•More is required for most other twosyllable adjectives, including those
that are stressed on the first syllable
and end in –ful, -ish, -al, -ic, -ous.
-ful
-ish
-al
-ic
-ous
ADJECTIVE
COMPARATIVE
careful
more careful
harmful
foolish
fiendish
more harmful
more foolish
more fiendish
vital
normal
magic
more vital
more normal
more magic
chronic
more chronic
cautious
famous
more cautious
more famous
• Stress placement and the ending of the base form
are not always solid predictors of what the
comparative form will be.
As the following examples show, adjectives with
the same stress pattern (stress first syllable) and
the same endings (-id, -on, -er, -ed, -ant) in some
cases take either –er or more and in others must
take more.
-id
-on
-er
-ed
-ant
ADJECTIVE
COMPARATIVE
placid
more placid
stupid
stupider / more stupid
wanton
more wanton
common
commoner / more common
eager
more eager
clever
cleverer / more clever
rugged
more rugged
wicked
more wicked/ wickeder
mordant
more mordant
pleasant
more pleasant/ pleasanter
Adjectives with More Than Two
Syllables:
• If an adjective has more than two syllables,
the comparative form will be made with
more, for example:
 suspicious
 important
 beautiful
 intelligent
more suspicious
more important
more beautiful
more intelligent
• There are very few exception to this,
being three syllable adjectives that
were formed by adding the prefix un- to
a two-syllable adjective that forms its
comparative in –er. For example:
 un + happy (unhappy)
 un + tidy (untidy)
unhappier
untidier
• Some compound adjectives like goodlooking or well-known have two possible
comparatives.
 Good-looking
better-looking OR
more good-looking
 well-known
better-known OR
more well-known
Participial Adjectives:
• Many adjectives are formed from present or
past participles. Participle adjectives have
only comparative forms with more.
 When she heard that the plane was overdue,
she became even more worried.
 The game turned out to be more exciting
than we had anticipated.
Double comparatives
• More and a following –er comparative form
of the adjective are sometimes heard in
conversation, even though this is not
considered acceptable in educated English.
For example:
 This way it is more easier to see.
 It’s much more warmer in there.
 She’s a bit more nicer than Mrs. Jones.
• The adverbs well, badly, and far have the
same comparative forms as the adjectives
good, bad, and far.
 well
 badly
 far
better
worse
farter/further
• The comparative forms of singlesyllable adverbs are made by adding –
er.
fast
hard
late
long
faster
harder
later
longer
• The vast majority of adverbs are derived by
adding –ly to adjectives. These adverbs form
their comparatives with more and less.
 quickly
 regularly
 quietly
 lively
 likely
 easily
more quickly
more regularly
more quietly
less lively
less likely
less easily
Exercises:
Indicate whether the cooperative form is each
sentence is acceptable. If not, explain why.
1.The problem was not more easier than I
thought.
Answer: un acceptable (more is unnecessary.)
2.The Art Institute of Chicago has a more
complete collection of Impressionist
paintings than the museum in Minneapolis
has.
Answer: acceptable
3.He was supposed to arrive at two o’clock,
but he didn’t. At 2:30 he still hadn’t come,
and we were getting anxiouser and
anxiouser.
Answer: unacceptable (two syllable adjectives that
have a stress first syllable and end in –ous form the
comparative with more)
4.It is simpler and more efficient to learn the
rules and abide by them than to ignore them.
Answer: acceptable
5.Today it is actually more warmer outside the
house than inside.
Answer: unacceptable (more is unnecessary; this is
a double comparative)
6.That lecture turned out to be boring than I
had expected.
Answer: unacceptable (participial adjectives form
the comparative with more)
7.She was even more strong than I thought.
She could lift her own weight.
Answer: unacceptable (two-syllable adjectives
ending in –y form the comparative with –er)
8.Mr. Cruise’s performance in his latest
film is less risky than his performance
is Risky Business.
Answer: acceptable (adjective of two or more
syllables are usually formed with less)
9.Many movie stars are less impressive
in person than they are when you see
them on the big screen.
Answer: acceptable
Thanks For
listening
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CEZAYİR