Wednesday, May 4

Gradability of Adjectives

Opposites

Positive     Negative
tall                        short /not tall
short                     long/not short

Gradable Adjectives 
Appearance
Quite/vey 
very handsome, quite pretty, ...  

Positive              Comparative of Equality    
tall                                     I am as tall as you are       George is wearing the same shirt as  Mary. 
young                                        as young as                             
beautiful                                    as beautiful as     

                                         He is not as small as/(less formal) not so tall as his brother
                                                  not as young as/                    not so young as
                                                  not as beautiful as/                not so beautiful as

Positive                          Comparative  &  Superlative of Superiority

Regular Adjectives
One syllable
fast                                                        faster than                         the fastest
big (consonant+vowel+consonant)      bigger (CC+er) than         the biggest (CC+est)

+ one syllable
late (-e)                                                 later than                            the latest
heavy (-+consonant+y)                        heavier than                        the heaviest
important                                              more important than         the most important


Irregular Adjectives
Good                                                better than                          the best
Bad                                                  worse than                          the worst
Far                                                   farther/further* than           the farthest/furthest* *more, additional
Old                                                  older/elder* than                the oldest/eldest*       *relative
Little                                               less than                              the least
Much/Many                                    more than                           the most

Positive                 Comparative      &      Superlative of Inferiority
small                                              less small than                               the least small
hot                                                 less hot than                                  the least hot
nice                                               less nice than                                 the least nice
funny                                            less funny than                               the least funny
intelligent                                     less intelligent than                        the least intelligent
                                         
Uses of Comparative 
-er                                                                                  I am taller now.
More...than                                                                   The book is more interesting than the film.
Comparative+and+comparative                                   I am getting fatter and fatter. 
The+comparative, the+comparative                             The richer, the sillier. 
                                                                                      The sooner you finish, the better.
                                                                                      The more he eats, the fatter he gets.

Uses of Superlative
The ...est+one/two-syllable adjective(-e,-y)...
in (places)                                                                   The kindest people in Essex.
                                                                                    Tom is the oldest man in town.
                                                                                    Paul is the tallest boy in the neighborhood.
                                                                                    The highest building in the world.
of                                                                                 The best of her dresses was wearing that night.
 ... that I have ever heard.                                            This is the longest song that I have ever heard.



The most+more than two syllables adjective 
in (places)                                                            The most beautiful girl in the world.
of                                                                          Iris is the most intelligent person of the group.
 ... (that) I have ever heard.                                 That is the most stupid story I have ever heard.                                                                                  

Non-gradable Adjectives
Extreme/Absolute/Classifiers
alive, awful, black, boiling, certain, correct, dead, domestic, enormous, environmental, freezing, furious, gigantic, huge, immediately, impossible, minuscule, mortal, nuclear, overjoyed, perfect, pregnant, principal, ridiculous, superb, terrible, terrified, unique, unknown, white, whole



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