The Definition of Degrees of Comparison

3. The Forms and Patterns of Degrees of Comparison a. The Forms of Degrees of Comparison To form the degrees of comparison we need to know the inflection or addition ways of adjective and adverb. Whether it is added by –er or –est at the end of the adjective or adverb, or preceded by more- or most- before it. It depends on the length of adjective and adverb word and also its last syllable. Besides, there is also the irregular form of degrees of comparison, such as the word bad positive degree, worse comparative degree and worst superlative degree. For further explanation about the form of degrees of comparison the writer has some formulas as stated below. 1 Positive Degree: it has the simplest form of all and it uses the base form of adjective or adverb. We just need to put or add as before and after the adjective or adverb, and for the negative sense add not before as. Table 2.1 Positive form Adjective and Adverb Rule The words Positive form  All adjective forms  All adverb forms  Add “as” before and after the word  Add “as” before and after the word  interesting, expensive, high  soon, quickly, seldom  as interesting as, as expensive as, as high as  as soon as, as quickly as, as seldom as 2 Comparative Degree: regular adjectives and adverbs make their comparative form in one of two ways: a By addition of the suffix –er sometimes with modification in the spelling of the stem: bigger, larger, sillier, etc. b By the use of word more-: more foolish, more amusing, etc. 7 Table 2.2 Comparative form Pattern I: addition of suffix –er Adjective and Adverb Rule The words Comparative form I. Adjectives of one syllable  ended by “e”  ended by vowel+consona nt, except h,w,x,y  ended by all other words II. Adjective of two syllables  Ended by –er, - ow  Ended by –y  Ended by consonant + le III. Adverb of one syllable mostly identical in form with adjectives, and sometimes not clearly distinguished from adjective in function. 8  Add –r  Double the last consonant before adding – er  Add –er  Add –er  Change “y” to “i” and add –er  Add –r  Add –er  brave, wide  flat, big, hot  short, cheap, long  clever, narrow  pretty, happy  gentle, noble  hard, fast, soon  braver, wider  flatter, bigger, hotter  shorter, cheaper, longer  cleverer, narrower  prettier, happier  gentler, nobler  harder, faster, sooner 7 C E Nuttall, English Language Units: Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs, London: Longman Group Ltd, 1971, p.7 8 C E Nuttall, English Language Units: Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs, London: Longman Group Ltd, 1971p.8 Table 2.3 Comparative form Pattern II: addition of the word more- Adjective and Adverb Rules The words Comparative form I. Adjective of two syllables ended by –ful, -re, -ed, -ing, - ish, -ous II. Adjective of three or more syllables III. Most adverbs that admit of the notion of comparison, these include mainly adverb of manner with the suffix –ly, and a few adverb of frequency  Put more- before the positive form  Put more- before the positive form  Put more- before the positive form  doubtful, obscure, amused, boring, foolish, nervous  interested, amusing, beautiful, magnificent  sweetly, carefully, accurately, seldom  more doubtful, more obscure, more amused, more boring, more foolish, more nervous  more interested, more amusing, more beautiful, more magnificent  more sweetly, more carefully, more accurately, more seldom 3 Superlative Degree: regular adjectives and adverbs make their superlative form in two ways: by adding the suffix –est for one or some of two syllables adjective or adverb, and adding the word most- for three or some of two syllables adjective or adverb.