Discussant: Cabison,Winly L.

ADJECTIVE COMPARISON

Adjectives have inflections. That is, adjectives change in spelling according to how they are used
in a sentence.

Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative, and superlative

The simplest form of the adjective is its positive form.

When two objects or persons are being compared, the comparative form of the adjective is used.

When three or more things are being compared, we use the adjective’s superlative form.

The comparative forms of most adjectives, however, are formed by adding the suffixes
–er and –est, or by placing the words more and most in front of the positive form.

Forms of Adjective Comparison

Adjectives may be compared in one of three ways:

1. By adding -er and -est to the positive form of regular adjectives

base form comparative superlative

fine finer finest

young younger youngest

small smaller smallest

Some two-syllable adjectives which end in an unstressed syllable also have these endings.

base form comparative superlative

easy easier easiest

funny funnier funniest

gentle gentler gentlest

However, we do not use these endings with two-syllable adjectives ending in a stressed syllable
nor with longer adjectives with more than two syllables. The comparatives and superlatives of
these adjectives are formed using more and most.
 2. By adding moreand most to the positive form of irregular adjectives

base form comparative superlative

awkward more awkward most awkward

vague more interesting most interesting

patient more patient most patient

3. By changing the form of the word completely

base form comparative superlative

good better best
bad worse worst
little less least
Some adjectives are made from nouns and verbs by adding suffixes.

Noun Adjective

Hero Heroic

Wind Windy

Child Childish

Verb Adjective

Read Readable

Talk Talkative

Use Useful

Nouns, Pronouns, and Verbs Used as Adjectives.

Occasionally, words that are usually nouns, pronouns, and verbs will function as adjectives.
When used as adjectives, these parts of speech will answer any one of the four questions for
adjectives: What kind? Which one? How many? and How much?
 A noun used as an adjective will modify another noun and answer the question What kind? or
the question Which one?

NOUNS USED AS ADJECTIVES

Common Nouns

potato potato soup

party party hat

Proper Nouns

Roosevelt the Roosevelt era

Maine the Maine lobster

Certain pronouns can also be used as adjectives modifying nouns. The seven personal pronouns
that are listed at the beginning, known either as possessive adjectives or as possessive pronouns
when they act as adjectives, do double duty: They are pronouns because they have antecedents;
at the same time they are adjectives because they modify nouns by answering the question Which
one?

PRONOUNS USED AS ADJECTIVES

Possessive Adjectives

my, your, his, her The man shaved off his beard

its, our, their Our car finally broke down

Demonstrative Adjectives

this, that these, those That test took me three hours

Those roses wilted in the heat

Interrogative Adjectives

which, what, whose Which job will you take?

 Whose money is on the table?

When verbs are used as adjectives, they usually end in -ed or in -ing.

VERBS USED AS ADJECTIVES

The rippling water felt refreshing to them

The washedclothes were neatly folded

Remember that nouns, pronouns, and verbs can be considered adjectives only when they modify
other nouns or pronouns.

SERIES OF ADJECTIVE

When two or more adjectives are required to describe something, there is an established order for
the adjectives. The order is generally as follows:

Opinion - size - age - shape - colour - origin - material - purpose

Determiners (words like 'a' or 'some' or' several') go at the beginning. We also put adverbs like
'really' and 'very' at the beginning, after the determiners.

Note: Using two or more adjectives is called enumeration of adjectives. Enumeration of

adjectives occurs most commonly with just two adjectives and occasionally three.
ADJECTIVAL PHRASE

An adjective phrase (or adjectival phrase) is a phrase that tells us something about the noun it
is modifying. The head (principal) word in an adjective phrase will be an adjective. In the
examples below, the adjective phrase is shaded and the head word (i.e., the adjective) is in bold:

 These are unbelievably expensive shoes.

(In this example, the head adjective ends the adjective phrase.)

 Sarah was fairly bored with you.

(In this example, the head adjective is in the middle of the adjective phrase.)