Wednesday, 25 September 2013

T25 Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs



Topic 25      Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

There are 3 degrees of adjectives and 3 degrees of adverbs of manner.  It is verb that decides whether you use adjectives or adverbs of manner.  If you use intensive verbs ----- ‘verb-to-be | other linking verbs’, you use adjective.  If you use extensive verbs which indicate the doing of an action, then you use adverbs of manner to modify action verbs

I.  Comparison of Adjectives
-----  A1                 Positive Degree
          -----  A2                 Comparative Degree
          -----  A3                 Superlative Degree

A.  Regular Forms
a)                A1                         A2                         A3
                                               er/ r                    est / st
                  great                    greater                  greatest
                  bitter                    bitterer                 bitterest
                  brave                    braver                   bravest  
                  big                       bigger                   biggest
                  dry                      drier                     driest
                  gay                       gayer                    gayest

For those adjectives which we can’t add ‘er / r’, we use ‘more’;  ‘est/st’, we use ‘most’.

b)                                           more                     most    
                  tactful               more tactful            most tactful
                  sensitive            more sensitive        most sensitive
                  careful               more careful           most careful

c)  Verbal Adjectives  F2 / F4
                  interesting        more interesting      most interesting                
                  interested         more interested       most interested
                  frustrating         more frustrating      most frustrating
                  frustrated          more frustrated        most frustrated

B.  Ir-Regular Forms  (Irregular Forms)
                A1                     A2                     A3
              good                      better                     best   
                 bad                        worse                    worst
                
                 many                        more                     much  (countable)
                  much                       more                      much   (uncountable)
                
        little                       less                        least                               55
                
       old                           older                      oldest      (age)
                                                elder                       eldest      (seniority)
                
                 late                          later                       latest      
                                                latter                       last       
                 far                            farther                    farthest       (distance)
                                                further                     furthest        (degree)

C.  Verb-to-be + Adjective
  a)  am                               b)  have
        is     was                           has    had been
      are     were

c)  can / could
     may / might
     shall / should   be
     will / would
     must
     ought to

d)  [S] verb to be  + adjective

D.  Other linking verbs + adjective
     (1)  appear  (2) become  (3) fall  (4) feel  (5) get  (6)  go  (7)  keep   (8) look      
     (9)  prove  (10)  seem  (11)  smell  (12)  sound  (13)  stay  (14)  taste  (15)  turn 

E.  Adjectives in 3 degrees
a)  Positive Degree  (A1)
i)  as ………….as   
    [I] am as happy as Helen.
    [Jim] is as talkative as Tim.
    [Jean] feels as frustrated as Lina.
    [This book] is as interesting as that book.

ii)  not so ………..as
    [Minah] is not so happy as I.
    [Peter] is not so anxious as Paul.
    [Alice] was not so surprised as George.
    [Queuing for hours for a purpose] is not as irritating as that of traffic jam.

b)  Comparative Degree  (A2)        -----  than
     [John] is taller than Shelly.
     [Peter] is more talkative than Albert.
     [Hassan] feels more frustrated than Jean.
     [That game] is more interesting than this one.
 
c)  Superlative Degree  (A3)                                                                            56
     [James] is the tallest among them.
    [Maria] is the most talkative of all.
    [Arnold] feels most frustrated of all.
    [This TV series] is most interesting of all.

F.  Senior to | Junior to| superior to | inferior to
1.  [He] is my senior.
     = He is in the higher position than I.
     [He] is senior to me by five years.
     = He is five years older than I.
2.  [She] is my junior.
     = She is in the lower position than I.
     [She] is junior to Mary by two years.
     = She is two years younger than Mary.
3.  superior to
     [This television set] is superior to that television set.
     = This television set is better than that television set.
4.  inferior to
     [This refrigerator] is inferior to that refrigerator.
     = This refrigerator is not as good as that refrigerator.
5.  prefer (X) to (Y)
     Prefer (noun / F2) to (noun / F2)
     [I] prefer (oranges) to (apples).
     [She] prefers (singing) to (dancing).

G.  Which is A2, ……….. or …………..?
     Which is heavier, gold or silver?
     Which food processor is better, this one or that one?

II.  Comparison of Adverbs
      You always use extensive verbs which indicate doing of an action.  In other words,   
      you always use ordinary verbs like -----  run, dance, walk, speak…………………

          -----  D1                 Positive Degree
          -----  D2                 Comparative Degree
          -----  D3                 Superlative Degree

A.  Regular Forms
                   D1                        D2                        D3
a)                                              er / r                   est / st
                  soon                      sooner                  soonest
                  near                       nearer                   nearest
                  close                     closer                    closest
                  late                        later                     latest

b)                                            more                     most
                  kindly                  more kindly           most kindly
                  carefully               more carefully       most carefully
                  slowly                  more slowly           most slowly                          57
                  quickly                 more quickly          most quickly
                   politely                         more politely         most politely
                   angrily                more angrily          most angrily     

B.  Ir-Regular Forms
                   D1                        D2                        D3
                   well                      better                     best
                   badly                    worse                     worst
                   much                    more                       most
                   little                     less                         least
                   far                        farther                     farthest
                                              further                     furthest

C.  Adverbs in Degrees
a)  Positive Degree
     as……………….as
     [Henry] walks fast.
     Henry walks as fast as Albert.

     [May] dances beautifully.
     May dances as beautifully as Becky.
 
b)  Comparative Degree    
     …….than……….
     [Tom] walks faster than Henry.
     Tina dances more beautifully than May.

c)  Superlative Degree
    [Helen] walks fastest of us all.
    [Catherine] dances most beautifully of them all.

III.  Adjectives and Adverbs having the same form.
                   A1/D1                    A1/D1                    A1/D1
                    fast                        faster                             fastest
                    well                      better                             best
                    early                     earlier                   earliest
                    late                       later                     latest

IV.  The Difference -------- Verb
       a)  Verb-to-be  + adjective
       b)  other linking verbs + adjective
       c)  Ordinary verbs + Adverbs
     Adjective and Adverb in Degrees
     He is fast in driving.  He drives fast.
     He is faster than his brother in thinking.  He thinks faster than his brother.
     He is the fastest runner of all the boys here.  He runs fastest of all the boys here

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