by Kitty Nash
Module 6, Modifiers: Adjectives and Adverbs, Lesson 10:
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We often use adjectives and adverbs to compare. There are three degrees of comparison, positive (or negative), comparative, and superlative.
- Definition:
- If you are talking about only one thing, you can't really compare, but if the word modified possesses that characteristic, it is used in the positive. If it is a negative characteristic, it is in the negative.
I am old.
You are young.
- Definition:
- If you are comparing two things, you must use the comparative (compare) form or degree.
I am older than my brother.
You are younger than your sister.
- Definition:
- If you are comparing more than two things, you must use the superlative (super) form or degree.
I am the eldest of three sisters.
You are the youngest person in your family.
- Hint:
- Superman is the strongest. Superlative means the best.
Forming Degrees of Comparison
Positives | Comparative | Superlative | |
---|---|---|---|
One syllable adjectives and adverbs | add suffix erbigger, older, newer | add suffix estbiggest, oldest, newest | |
Two syllable adjectives (Check a dictionary if you aren't sure.) | some (including ones ending in y, ow, le) | add suffix ersillier, quieter, politer | add suffix estsilliest, quietest, politest |
some (including ones ending in ful) | use moremore often, more careful | use mostmost often, most careful | |
some | can either add suffix er or use moreheavier or more heavy | can either add suffix est or use mostheaviest or most heavy | |
Two syllable adverbs | use moremore quickly | use mostmost quickly | |
Three syllable adjectives and adverbs | use moremore incredible | use mostmost incredible | |
Negatives | Comparative | Superlative | |
all adjectives and adverbs | use lessless friendly | use leastleast friendly |
- Hint:
- When you are comparing one thing to the group, you can use the words other or else in your writing or in your mind to clarify what you are comparing.
James is taller than any boy in his class. (Is it comparative or superlative?)
James is taller than any other boy in his class. (It is clearly comparative.)Michelle is a better artist than anyone in her art class. (Which is it?)
Michelle is a better artist than anyone else in her art class. (Clearly superlative.)
- Hint:
- Watch out for adjectives and adverbs that share the same root. They are not the same word.
careful, more careful, most careful
carefully, more carefully, most carefully
Spelling changes
One syllable adjectives with a short vowel before a single consonant usually double the consonant before adding the suffixes.
big - bigger, biggest; mad - madder, maddest
One syllable adjectives that end in silent e or two syllable words that end in le do not double the e.
cute - cuter, cutest; little - littler, littlest
When adding suffixes er and est to words ending in y, you must change the y to an i before adding the suffix.
merry - merrier, merriest; friendly - friendlier, friendliest
Practice What You've Learned
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Part 1: Choosing Degrees of Comparison
- Directions:
- Decide whether the missing word needs to be positive/negative, comparative, or superlative.
- 1.
- Of the two toppings, I like pepperoni .
positive / comparative / superlative - 2.
- This painting is than that one.
positive / comparative / superlative - 3.
- Those palm trees are very .
positive / comparative / superlative - 4.
- Of all my friends, she is the .
positive / comparative / superlative - 5.
- Lydia's car is the of its kind.
positive / comparative / superlative - 6.
- Mark is the of the two brothers.
positive / comparative / superlative - 7.
- I think Joe is the boy in the world.
positive / comparative / superlative - 8.
- Those rockets are .
positive / comparative / superlative - 9.
- Today is than yesterday was.
positive / comparative / superlative - 10.
- The hurricane so far this year hit Florida.
positive / comparative / superlative
Part 2: Choosing the Correct Forms
- Directions:
- Click on the correct modifier to complete each sentence.
- 11.
- Anna needs more sunscreen than Megan because she is fair/fairer/fairest than her sister.
- 12.
- Darius is the tall/taller/tallest boy on the basketball team.
- 13.
- That baseball narrowly/more narrowly/most narrowly missed hitting the coach.
- 14.
- The cheetah is the fast/faster/fastest land animal.
- 15.
- My team is working quickly/more quickly/most quickly than your team.
- 16.
- After studying world religions, I am now ignorant/less ignorant/least ignorant than I was before.
- 17.
- Studies found that students who did not gossip were the popular/more popular/most popular in high school.
- 18.
- I didn't expect today's weather to be so cool/cooler/coolest.
- 19.
- After surgery, Nathan raised his arm weakly/more weakly/most weakly than we expected.
- 20.
- That is the slow/slower/slowest I have ever seen you move.
Part 3: Spelling Modifiers of Comparison
- Directions:
- Choose the correct form of the modifier. Use a dictionary if you need to. For words that can go either way, er/est is the better choice.
- 21.
- thankful - thankfuller/thankfullest or more thankful/most thankful
- 22.
- loyal - loyaler/loyalest or more loyal/most loyal
- 23.
- soft - softer/softest or more soft/most soft
- 24.
- graceful - gracefuler/gracefulest or more graceful/most graceful
- 25.
- simple - simpler/simplest or more simple/most simple
- 26.
- careful - carefuller/carefullest or more careful/most careful
- 27.
- happy - happier/happiest or more happy/most happy
- 28.
- beautiful - beautifuller/beautifullest or more beautiful/most beautiful
- 29.
- immense - immenser/immensest or more immense/most immense
- 30.
- prickly - pricklier/prickliest or more prickly/most prickly
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