Comparative of the word ill

• #2

‘Worse’ and ‘worst’ are natural English, a commodity Wiktionary does not greatly concern itself with.

• #3

The difficulty with worse and worst is that they are non-specific. They are fine if the context makes clear that they refer to degree of illness. Otherwise, I would use more ill and most ill.

• #4

What’s wrong with iller and illest?

• #5

I’m still a little confused..
Shouldn’t good dictionaries list also «more ill/iller — most ill/illest» if they are acceptable?

• #6

The OED says that «worse» is used as the comparative for bad, evil and ill.

«Illest» only appears as American (hip-hop/rap) slang. Iller appears in a quotation from 1637:
«Whereas he..before..was sick but a little in jest, he feels himself iller already with this message.»

• #7

What’s wrong with iller and illest?

They sound really strange to me AE ear.

Although I don’t have the statistics, my impression is that we AE sorts are more likely to use «sick» than «ill» when referring to maladies.

As with all things, however, my perceptions might be ill-conceived.

• #8

They sound really strange to me AE ear.

Although I don’t have the statistics, my impression is that we AE sorts are more likely to use «sick» than «ill» when referring to maladies.

As with all things, however, my perceptions might be ill-conceived.

They sound quite strange to me too. I suppose one might say I’m iller now than I was yesterday but, on reflection, we’re much more likely to say «I’m worse than I was yesterday», just as in the opposite case you would say «I’m better than I was yesterday». I think logically it should be iller and illest but we tend to talk about people getting better or worse when they are ill. Indeed my perceptions by be worse-conceived than sdg’s or even the worst-conceived.
As MM says, «illest» appears in Hip-Hop jargon, conversely meaning «the best».

• #9

Matching Mole said:

«Illest» only appears [in] American (hip-hop/rap) slang. Iller appears in a quotation from 1637:
«Whereas he..before..was sick but a little in jest, he feels himself iller already with this message.»

To quote the Urban Dictionary, ILL means Dope, cool, tight, raw, phat, etc….. , i.e. desirable, popular, and of that ilk.

In this sense, I would use «iller» and «Illest» as the comparatives. {EDIT:}Also, Most ILL (like Mos’ DEF) would be another good comparative, which would roughly mean that so/st is the coolest, or most desireable. This is not to be confused with the more current usage of def, which is short for DEFinitely.

Last edited: Feb 26, 2010

• #10

Ill = iller, illest
Bad = worse, worst.

We don’t really use ill in AE unless we are referring to someone who is terminally ill. (Cancer, etc.) If I said ‘my mom is ill’ it means she’s been in the condition for a long time, may possibly die, it’s serious— ill can also refer to mentally ill, or a prolonged period of not being well. Otherwise in AE, it appears often as slang.
I think in British English you say ‘ill’ for everyday sickness?? Whereas we would just say ‘sick.’

So the comparative superlative use depends on whom you’re speaking to, and how you intend to use the word.

• #11

I just want to add myself to the list of those who would not say «ill/iller/illest» and who would say «ill/worse/worst».

• #12

I just want to add myself to the list of those who would not say «ill/iller/illest» and who would say «ill/worse/worst».

Hmm. I guess I would say «she was ill» (terminally) and I wouldn’t say «she is now iller» but «she is worse off» (than she was)

• #13

What’s wrong with iller and illest?

They sound funny.
Not a rational explanation, but it’s what determines a lot of what I say.

Hmm. I guess I would say «she was ill» (terminally) and I wouldn’t say «she is now iller» but «she is worse off» (than she was)

In BE, worse off refers usually to her financial position, not her state of health.

• #14

Ill = iller, illest
Bad = worse, worst.

We don’t really use ill in AE unless we are referring to someone who is terminally ill. (Cancer, etc.) If I said ‘my mom is ill’ it means she’s been in the condition for a long time, may possibly die, it’s serious— ill can also refer to mentally ill, or a prolonged period of not being well. Otherwise in AE, it appears often as slang.
I think in British English you say ‘ill’ for everyday sickness?? Whereas we would just say ‘sick.’

So the comparative superlative use depends on whom you’re speaking to, and how you intend to use the word.

Where to begin? For a start, how about a polite, even deferential, «Speak for yourself, please, and not for all of AE.»

The we who speak AE in my experience say things like, «He’s feeling ill» to describe someone feeling a grumbly stomach or some other minor unnamed malady. «He’s feeling sick» is ok too, but may suggest nausea as a result of too much liquid festivity.

I’ll leave the endless nuances of illness vs. sickness for another thread.

When my children were feeling ill and I called the school to report that they wouldn’t be appearing in class, I might well have said that the rascals were sick, but I tended to use that term for known illnesses, rather than the sort of ill-defined (no pune intended?) ailments that small boys come down with in early springtime, when fishing holds greater appeal than algebra.

больной, плохой, дурной, злой, плохо, дурно, худо, едва ли, зло, вред, несчастья

прилагательное ↓

наречие ↓

существительное ↓

Словосочетания

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

illness  — болезнь, заболевание, нездоровье, хворь, страдание, немочь
illth  — бедность, нищета, недостаток

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): ill
мн. ч.(plural): ills

adjective
срав. степ. (comparative): worse
прев. степ. (superlative): worst

Little man

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• #1

Hello!
I’d like to know, am I right in my supposition that this pattern is true?
Bad / evil / ill — worse — worst
Or it is more natural to use general forms like er/est and more/most with this words?
I hope you will help me.
Cheers.

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• #2

I’m not quite sure what your question is. Here are the adjective, comparative and superlative forms of your three adjectives.

Bad — worse — worst
Evil — more evil — most evil
Ill — Iller — Illest

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• #3

I meant that all three words Bad / evil / ill have the same comparative and superlative forms — worse and worst.
Thank you for your explanation.

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• #4

No. They each have their own different meaning.

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• #5

I meant that all three words Bad / evil / ill have the same comparative and superlative forms — worse and worst.
Thank you for your explanation.

No, they do not. As I showed in post #2, they have their own comparatives and superlatives.

This material describes degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs, general rules of adding the suffixes «er, est», using «more, most, less, least», and typical constructions expressing comparison. A shorter description of these questions in Russian can be found in an answer to a visitor’s question in the subsection Messages about Grammar of the section Messages or by searching this site for the phrase Degrees of comparison of adjectives.

Degrees of comparison of adjectives

Most descriptive adjectives can show degree of quality or quantity by forming two degrees of comparison: the comparative degree and the superlative degree. These degrees are formed from the positive degree, which is the usual form of adjectives. The comparative and superlative forms can be simple (bigger, biggest) or compound (more attentive, most attentive).

The comparative degree and the superlative degree are formed by adding the suffixes ER and EST to the positive form of the adjective or by using MORE and MOST before the positive form of the adjective. The choice of ER, EST or MORE, MOST depends mostly on the number of syllables in the adjective.

Positive degree: bright; important.

Comparative degree: brighter; more important.

Superlative degree: brightest; most important.

An adjective in the comparative or superlative form can stand before the noun that it modifies or after the verb BE in the predicative. For example: Try an easier exercise. This exercise is easier.

As a rule, the definite article is required before the superlative form of the adjective: the nearest hospital; the largest room.

Monosyllabic adjectives

One-syllable adjectives form the comparative and superlative degrees by adding the suffixes ER, EST: black, blacker, blackest; cheap, cheaper, cheapest; clear, clearer, clearest; cold, colder, coldest; green, greener, greenest; high, higher, highest; large, larger, largest; long, longer, longest; loud, louder, loudest; new, newer, newest; nice, nicer, nicest; poor, poorer, poorest; rich, richer, richest; short, shorter, shortest; slow, slower, slowest; soft, softer, softest; sweet, sweeter, sweetest; tall, taller, tallest; tough, tougher, toughest; warm, warmer, warmest; wise, wiser, wisest.

Anna is tall. Ella is taller than her sister. Maria is the tallest girl in her class.

Anatoly is older than Tatiana. Katya is the youngest of my students.

My house is smaller than your house. Your car is larger than mine. Moscow is the largest city in Russia.

The highest peak in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro. The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.

Disyllabic adjectives

Most two-syllable adjectives, including adjectives ending in the suffixes «al, ant, ent, ish, ive, ic, ous, ful, less», form the comparative and superlative degrees with the help of MORE, MOST: active, more active, most active; careless, more careless, most careless; distant, more distant, most distant; eager, more eager, most eager; famous, more famous, most famous; foolish, more foolish, most foolish; formal, more formal, most formal; modern, more modern, most modern; private, more private, most private; recent, more recent, most recent; secure, more secure, most secure; tragic, more tragic, most tragic; useful, more useful, most useful.

Laura is more selfish than Anita.

A more distant object seems to be smaller than a closer object.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in «y, er, ow» usually form the comparative and superlative degrees by adding ER, EST: angry, angrier, angriest; busy, busier, busiest; crazy, crazier, craziest; dirty, dirtier, dirtiest; easy, easier, easiest; early, earlier, earliest; funny, funnier, funniest; happy, happier, happiest; heavy, heavier, heaviest; lucky, luckier, luckiest; noisy, noisier, noisiest; pretty, prettier, prettiest; silly, sillier, silliest; sunny, sunnier, sunniest; ugly, uglier, ugliest; clever, cleverer, cleverest; narrow, narrower, narrowest.

Your repair work will be much easier if you use a good set of tools.

My dog is the cleverest dog in the whole world.

The narrowest of the three tunnels leads to a small chamber under the engine room.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in «y, er, ow» often have variants with MORE, MOST: lazy, lazier / more lazy, laziest / most lazy; fancy, fancier / more fancy, fanciest / most fancy; friendly, friendlier / more friendly, friendliest / most friendly; lovely, lovelier / more lovely, loveliest / most lovely; risky, riskier / more risky, riskiest / most risky; clever, cleverer / more clever, cleverest / most clever; slender, slenderer / more slender, slenderest / most slender; tender, tenderer / more tender, tenderest / most tender; shallow, shallower / more shallow, shallowest / most shallow; yellow, yellower / more yellow, yellowest / most yellow.

The choice of ER, EST or MORE, MOST in the case of disyllabic adjectives ending in «y, er, ow» depends to some extent on preferences in usage, on what sounds better or more natural to an English speaker in the given sentence. On the whole, variants formed with the help of ER, EST are more traditional and more widely used than those with MORE, MOST.

There are some other disyllabic adjectives which have variant forms with ER, EST or MORE, MOST, for example, quiet, simple, stable, noble, gentle, common, polite, pleasant, handsome. Though both variants are considered correct, the following comparative and superlative forms seem to be more frequently used for these adjectives at present: quieter, quietest; simpler, simplest; gentler / more gentle, gentlest / most gentle; more stable, most stable; more noble, most noble; more common, most common; more polite, most polite; more pleasant, most pleasant; more handsome, most handsome.

These questions are simpler than those.

She is more polite than her sister.

Spelling note

If an adjective ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the consonant is doubled before adding ER, EST: big, bigger, biggest; fat, fatter, fattest; hot, hotter, hottest; red, redder, reddest; sad, sadder, saddest; thin, thinner, thinnest; wet, wetter, wettest.

If an adjective ends in mute E, the letter E is dropped before adding ER, EST: blue, bluer, bluest; brave, braver, bravest; close, closer, closest; fine, finer, finest; pale, paler, palest; rude, ruder, rudest; simple, simpler, simplest; wide, wider, widest.

If an adjective ends in Y preceded by a consonant, Y is changed to I before adding ER, EST: busy, busier, busiest; dry, drier, driest; happy, happier, happiest; lucky, luckier, luckiest; sleepy, sleepier, sleepiest; scary, scarier, scariest. Note: sly, slier, sliest OR slyer, slyest.

If final Y is preceded by a vowel, Y doesn’t change before adding ER, EST: gray, grayer, grayest.

Adjectives of three or more syllables

Adjectives consisting of three or more syllables form the comparative and superlative degrees by using MORE, MOST before the adjective: beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful; comfortable, more comfortable, most comfortable; curious, more curious, most curious; dangerous, more dangerous, most dangerous; difficult, more difficult, most difficult; expensive, more expensive, most expensive; important, more important, most important; intelligent, more intelligent, most intelligent; interesting, more interesting, most interesting; successful, more successful, most successful.

This book is interesting. This book is more interesting than that one. This book is the most interesting of all the books that I have read recently. This is the most interesting book I have ever read.

John has a difficult task. My task is more difficult than John’s task. I have a more difficult task. The most difficult task will be discussed tomorrow.

The accident, bad enough in itself, resulted in an even more terrible event.

Adjectives formed from participles

Adjectives formed from participles form the comparative and superlative forms with the help of MORE, MOST irrespective of the number of the syllables: annoying, more annoying, most annoying; boring, more boring, most boring; hurt, more hurt, most hurt; pleased, more pleased, most pleased; surprised, more surprised, most surprised; tired, more tired, most tired; worried, more worried, most worried.

I can’t think of a more boring subject of conversation.

She seems more worried today.

He is the most annoying person I know.

Notes

1. The comparative degree indicates one of two objects, while the superlative degree singles out one of three or more objects. Compare these examples:

Alex is strong. Tom is stronger than Alex. Tom is the stronger of the two boys.

Alex, Tom, and John are strong. John is the strongest of the three boys. John is the strongest in his class.

Gina is more attentive than Ella. Gina is the more attentive of the two girls. Vera is the most attentive pupil in my English class.

2. MOST + adjective is not always the superlative degree. MOST may have the meaning «very, extremely, highly». In such cases, a singular noun is used with the indefinite article, and a plural noun is used without an article. In this meaning of MOST, monosyllabic and disyllabic adjectives are used with MOST.

She is a most beautiful woman.

They are most interesting people.

Yesterday I had a most strange dream.

I’m most pleased to see you here.

In most of such cases, the meaning will be clearer if you use «very» instead of «most»: a very beautiful woman; very interesting people; a very strange dream; very pleased.

3. The definite article before the superlative form may be omitted in some cases, for example, in those cases where the adjective is used in the predicative after the verb BE (or other linking verbs), and there is no noun or defining phrase after the adjective. Compare these examples:

She felt like the happiest girl in the whole wide world. She is happiest when she is alone with her books.

She is the prettiest of his three daughters. She is prettiest when she lets her hair down and puts on a white dress.

Uncomparable adjectives

Some adjectives should not be used in either the comparative or the superlative degree because, logically, their meaning does not admit of comparison. Such adjectives are sometimes called absolute adjectives.

Examples of uncomparable adjectives: absent, absolute, chief, complete, contemporary, daily, dead, essential, eternal, excellent, empty, full, entire, fatal, final, honest, impossible, infinite, inevitable, ideal, junior, meaningless, perfect, main, major, minor, round, sufficient, supreme, senior, square, unique, universal, utmost, vital, weekly, whole, wooden, worthless, wrong.

If it is necessary for you to make some kind of comparison of such adjectives, use «almost, nearly, quite» with them, for example, «almost perfect; almost empty; nearly full; quite sufficient». You can also use the constructions «as…as» or «not as…as» described at the end of this article.

Note: In everyday speech, phrases like «emptier than; more complete than; more correct than; more honest than; more perfect», etc., are sometimes used. Examples: He looks more dead than alive. Karl is more honest than Bart. Now you are more wrong than ever.

Predicative adjectives

Some adjectives, such as «afraid, alike, alive, alone, ashamed, asleep, awake, aware», are used only predicatively after linking verbs (i.e., they are not used in the position before a noun). Predicative adjectives can form the comparative degree with the help of MORE, but are hardly ever used in the superlative degree.

As time passed, he became more and more ashamed of himself.

She is more afraid of him than of his father.

Irregular adjectives

Several adjectives have irregular forms of the comparative and superlative degrees: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; many/much, more, most; little, less (lesser), least; far, farther, farthest; far, further, furthest. «Less» can be an adjective or an adverb; «lesser» is only an adjective; «farther, farthest» refer to distance; «further, furthest» refer to distance or addition.

The hotel was better than we expected. This is the best layer cake I’ve ever had.

His health is becoming worse. Her examination paper was the worst in class.

I bought many books. Mike bought more books than I did. Nick bought the most books.

I don’t have much work today. Mike has more work than I do. Nick has the most work to do today.

He spent less money than you. She has the least time of all of them.

All of them are suffering from an allergy, to a greater or lesser degree. Choose the lesser of two evils.

His house is farther down the street. It is the farthest house on the opposite side of the street.

I have no further questions. Further information can be obtained at our office.

The adjective «less» is used with uncountable nouns; the adjective «fewer» is used with plural countable nouns.

He has less time than she does. She has fewer books than he does.

The adjectives «ill» and «well» (referring to health) have the same comparative and superlative forms as the adjectives «bad» and «good»: ill, worse, worst; well, better, best.

Is he well? Is he ill? He felt worse yesterday. He feels better today.

Set expressions

There are quite a few set expressions containing the comparative or superlative forms of irregular adjectives. For example: a change for the better; a change for the worse; at best / at the best; at most / at the most; at worst / at the worst; get the worst of it; go from bad to worse; if worst comes to worst / if the worst comes to the worst; last but not least; more or less; none the less; not in the least; prepare for the worst; so much the better; so much the worse.

If he leaves, so much the better.

If he doesn’t want to obey the rules, so much the worse for him.

Many companies sustained losses during that period, but small companies got the worst of it.

Degrees of comparison of adverbs

Adverbs (mostly adverbs of manner and some adverbs of other types) can form degrees of comparison in the same way as adjectives. The comparative degree of adverbs is used more widely than the superlative degree. The definite article before the superlative form of adverbs is often omitted.

(Types of adverbs are described in Adverbs in the section Miscellany.)

Monosyllabic adverbs

One-syllable adverbs and the adverb «early» form the comparative and superlative degrees by adding ER, EST: fast, faster, fastest; hard, harder, hardest; high, higher, highest; late, later, latest; long, longer, longest; loud, louder, loudest; low, lower, lowest; near, nearer, nearest; soon, sooner, soonest; early, earlier, earliest.

Please hang the picture higher.

She bent lower to kiss the sleeping baby.

Tom arrived later than Jim. Jim arrived earlier than Tom. Anton arrived (the) earliest of all.

I expected her to respond sooner.

Adjectives and adverbs in the same form

One-syllable adverbs mentioned above (except «soon») are in the same form as adjectives. Their position in the sentence indicates whether they are used as adverbs or as adjectives: adverbs usually stand after the main verb, while adjectives stand before the noun that they modify or after the linking verb (be, become, get, feel, look, seem). Compare these sentences:

Adverb «fast»: Jim, Rosa, and Phil can run very fast. Rosa runs faster than Jim. Phil runs (the) fastest of them all.

Adjective «fast»: I would like to have a faster car. His reaction was faster than mine.

Adverb «hard»: Tom works harder than Don. Pete works (the) hardest of anyone I know.

Adjective «hard»: Her work is becoming harder and harder. It is the hardest work she has ever done.

Adverbs of two or more syllables

Adverbs of two or more syllables (usually with the suffix «ly») form the comparative and superlative degrees by placing MORE, MOST before the adverb: easily, more easily, most easily; formally, more formally, most formally; loudly, more loudly, most loudly; often, more often, most often; quickly, more quickly, most quickly; simply, more simply, most simply; slowly, more slowly, most slowly; comfortably, more comfortably, most comfortably.

Please speak more slowly.

He pushed the door much more strongly than was necessary.

Note: MOST + adverb is not always the superlative degree. MOST before an adverb often means «very, extremely». For example: She articulated her ideas most clearly. He listened to her most attentively.

Irregular adverbs

Irregular adverbs «well, badly, much, little, far» have the following degrees of comparison: well, better, best; badly, worse, worst; much, more, most; little, less, least; far, farther, farthest; far, further, furthest.

Tanya speaks Spanish better than you do. Who writes best of all in your class? He works best in the evening.

His brother treated him badly. His father treated him even worse. His classmates treated him worst of all.

The doctor told him to eat less and to exercise more.

He went too far. Do not go farther than that tree. It’s pointless to discuss it further.

Lower degree: LESS and LEAST

LESS and LEAST are used with adjectives and adverbs in the same way as MORE and MOST. LESS indicates a lower degree; LEAST indicates the lowest degree. LESS with adjectives and adverbs is used more widely than LEAST. LESS and LEAST are rarely used with monosyllabic adjectives and adverbs.

LESS, LEAST with adjectives: attentive, less attentive, least attentive; common, less common, least common; costly, less costly, least costly; difficult, less difficult, least difficult; important, less important, least important; interesting, less interesting, least interesting; likely, less likely, least likely; obvious, less obvious, least obvious; serious, less serious, least serious; tired, less tired, least tired; useful, less useful, least useful; worried, less worried, least worried.

The first question is less difficult than the second. The last exercise is the least difficult of the four exercises.

I am less interested in football than he is.

LESS, LEAST with adverbs: clearly, less clearly, least clearly; easily, less easily, least easily; efficiently, less efficiently, least efficiently; formally, less formally, least formally; often, less often, least often; sincerely, less sincerely, least sincerely; typically, less typically, least typically; willingly, less willingly, least willingly; wisely, less wisely, least wisely.

She remembers the day of the car accident less clearly now. She remembers least clearly what happened after the accident.

He does his work less willingly and less efficiently than before. He works least efficiently when he is alone.

Constructions of comparison

In the material above, the use of the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs has been illustrated with the help of constructions containing «more, less, than». Such constructions express a greater or lesser degree (longer than; more difficult than; more slowly than; less important than; less quickly than).

There are some other commonly used constructions of comparison that you need to know and use in your speech and writing.

Constructions «as…as; not as…as»

The construction «as…as» indicates approximately the same degree. The constructions «not as…as; not so…as» indicate a lesser degree and are less formal than the constructions with «less». Compare:

Lena is as tall as her father. Lena is as attractive as her mother.

Mike is not as tall as his father. (Mike is shorter than his father. Mike’s father is taller than Mike.)

The remake of the film is not so interesting as the original version.

This ring is not as expensive as that one. (This ring is less expensive than that one. That ring is more expensive than this one.)

Bella does not type as fast as Linda. (Bella types more slowly than Linda. Linda types faster than Bella.)

The constructions «as…as; not as…as; not so…as» can also be used with some of the adjectives that do not form degrees of comparison or have limitations in their formation.

I’m as aware of the consequences as you are.

This phenomenon is not as unique as you think.

Idioms containing the construction «as…as» (e.g., as cold as ice; as wise as an owl) are listed in Idioms of Comparison in the section Idioms.

Parallel constructions

The comparative degree is also used in parallel constructions of the type «the more…the more». For example:

The sooner the better.

The longer she stayed there, the better she felt.

The more I think about this project, the less I like it.

Qualities of one and the same person or thing

Generally, the qualities of two different people or things are compared with the help of the comparative degree. But it is also possible to compare the qualities of one and the same person or thing. Examples:

Laura is more stubborn than Rita. Laura is more stubborn than persevering.

The leaves of this plant are more oblong than round.

I was more asleep than awake.

She was more afraid to stay than to leave.

His job is not so difficult as it is boring.

When comparing the qualities of one and the same person or thing, the comparative degree of adjectives (including monosyllabic adjectives) is formed with the help of MORE.

His eyes are more blue than gray.

She is more lazy than incapable.

Numerals in comparisons

The superlative degree of adjectives may be used in combination with the ordinal numerals «second, third, fifth», etc., to indicate the size of an object (especially about geographical places).

Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system.

Canada is the world’s second-largest country.

Geneva is the third-largest city in Switzerland.

Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world.

Constructions like «twice as large; three times as large; half as large» are widely used for comparing size, quantity, amount, speed, and other measurable characteristics.

Your house is twice as large as my house.

Their car is three times as large as our car.

He is twice as old as she is.

Her bag is five times as heavy as your bag.

His report is half as long as her report.

She pays half as much for water and electricity as I do.

His house is five times the size of your house.

My house is half the size of your house.

She is half your age.

Constructions like «three times larger; four times bigger; four times smaller; five times faster» are also used quite often. Some manuals of style object to such use in formal writing.

Your collection of coins is several times larger than mine.

His computer is ten times faster than my computer.

These light bulbs are five times brighter than those.

Note the following constructions which emphasize the amount or quantity indicated in the sentence.

This box weighs as much as fifty kilograms.

The new hotel can accommodate as many as a thousand people.

I bought this vase for as little as ten dollars.

Intensifiers and modifiers

Various adverbs may be used in constructions of comparison in order to emphasize, specify, or clarify comparisons.

The adverbs «much, a lot, a little, even» are used with the comparative degree; «almost, nearly» are used with the construction «as…as»; «by far» is used with the superlative degree of adjectives.

Your report will be much better (a little better; a lot better; even better) if you make it shorter.

She would be a lot happier if you visited her more often.

The book that I wanted to buy turned out to be much more expensive than I thought.

The second part of the book is almost as interesting as the first part.

This device is not nearly as good as the one you showed me yesterday.

This film is by far the funniest that I have seen recently.

She is by far the most efficient manager in our company.

Note: «very» and «much»

«Very» is used with the positive degree of adjectives and adverbs. For example:

It was very warm yesterday. He was very serious. This film is very interesting. He will do it very quickly.

«Much» is used with the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs. For example:

It is much warmer today. He was much more serious at that time. This film is much more interesting than that film. He will do it much more quickly next time.

«Very» may be used with the superlative degree of some adjectives (for example, best, worst, first, last) to emphasize the superlative adjective: the very best quality; on the very first day.

Степени сравнения

Этот материал описывает степени сравнения прилагательных и наречий, общие правила прибавления суффиксов «er, est», употребление «more, most, less, least» и типичные конструкции, выражающие сравнение. Более короткое описание этих вопросов на русском языке можно найти в ответе на вопрос посетителя (Елена) в подразделе Messages about Grammar раздела Messages или используя поиск по сайту по фразе Degrees of comparison of adjectives.

Степени сравнения прилагательных

Большинство описательных прилагательных могут показывать степень качества или количества, образуя две степени сравнения: сравнительную степень и превосходную степень. Эти степени образуются от положительной степени, которая является обычной формой прилагательных. Сравнительная и превосходная формы могут быть простыми (bigger, biggest) и составными (more attentive, most attentive).

Сравнительная степень и превосходная степень образуются путем прибавления суффиксов ER и EST к положительной форме прилагательного или использования MORE и MOST перед положительной формой прилагательного. Выбор ER, EST или MORE, MOST зависит в основном от количества слогов в прилагательном.

Положительная степень: bright (яркий); important (важный).

Сравнительная степень: brighter (ярче, более яркий); more important (важнее, более важный).

Превосходная степень: brightest (самый яркий); most important (самый важный).

Прилагательное в сравнительной или превосходной форме может стоять перед определяемым существительным или после глагола BE в именной части сказуемого. Например: Попробуйте более лёгкое упражнение. Это упражнение легче.

Как правило, перед превосходной формой прилагательного требуется определенный артикль: the nearest hospital (ближайшая больница); the largest room (самая большая комната).

Односложные прилагательные

Односложные прилагательные образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени прибавлением суффиксов ER, EST: black, blacker, blackest (чёрный, чернее / более чёрный, самый чёрный); cheap, cheaper, cheapest; clear, clearer, clearest; cold, colder, coldest; green, greener, greenest; high, higher, highest; large, larger, largest; long, longer, longest; loud, louder, loudest; new, newer, newest; nice, nicer, nicest; poor, poorer, poorest; rich, richer, richest; short, shorter, shortest; slow, slower, slowest; soft, softer, softest; sweet, sweeter, sweetest; tall, taller, tallest; tough, tougher, toughest; warm, warmer, warmest; wise, wiser, wisest.

Анна высокая. Элла выше, чем её сестра. Мария – самая высокая девочка в классе.

Анатолий старше Татьяны. (старше, чем Татьяна) Катя самая юная из моих студентов.

Мой дом меньше вашего дома. Ваш автомобиль больше моего. Москва – самый большой город в России.

Самая высокая вершина в Африке – гора Килиманджаро. Гималайские горы – самые высокие горы в мире.

Двусложные прилагательные

Большинство двусложных прилагательных, включая прилагательные, оканчивающиеся на суффиксы «al, ant, ent, ish, ive, ic, ous, ful, less», образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени с помощью MORE, MOST: active, more active, most active (активный, активнее / более активный, самый активный); careless, more careless, most careless; distant, more distant, most distant; eager, more eager, most eager; famous, more famous, most famous; foolish, more foolish, most foolish; formal, more formal, most formal; modern, more modern, most modern; private, more private, most private; recent, more recent, most recent; secure, more secure, most secure; tragic, more tragic, most tragic; useful, more useful, most useful.

Лора более эгоистичная, чем Анита.

Более отдаленный предмет кажется меньше по размерам, чем более близкий предмет.

Тадж Махал является одним из самых знаменитых зданий в мире.

Двусложные прилагательные, оканчивающиеся на «y, er, ow», обычно образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени прибавлением ER, EST: angry, angrier, angriest (злой, злее, самый злой); busy, busier, busiest; crazy, crazier, craziest; dirty, dirtier, dirtiest; easy, easier, easiest; early, earlier, earliest; funny, funnier, funniest; happy, happier, happiest; heavy, heavier, heaviest; lucky, luckier, luckiest; noisy, noisier, noisiest; pretty, prettier, prettiest; silly, sillier, silliest; sunny, sunnier, sunniest; ugly, uglier, ugliest; clever, cleverer, cleverest; narrow, narrower, narrowest.

Ваша ремонтная работа будет гораздо легче, если у вас будет хороший набор инструментов.

Моя собака – самая умная собака во всём мире.

Самый узкий из трёх туннелей ведёт в маленький отсек под машинным отделением.

Двусложные прилагательные, оканчивающиеся на «y, er, ow», часто имеют варианты с MORE, MOST: lazy, lazier / more lazy, laziest / most lazy (ленивый, ленивее / более ленивый, ленивейший / самый ленивый); fancy, fancier / more fancy, fanciest / most fancy; friendly, friendlier / more friendly, friendliest / most friendly; lovely, lovelier / more lovely, loveliest / most lovely; risky, riskier / more risky, riskiest / most risky; clever, cleverer / more clever, cleverest / most clever; slender, slenderer / more slender, slenderest / most slender; tender, tenderer / more tender, tenderest / most tender; shallow, shallower / more shallow, shallowest / most shallow; yellow, yellower / more yellow, yellowest / most yellow.

Выбор ER, EST или MORE, MOST в случае двусложных прилагательных, оканчивающихся на «y, er, ow», до некоторой степени зависит от предпочтений в употреблении, от того, что звучит лучше или более естественно для носителя языка в данном предложении. В целом, варианты, образованные с помощью с ER, EST, более традиционны и более широко употребляются, чем варианты с MORE, MOST.

Есть некоторые другие двусложные прилагательные, которые имеют варианты форм с ER, EST или MORE, MOST, например, quiet, simple, stable, noble, gentle, common, polite, pleasant, handsome. Хотя оба варианта считаются правильными, следующие сравнительные и превосходные формы кажутся более часто употребляемыми для этих прилагательных в настоящее время: quieter, quietest (тише / спокойнее, самый тихий / самый спокойный); simpler, simplest; gentler / more gentle, gentlest / most gentle; more stable, most stable; more noble, most noble; more common, most common; more polite, most polite; more pleasant, most pleasant; more handsome, most handsome.

Эти вопросы проще, чем те.

Она более вежлива, чем её сестра.

Примечание по правописанию

Если прилагательное оканчивается на одиночную согласную, перед которой стоит одиночная гласная, согласная удваивается перед прибавлением ER, EST: big, bigger, biggest; fat, fatter, fattest; hot, hotter, hottest; red, redder, reddest; sad, sadder, saddest; thin, thinner, thinnest; wet, wetter, wettest.

Если прилагательное оканчивается на немую E, буква E отбрасывается перед прибавлением ER, EST: blue, bluer, bluest; brave, braver, bravest; close, closer, closest; fine, finer, finest; pale, paler, palest; rude, ruder, rudest; simple, simpler, simplest; wide, wider, widest.

Если прилагательное оканчивается на Y, перед которой стоит согласная, Y меняется на I перед прибавлением ER, EST: busy, busier, busiest; dry, drier, driest; happy, happier, happiest; lucky, luckier, luckiest; sleepy, sleepier, sleepiest; scary, scarier, scariest (жуткий / пугающий, более жуткий, самый жуткий). Примечание: sly, slier, sliest ИЛИ slyer, slyest.

Если перед конечной Y стоит гласная, Y не изменяется перед прибавлением ER, EST: gray, grayer, grayest.

Прилагательные из трёх или более слогов

Прилагательные, состоящие из трёх или более слогов, образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени, используя MORE, MOST перед прилагательным: beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful (красивый, красивее / более красивый, самый красивый / красивейший); comfortable, more comfortable, most comfortable; curious, more curious, most curious; dangerous, more dangerous, most dangerous; difficult, more difficult, most difficult; expensive, more expensive, most expensive; important, more important, most important; intelligent, more intelligent, most intelligent; interesting, more interesting, most interesting; successful, more successful, most successful.

Эта книга интересная. Эта книга более интересная, чем та. Эта книга – самая интересная из всех книг, которые я читал в последнее время. Это самая интересная книга, которую я когда-либо читал.

У Джона трудное задание. Мое задание труднее / более трудное, чем задание Джона. У меня более трудное задание. Самое трудное задание будет обсуждаться завтра.

Происшествие, весьма плохое само по себе, привело к ещё более ужасному событию.

Прилагательные, образованные от причастий

Прилагательные, образованные от причастий, образуют сравнительную и превосходную формы с помощью MORE, MOST независимо от количества слогов: annoying, more annoying, most annoying (раздражающий, более раздражающий, наиболее раздражающий); boring, more boring, most boring; hurt, more hurt, most hurt; pleased, more pleased, most pleased; surprised, more surprised, most surprised; tired, more tired, most tired; worried, more worried, most worried.

Я не знаю более скучного предмета разговора.

Она кажется более обеспокоенной сегодня.

Он самый раздражающий человек, которого я знаю.

Примечания

1. Сравнительная степень указывает один из двух объектов, в то время как превосходная степень выделяет один из трех или более объектов. Сравните эти примеры:

Алекс сильный. Том сильнее Алекса. Том более сильный из двух мальчиков.

Алекс, Том и Джон сильные. Джон самый сильный из трёх мальчиков. Джон самый сильный в своем классе.

Джина более внимательна, чем Элла. Джина более внимательная из этих двух девочек. Вера – самая внимательная ученица в моём английском классе.

2. MOST + прилагательное не всегда превосходная степень. MOST может иметь значение «очень, крайне, чрезвычайно, в высшей степени». В таких случаях существительное в ед. числе употребляется с неопределенным артиклем, а существительное во мн. числе – без артикля. В этом значении MOST, односложные и двусложные прилагательные употребляются с MOST.

Она очень, очень красивая женщина.

Они крайне интересные люди.

Вчера мне приснился крайне странный сон.

Я чрезвычайно рад видеть вас здесь.

В большинстве таких случаев, значение будет яснее, если вы употребите «very» вместо «most»: a very beautiful woman; very interesting people; a very strange dream; very pleased.

3. Определенный артикль перед превосходной степенью может опускаться в некоторых случаях, например, в тех случаях, где прилагательное употреблено в именной части сказуемого после глагола BE (или других глаголов-связок), а после прилагательного нет существительного или определяющей фразы. Сравните эти примеры:

Она чувствовала себя самой счастливой девушкой на свете. Она счастливее всего, когда она наедине со своими книгами.

Она самая хорошенькая из его трёх дочерей. Она привлекательнее всего, когда она распускает волосы и надевает белое платье.

Несравнимые прилагательные

Некоторые прилагательные не следует употреблять ни в сравнительной, ни в превосходной степени, поскольку, логически, их значение не допускает сравнения. Такие прилагательные иногда называют абсолютными прилагательными.

Примеры несравнимых прилагательных: absent, absolute, chief, complete, contemporary, daily, dead, essential, eternal, excellent, empty, full, entire, fatal, final, honest, impossible, infinite, inevitable, ideal, junior, meaningless, perfect, main, major, minor, round, sufficient, supreme, senior, square, unique, universal, utmost, vital, weekly, whole, wooden, worthless, wrong.

Если вам нужно сделать какое-либо сравнение таких прилагательных, употребите с ними «almost, nearly, quite», например, «almost perfect; almost empty; nearly full; quite sufficient» (почти совершенный; почти пустой; почти полный; вполне достаточный). Можно также употребить конструкции «as…as» или «not as…as», описанные в конце этой статьи.

Примечание: В разговорной речи иногда употребляются фразы типа «emptier than; more complete than; more correct than; more honest than; more perfect» и др. Примеры: Он выглядит скорее мёртвым, чем живым. Карл более честен, чем Барт. Теперь вы ещё более ошибаетесь, чем когда-либо.

Предикативные прилагательные

Некоторые прилагательные, такие как «afraid, alike, alive, alone, ashamed, asleep, awake, aware», употребляются только в именной части сказуемого после глагола-связки (т.е. они не употребляются в положении перед существительным). Предикативные прилагательные могут образовывать сравнительную степень с помощью MORE, но почти никогда не употребляются в превосходной степени.

По прошествии времени ему становилось всё более и более стыдно за себя.

Она больше боится его, чем его отца.

Неправильные прилагательные

Несколько прилагательных имеют неправильные формы сравнительной и превосходной степеней: good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; many/much, more, most; little, less (lesser), least; far, farther, farthest; far, further, furthest. «Less» может быть прилагательным или наречием; «lesser» только прилагательное; «farther, farthest» имеют в виду расстояние; «further, furthest» – расстояние или добавление.

Гостиница была лучше, чем мы ожидали. Это лучший слоёный торт, который я когда-либо ел.

Его здоровье становится хуже. Её экзаменационная работа была худшей в классе.

Я купил много книг. Майк купил больше книг, чем я. Ник купил больше всех книг.

У меня не много работы сегодня. У Майка больше работы, чем у меня. Нику предстоит сделать самую большую работу сегодня.

Он истратил меньше денег, чем вы. У неё меньше всего времени из них всех.

Все они страдают от аллергии, в большей или меньшей степени. Выбирайте меньшее из двух зол.

Его дом дальше по этой улице. Это самый дальний дом на противоположной стороне улицы.

У меня нет дальнейших вопросов. Дополнительную информацию можно получить в нашем офисе.

Прилагательное «less» употребляется с неисчисляемыми существительными; прилагательное «fewer» – с исчисляемыми существительными во мн. числе.

У него меньше времени, чем у неё. У неё меньше книг, чем у него.

Прилагательные «ill» и «well» (имея в виду здоровье) имеют такие же формы сравнительной и превосходной степеней, как прилагательные «bad» и «good»: ill, worse, worst; well, better, best.

Он здоров? Он болен? Он чувствовал себя хуже вчера. Он чувствует себя лучше сегодня.

Устойчивые выражения

Есть довольно много устойчивых выражений, содержащих сравнительную или превосходную формы неправильных прилагательных. Например: перемена к лучшему; перемена к худшему; в лучшем случае; самое большее; в худшем случае; потерпеть жестокое поражение, быть в наихудшем положении; становиться всё хуже и хуже; в самом худшем случае; последнее, но не менее важное; более или менее; тем не менее; ни в малейшей степени; готовиться с худшему; тем лучше; тем хуже.

Если он уйдёт, тем лучше.

Если он не хочет подчиняться правилам, тем хуже для него.

Многие компании несли убытки в тот период, но маленькие компании оказались в наихудшем положении.

Степени сравнения наречий

Наречия (в основном наречия образа действия и некоторые наречия других типов) могут образовывать степени сравнения таким же образом, как прилагательные. Сравнительная степень наречий употребляется шире, чем превосходная степень. Определённый артикль перед превосходной формой наречий часто опускается.

(Типы наречий описываются в статье Adverbs в разделе Miscellany.)

Односложные наречия

Односложные наречия и наречие «early» образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени, прибавляя ER, EST: fast, faster, fastest; hard, harder, hardest; high, higher, highest; late, later, latest; long, longer, longest; loud, louder, loudest (громко, громче, наиболее громко); low, lower, lowest; near, nearer, nearest; soon, sooner, soonest; early, earlier, earliest (рано, раньше, раньше всего / всех).

Пожалуйста, повесьте картину выше.

Она наклонилась ниже, чтобы поцеловать спящего ребёнка.

Том приехал позже Джима. Джим приехал раньше, чем Том. Антон приехал раньше всех.

Я ожидал, что она откликнется скорее.

Прилагательные и наречия в одной и той же форме

Односложные наречия, указанные выше (кроме «soon»), имеют ту же форму, как и прилагательные. Их место в предложении указывает, употреблены они как наречия или как прилагательные: наречия обычно стоят после основного глагола, в то время как прилагательные стоят перед определяемым существительным или после глагола-связки (be, become, get, feel, look, seem). Сравните эти предложения:

Наречие «fast»: Джим, Роза и Фил могут бегать очень быстро. Роза бегает быстрее, чем Джим. Фил бегает быстрее всех из них.

Прилагательное «fast»: Мне хотелось бы иметь более быструю машину. Его реакция была быстрее моей.

Наречие «hard»: Том работает усерднее, чем Дон. Пит работает наиболее усердно из всех, кого я знаю.

Прилагательное «hard»: Её работа становится труднее и труднее. Это самая трудная работа, которую она когда-либо делала.

Наречия из двух или более слогов

Наречия из двух или более слогов (обычно с суффиксом «ly») образуют сравнительную и превосходную степени, используя MORE, MOST перед наречием: easily, more easily, most easily (легко, легче, легче всего); formally, more formally, most formally; loudly, more loudly, most loudly (громко, громче, наиболее громко); often, more often, most often; quickly, more quickly, most quickly; simply, more simply, most simply; slowly, more slowly, most slowly; comfortably, more comfortably, most comfortably.

Пожалуйста, говорите помедленнее.

Он толкнул дверь гораздо сильнее, чем было необходимо.

Примечание: MOST + наречие не всегда является превосходной степенью. MOST перед наречием часто значит «очень, крайне». Например: Она выразила свои идеи весьма ясно. Он слушал её очень внимательно.

Неправильные наречия

Неправильные наречия «well, badly, much, little, far» имеют следующие степени сравнения: well, better, best (хорошо, лучше, лучше всего / всех); badly, worse, worst; much, more, most; little, less, least; far, farther, farthest; far, further, furthest.

Таня говорит по-испански лучше, чем ты. Кто пишет лучше всех в твоём классе? Он лучше всего работает вечером.

Его брат обращался с ним плохо. Его отец обращался с ним ещё хуже. Его одноклассники обращались с ним хуже всего / всех.

Врач сказал ему есть меньше и тренироваться больше.

Он зашёл слишком далеко. Не ходи дальше того дерева. Нет смысла обсуждать это дальше / далее.

Меньшая степень: LESS и LEAST

LESS и LEAST употребляются с прилагательными и наречиями таким же образом, как MORE и MOST. LESS указывает меньшую степень; LEAST указывает наименьшую степень. LESS с прилагательными и наречиями употребляется более широко, чем LEAST. LESS и LEAST редко употребляются с односложными прилагательными и наречиями.

LESS, LEAST с прилагательными: attentive, less attentive, least attentive (внимательный, менее внимательный, наименее внимательный); common, less common, least common; costly, less costly, least costly; difficult, less difficult, least difficult; important, less important, least important; interesting, less interesting, least interesting; likely, less likely, least likely; obvious, less obvious, least obvious; serious, less serious, least serious; tired, less tired, least tired; useful, less useful, least useful; worried, less worried, least worried.

Первый вопрос менее трудный, чем второй. Последнее упражнение наименее трудное из четырёх упражнений.

Я меньше интересуюсь футболом, чем он.

LESS, LEAST с наречиями: clearly, less clearly, least clearly; easily, less easily, least easily (легко, менее легко, наименее легко); efficiently, less efficiently, least efficiently; formally, less formally, least formally; often, less often, least often; sincerely, less sincerely, least sincerely; typically, less typically, least typically; willingly, less willingly, least willingly; wisely, less wisely, least wisely.

Она помнит день автомобильной аварии менее ясно теперь. Она помнит наименее ясно, что произошло после аварии.

Он делает свою работу менее охотно и менее эффективно, чем раньше. Он работает наименее эффективно, когда он в одиночестве.

Конструкции сравнения

В материале выше, употребление сравнительной степени прилагательных и наречий было проиллюстрировано с помощью конструкций, содержащих «more, less, than». Такие конструкции выражают большую или меньшую степень (longer than; more difficult than; more slowly than; less important than; less quickly than).

Есть и другие употребительные конструкции сравнения, которые вам нужно знать и употреблять в вашей устной и письменной речи.

Конструкции «as…as; not as…as»

Конструкция «as…as» указывает приблизительно одинаковую степень. Конструкции «not as…as; not so…as» указывают меньшую степень и менее официальны, чем конструкции с «less». Сравните:

Лена такая же высокая, как её отец. Лена такая же привлекательная, как её мать.

Майк не такой высокий, как его отец. (Майк ниже ростом, чем его отец. Отец Майка выше ростом, чем Майк.)

Новая версия фильма не такая интересная, как оригинал.

Это кольцо не такое дорогое, как то. (Это кольцо менее дорогое, чем то. То кольцо более дорогое, чем это.)

Белла печатает не так быстро, как Линда. (Белла печатает медленнее, чем Линда. Линда печатает быстрее Беллы.)

Конструкции «as…as; not as…as; not so…as» можно также употребить с некоторыми из прилагательных, которые не образуют степеней сравнения или имеют ограничения в их образовании.

Я осознаю последствия так же, как и вы.

Это явление не такое уникальное, как вы думаете.

Идиомы, содержащие конструкцию «as…as» (например, as cold as ice; as wise as an owl) приведены в подборке Idioms of Comparison в разделе Idioms.

Параллельные конструкции

Сравнительная степень также употребляется в параллельных конструкциях типа «the more…the more». Например:

Чем скорее, тем лучше.

Чем дольше она оставалась там, тем лучше она себя чувствовала.

Чем больше я думаю об этом проекте, тем меньше он мне нравится.

Качества одного и того же человека или предмета

Обычно, с помощью сравнительной степени сравниваются качества двух разных людей или предметов. Но также возможно сравнить качества одного и того же человека или предмета. Примеры:

Лора более упрямая, чем Рита. Лора скорее упрямая, чем настойчивая.

Листья этого растения более продолговатые, чем круглые.

Я был скорее спящим, чем проснувшимся.

Она больше боялась остаться, чем уехать.

Его работа не столько трудная, сколько скучная.

При сравнении качеств одного и того же человека или вещи, сравнительная степень прилагательных (включая односложные прилагательные) образуется с помощью MORE.

Его глаза более голубые, чем серые.

Она скорее ленивая, чем неспособная.

Числительные в сравнениях

Превосходная степень прилагательных может употребляться в комбинации с порядковыми числительными «second, third, fifth» и т.д. для указания величины объекта (особенно о географических местах).

Сатурн – вторая по величине планета солнечной системы.

Канада – вторая по величине страна мира.

Женева – третий по величине город в Швейцарии.

Мадагаскар – четвёртый по величине остров в мире.

Конструкции типа «twice as large; three times as large; half as large» широко употребляются для сравнения размера, количества, скорости и других измеримых характеристик.

Ваш дом в два раза больше моего дома.

Их автомобиль в три раза больше нашего.

Он в два раза старше её.

Её сумка в пять раз тяжелее вашей сумки.

Его доклад в два раза короче её доклада.

Она платит за воду и электричество в два раза меньше меня.

Его дом в пять раз больше вашего дома.

Мой дом в два раза меньше вашего дома.

Она в два раза младше вас.

Конструкции типа «three times larger; four times bigger; four times smaller; five times faster» также употребляются весьма часто. Некоторые справочники по стилю возражают против такого употребления в официальной письменной речи.

Ваша коллекция монет в несколько раз больше, чем моя.

Его компьютер в десять раз быстрее, чем мой компьютер.

Эти лампочки в пять раз ярче, чем те.

Обратите внимание на следующие конструкции, которые подчёркивают количество, указанное в предложении.

Эта коробка весит целых пятьдесят килограммов.

В новой гостинице можно разместить до тысячи человек.

Я купил эту вазу всего за десять долларов.

Усилители и определители

Различные наречия могут употребляться в конструкциях сравнения для того, чтобы усилить, уточнить или пояснить сравнения.

Наречия «much, a lot, a little, even» употребляются со сравнительной степенью; «almost, nearly» употребляются с конструкцией «as…as»; «by far» употребляется с превосходной степенью прилагательных.

Ваш доклад будет намного лучше (немного лучше; гораздо лучше; ещё лучше; даже лучше), если вы сделаете его короче.

Она была бы гораздо счастливее, если бы вы навещали её чаще.

Книга, которую я хотел купить, оказалась гораздо более дорогой, чем я думал.

Вторая часть книги почти такая же интересная, как первая часть.

Этот прибор совсем не такой хороший, как тот, который вы показали мне вчера.

Этот фильм намного смешнее всех других, которые я видел в последнее время.

Она несомненно наиболее квалифицированный менеджер в нашей компании.

Примечание: «very» и «much»

«Very» употребляется с положительной степенью прилагательных и наречий. Например:

Вчера было очень тепло. Он был очень серьёзным. Этот фильм очень интересный. Он сделает это очень быстро.

«Much» употребляется со сравнительной степенью прилагательных и наречий. Например:

Сегодня гораздо теплее. Он был гораздо более серьёзным в то время. Этот фильм гораздо более интересный, чем тот фильм. Он сделает это гораздо быстрее в следующий раз.

«Very» может употребляться с превосходной степенью некоторых прилагательных (например, best, worst, first, last), чтобы подчеркнуть прилагательное: the very best quality (самое лучшее качество); on the very first day (в самый первый день).

Introduction

One way of describing a person or thing is by saying that they have more of a particular quality than someone or something else. To do this, we use comparative adjectives, which are formed either by adding -er at the end of the adjective, or placing more before it, e.g:

She’s more intelligent than her sister

This is a bigger piece of cake.

It is also possible to describe someone or something by saying that they have more of a particular quality than any other of their kind. We do this by using superlative adjectives, which are formed by adding -est at the end of the adjective and placing the before it, or placing the most before the adjective,e.g.:

He’s the most intelligent man I’ve ever met.

This is the biggest piece of cake.

1. Some rules about forming comparatives and superlatives

(i) one syllable adjectives generally form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, e.g.:

• Note that if a one syllable adjective ends in a single vowel letter followed by a single consonant letter, the consonant letter is doubled, e.g.: thin ? thinner, big ? biggest.
• If an adjective ends in -e, this is removed when adding -er/-est, e.g.: wide ? wider/widest.
• If an adjective ends in a consonant followed by -y, -y is replaced by -i when adding -er/-est, e.g.: dry ? drier/driest.

(ii) more and most are sometimes used with one syllable adjectives as an alternative to the -er/-est form when we particularly want to emphasize the comparison, or if the adjective occurs with another adjective which has more than one syllable, e.g.:

The icing was supposed to be pink and white, but it looked more red than pink.

That sofa might look nice, but this one is more soft and comfortable

(iii) two syllable adjectives which end in -y usually form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, (note the change of -y to -i in the comparative/superlative) e.g.:

(iv) two syllable adjectives ending in -ed, -ing, -ful, or -less always form the comparative with more and the superlative with most, e.g.:

As a general rule, most other two syllable adjectives also form comparatives and superlatives with more and most, apart from those ending in -y (see (iii) above). However a few two-syllable adjectives can take either -er/-est or more/most. Here are five of the most common examples:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
common	commoner/more common	the commonest/most common
narrow	narrower/more narrow	the narrowest/most narrow
pleasant	pleasanter/more pleasant	the pleasantest/most pleasant
useless	more useless	the most useless
simple	simpler/more simple	the simplest/most simple
quiet	quieter/more quiet	the quietest/most quiet

(vi) The following adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:

The adjectives ill and well, describing bad and good health, have irregular comparative forms. The comparative of ill is worse, and the comparative of well is better, e.g.: She’s feeling much better/worse today.

The usual comparative and superlative forms of the adjective old are older and oldest. However the alternative forms elder and eldest are sometimes used. Elder and eldest are generally restricted to talking about the age of people, especially people within the same family, and are not used to talk about the age of things, e.g.:

It’s the oldest/*eldest castle in Britain.

Elder cannot occur in the predicative position after link verbs such as be, become, get etc., e.g.:

We’re all getting older/*elder.

My brother is older/*elder than me.

(vii) Comparatives and superlatives of compound adjectives are generally formed by using more and most, e.g.:

Going skiing was the most nerve-wracking experience I’ve had.

Some compound adjectives have a first element consisting of an adjective which would normally form a comparative or superlative in one word, either by adding -er/-est, or by an irregular form. Such compound adjectives can therefore form a comparative/superlative by using these changes to the first adjective, rather than by using more/most, e.g.:

(viii) Some adjectives which already have a comparative or superlative meaning do not usually occur with -er/-est or more/most, unless we want to give special emphasis, often for humorous effect, e.g.:

Mussels are my most favourite food.

Common examples of adjectives like these are: complete, equal, favourite, and perfect.

2. Use of comparatives

Just like other adjectives, comparatives can be placed before nouns in the attributive position, e.g.:

a more intelligent child

the bigger piece of cake

Comparatives can also occur after be and other link verbs, e.g.:

The street has become quieter since they left.

You should be more sensible

Comparatives are very commonly followed by than and a pronoun or noun group, in order to describe who the other person or thing involved in the comparison is, e.g.:

John is taller than me.

I think that she’s more intelligent than her sister.

As well as pronouns and noun groups, than is often followed by other kinds of clause, e.g.:

I think the portions were bigger than they were last time

They had given a better performance than in previous years

Comparatives are often qualified by using words and phrases such as much, a lot, far, a bit/little, slightly etc., e.g.:

You should go by train, it would be much cheaper.

Could you be a bit quieter?

I’m feeling a lot better.

Do you have one that’s slightly bigger?

Two comparatives can be contrasted by placing the before them, indicating that a change in one quality is linked to a change in another, e.g.:

The smaller the gift, the easier it is to send.

The more stressed you are, the worse it is for your health.

Two comparatives can also be linked with and to show a continuing increase in a particular quality, e.g.:

The sea was getting rougher and rougher.

Her illness was becoming worse and worse.

He became more and more tired as the weeks went by

3. Use of superlatives

Like comparatives, superlatives can be placed before nouns in the attributive position, or occur after be and other link verbs, e.g.:

the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten

Annabel was the youngest

This restaurant is the best

As shown in the second two examples, superlatives are often used on their own if it is clear what or who is being compared. If you want to be specific about what you are comparing, you can do this with a noun, or a phrase beginning with in or of, e.g.:

Annabel was the youngest child

Annabel was the youngest of the children

This restaurant is the best in town.

Another way of being specific is by placing a relative clause after the superlative, e.g.:

This offer is the best I’m going to get.

Note that if the superlative occurs before the noun, in the attributive position, the in or of phrase or relative clause comes after the noun, cf:

The best restaurant in town.

The best offer I’m going to get.

Although the usually occurs before a superlative, it is sometimes left out in informal speech or writing, e.g.:

This one seems to be cheapest.

However the cannot be left out when the superlative is followed by an of/in phrase, or a relative clause indicating the group of people or things being compared, e.g.:

This one is the cheapest.

This one is cheapest.

This one is the cheapest of the new designs.

* This one is cheapest of the new designs.

This one is the cheapest I could find.

*This one is cheapest I could find.

Sometimes possessive pronouns are used instead of the before a superlative, e.g.:

my youngest brother

her most valuable piece of jewellery

Ordinal numbers are often used with superlatives to indicate that something has more of a particular quality than most others of its kind, e.g.:

It’s the third largest city in the country.

The cathedral is the second most popular tourist attraction

In informal conversation, superlatives are often used instead of comparatives when comparing two things. For example, when comparing a train journey and car journey to Edinburgh, someone might say: The train is quickest, rather than: The train is quicker. Superlatives are not generally used in this way in formal speech and writing.

4. The opposites of comparative and superlative forms

Comparative and superlative forms with -er/-est and more/most are always used to talk about a quality which is greater in amount relative to others. If we want to talk about a quality which is smaller in amount relative to others, we use the forms less (the opposite of comparative more), and the least (the opposite of superlative the most). Less is used to indicate that something or someone does not have as much of a particular quality as someone or something else, e.g.:

This sofa is less comfortable.

I’ve always been less patient than my sister.

The least is used to indicate that something or someone has less of a quality than any other person or thing of its kind, e.g.:

It’s the least expensive way to travel.