The adjectives and adverbs

THE ADJECTIVES. DEGREES OF COMPARISON

The adjective is a word expressing a quality of a substance.

I. According to their way of nomination adjectives fall into two groups:relative and qualitative.

Relative adjectives describe properties of a substance through relation to materials (wooden, leathern), place (European, Italian), time (daily, weekly), relationship (friendly).

Qualitative adjectives denote properties of a substance directly (great, cold). That is why only qualitative adjectives have degrees of comparison.

II. There are three grades of comparison: positive, comparative and superlative.

The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of quality.

The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of quality. The superlative is generally used with the definite article.

III. All the qualitative adjectives can be subdivided into one-syllable, two-syllable, poly-syllable (long adjectives) and irregular ones.

1. One-syllableadjectives normally form comparatives and superlatives by the inflexion –er, -est(synthetical way):

tall – taller – (the) tallest.

2. Some two-syllable adjectives ending in –y, -ow, -er, -le, -et are similar:

narrow – narrower –( the) narrowest happy – happier – (the) happiest

quiet – quieter – (the) quietest simple – simpler – (the) simplest

complete – completer – (the) completest clever – cleverer – (the) cleverest.

Other two-syllable adjectives, havemoreand most(analytical way):

stupid – more stupid - (the) most stupid.

With many two-syllable adjectives (e.g. polite, common), -er /-est and more / most are both possible. With others (including adjectives ending in -ing, -ed, -ful and -less), only more/most is possible:

boring – more boring – (the) most boring

careful – more careful – (the) most careful

tired – more tired – (the) most tired.

In general, the structure with more / most is becoming more common. To find out the normal comparative/ superlative for a particular two-syllable adjective, check in a good dictionary.

Polysyllable adjectives.

a) Polysyllable adjectiveshave three or more syllables and form their degrees of comparison by means of more and most(analytical way):

intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

practical more practical most practical

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful.

b) Words like unhappy (the opposites of two-syllable adjectives ending in -y) are an exception: they can have forms in -er and –est:

unhappy unhappier / more unhappy unhappiest / most unhappy

untidy untidier / more untidy untidiest / most untidy.

c) Some compound adjectives like good-looking or well-known have two possible comparatives and superlatives:

good-looking better-looking best-looking

оr more good-looking most good-looking

well-known better-known best-known

or more well-known most well-known.

4. Some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of comparison.

a) Irregular comparison:

· good – better – (the) best;

· bad – worse – (the) worst;

· little – less – (the) least;

· many, much – more – (the) most.

b) Double forms of irregular comparison:

farther – (the) farthest (about distance= дальний, дальнейший))

· far –

further – (the) furthest (about distance, abstract notions and in figurative use = дальнейший, последующий; самый дальний)

older – (the) oldest (about age = старший по возрасту)

· old –

elder – (the) eldest (about the sequence of brothers and sisters = родственные отношения)

later(более поздний) – (the) latest (самый новый, свежий,
последний по времени появления)

· late

the latter (последний из двух перечисленных) – last (прошлый во времени)

- (the) last (последний по порядку)

nearest(ближайший в значении расстояния)

· near – nearer

next (следующий по времени)

the next (следующий по порядку)

IV. Spelling rules

If the adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a stressed short vowel the consonant is doubled before –er, -est:

sad – sadder – (the) saddest

If the adjective ends in –y preceded by a consonant, -y is changed into –i before –er, -est:

busy – busier – (the) busiest

If the adjective ends in –e it is dropped before –er, -est:

fine – finer – (the) finest.

V. There are three types of comparison:

1. to a higher degree (comparative form + than):

This dessert is sweeter than the one you made last week.

2. to the same degree (as … as):

He is as tall as my brother.

Nicholas isn’t as/so friendly to me as he used to be.

3. to a lower degree (with less + than and the least):

My younger sister is less self-confident than I am.

That was the least difficult question in the exam.

VI. If there are several adjectives to one noun they usually have to be put in a particular order. Adjectives of different meanings stand in the following order:

Adjectives expressing judgement or general characterisation	Adjectives denoting size	Adjectives denoting colour	Adjectives denoting form	Adjectives denoting age	Limiting adjectives	Noun
pleasant nice horrid	large small little	pale green bright red blue	thick round square	old young	French left

A large black and white hunting dog; a small pale green oval seed.

Note 1: Adjectives ending in –ed.

A few adjectives ending in -ed have a special pronunciation: the last syllable is pronounced [id] instead of [d] or [t]. They are:

Aged (very old) [‘eɪʤɪd]

Beloved [bɪ’lʌvɪd]

Blessed [‘blesɪd]

Crooked [‘krukɪd]

Cursed [‘kɜːsɪd]

Dogged [‘dɔgɪd]

Learned [‘lɜːnɪd]

Naked [‘neɪkɪd]

Ragged [‘rægɪd]

Rugged [‘rʌgɪd]

Sacred [‘seɪkrɪd]

Wicked [‘wɪkɪd]

Wretched [‘reʧɪd]

Long/three-legged [‘legɪd]

Note that aged is pronounced [‘eɪʤd] when it means ‘years old’(as in He has a daughter aged ten), or when it is a verb and [‘eɪʤɪd] when it means having lived or existed for a long time (very old aged men with white hair).

Other adjectives ending in –ed always have the normal pronunciation, with [id] only after ‘d’ or ‘t’: tired [‘taɪəd], hunchbacked [‘hʌnʧbækt], undecided [ˌʌndɪ’saɪdɪd].

Note 2: Normally adjectives go after the article (a nice house). But after as, how, so, too, this/that meaning so, adjectives go before the article. This structure is common in a formal style.

I have as good a voice as you.

How good a pianist is he?

It was so warm a day that I could hardly work.

She is too polite a person to refuse.

I couldn’t afford that big a car.

Note 3: There is a group of so called limit adjectives which already have a very strong meaning:

exhausted = very tired

delicious = very tasty.

For this reason, it sounds odd to say ‘very exhausted’ or ‘very delicious’. Limit adjectives are described by extreme modifiers – intensifying adverbs: absolutely huge, completely terrified, quiet perfect, utterly ridiculous, totally blind.

Some modifiers and adjectives go together, and some do not. It takes time to practice to learn which are used together. If you are in doubt, use ‘absolutely’, which can go with all limit adjectives.

Note 4. . More, most with short adjectives

a) Sometimes more/most are used with adjectives that normally have –er / -est. This can happen, for example, when a comparative is not followed immediately by than. Forms with -er are also possible.

The road’s getting more and more steep. (or ... steeper and steeper.)

b) When we compare two descriptions (saying that one is more suitable or accurate than another), we use more. Comparatives with -er are not possible.

He’s more lazy than stupid, (not He’s lazier than stupid.)

In a rather formal style, most can be used with adjectives expressing approval and disapproval (including one-syllable adjectives) to mean ‘very’.

Thank you very much indeed. That is most kind of you.

Real, right, wrong and like always have more and most.

She’s more like her mother than her father.

Note 5. Substantivized Adjectives.

Sometimes adjectives become substantivized. In this case they have the functions of nouns in the sentence and are always preceded by the definite article. Substantivized adjectives may have two meanings:

They may indicate a class of persons in a general sense (e.g. the poor = poor people, the dead = dead people, etc.) Such adjectives are plural in meaning and take a plural verb.

The old receive pensions.

The young are always romantic, aren’t they?

The blind are taught trades in special schools.

Some adjectives denoting nationalities (e.g. English, French, Dutch) are used in the same way:

The English are great lovers of tea.

If we wish to denote a single person we must add a noun: The old man receives a pension.

EXERCISES