Contractions and Comparisons
- The adjective is a word that modifies, describes, distinguishes or otherwise characterizes the noun.
- Stonefish is poisonous fish.
- There are three Degrees of Comparison in English.
- Positive degree.
- Comparative degree.
- Superlative degree.
Positive Degree
Adjectives describe a characteristic or quality of a noun or pronoun. The basic form of an adjective is sometimes known as the positive degree.
The positive degree compares two things that are equal in status, have the same quality and also used to compare two things that are not equal and do not have the same status.
Examples:
- My book is as interesting as yours.
- An apple is as delicious as a peach.
- Mars is not so big as Jupiter.
- Mary is as intelligent as Kate.
- The elephant is a huge animal.
Comparative Degree
Adjectives can also be inflected (changed in form) to compare a quality between two nouns; this form is known as the comparative degree.
Examples:
- English Teacher is more generous than other school teachers.
- The planet Jupiter is bigger than Mars.
- The Earth is closer to the moon than it is to the sun.
Superlative Degree
An adjective to identify a noun with the highest (or lowest degree of an attribute among a group is known as the superlative degree.
Examples:
- Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system.
- Iron is the most useful of all metals.
- Rainwater is the purest water.
Forming the Comparative and Superlative adjectives-
A. With one-syllable adjectives, add “ er ” or est ” and double the final consonant if preceded by one vowel.
Example:
B. The final consonant is not doubled if it is preceded by two vowels or another consonant.
C. If an adjective has two syllables and ends in “-y,” we replace “y” with “i” and add “-er” or “-est,”
Example: Happy- happier– happiest
D. “Long” adjectives: Adjectives that have three or more syllables, or adjectives that have two syllables.
Example:
Careful— more/less careful— most/least careful
Caring— more/less caring—most/least caring
Gifted— more/less gifted—most/least gifted
Contraction
- A contraction is a group of words that have been shortened. Contractions can be found in both written and oral communication.
- I am = I’m
- he is = he’s
- she is = she’s
- it is = it’s
- we are = we’re
- you are = you’re
- they are = they’re
Note: The apostrophe goes in the exact place where the letter or letters are left out in contractions.
Related topics
Naming Words for Class 2: Simple English Guide
Naming words are names of people, animals, birds, places or things. E.g. Leo, Rat, Crow, London, Book Four types of naming words E.g. Leo, Andrea, Father, Mother E.g. School, London, Park, New york E.g. Tiger, Monkey, Cow, Parrots E.g. Box, Pen, Apples, Car Everything that we can touch, feel, see and talk about is represented by […]
Read More >>Types of Nouns: Definition, Kinds, and Examples
If you’ve developed a nascent interest in the English language already, or your child enjoys reading from the English signboards and alphabet books, it’s time that they were introduced to nouns. Nouns (or naming words, as they are conveyed to kids) are the flat concrete surface on which your child or student’s vocabulary will be […]
Read More >>
Context Clues
What Are Context Clues? Context clues are small hints in a sentence or paragraph that you can see. It helps you understand the meaning of a word you do not know. For this, you will not need to use a dictionary. The sentence itself helps you understand. When you read, the words near can be […]
Read More >>
Speech Writing: Format, Topics, and Examples
What Is Speech Writing? While writing a speech we should concentrate on the three ‘C’s. Your speech should be clear, concise, and consistent. Let’s see the format of speech writing. Speech Writing Format It contains two parts. Title: Give a good title to the topic while writing a speech. Content: The content section is divided […]
Read More >>
Other topics
Comments: