THE ADJECTIVE

1. Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives have the following degrees of comparison:

a) positive: tall, good, interesting;
b) comparative
- of superiority: taller, better, mare interesting (than);
- of inferiority: not so tall as, not so good as, not so interesting as/less
interesting than;
- of equality: as tall as, as good as, as interesting as;
c) superlative
- absolute: very tall, extremely good, very interesting;
- relative: the tallest, the best, the most interesting.
1.1. The Synthetical Comparison
( adjective) + er for the comparative of superiority the
( adjective) + est for the relative superlative
It is used for:
a) monosyllabic adjectives;
sweet – sweeter – the sweetest, fine – finer – the finest, dry – drier – the
driest, big – bigger – the biggest;
b) disyllabic adjectives ending in –y, -ow, -er, syllabic:
pretty – prettier – the prettiest, narrow – narrower – the narrowest, clever –
cleverer – the cleverest;
c) other disyllabic adjectives: quiet, common, pleasant, handsome:
quit – quieter – the quietest.
I.2. The Analytical comparison
more + ( adjective) for the comparative of superiority
the most + ( adjective) for the relative superlative
It is used for plurisyllabic adjectives:
rapid – mare rapid – the most rapid,
beautiful – mare beautiful – the most beautiful.
I.3. The Irregular Comparison
good – better – the best
bad/ill – worse – the worst
old – older/elder – the oldest/ the eldest
NOTE: Elder and the eldest are used only attributively, in family
relationship: my elder brother.

far – farther/further – the farthest/the furthest

NOTA: Further has the meaning of “additional”, “more”: further
information.
little – less/lesser – the least
NOTE: Lesser means “smaller”, “not so important”: the writer’s lesser
works.

much/many – more – the most

fore – former – the foremost/the first
NOTE: Former means “of an earlier period” or “the first of two”: in
former times. The foremost means “chief”: the foremost poet of his
period. The first means “initial”: the first man to come.

late – later/latter – the latest/the last

NOTE: Later means “the second of two “: I’ve met Will and San; the
former is a student, and the latter is a lawyer. The latest means “the most
recent”: the latest fashion. The last means “final”: Hardy’s last novel

near – nearer – the nearest/the next