Again, remember that the adjective ( Adjective) is a word that denotes a sign of an object, person or phenomenon. It answers the question "what?". Let's look at how to form degrees of comparison of adjectives in English.
All adjectives are divided into two groups: qualitative ( qualitative) and relative ( relative). But not all of them can be compared. For example, "wooden" is a relative adjective and we cannot say "more wooden". And quality adjectives can be represented in positive (beautiful), comparative (more beautiful) and excellent (most beautiful) degrees of comparison. And now we will talk about each degree in detail.
Comparative degree of adjectives in English. Comparative degree
First, let's briefly talk about the positive degree. The positive degree is a simple form of the adjective: smart, cheerful, gentle. This form is found in dictionaries. For example: brave(brave), new(new), cold(cold).
The comparative degree is used when comparing the characteristics of two or more objects, persons. Words like “faster”, “higher”, “stronger” are comparative adjectives. How to form it?
- To short adjectives (consisting of one or two syllables), you need to add the ending -er: cheap(cheap) - cheaper(cheaper), narrow(narrow) - narrower(already), long(long) - longer(longer).
- -e, then we just add -r: close(close) - closer(closer).
- If the adjective ends in -y, then -y changes to -i: lucky(lucky) - luckier(more lucky) easy(simple) - easier(simpler).
- If the adjective ends with a vowel + consonant combination, then the final consonant is doubled: big(big) - bigger(more), hot(hot) - hotter(hot).
- The comparative degree of long adjectives (more than 2 syllables) is formed using the words more(more) and less(less): expensive(expensive) - more expensive(more expensive), serious(serious) - less serious(less serious) comfortable(comfortable) - more comfortable(more comfortable).
Superlative adjectives in English. superlative degree
If a comparative degree requires two objects to compare characteristics, then a superlative degree requires several objects, among which we will single out one “best”. To form this degree, we do the following:
- Add an ending to short adjectives -est: thin(thin) - the thinnest(the thinnest), fast(fast) - the fastest(the fastest). At the same time, the adjectives -e, -y and to a consonant letter they obey the same rules as in the formation of a comparative degree: the simplest(simplest), the busiest(busiest).
- We use long adjectives with words most(most) and least(least): talented(talented) - the most talented(the most talented), interesting(interesting) - the least interesting(least interesting).
When forming this degree, it is necessary to use the article the as described in the examples above.
Special adjectives
And in English there is a list of adjectives that can be used both with suffixes and with words more/most, less/least.
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| Able | Capable |
| Angry | Evil |
| Clever | Smart |
| Common | General |
| Cruel | Cruel |
| Friendly | Friendly |
| Gentle | Gentle |
| handsome | Nice |
| Narrow | Narrow |
| Pleasant | Nice |
| politics | Polite |
| Quiet | Quiet |
| Serious | Serious |
| Simple | Simple |
| Sour | Sour |
Exception adjectives
There are also adjectives, the degrees of comparison of which are not formed according to the general rule. These adjectives, as well as their forms, should be known by heart.
- Good – better – the best(good - better - best).
- Bad – worse – the worst(bad - worse - worse).
- Little – less – the least(small - less - smallest).
- Many/much – more – the most(many - more - the largest).
- old – older – the oldest(old - older - oldest).
- old – elder – the eldest(old - older - oldest) - about family members.
- Late – later – the latest/last(later - later - last / last in time).
- Late – the latter – the last(late - the second of the two listed - the last in order).
- near – nearer – the nearest(closer - closer - closest in distance).
- near – nearer – next/the next(closer - closer - next in time / next in order).
- Far – farther – the farthest(furthest - farthest - farthest).
- Far – further – the furthest(distant, distant - further - further / additional).
We suggest you study the table with degrees of comparison.
| Adjective | Degrees of comparison | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Comparative | excellent | |
| Short, 1-2 syllables | Adjective cheap |
+ er
cheaper |
+ est
the cheapest |
| Long words of 2 or more syllables | Adjective expensive |
More/less+ adjective more/less expensive |
The most/least+ adjective the most/least expensive |
(*.pdf, 180 Kb)
These are the basic rules for the formation of degrees of comparison of adjectives in English. Don't forget to take a test at the end to check how well you remember this material.
Test
Degrees of comparison of adjectives in English
Friends, you remember that the English language is full of all sorts of tricks and subtleties. But what we are going to talk about today is not particularly difficult if you know the rules well.
And today we are talking about the main endings of words in English. English has a number of endings that play an important role in the formation of nouns, adjectives and verbs.
Unlike the Russian language, there are not so many endings in English, there are only a few of them. But, since they are few, they are used in various cases. We will consider each of these endings today.
You all know this ending, friends. Those who study English, for sure, met with him very often. We want to remind you of the most common uses of this ending.
First, the -ing ending serves to form the tenses of the Present Continuous and Past Continuous verbs. For example:
- Don't bother Amy. She is written ing a letter now.- Don't bother Amy. She is now writing a letter.
- Where is Tom? He is play ing the piano at the moment. - WhereVolume? He is playing the piano at the moment.
- When I came home my mother was cook ing- WhenIcamehome, mumcookeddinner.
- I was so ing a shower when you called. - Iacceptedshower, whenyoucalled.
Present Continuous with the ending -ing Second, -ing is used to form nouns, participles, and adjectives. For instance:
- To read - read ing- reading
- To write - write ing- letter
- To draw - draw ing- picture
- To embarrass - embarrass ing- embarrassing, embarrassing
- To annoy-annoy ing- annoying
- To bother - bother ing- bothersome
Without -ed anywhere!
And indeed, friends, this glorious, famous ending helps us form the simple past tense. Well, you can’t do without it in Past Simple! If it is, of course, an ordinary, regular verb. For example:
- Icook ed lunchat 12.00o"clock. — I cooked dinner at 12 o’clock.
- Yesterdaywecelebrat ed mysister"sbirthday. We celebrated my sister's birthday yesterday.
Also, the ending -ed is involved in the formation of participles and the passive voice (Passive Voice). For example:
- Our dialogue was interrupted ed by Michael. - OurdialogwasinterruptedMichael.
- These flowers are plant ed by my father. - Theseflowersplantedminefather.
- Iamverytir ed afterwork. — I feel very tired after work.
Where to use the ending -er?
The ending -er is also quite famous in English grammar and word formation. It is often found at the end of nouns:
- Drive er- driver, chauffeur
- work er- worker
- Teach er- teacher
- Program er- programmer
- Danc er- dancer
- Wond er- miracle
The same ending -er helps to form the comparative degree of simple adjectives. Note:
- Easy-easy er- light - lighter
- small-small er- small - smaller
- big-bigg er- big bigger
- Pretty-Pretty er- beautiful - more beautiful
- happy-happy er- happy - happier
Ending -
Yes, friends, as a rule, the -s ending helps us to form the plural of nouns. You all know this, of course. For example:
- greeting-greeting s — hello - greetings
- letter-letter s — letter - letters
- table-table s — table - tables
- Window-window s — window - windows
So to say, the “younger brother” of this ending is the ending -es, which is used with certain nouns. So, if a noun in English ends in o, ss, s, tch, sh, x, then feel free to use the ending -es in the plural. In all other cases -s (except for exceptions, which you can read about on our website in the article on plural nouns).
Nouns starting with o, s, ss, tch, sh, x + es So for example:
- bus-bus es — bus - buses
- Kiss - kiss es — kiss - kisses
- Match - match es — match - matches
- Dish - dish es — plate - plates
- Potato - potato es — potatoes - potatoes
- box-box es — box - boxes
Well, that's it, friends. These were the most basic, most common and most frequently occurring word endings in English. Having studied these rules, you can easily form new words using these endings of the English language. Your speech will become more diverse, and your vocabulary will be replenished with new lexical units. We wish you success!
There can be confusion (both are often called word endings), and besides, the English terminology in this matter is slightly different from Russian. So let's start with the basic concepts.
The ending is an inflectional morpheme. It changes the form of the word, but not its meaning, and at the same time carries a grammatical load:
- pencil—pencil s(ending indicates plural)
- work - work ed(the ending indicates the past tense)
The suffix, in turn, is a derivational morpheme. Suffixes in English create new words, either by changing the meaning of the original one, or by converting one part of speech into another:
- red-redd ish(red - reddish)
- teach-teach er(teach - teacher)
There are very few endings in English - these are -s (-es), -ed and -ing. There are a lot of suffixes in English. In this article we will consider only the most common ones.
Noun suffixes
Suffixes of professions and activities (-er, -ent, -ess)
The suffix -er is perhaps the most common and productive suffix for "doers". With it, you can form a noun from almost any verb.
- write > writer - write > writer
- bake > baker - oven > baker
- paint > painter - draw > artist
Most modern words denoting the performer of an action are formed precisely with his help. This also applies to inanimate objects.
- printer - printer
- scanner - scanner
Many have the -or suffix:
- doctor - doctor
- tailor
- actor - actor
The suffix in English -ist often denotes activities related to science and medicine:
- scientist - scientist
- dentist - dentist
- biologist - biologist
It also denotes an adherent of any views and beliefs:
- pacifist - pacifist
- communist - communist
- realist - realist
Other suffixes in English for words of Latin and Greek origin:
Suffix -ian:
- musician - musician
- librarian - librarian
- mathematician - mathematician
Suffix -ent:
- student - student
- resident - resident, resident
- agent - agent
Suffix -ant:
- informant - informant
- assistant - assistant
- confidant - confidant
The suffix -ess is one of the few "feminine" suffixes in English:
- waitress - waitress
- actress - actress
- princess - princess
Suffixes of process, action, phenomenon (-ment, -ion, -ism)
The suffix in English -ment is needed when forming verbal nouns and means an action or its result:
- movement - movement
- entertainment - entertainment
- concealment - concealment
The suffix -ion also means an action, process, or result of that process:
- revolution - revolution
- isolation - isolation
- restriction - restriction
The suffix -ism denotes a system of views, beliefs:
- racism - racism
- communism - communism
- pacifism - pacifism
Suffixes of state, quality, property (-ance / -ence, -dom, -hood, -ity, -ness, -ship, -th)
The -ance / -ence suffix in a noun usually corresponds to the -ant / -ent suffix in an adjective:
- different - difference (different - difference)
- important - importance (important - importance)
- independent - independence (independent - independence)
The suffixes in English -hood and -ship mean the state of a person associated with his age, social relations, and sometimes activity; or a group of people united by this state.
- childhood - childhood
- motherhood - motherhood
- priesthood - clergy
- friendship - friendship
- internship - internship, internship
The suffix -dom means states and properties of a broader meaning:
- freedom - freedom
- wisdom - wisdom
- martyrdom - martyrdom
The suffix in English -ness means the possession of some quality and serves to form nouns from adjectives:
- kindness - kindness
- usefulness
- vastness - vastness
The suffix -th often means physical properties:
- strength - strength
- length — length
- warmth - heat
The suffix -ity means property, quality, and is common for words of Latin origin:
- brevity - brevity
- velocity - speed
- purity - purity
Adjective suffixes
The suffix in English -ful means having quality (and is related to the adjective full - “full”):
- beautiful - beautiful
- useful
The suffix -less is opposite in meaning to the previous one and means the absence of quality:
- careless - carefree
- harmless - harmless
The suffix -able, -ible characterizes a property or availability for any action:
- edible - edible
- portable - portable, portable
- admirable - admirable
The suffixes -ic and -al mean "related to something":
- heroic - heroic
- mythic - mythical
- cultural - cultural
- musical - musical
The suffix -ous also carries the characteristic:
- dangerous - dangerous
- nutritious - nutritious
The suffix in English -ish has several meanings:
expresses similarity (in relation to appearance, behavior)
- girlish - girly
- childich - childish, childish
- foolish - stupid
weakens the meaning of the adjective
- reddish - reddish
- narrowish - narrowish
means nationality, language or country
- english
- Swedish - Swedish
The suffix -ive means having a property, ability:
- attractive - attractive
- sedative - sedative
The suffix in English -y is used to form many simple adjectives:
- rainy - rainy
- dirty - dirty
- sunny - sunny
Verb suffixes
Verbal suffixes are not so diverse and almost all have the meaning of “do something” or “become something”.
