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Comparative
Phonetics:
kəmˈpærətɪv
Pronunciation:
Going Beyond the Ordinary: Understanding Comparative Forms in English Grammar
Comprehensive Definition, Description, Examples & RulesÂ
What is a comparative
Comparatives are a class of adjectives or adverbs employed to draw a comparison between two or more objects, thereby emphasizing their similarities or differences. In comparative sentences, the object being compared can be either similar or different in some way.Â
For instance, we can use comparatives to compare the size, shape, colour, speed, weight, or any other aspect of two or more objects. Some examples of comparatives using different adjectives are:
- For size: The house is bigger than the apartment.
- For temperature: Today is hotter than yesterday.
- For age: My brother is older than I am.
- For height: The tower is taller than the tree.
- For weight: The elephant is heavier than the dog.
- For length: The river is longer than the canal.
- For intelligence: The student is smarter than the teacher.
Explanation of how comparatives are formed
Comparatives are formed using adjectives or adverbs to compare two things or people. To form a comparative using an adjective, we add “-er” to the end of the adjective for short adjectives, and add “more” before the adjective for longer adjectives. For example, “The cat is faster than the dog” uses the comparative form of the adjective “fast”. To form a comparative using an adverb, we add “more” before the adverb. For example, “She sings more beautifully than her sister” uses the comparative form of the adverb “beautifully”. It’s important to remember that irregular adjectives and adverbs have unique comparative forms, such as “better” for “good” and “worse” for “bad”.
- Comparatives are used to compare two things, people, or ideas.
- To form comparatives, adjectives and adverbs typically add “-er” or “more” before the adjective or adverb.
- One-syllable adjectives usually take “-er” to form the comparative. Example: “tall” becomes “taller.”
- Adjectives with two or more syllables usually take “more” before the adjective to form the comparative. Example: “beautiful” becomes “more beautiful.”
- Adverbs that end in “-ly” usually take “more” before the adverb to form the comparative. Example: “quickly” becomes “more quickly.”
- Some adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative forms, such as “good” becoming “better” and “well” becoming “better.”
- It’s important to use comparatives correctly to convey the intended meaning in a sentence.
Irregular comparatives are adjectives that do not follow the standard rules of adding “er” or “est” to form the comparative and superlative forms. Instead, these adjectives have their own unique forms. “Good” is an adjective that has a comparative form “better” and a superlative form “best.” Similarly, the adjective “bad” has a comparative form “worse” and a superlative form “worst.” “Far” becomes “farther” or “further” in the comparative form and “farthest” or “furthest” in the superlative form. It’s important to memorize the irregular comparative forms to use them correctly in comparative sentences.
Using Comparatives in Sentences
Comparatives are used in sentences to compare two things or people. They are formed by adding -er to the end of the adjective for one-syllable adjectives or using “more” before the adjective for adjectives with two or more syllables. When using comparatives, we often use “than” to show the second item being compared. For example, “The cat is bigger than the dog” or “My phone is more expensive than yours.” Comparatives can also be used to show a change in degree or quantity, such as “Today is hotter than yesterday” or “We received more orders this month than last month.” Understanding how to use comparatives correctly is important for clear and effective communication.
- Comparatives are used to compare two things, people, or situations.
- When using adjectives, comparatives are formed by adding -er to the end of the adjective or by using the word “more” before the adjective.
- Example: “She is taller than her sister” or “She is more intelligent than her sister.”
- When using adverbs, comparatives are formed by adding -er to the end of the adverb or by using the word “more” before the adverb.
- Example: “Roses are prettier than hydrangeas” or “He speaks more confidently than his friend.”
- Some adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparatives, such as “better” (comparative of “good”) and “more” (comparative of “much”).
- Example: “This restaurant is better than the other one” or “He needs more time to finish the project.”
- Comparatives can also be used with phrases such as “the same as” and “different from” to compare similarities and differences.
- Example: “She has the same hairstyle as her sister” or “His opinion is different from mine.”
Comparative sentences are used to compare two things or people, and they are formed using “than” or “as…as” constructions. To form a comparative sentence using “than,” you need an adjective to describe the two things being compared. The adjective is placed before “than,” and the second item being compared follows “than.” For example, “The elephant is bigger than the giraffe.” To form a comparative sentence using “as…as,” you use an adjective followed by “as” and then the second item being compared. For example, “The cake is as delicious as the pie.” These constructions allow for easy comparison and are commonly used in English grammar.
Exceptions to the Rule
While most comparatives are formed by adding “-er” to the end of the adjective or adverb, there are exceptions to this rule. Short adjectives, which are those with only one or two syllables, often require the addition of “-er” to form comparatives. However, if the adjective ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, such as “big” or “thin,” then the final consonant is doubled before adding “-er.” Additionally, some adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative forms, such as “good” becoming “better” and “well” becoming “better.” It is important to be aware of these exceptions to effectively use comparatives in writing and speaking.
There are some exceptions to the general rules of forming comparatives, such as with the adjectives “good” and “bad.”
- The correct comparative form of “little” is “less” rather than “littler.”
- The correct comparative form of the word “far” is “farther,” not “farrer.”
- The correct comparative form of the word “much” is “more,” and not “mucher.”
- When comparing adjectives with two or more syllables, you can either add “-er” or use “more” before the adjective to form the comparative.
- When comparing adjectives with three or more syllables, you should always use “more” before the adjective to form the comparative.
- Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms, such as “farther” (instead of “more far”) and “elder” (instead of “older”).
When comparing nouns, you can use the word “more” before the noun to form the comparative, such as “more books” or “more time.”
Common mistakes with comparatives
Using comparatives can be tricky, and there are several common mistakes that people make when using them. One common error is forgetting to include “than” after the comparative adjective when comparing two things. Using comparative adjectives like “more interesting” without specifying the thing being compared to can cause confusion. For instance, saying “This book is more interesting” without adding “than the other book” can be unclear. Another mistake is using the wrong form of the comparative adjective, such as using “gooder” instead of “better.” Additionally, it’s important to be aware of irregular comparative forms, such as “worse” instead of “more bad.” Careful attention to these details can help avoid errors and ensure clear communication.
Double comparatives: when two comparatives are used together, leading to a grammatically incorrect sentence.
- Example: “This shirt is more prettier than the other one.”
- Correction: “This shirt is prettier than the other one.”
Comparative and superlative mix-up: using a comparative when a superlative should be used, or vice versa.
- Example: “Out of all the three students, John is the most tall.”
- Correction: “Out of all the three students, John is the tallest.”
Not using “than” in comparative sentences: omitting “than” when comparing two things or people.
- Example: “She is older her sister.”
- Correction: “She is older than her sister.”
Comparing non-comparable things: comparing two things that are not of the same category or cannot be compared.
- Example: “My car is faster than my friend’s intelligence.”
- Correction: “My car is faster than my friend’s car.” (or) “My intelligence is greater than my friend’s intelligence.”
Comparative and superlative adjectives are used to compare two or more things in terms of their degree of a particular quality or characteristic. Comparative adjectives compare two things, while superlative adjectives compare three or more things. To form the comparative of most adjectives, the suffix “-er” is added, while for superlative form, the suffix “-est” is added. However, for some adjectives, the comparative and superlative forms are irregular and need to be memorized. It is important to use these forms correctly to avoid confusing or misleading sentences. For example, saying “She is the most taller girl in the class” is incorrect, as the superlative form of the adjective “tall” is “tallest”, not “most taller”.
Double Comparatives and Double Negatives
Double comparatives and double negatives are linguistic constructions that involve the repetition or combination of comparative forms or negative words in a sentence. In the case of double comparatives, it occurs when two comparative adjectives are employed to modify a noun or attribute a quality. An example would be the phrase “more taller,” which violates the grammatical rules of standard English. Similarly, double negatives occur when two negative words, such as “not” and “no,” are used together, leading to redundancy and potential ambiguity. An illustration of a double negative is the phrase “I don’t have no time,” where the presence of both “don’t” and “no” results in a grammatically incorrect statement. It is advisable to avoid employing double comparatives and double negatives, as they deviate from the accepted rules of grammar and may impede effective communication.
- Double comparatives involve the use of two comparative adjectives in a sentence, which is grammatically incorrect. Example: “This car is more faster than my old one.”
- In order to rectify instances of double comparatives, it suffices to eliminate one of the comparative adjectives. Thus, the proper rendition of the sentence becomes: “This automobile is faster than my previous one.”
- Double negatives occur when two negative words are used in a sentence, leading to confusion and ambiguity. For instance, the phrase “I don’t have nothing to say” is an example of a double negative.
- In order to rectify instances of double negatives, it suffices to eliminate one of the negative words. To steer clear of double negatives altogether, it is advisable to employ a single negative word within a sentence. For instance, one could articulate “I don’t have anything to say” or “I have nothing to say” as exemplars of this linguistic approach.
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Key Takeaways
- Comparatives are a type of adjective or adverb used to compare two things, people, or ideas.
- There are two types of comparatives: regular and irregular. Regular comparatives add -er to the end of the adjective or use “more + adjective.” Irregular comparatives change the spelling of the adjective (e.g. good -> better) or use “less + adjective.”
- Comparatives are commonly used in sentences using “than” to show the difference or degree of something. For example, “My car is faster than yours.”
- Double comparatives and double negatives should be avoided in English. A double comparative is when two comparative forms are used together in a sentence, while a double negative is when two negatives are used to negate the same statement.
- Using comparatives can help make writing more descriptive and interesting. However, it’s important to use them correctly to avoid confusion or incorrect grammar.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Comparatives are employed for comparing two entities, whether they are things, individuals, or groups. Conversely, superlatives are employed to describe the highest or lowest degree of a quality among three or more entities. For instance, the sentence “This book is better than that book” is a comparative construction, whereas “This is the best book among all” is an illustration of a superlative construction.
To compare two things using comparatives in English, you can use the suffix “-er” for short adjectives, or “more” for long adjectives. For example, “She is taller than him” or “He is more intelligent than her”.
Common mistakes when using comparatives in English include using “more” with short adjectives, using double comparatives, and not using the correct form of the adjective (e.g. “good” instead of “better”).
The rules for using double comparatives in English grammar are to avoid them altogether, as they are considered incorrect. Double comparatives occur when two comparatives are used together in the same sentence, such as “more better” or “fasterer”.
A comparative clause is a type of subordinate clause that compares two things using a comparative adjective or adverb. For example, “She runs faster than he does” or “The car is more expensive than I thought”.
