How to express superlatives

↙㦖 ゚㕎₆☚ 䞮⩺┞㢖䞮Ệ┞㢖 ⁞⹿ 㔲✺㠊㍲… Flowers are not only expensive but they wither so soon, so… ☞☚ ☞㧊⩺┞㢖☞㧊Ệ┞㢖 㔲Ṛ☚ ⶎ㩲㟒. Money is a problem, so is time. • -Ⱒ…-Ợ 㞚┞⧒ 㧊 㔳╏㦖 㦢㔳ⰱⰢ 㫡㦖 Ợ 㞚┞⧒ 㫛㠛㤦✺☚ 㺎 䂲㩞䟊. This restaurant not only has good food, but their employees are really kind as well. 䅊䜾䎆㠦Ⱒ ὖ㕂㧊 㧞⓪ Ợ 㞚┞⧒ 㧦☯㹾㠦☚ ὖ㕂㧊 Ⱔ㞚㣪. He is not only interested in computers, but also in cars. • -㧊㧦, -㧊㣪 㻮㦢㧊㧦 Ⱎ㰖Ⱏ㧊┺. This is the first and the last. 㔲㧎㧊㣪 䞯㧦┺. She is a poet and a scholar.

21.2 Combination of unequal-status clauses

In what follows, we will look at conjunctive patterns where one of the clauses is subordinate, providing additional information about the main clause when the action occurred, why it occurred, and so forth. The dividing lines for the various clause types ‘sequence’ versus ‘reason,’ ‘background’ versus ‘sequence,’ etc. is sometimes blurry, but they will do for the purposes of exposition. 21.2.1 Background The following patterns give speakers a way to attract the listener’s interest and to provide the information needed to draw relevant inferences. • -⓪◆㦖◆ To draw the listener’s interest and attention: 㩖 䞲ῃ Ṗ⓪◆ ⶦ ⿖䌗䞶 Ệ 㠜㠊㣪? I’m going to Korea; do you have anything to ask of me? ⿖䌗✲Ⰺ Ợ 䞲 Ṗ㰖 㧞⓪◆ 㫖 ✺㠊 㭒㔲Ỷ㠊㣪? I have one favor to ask of you; would you do it for me? 㧻⳾┮℮ ✲Ⰺ ㌳㧒㍶ⶒ㦚 㺔⓪◆ ⶦṖ 㫡㦚₢㣪? I’m looking to buy a gift for my mother-in-law’s birthday; what do you recommend? 㠊㩲 ⺇䢪㩦㠦 Ṫ㠞⓪◆ ㎎㧒㦚 䋂Ợ 䞮▪⧒ῂ㣪. I went to the department store yesterday and saw that they were having a big sale. To have the listener draw relevant inferences: 㰖⁞ 㫖 䞒Ἲ䞲◆…┺㦢㠦 䞮Ⳋ 㞞♒㣪? I’m a bit tired right now… can I do it later? 㹾Ṗ Ⱏ䧞▮◆…㠊⠑Ợ 㧊⩝Ợ 㧒㹣 ☚㹿䟞┞? I noticed that the traffic was slow… how did you arrive this early? 䞲ῃ ㌳䢲㧊 ⻢㖾 15 ⎚㧎◆…䞲ῃⰦ 㥶㺓䞲 Ệ㟒 ╏㡆䞮㰖. I’ve lived in Korea 15 years already…my Korean should be fluent, of course. 㧷㺚 Ⱒ✲⓪◆…㢖㍲ ⲏ㠊⧒. We’re making chapch’ae…come over and eat it. NOTE: -⓪ ◆ written with an intervening space: ‘in doing…’ 㧷㺚 Ⱒ✲⓪ ◆ ⶦⶦ ✺㠊Ṗ㰖? What goes into making chapch’ae? • -┞₢, -㠞▪┞ Both are used only with first person, except in questions to indicate situations in which one discovers something. Usually, -㠞▪┞ is not natural for a state that is brought about without the subject’s action – only -┞₢ is appropriate for the first three sentences below. -┞ can be used instead of -┞₢, but is less common and less colloquial. 㰧㠦 㠜⓪ Ệ ⽊┞₢ 䞯ᾦ㠦 Ṫ⋮ ⽊┺. He’s not home; looks like he’s gone to school. 䂲ῂ⧧ 䞲 㧪 䞮┺ ⽊┞₢ ⻢㖾 12 㔲Ṗ ⍮㦖 Ệ 㧞㬶. I was drinking with a friend and before I knew it, it was past midnight. 㣪㯮 ἓ㩲Ṗ 㞞 㫡┺ ⽊┞₢ ㌂⧢✺ 㧎㕂☚ Ⱔ㧊 ṗ⹫䟊㪢㠊㣪. The economy is so bad these days that people have become very ungenerous. Ⱏ㌗ Ṗ ⽊┞₢⽺▪┞ ㌳ṗ⽊┺ 㠊⩺㤊 㩦㧊 Ⱔ▪⧒ῂ㣪. When I actually went there, I noticed that many things were tougher than I thought. 㞢ἶ ⽊┞₢⽺▪┞ 㡆㧎㌂㧊Ṗ 㞚┞⧒ ⁎⌻ 䂲ῂ⧮㣪. As I found out, they are not romantic partners but just friends. Ἒ㌆䟊 ⽊┞₢⽺▪┞ 㧊 ╂㠦⓪ 㑮㧛⽊┺ 㰖㿲㧊 ▪ Ⱔ㞮㠊㣪. I did calculations and found out we had more expenses than income this month. ₆℥ 㺔㞚 ⏩㦒┞₢⏩㞮▪┞ 䞚㣪㠜╖. I managed to find it for him after much trouble; and now he says he doesn’t need it. ⼧㤦㠦 Ṗ┞₢Ṫ▪┞ 㦮㌂Ṗ ⶦ⧮㣪? You went to the hospital; so what did the doctor say? • -㦖 㯟, -Ị╖ ⁎㴓 㟮₆⯒ ✺㠊 ⽎ 㯟, 㠋㤎䞮Ợ ⑚ⳛ㦚 㗒▪⧒ῂ㣪. As I heard the other side’s story, I found out that they were falsely accused. ⌊Ṗ 㧻╊䞮Ị╖ ⁎ 㡗䢪⓪ ⹮✲㔲 䧞䔎䞶 Ệ㟒. I guarantee the movie will be a hit. ⌊Ṗ 㡞㠎䞮Ị╖ 1 ⎚ 㞞㠦 䋆 㰖㰚㧊 ⹲㌳䞶 ộ㧊┺. I predict there will be a big earthquake within a year.