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Adjectives vs. Adverbs by Jeffery Donley, Ph.D.

The positive, comparative, and superlative are the three levels of comparison of the adjective and the adverb. When you attach the ending -er or -(e)st to the positive of the adjective, you compare the adjective. Observe, for example, the positive klein (“small”), the comparative kleiner (“smaller”), and the superlative kleinst (“smallest”). Although German has two superlatives, we will practice the more frequently used one with am + -(e)sten, as in the example am ältesten.

Exercise 12

Circle the German equivalents of the English words listed.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>poorest <emphasis>(arm, am ärmsten, ärmer)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>poorer <emphasis>(arm, am ärmsten, ärmer)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>poor <emphasis>(ärmer, arm, am ärmsten)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>younger <emphasis>(am jüngsten, jung, jünger)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>young <emphasis>(jung, am jüngsten, jünger)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>youngest <emphasis>(jünger, am jüngsten, jung)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>longest <emphasis>(lang, länger, am längsten)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>long <emphasis>(länger, lang, am längsten)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. Comparative: longer</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>(am längsten, länger, lang)</emphasis></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 13</h2> <p>Questions 1–3 deal with reich (“rich”), and questions 4–6 deal with <emphasis>langsam</emphasis> (“slow”).</p> <p>Translate the following English words into German.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="4" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="4" colname="col4" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>richest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>richer</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>rich</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>slower</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>slowest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>slow</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 14</h2> <p>One-syllable adjectives require an umlaut on the stem vowel in the comparative and superlative. You also place an <emphasis>e</emphasis> in front of the ending -<emphasis>st</emphasis> to assist in pronouncing adjectives that end in a sibilant (<emphasis>-s, -ss</emphasis>, ö, or -z) or in -<emphasis>d</emphasis> or -<emphasis>t</emphasis>.</p> <p>Questions 1–3 deal with <emphasis>heiö</emphasis> (“hot”), questions 4–6 deal with <emphasis>kurz</emphasis> (“short”), questions 7–9 deal with mild (“mild”), questions 10–12 deal with <emphasis>alt</emphasis> (“old”), and questions 13–15 deal with <emphasis>weit</emphasis> (“wide”).</p> <p>Translate the following English words into German.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="4" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="4" colname="col4" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>hottest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>hotter</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>hot</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>shorter</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>shortest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>short</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>mildest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>mild</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>milder</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>10. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>old</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>11. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>older</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>12. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>oldest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>13. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>widest</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>14. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>wider</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>15. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>wide</p></td> <td><p>  ________________  </p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>Exercise 15</h2> <p>Note that in the comparative you take off the preceding <emphasis>e</emphasis> when adjectives end in -<emphasis>el, -en, or -er</emphasis>.</p> <p>Questions 1–3 deal with <emphasis>dunkel</emphasis> (“dark”), questions 4–6 deal with <emphasis>sauer</emphasis> (“sour”), and questions 7–9 deal with selten (“rare”).</p> <p>Translate the following English words into German.</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="4" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="4" colname="col4" colwidth="25%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>1. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>darkest</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>2. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>darker</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>3. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>dark</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>4. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>sourer</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>5. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>sourest</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>6. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>sour</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>7. Positive:</p></td> <td><p>rare</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>8. Comparative:</p></td> <td><p>rarer</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>9. Superlative:</p></td> <td><p>rarest</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> <td><p>________________</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-as-nouns.htm" title="Adjectives as Nouns">Adjectives as Nouns</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/comparative-phrases.htm" title="Comparative Phrases">Comparative Phrases</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/german-practice/the-adjective/adjectives-vs-adverbs.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Adjectives vs. Adverbs - German Practice </a></li> <li><a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/adjectivesadverbs/qt/030109Superlat.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Superlatives - Latin Superlative Adjectives </a></li> <li><a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/superlaterm.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> 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