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Comparatively Speaking by Susan Thurman

Sometimes you need to show how something compares with or measures up to something else. Say, for example, you and your family enjoy watching horror movies. You may want to report about a new scary movie you've seen, deciding whether it's scarier than another one you've all recently watched together or perhaps even the scariest movie you've ever seen. A scary movie can become a scarier movie if it's compared to another one, or it can become the scariest movie if it's compared to several others.

In writing comparisons, you use one of three different forms (called degrees) of adjectives and adverbs:

  • The positive degree simply makes a statement about a person, place, or thing.

  • The comparative degree compares two (but only two) people, places, or things.

  • The superlative degree compares more than two people, places, or things.

<tgroup cols="3" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="40%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Positive</p></td> <td><p>Comparative</p></td> <td><p>Superlative</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>blue</p></td> <td><p>bluer</p></td> <td><p>bluest</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>happy</p></td> <td><p>happier</p></td> <td><p>happiest</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>tall</p></td> <td><p>taller</p></td> <td><p>tallest</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>Here are the rules to help you form the comparative and superlative:</p> <ul> <li><p><B>Rule #1</emphasis>. One-syllable adjectives and adverbs usually form their comparative form by adding <emphasis>-er</emphasis> and their superlative form by adding -<emphasis>est</emphasis> (see the examples <emphasis>tall</emphasis> and <emphasis>blue</B> in the table).</p></li> <li><p><B>Rule #2</emphasis>. Adjectives of more than two syllables and adverbs ending in -<emphasis>ly</emphasis> usually form comparative forms by using <emphasis>more</emphasis> (or <emphasis>less</emphasis>) and superlative forms by using <emphasis>most</emphasis> (or <emphasis>least</B>)</p></li> </ul> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="3" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="40%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Positive</p></td> <td><p>Comparative</p></td> <td><p>Superlative</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>comfortable</p></td> <td><p>more comfortable</p></td> <td><p>most comfortable</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>qualified</p></td> <td><p>less qualified</p></td> <td><p>least qualified</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <ul> <li><p><B>Rule #3</emphasis>. Confusion sometimes crops up in forming comparisons of words of two syllables only. Here's the rub: Sometimes two-syllable words use the -<emphasis>er, est</emphasis> forms, and sometimes they use the <emphasis>more, most</emphasis> (or <emphasis>less, least</B>) forms. You knew there had to be some complications in there somewhere, didn't you?</p></li> </ul> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="3" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="40%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Positive</p></td> <td><p>Comparative</p></td> <td><p>Superlative</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>sleepy</p></td> <td><p>sleepier</p></td> <td><p>sleepiest</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>tiring</p></td> <td><p>more tiring</p></td> <td><p>most tiring</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>So how do you know whether to use the -<emphasis>er, est</emphasis> form or the <emphasis>more, most</emphasis> form? You have to use a dictionary (a large dictionary, not a paperback one) if you're not sure. If no comparative or superlative forms are listed in the dictionary, use the <emphasis>more, most</emphasis> form.</p> <p>Did you happen to notice the word <emphasis>usually</emphasis> in the first two rules? It's there because English has some exceptions to the rules. The good news is that the exceptions are few. Among them are:</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <tgroup cols="3" align="center"> <colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="30%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="40%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Positive</p></td> <td><p>Comparative</p></td> <td><p>Superlative</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>bad</p></td> <td><p>worse</p></td> <td><p>worst</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>far</p></td> <td><p>farther/further</p></td> <td><p>farthest/furthest</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>little</p></td> <td><p>littler/less/lesser</p></td> <td><p>littlest/least</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>many</p></td> <td><p>more</p></td> <td><p>most</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>old (persons)</p></td> <td><p>elder</p></td> <td><p>eldest</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>One common mistake in both writing and speaking is to use the superlative form when the comparative should be used. If you're comparing two persons, places, or things, you use only the comparative form (not the superlative). Look at these sentences:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Of my two dogs, the cocker spaniel is the friendliest</emphasis>.</p> </div> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>Tillie has two sons; Charlie is the eldest and Herb is the youngest</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>In both of those sentences, the comparison is between only two (<emphasis>two dogs, two sons</emphasis>), so the sentences should be written with the comparative form (<emphasis>friendlier, younger</emphasis>) instead of the superlative.</p> <div class="npsb"> <h2></h2> <p>Try the interactive quizzes on comparative and superlative at these Web</p> <table width="100%" frame="none"> <title/> <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><emphasis>sites:tinyurl.com/23fb98</emphasis></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>tinyurl.com/ym9x4x</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><emphasis>tinyurl.com/2ym2e7</emphasis></p></td> <td><para/></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> </div> <p>Another frequent mistake in comparisons is in going overboard — using both the <emphasis>-er</emphasis> and <emphasis>more</emphasis> or -<emphasis>est</emphasis> and <emphasis>most</emphasis> forms with the same noun, as in <emphasis>the most tallest statue</emphasis> or <emphasis>a more happier child</emphasis>. Remember that one form is the limit (and, of course, it has to be the correct form). In the examples, <emphasis>most</emphasis> and <emphasis>more</emphasis> need to be eliminated.</p> <p>Sometimes comparisons can be ambiguous. Because some comparisons can be interpreted more than one way, be sure you include all the words necessary to give the meaning you intend.</p> <p>Read this sentence:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>In the long jump, Adele could beat her rival Fern more often than her teammate Sherry</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>Constructed that way, readers don't know if the meaning is the following:</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>In the long jump, Adele could beat her rival Fern more often than her teammate Sherry could</emphasis>.</p> </div> <p>or</p> <div class="npsb"> <p><emphasis>In the long jump, Adele could beat her rival Fern more often than she could beat her teammate Sherry</emphasis>.</p> </div> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/figuring-out-some-finicky-forms/what-kind-of-mood-are-you-in.htm" title="What Kind of Mood Are You In?">What Kind of Mood Are You In?</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/figuring-out-some-finicky-forms/avoiding-double-negatives.htm" title="Avoiding Double Negatives">Avoiding Double Negatives</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/grammar/figuring-out-some-finicky-forms/comparatively-speaking.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Comparatively Speaking - Grammar and Style </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-latin/making-comparisons/comparison-of-adverbs.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Comparison of Adverbs - Learning Latin </a></li> <li><a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/superlaterm.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> superlative - definition and examples of superlative </a></li> <li><a href="http://esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/p/g_compsup.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Comparative Form - Superlative Form </a></li> <li><a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/degreeterm.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> degree - definition and examples of degree 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