Examples of two-syllable adjectives in English. English adjectives

Comparison of adjectives in English is one of the simplest grammatical topics. The reason is that the existing degrees of comparison and methods of their formation largely coincide with those in the Russian language. As in Russian, there are two degrees of comparison in English: comparative and excellent... According to another classification, there is also a positive one - this is the usual form of adjectives. Comparative forms in English

There are two ways to form the degrees of comparison: analytical(adding words) and synthetic(adding suffixes). The choice of the desired method of formation depends on the adjectives themselves:

• for monosyllabic (simple) - we use the synthetic method of education
• for the polysyllabic - the analytical method.

Let's consider all this in detail, giving examples.

Monosyllabic adjectives and the synthetic method for comparing them

Almost all simple adjectives in English form comparative degrees using suffixes:
table of adjectives degrees There are several cases where the addition of suffixes requires minor changes in the word itself:

1. If in a monosyllabic adjective there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then we double it:
   • Big - bigger - the biggest
     
2. The final dumb -e goes off before -er, -est:
   • Nice - nicer - the nicest
3. The final letter -y is replaced with -i, provided that there is a consonant before -y:
   • Dry - drier - the dries

If there is a vowel before -y in a word, there will be no substitutions:

• Gray - greyer - the greyest

Let's summarize.
In the following picture, you will see an extremely simple diagram of the formation of the degrees of comparison of simple adjectives in English. the degree of comparison of simple adjectives in English

There are no rules that have no exceptions

There is a small list of exceptions to the general rule: these words completely change their roots:
list of exclusions There is another type of exclusion, which is a small list of words that have two possible options for the formation of degrees, each of which has its own semantic characteristics. You need to know them in order to use them correctly in the context:
Adjectives with two possible options for the formation of degrees As for two-syllable adjectives, some of them form their comparative forms, as monosyllables - by adding - er and - est... These include those who

1. Ends in:
   • -ow:

   narrow - narrower - the narrowest

   • -le:

   simple - simpler - the simplest

   • -er:

   tender - tenderer - the tenderest

   happy - happier - the happiest

2. They have two syllables, and the stress falls on the second:
   severe - severer - the severest
3. Three-syllable adjectives with a prefix -un
   untidy - untidier - the untidiest

Polysyllabic adjectives and the analytical method for comparing them

So the time has come to deal with the analytical method of forming comparative degrees in English. This method involves changing the meaning of a word without any changes in it itself, but by adding another word to it, which will change its semantic and grammatical characteristics.

1. Adverb is added more(more), if we compare the qualities of two objects, one of which is superior to the other:
   Anya is more obedient than Katya
2. Adverb most(most) is used when indicating the highest level of quality characteristics of an item:
   Anya is the most obedient

You may be wondering why not all adjectives in English follow the same way of forming degrees. The fact is that adding suffixes to already long words is completely inconvenient, since they will lengthen them even more.
Polysyllabic adjectives To consolidate the material, watch the following videos:

DEGREES OF COMPARISON OF APPENDICES

In English, as in Russian, adjectives (qualitative) form two degrees of comparison: comparative and excellent. The positive degree of adjectives is called their basic form, which does not express the degree of comparison.

Just as in Russian, adjectives form degrees of comparison either analytically - using additional words more – more and most – most, most(complex forms); or synthetically - by changing the adjective itself with the help suffixes –Er and –Est(simple forms (. And just like in Russian, the analytical form of the comparative degree can be formed from any adjective, and the synthetic form can be formed from some adjectives, but not from others.

The vast majority of monosyllabic adjectives form degrees of comparison using simple (synthetic) forms:

Comparative –Er, which is pronounced [q], and before words beginning with a vowel sound -.

Excellent the degree is formed with the suffix -est which is pronounced.

At the same time, following rules :

1 In monosyllabic adjectives ending in one consonant preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant letter doubles(to keep the syllable closed):

big big- big ger["bIgq] - big gest["bIgIst]

thin thin- thin ner["TInq] - thin nest["TInIst]

2 If the adjective ends in y with a preceding consonant, then y changes to i :

bus y["bIzI] busy- bus ier["bIzIq] - bus iest["bIzIst]

happ y["hxpI] happy- happ ier["hxpIq] - happ iest["hxpIst]

Note: But if before y there is a vowel, then y remains unchanged:

gre y Gray- gre yer["greIq] - gre yest["greIIst]

3 Final vowel e (not minee ) before suffixes -er, -est goes down:

whit e White- whit er- whit est["waItIst]

However, even here, not everything is so simple. Some adjectives use both synthetic and analytical forms in the same way, for example:

Before adjectives in excellent degree is put definite article the, since it is usually a definition for the noun behind it (gives it the quality of exclusivity). The article is also preserved in cases where the noun is not mentioned, but only implied.

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Suddenly: words bull and bee- single-rooted. Words starting with a letter Th, in our language as many as 74. And in the Guinness Book of Records a word is recorded with a length of 35 letters.

site never ceases to be amazed at the complexity and richness of the Russian language and presents 20 interesting and unexpected facts that you probably did not know:

• Most words with a letter F in Russian - borrowed. Pushkin was proud that in "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" there was only one word with this letter - fleet.

• There are only 74 words in Russian starting with a letter Th... But most of us only remember iodine, yoga and Yoshkar-Olu.

• There are words in Russian in NS... These are the names of Russian cities and rivers: Ygyatta, Yllymakh, Ynakhsyt, Ynykchansky, Ytyk-kyul.

• The only words in Russian with three letters E in a row is long-necked(and others on - neck: for example, crooked-, short-).

• In the Russian language there is a word with a prefix unique for the language NS- - nook.

• The only word in the Russian language that has no root is take out... It is believed that in this word the so-called zero root alternating with the root - them- (get it). Earlier, until about the 17th century, this verb looked like take out, and it had a material root, the same as in take off, hug, understand(cf. shoot, hug, understand), but later the root - nya- has been reinterpreted as a suffix - Well- (how in pop, blow).

• The only monosyllabic adjective in Russian is evil.

• There are words in the Russian language with prefixes that are unique for the language. and- (total, total) and a- (maybe; outdated. "But the eighth will not be lucky") formed from the unions and and a.

• The words bull and bee- single-rooted. In the works of Old Russian literature, the word bee written as bachela... Vowel alternation b / NS is explained by the origin of both sounds from one Indo-European sound u... If you remember the dialect verb bob meaning "roar", "hum", "hum" and etymologically related to words bee, insect and bull, then it becomes clear what was the general meaning of these words.
• Dahl suggested replacing a foreign word atmosphere to Russians kolozemitsa or world face.

• Until the XIV century in Russia, all obscene words were called "ridiculous verbs."

• In the 1993 Guinness Book of Records, the longest word of the Russian language is called X-ray electrocardiographic, in the 2003 edition - superbly discerning.

• In the 2003 edition of the Grammar Dictionary of the Russian language by A.A.Zaliznyak, the longest (in letters) common noun in the dictionary form is the adjective private business... Consists of 25 letters.

• The longest verbs are - reexamined, substantiate and internationalize(all - 24 letters; word forms -receiving and -vis- 25 letters each).

• The longest nouns are misanthropy and excellency(24 letters each; word forms -ami- 26 letters each, however, misanthropy practically not used in plural. h.).

• The longest animate nouns are eleventh grader and clerk(21 letters each, word forms -ami- 23 letters each).

• The longest adverb recorded by the dictionary is unsatisfactory(19 letters). However, it should be borne in mind that from the overwhelming majority of quality adjectives in th / th adverbs in -O / -e, which are not always fixed by the dictionary.

• The longest interjection included in the Grammar Dictionary is gym-hello(15 or 14 letters depending on the hyphen status).

• Word respectively is the longest preposition. It consists of 14 letters. Longest particle exclusively- a letter shorter.

• There are so-called insufficient verbs in Russian. Sometimes the verb does not have any form, and this is due to the laws of euphony. For example: to conquer. He will win, you will win i... win? run? the victory? Philologists suggest using substitute constructions "I will win" or "I will become a winner"... Since the 1st person singular is absent, the verb is "insufficient".

• The English use the mnemonic “yellow-blue bus” to successfully master the difficult phrase “I love you”.

Each person or object has distinctive characteristics, properties, signs. And in order to tell the interlocutor about them, you need to be able to use the appropriate adjectives correctly. Today we will study this grammatical category, as well as learn its laws of composition and use. In addition, they will help us to quickly understand and remember the rules about simple and polysyllabic adjectives in English examples , given in the final section.

Grammatical meaning

The role of English adjectives is no different from the role of Russians - to characterize people and describe objects, emphasizing their qualities, signs, properties. Despite the fact that there is always a noun in conjunction with this part of speech, it does not change either the number, gender or case.

• I see a gray bird -I AMseegray bird.
• Gray birds are sitting on the branch of the tree -Gray birdssitonbranchwood.
• I gave some bread to the gray bird -I AMgaveLittleof breadthisgray bird.

The only case of changing the form of adjectives in an English sentence is when they are used to compare objects and express superiority.

Comparison forms

Before mastering the methods of comparison, it is necessary to understand that the composition of adjectives is very important for English grammar. They are of three types: simple, complex and compound.

Compound adjectives are a combination of two words and are written with a hyphen (sometimes together). These combinations consist of adjectives and other parts of speech: numerals, nouns, participles, etc.

• A one-eyed young man lives in this flat - A young one-eyed boy lives in this apartment.
• Mother bought a dark-blue suit for my brother -Mamaboughtto mybrotherdark-bluecostume.
• He didn’t want to take a low-paid job -He didn’t want to take a low-paying job.

The composite view is rarely used. Monosyllabic and disyllabic adjectives and words with a large number of syllables are much more common. For the first two groups, comparative forms are formed by changing the stem, and the last category requires additional words. Therefore, we will separately analyze polysyllabic adjectives in English, giving examples of compiling their comparative degrees. Let's dwell on the first group for now.

Definitions consisting of one syllable, as well as adjectives of two syllables with the endings le, er, ow, y form the degrees of comparison in a suffix way. For the comparative degree it is the suffix -er, and for the superlative one it is est. Since only one person or object can surpass everyone, the article the is put before such adjectives.

• Ihaddonemytaskby3 o’Clockbecauseitwas easy - I completed my task by three o'clock, because she was easy.
• YouhaddoneyourtaskfasterthanIdidbecauseyourtaskwas easier - You completed your task faster than me, because your task was easier.
• Hehaddonehistaskearlierthanothersdidbecausehistaskwas the easiest - He completed his task before anyone else, because his task was the lightest.

When changing the degree for monosyllabic adjectives, several nuances related to spelling are characteristic. When the definition ends with one consonant, preceded by a short vowel, it is doubled in the comparative construction. Here we note that the final unreadable vowel e is never doubled.

• It was hot yesterday -YesterdayIt washot.
• The weather is getting hotter and hotter -Weatherbecomesallhotterandhotter.

Words ending in -y with a preceding consonant change that letter to i.

• My sister is lazy – Mysisterlazy.
• He is the laziest pupil in his class -Hemostlazystudentvhisclass.

Note that this group contains special cases that are studied separately.

Polysyllabic adjectives in English construction examples

For definitions that include three or more syllables, no changes occur to the word itself. In drawing up comparative degrees, they are helped by special additional designations: more/ less(more / less) and themost/ theleast(most / least).

This method is often used to form comparisons of adjectives in –ed and –ing, which many equate with participles.

• He was more surprised than his brother -Hewasstrongersurprisedhowhisbrother.
• It was the most interesting day of my trip -itwasmostinterestingdayfrommytrips.

Disyllabic adjectives are often used this way, especially if they end in -ful, -less, -ous.

• Your husband is more careful than my -Is yourshusbandmorecaringhowmy.
• It is the most useless thing in the world -itthe mostuselessthingvthe world.
• Palahniuk is more famous writer than Frei -PalahniukmoreknownWriter,howFry.

To the words that are always used for education degrees of comparison additional constructions also include: frequent, careless, modern, normal, certain, foolish, correct and etc.

Some adjectives may even use both methods of constructing comparisons.

This type of word includes common, clever, simple, gentle, stupid, narrow, cruel, pleasant, friendly.

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Hello dear friends!
Imagine the situation that you are in a store, trying on a shirt and realize that it is too big. If you want to ask for a smaller size and understand that you know how to say “small”, and what to add to get “smaller”, you find it difficult to remember. And there are enough situations when you need to be able to compare. To be able to do this, you need to know how monosyllabic and polysyllabic adjectives differ in English.

From this article you will learn:

How to identify them

Basically, the division of words into syllables coincides with the Russian language, that is, their number corresponds to the number of vowels. For example, in Russian kar-tosh-ka there are 3 vowels, respectively 3 syllables. It's the same with po-ta-to. But there are also minor differences. There are consonants in English that are called sonorant. They give sounds: [m], [n], [l], [w], [r], [j]. Even if the word has one vowel sound, two syllables are counted, as, for example, in mild. You will soon see that - very simple!
A word that has only a diphthong of vowel sounds (a combination of two vowel sounds) is considered indivisible. For example, fine contains a diphthong.
And now I'll tell you why we discussed this ...

The simplest rule

So now let's learn the degrees of comparison. The general scheme of a comparative sentence is as follows Subject + verb to be + comparative adjective + than.
If the word consists of only one syllable, then add –er to it. Examples: tall - taller, small - smaller, fast - faster. We get in the offer: My car is faster than yours.

Do not forget to subscribe so as not to miss anything and receive a phrasebook in English, German and French as a gift. It has Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

The outline of a superlative sentence looks like this: subject + verb to be + the + superlative adjective.
To get an excellent adjective from a short word, add –est to it. We get: tallest, smallest, fastest.
Some nuances should be remembered here. If the word contains a combination of letters consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the last letter. For example, sad - sadder - the saddest, big - bigger - the biggest. Moscow is bigger than Tomsk (Moscow is bigger than Tomsk).

Comparative and superlative

With doubling consonants

When the word ends in –e (those with diphthongs), we add only –r / -st: nice - nicer - the nicest. Sally is the nicest girl I’ve ever met

Endings with diphthongs - you need to remember

Ending in -y

When words are longer
For adjectives with two or more syllables, use more comparatively and the most superlative. In this case, the ending is no longer added. For example, wonderful - more wonderful - the most wonderful. Emily is the most beautiful girl in class.
However, with some, the rule of small words also applies. Most often these are those in which the stress falls at the beginning: quiet - quieter - the quietest, clever - cleverer - the cleverest, narrow - narrower - the narrowest. Although you can add more / most to them.
If the word consists of two and ends with y, then change y to i and add –er / est. For example, funny - funnier - the funniest, crazy - crazier - the craziest.

It's as easy as shelling pears - add more or the most

By the way, did you know that adjectives can be easily formed?

With two or more syllables
Not without exceptions
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Also here, but there are few of them, so it will be easier for you to memorize them. I announce the list: good - better - the best, bad - worse - the worst, far - further - the furthest, old - elder - the eldest. However, old also changes like a regular one, without changing the value: older - the oldest. As you noticed, the shape itself changes here, and not just endings are added. But remember, in Russian the same phenomenon is observed: good - better - best.

Exception table

Exceptions

Therefore, the sentence "I have the best dad" will sound in English as My father is the best.
Let's now put the received information into a table:

By the way, speaking English is as easy as shelling pears! You will understand this after the very first lesson at Marina Rusakova's school! Get 5 first lessons for free! The course can be taken online, no boring cramming and heaps of textbooks. Only interesting, lively communication and a simple approach to learning complex rules.

Exercises

And so that the scheme fits in your head forever and bounces off your teeth, I offer you exercises for working off.
Put adjectives in parentheses in comparative degree:

1. John is ________ (weak) than Michael.
   John is weaker than Michael.
2. My teacher is ________ (strict) than yours.
3. People in the North are ________ (friendly) than in the South.
4. People in Thailand are ________ (lazy) than in China.
5. Sam is 3 years ________ (old) than Emily.
6. Stan has a ________ (fat) cat than Dan.
7. Matt is ________ (generous) than Scrooge.
8. My apartment is ________ (big) than yours.
9. Their workers are even ________ (lazy) than ours.
10. My book is ________ (interesting) than yours.

Now translate the sentences into English:

1. Jack is more sociable than his wife.
   Jack is more sociable than his wife.
2. Adam is the most insecure person I've ever met.
3. Mason is more talkative than his neighbor.
4. Evan is even more arrogant than his boss.
5. Justin is the most unreliable person I know, so I never ask him to help me.
6. Jessica is more sincere than her friend.
7. Violett is more practical than Jazmine, she will never spend her last money on lipstick.
8. Diana is the most forgetful. She left her passport at the bank yesterday.

Write your answers in the comments, we will check together!

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I was with you, a philologist of the English language, Ekaterina Martynova.
Have a great day everyone!