Degrees of Comparison

There are three degrees of comparison: positive (or absolute), comparative and superlative. There are three ways of forming the comparative and the superlative degrees: synthetic, analytical and suppletive.

Synthetic: by adding the suffix –er to the comparative degree and the suffix -est to the superlative degree.

Types of adjectives forming their degrees of comparison in a synthetic way:

1) monosyllabic: great ― greater ― greatest;

2) disyllabic: ending in –y: lovely ― lovelier ― loveliest;

-ow: narrow ― narrower ― narrowest;

-le: simple ― simpler ― simplest;

-er: clever ― cleverer ― cleverest;

-some: handsome ― handsomer ― handsomest;

Analytical: the comparative degree is formed by adding the word more, the superlative ― most: careful ― more careful ― most careful; personal ― more personal ― most personal; tired ― more tired ― most tired

Suppletive (Irregular):

good ― better ― best; bad ― worse ― worst; little ― less ― least;

many ― more ― most;

near ― nearer ― nearest (for distance) // next (for time);

far ― farther ― farthest (for distance) // further ― furthest (for time & distance);

old ― older ― oldest (for age) // elder ― eldest (for seniority);

late ― later ― latest (for time) // last (for order);

Comparison of compounds.

Compound adjectives can be inflected in two ways:

1) the first element is inflected if it is an adjective or an adverb (regular with well -): well-known — better-known — best-known;

2) an analytical way: kind-hearted — more kind-hearted — most kind-hearted.

The following adjectives do not form degrees of comparison:

1. Limiting qualitative adjectives which single out or determine the type of things or persons, such as: previous, middle, left, childless, medical, dead, etc.

2. Relative adjectives such as: wooden, woolen, leathern.

3. Adjectives with comparative and superlative meaning which are of Latin origin: former, inner, upper, junior, senior, prior, superior, minimal, etc.

Word combinations with less and least are not considered to be analytical forms of degrees of comparison. Remember the phrase ― the lesser of two evils, lesser is not a comparative degree but an adjective meaning ‘not as great as other(s)’.