The Sunday News
ON a good afternoon, you take a walk and come across three boys on their way from school. One boy is tall, the other is taller and one is the tallest of the three.
When comparing the height of the boys, we use modifying words to make our meaning more explicit. Tall, taller, and tallest help the reader understand these different heights.
As you have learned, adjectives and adverbs modify other words.
They are also used to make comparisons. You might say, for instance, that summer nights in the sea are cool; autumn nights, cooler; and winter nights coolest. Notice that in using the word cool, you change the form depending on whether two or more things are being compared. Here are some examples of these, under positive, comparative and superlative:
green – greener- greenest; dense – denser-densest; shade – shadier –shadiest; wet – wetter –wettest; good- better – best; rapidly- more rapidly – most rapidly; leafy – leafier – leafiest; many-more – most; warm – warmer- warmest; complex –more complex – most complex. Use more and most to form the comparative and superlative degrees of all modifiers with three or more syllables.
Note, about comparisons with less and least: Less and least, the opposite of more and most can be used to form comparative and superlative degrees of most modifiers. Examples: favourable – less favourable – least favourable, quickly- less quickly – least quickly.
Recognising degrees of comparison: In order to make comparatives you need to know the three degrees of comparison are the positive, the comparative and the superlative. Examples: cold, colder and coldest; possible more possible and most possible. The following examples show the three degrees of some common adjectives and adverbs.
As you notice, the comparative and superlative degrees of modifiers are formed in various ways with the adjective high, for example; an –er is added for the comparative degree and –est for the superlative while more and most are used with the adjective eager.
Adjectives under the following headlines: positive, comparative and superlative – high,higher and highest; eager,more eager and most eager. Adverbs: early, earlier and earliest; eagerly, more eagerly and most eagerly; well better and best.
Irregular forms. Study the following list of irregular modifiers: bad, worse, worst; badly, worse, worst. Far (distance), farther, farthest; far (extent), further, furthest; ill, worse, worst; late, later, latest; little(amount), less, least. Many, more, most; much, more, most; well, better, best. Are you confused about these two words: fish and fishes.
Learn the following words, which have common usage problems: When you refer to many fish of the same species, use the word fish. If you want to refer to many fish of different species use the word fishes.
All right, alright. Alright, though it is seen more and more frequently in print, is not considered a correct spelling. For example, that new album is alright is non-standard. But it is correct to say: He is feeling all right today.
Anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere. None of these adverbs should ever end with an –s. Bad, badly. Bad is an adjective meaning “defective”, “hurtful”. It cannot be used after an action verb. Badly cannot be used as an adjective, but it can be used as an adverb after an action verb. Adjective: Driving without a licence is a bad idea. Adverb: Despite much practice, the team played badly.
“because”: Do not use because after the reason. Say “The reason . . . is that” or reword the sentence altogether. A non-standard sentence reads: The reason the fish were eaten is because they did not swim fast enough. Correct: The reason the fish were eaten is that they did not swim fast enough. The fish were eaten because they did not swim fast enough. Being as, being that. Avoid using both expressions. Use because or since instead.
Beside, besides: These two prepositions are different. Besides means “at the side of” Besides means “in addition” to. Bring, take: Bring means to “carry from a distant place to a nearer one.” Take means “to carry from a near place to a more distant place.” Doesn’t, don’t Use doesn’t instead of don’t with all third person singular pronouns and nouns.
Non-standard: The machine don’t work. It is correct to say: The machine doesn’t work. Done is the past participle of do. It should always follow a helping verb. Incorrect: He done his homework. He has done his homework is correct. Learn; teach, learn means to receive knowledge. Teach means to give knowledge. Leave, let. Leave means “to allow to remain”, Let means to permit. Do not use one in place of the other.
Like, as Like is a preposition meaning “similar to” or “such as”. It should not be used in place of the conjunction “as”. For example, you cannot say, “She writes like she speaks-graciously. But you can say, “She writes as she speaks graciously.”
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