Adjectives: Comparative and superlative by Proper English with Ananda

What are adjectives?

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 04:57:34 UTC

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: big, small, silly, yellow, fun, fast.

They can also describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven.

Examples:

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 04:59:59 UTC

As you may already know, adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns. Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other adjectives.

Audrey wears a beautiful hat.
Furry dogs may overheat in the summertime.
The scariest villain of all time is Darth Vader.

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 05:01:20 UTC

Adjectives come in three forms, known as degrees: absolute, comparative, and superlative.

Absolute adjectives describe something in its own right.

A cool guy

A messy desk
A rigid guideline
An awful situation
A mischievous cat

Comparative adjectives - examples:

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 05:02:26 UTC

he is cooler than me
his desk is messier than mine
this situation is more awful than that one before.
A more mischievous cat

Superlative adjectives. Examples:

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 05:03:17 UTC

The coolest guy

The messiest desk
The rigidest/most rigid guideline
The most awful situation
The most mischievous cat

Superlative adjectives

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 06:13:02 UTC

Superlative adjectives indicate that something has the highest degree of the quality in question. One-syllable adjectives become superlatives by adding the suffix -est (or just -st for adjectives that already end in e). As with the comparative, some two-syllable adjectives use -est to form the superlative while others use the word most. In general, two-syllable adjectives ending in -y replace -y with -iest. Adjectives of three or more syllables add the word most. When you use an article with a superlative adjective, it will almost always be the definite article (the) rather than a or an. Using a superlative inherently indicates that you are talking about a specific item or items.

Examples:

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 16:28:20 UTC

But adjectives can modify nouns even without appearing right before them in a sentence. Acting as what’s called a subjective complement with the help of a linking verb, a predicate adjective modifies the subject of a sentence. A linking verb is a verb like to be, to feel, to seem, or to taste that, rather than describing an action, helps to describe a state of being or a sensory experience.

That cow sure is happy.
It smells gross in the locker room.
Driving is faster than walking.

Comparative adjectives:

properEnglish_Ananda — 2023-09-25 16:29:05 UTC

Comparative adjectives, unsurprisingly, make a comparison between two or more things. For most one-syllable adjectives, the comparative is formed by adding the suffix -er (or just -r if the adjective already ends with an e). For two-syllable adjectives, some use -er to form the comparative while others use the word more. In general, two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, –le, –ow, –ure, or –y can be made comparative by adding -er (in the case of -y words, replace y with –ier). For adjectives of three or more syllables, add the word more.