Exercise 2. Complete the sentences using a comparative form.

THE ADJECTIVE

Semantic characteristics

According to their way of nomination adjectives fall into two groups - qualitative and relative.

Qualitative adjectives denote properties of a substance directly (great, cold, beautiful, etc.).

Relative adjectives describe properties of a substance through relation to materials (woolen, wooden, feathery), to place (Russian, Northern, European), to time (daily, monthly), to some action (defensive, preparatory), or to relationship (fatherly, friendly).

Adjectives also differ as to their function. Some of them are used only attributively and cannot be used as prediсatives (a top boy in the class, but not the boy was top): some are used only as predicatives and never as attributes (He is well again, but not The well boy).

The change in the position and, accordingly, of the syntactic status of the adjective may also result in the change in the meaning of the adjective. Thus in a fast train the adjective is limiting and denotes a specific kind of train (скорыйпоезд), whereas in the train was fast the adjective is descriptive, as it describes the way the

train moved (поезд шел на большой скорости).

Morphological composition

According to their morphological composition adjectives can be subdivided into simple, derived and compound.

Simple adjectives have no suffixes or prefixes, f.ex. kind, new, fresh

Derived adjectives consist of one root morpheme and one or more derivational morphemes - suffixes or prefixes.

Typical adjective-forming suffixes:

-able, -ible - understandable, accessible

-al- typical, central

-ary, -ory – documentary, elementary, contradictory

-ant, -ent: important, different

-ful: useful, doubtful

-ic: patriotic, heroic

-ive: comparative, progressive

-less: helpless, useless

-ous: famous, dangerous

-у: dirty, rainy

Typical adjective-forming prefixes:

un-: unhappy, unequal

in-: incomplete, indifferent

ir-: irregular, irrational

Compound adjectives consist of at least two stems, f.ex. dark-blue,snow-white, grass-green, deaf-mute; well-known, newly-repaired, much-praised, heart-breaking, high-born, high-flown, man-made, blue-eyed, long-legged, fair-haired, down-hearted.

Syntactic functions

Adjectives may have different functions in the sentence. The most common are those of an attribute or a predicative.

The attributes (premodifying and postmodifying) may be closely attached to their head-words (a good boy, the delegates present), or they may be detached (Cold and hungry, he finally reached his home). In the first case the adjective forms a group with the noun it modifies; in the second case the adjectiveforms a sense-group separate from the head-word and the other parts of the sentence. A detached attribute is therefore separated by a comma from its head-word if it adjoins it, or from other parts of the sentence if it isdistant from the head-word.

As predicatives, adjectives normally form a part of a compound nominal predicate. (f.ex. His voice sounded strange.)

DEGREES OF COMPARISON

There are three grades of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. The superlative degree is generally used with the definite article.

Ways of formation may be synthetic, analytic, and irregular.

The synthetic way – by adding the suffixes -er, -est.

1) monosyllabic and some disyllabic adjectives in which the stress falls on the last syllable:

f.ex. full - fuller – fullest

   cold – colder – coldest

   big- bigger- biggest

   brave-braver- bravest

   polite – politer - politest

2) disyllabic adjectives in -er, -y, -ow, -le,

early- earlier – earliest

clever – cleverer – cleverest

narrow-narrower –narrowest

simple- simpler - simplest

The analytical way - by adding more, most

1) most dissyllabic adjectives:

careful – more careful – most careful

private – more private – most private

2) polysyllabic adjectives

difficult - more difficult - most difficult

curious - more curious - most curious

3) adjectives formed from participles I and II

tired – more tired – most tired

boring – more boring – most boring

4) adjectives used only predicatively

afraid – more afraid – most afraid

aware – more aware – most aware

Irregular way

good/well           - better           - best                            

bad                 - worse            - worst

little                - less               - least

many              - more             - most

far                   - farther         - farthest (for distance)

- further          - furthest (fortime and distance)

old                  - older             - oldest (for age)

- elder              - eldest (for seniority)

near                - nearer      - nearest (for distance)

                                                   next (fororder)

late               - later         - latest (for time)

                                                          last (for order)

Note the following sentence patterns:

1. as…as – такой же, как He is as tall as my brother.             

not so (as)….as - не такой, как He is not as tall as my brother (He is not so tall as my brother)

2. little-less- least – меньше – for uncountable nouns

few – fewer – fewest - – меньше – for countable nouns

He has fewer friends and less information than Jane.

3. Чем … тем … - the+ comparativedegree…., the+ comparative degree

The sooner you come, the better for all of us. – чем скорее ты придешь, тем лучше для всех.

4. With the comparative degree the following words can be used much, far, a great deal ( намного, гораздо, значительно):

Your room is a great deal better thanmine.

5. half (twice, three times) as big (much, interesting) as ….

Ваша комната в два раза больше моей. Your room is twice as large as mine.

Этот ящик в три раза тяжелее того. This box is three times as heavy as that.

У него в два раза больше книг, чем меня у Не has twice as many books as I.

Он в два раза моложе меня. Не is half my age.

Моя комната в два раза меньше вашей. My room is half the size of yours.

Мой чемодан в два раза легче вашего. My trunk is half the weight of yours.

Exercise 1. Put the words in the comparative and superlative degree.

Short, old, bad, great, poor, large, good, brave,cheap, hot, pretty, friendly, careful, stupid, narrow,dangerous, young, dirty, interesting, expensive, strange, difficult, quick, easy, rude, cheerful, fast,hopeful, lazy.

THE ADJECTIVE

Semantic characteristics

According to their way of nomination adjectives fall into two groups - qualitative and relative.

Qualitative adjectives denote properties of a substance directly (great, cold, beautiful, etc.).

Relative adjectives describe properties of a substance through relation to materials (woolen, wooden, feathery), to place (Russian, Northern, European), to time (daily, monthly), to some action (defensive, preparatory), or to relationship (fatherly, friendly).

Adjectives also differ as to their function. Some of them are used only attributively and cannot be used as prediсatives (a top boy in the class, but not the boy was top): some are used only as predicatives and never as attributes (He is well again, but not The well boy).

The change in the position and, accordingly, of the syntactic status of the adjective may also result in the change in the meaning of the adjective. Thus in a fast train the adjective is limiting and denotes a specific kind of train (скорыйпоезд), whereas in the train was fast the adjective is descriptive, as it describes the way the

train moved (поезд шел на большой скорости).

Morphological composition

According to their morphological composition adjectives can be subdivided into simple, derived and compound.

Simple adjectives have no suffixes or prefixes, f.ex. kind, new, fresh

Derived adjectives consist of one root morpheme and one or more derivational morphemes - suffixes or prefixes.

Typical adjective-forming suffixes:

-able, -ible - understandable, accessible

-al- typical, central

-ary, -ory – documentary, elementary, contradictory

-ant, -ent: important, different

-ful: useful, doubtful

-ic: patriotic, heroic

-ive: comparative, progressive

-less: helpless, useless

-ous: famous, dangerous

-у: dirty, rainy

Typical adjective-forming prefixes:

un-: unhappy, unequal

in-: incomplete, indifferent

ir-: irregular, irrational

Compound adjectives consist of at least two stems, f.ex. dark-blue,snow-white, grass-green, deaf-mute; well-known, newly-repaired, much-praised, heart-breaking, high-born, high-flown, man-made, blue-eyed, long-legged, fair-haired, down-hearted.

Syntactic functions

Adjectives may have different functions in the sentence. The most common are those of an attribute or a predicative.

The attributes (premodifying and postmodifying) may be closely attached to their head-words (a good boy, the delegates present), or they may be detached (Cold and hungry, he finally reached his home). In the first case the adjective forms a group with the noun it modifies; in the second case the adjectiveforms a sense-group separate from the head-word and the other parts of the sentence. A detached attribute is therefore separated by a comma from its head-word if it adjoins it, or from other parts of the sentence if it isdistant from the head-word.

As predicatives, adjectives normally form a part of a compound nominal predicate. (f.ex. His voice sounded strange.)

DEGREES OF COMPARISON

There are three grades of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. The superlative degree is generally used with the definite article.

Ways of formation may be synthetic, analytic, and irregular.

The synthetic way – by adding the suffixes -er, -est.

1) monosyllabic and some disyllabic adjectives in which the stress falls on the last syllable:

f.ex. full - fuller – fullest

   cold – colder – coldest

   big- bigger- biggest

   brave-braver- bravest

   polite – politer - politest

2) disyllabic adjectives in -er, -y, -ow, -le,

early- earlier – earliest

clever – cleverer – cleverest

narrow-narrower –narrowest

simple- simpler - simplest

The analytical way - by adding more, most

1) most dissyllabic adjectives:

careful – more careful – most careful

private – more private – most private

2) polysyllabic adjectives

difficult - more difficult - most difficult

curious - more curious - most curious

3) adjectives formed from participles I and II

tired – more tired – most tired

boring – more boring – most boring

4) adjectives used only predicatively

afraid – more afraid – most afraid

aware – more aware – most aware

Irregular way

good/well           - better           - best                            

bad                 - worse            - worst

little                - less               - least

many              - more             - most

far                   - farther         - farthest (for distance)

- further          - furthest (fortime and distance)

old                  - older             - oldest (for age)

- elder              - eldest (for seniority)

near                - nearer      - nearest (for distance)

                                                   next (fororder)

late               - later         - latest (for time)

                                                          last (for order)

Note the following sentence patterns:

1. as…as – такой же, как He is as tall as my brother.             

not so (as)….as - не такой, как He is not as tall as my brother (He is not so tall as my brother)

2. little-less- least – меньше – for uncountable nouns

few – fewer – fewest - – меньше – for countable nouns

He has fewer friends and less information than Jane.

3. Чем … тем … - the+ comparativedegree…., the+ comparative degree

The sooner you come, the better for all of us. – чем скорее ты придешь, тем лучше для всех.

4. With the comparative degree the following words can be used much, far, a great deal ( намного, гораздо, значительно):

Your room is a great deal better thanmine.

5. half (twice, three times) as big (much, interesting) as ….

Ваша комната в два раза больше моей. Your room is twice as large as mine.

Этот ящик в три раза тяжелее того. This box is three times as heavy as that.

У него в два раза больше книг, чем меня у Не has twice as many books as I.

Он в два раза моложе меня. Не is half my age.

Моя комната в два раза меньше вашей. My room is half the size of yours.

Мой чемодан в два раза легче вашего. My trunk is half the weight of yours.

Exercise 1. Put the words in the comparative and superlative degree.

Short, old, bad, great, poor, large, good, brave,cheap, hot, pretty, friendly, careful, stupid, narrow,dangerous, young, dirty, interesting, expensive, strange, difficult, quick, easy, rude, cheerful, fast,hopeful, lazy.

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences using a comparative form.

1. It’s too noisy here. Can we go somewhere quieter?

2. This coffee is very weak. I like it a bit............................................................

3. This house is too small for a family of 5. I’d like to rent a...............................

4. The hotel was surprisingly cheap. I expected it to be....................................

5. The weather is too cold today. Yesterday it was much ………….............

6. My job is a bit boring sometimes. I’d like to do something..........................

7. This book is very easy to read in the original. I thought it would be ………..

8. Don’t worry. The situation isn’t so bad. It could be.........................................

9. You’re standing too close to the camera. Can you move a bit....................away?

10. These jeans are too dark, I’d like something......................................................

11. She is too young for this work. Theteamneedssomebody …………..

12. You came very late yesterday. Canyoucome …………… today?

13. There are very many people in the shop today. Usuallytherearemuch ………

14. Thesalad is not tasty today. Yesterdayitwas ………………………

15. Your cat is fat. Mine is much ……………………………..