Comparative and Superlative of Adjectives - Topics

Keywords

• Comparatives
• Superlatives
• Short adjectives
• Long adjectives
• Regularity
• Irregularity
• Comparative forms
• Superlative forms
• Degrees of adjectives

Key Questions

• How are the comparatives of superiority, equality, and inferiority formed?
• What are the rules for forming superlatives?
• When to use 'more' and 'most' instead of '-er' and '-est'?
• Which adjectives have irregular forms?
• How can context alter the choice of comparative or superlative?

Crucial Topics

• Recognition of the basic structure of comparatives: adjective + '-er' or 'more' + adjective.
• Identification of situations where 'than' is used in comparative of superiority.
• Use of 'as...as' in comparative of equality and 'less' in comparative of inferiority.
• Structure of superlatives: 'the' + adjective + '-est' or 'the most' + adjective.
• Application of rules for adjectives with special endings: y/i, double consonant, and omission of silent 'e'.

Specificities by Areas of Knowledge

Meanings

• Comparative: degree of the adjective used to compare two things or people.
• Superlative: degree of the adjective used to express the highest intensity of a quality within a group or set.

Vocabulary

• Regular comparatives: tall - taller / small - smaller
• Regular superlatives: tall - tallest / small - smallest
• Irregular comparatives: good - better / bad - worse
• Irregular superlatives: good - best / bad - worst
• Exceptions and spelling rules: big - bigger - biggest / happy - happier - happiest

Formulas

• Not applicable for this topic.

Detailed Notes

Key Terms

• Short and Long Adjectives: Short adjectives usually have only one syllable (like 'tall', 'small'), while long adjectives have two or more syllables (like 'beautiful', 'intelligent'). The comparative and superlative forms vary according to this characteristic.
• Regularity and Irregularity: Refers to how the comparison degrees follow or do not follow standard rules. Regular adjectives follow fixed formation rules, while irregular ones deviate from these rules.

Main Ideas and Information

• Comparatives are used to express differences between two entities, while superlatives indicate the extreme among three or more entities.
• The choice between 'more' and '-er' or 'most' and '-est' usually depends on the number of syllables in the adjective.

Topic Contents

• Comparatives of Short Adjectives: Add '-er' to the adjective (e.g., 'short' → 'shorter').
• Comparatives of Long Adjectives: Use 'more' before the adjective (e.g., 'beautiful' → 'more beautiful').
• Use of 'than': Accompanies comparatives of superiority (e.g., 'She is taller than her brother.').
• Comparatives of Equality: Use 'as...as' (e.g., 'She is as tall as her brother.').
• Comparatives of Inferiority: Use 'less' followed by the adjective (e.g., 'She is less tall than her brother.').
• Superlatives of Short Adjectives: Add '-est' to the adjective and precede with 'the' (e.g., 'short' → 'the shortest').
• Superlatives of Long Adjectives: Use 'the most' before the adjective (e.g., 'beautiful' → 'the most beautiful').
• Spelling Rules: Double the final consonant before adding '-er' or '-est if the adjective ends with consonant-vowel-consonant (e.g., 'big' → 'bigger' → 'biggest'). Replace 'y' with 'i' before adding '-er' or '-est if the adjective ends in 'y' (e.g., 'happy' → 'happier' → 'happiest').

Examples and Cases

• Example with Short Adjectives:

  • Base: 'Tall'
  • Comparative: 'Taller than'
  • Superlative: 'The tallest' How to apply:
  • 'John is taller than Bill.'
  • 'John is the tallest in the class.'

• Example with Long Adjectives:

  • Base: 'Intelligent'
  • Comparative: 'More intelligent than'
  • Superlative: 'The most intelligent' How to apply:
  • 'Marie is more intelligent than John.'
  • 'Marie is the most intelligent in the class.'

• Examples with Irregular Adjectives:

  • Base: 'Good'
  • Comparative: 'Better than'
  • Superlative: 'The best' How to apply:
  • 'This book is better than that one.'
  • 'This is the best book I've ever read.' Each example clearly shows how the comparative and superlative structure of the adjective is applied in sentences, highlighting the need to compare things or people and identify extremes within a group.

Summary

Summary of the most relevant points

• Comparatives and superlatives: crucial elements to express comparisons and extremes between people, places, things, or ideas.
• Short and long adjectives: determine the choice between adding suffixes ('-er', '-est') or using 'more' and 'the most'.
• Regularity rules: follow patterns like adding suffixes or doubling consonants, particularly for one-syllable words.
• Irregularities: some words have special comparative and superlative forms, like 'good' becoming 'better' and 'best'.
• Comparison structure: use of 'than', 'as...as', and 'less' to form comparisons of superiority, equality, and inferiority, respectively.
• Spelling rules: necessary changes in certain adjectives before adding suffixes, such as changing 'y' to 'i', or omitting silent 'e'.

Conclusions

• Understanding and correctly applying comparatives and superlatives is essential for clear articulation of differences and extremes.
• Knowledge of the formation and use rules of comparative and superlative adjectives allows for more precise and varied communication.
• Practice with examples and identifying these structures in texts contributes to the ability to use English effectively.
• Recognizing exceptions and irregular forms ensures that students can deal with the inherent variations of the language.