Adjectives and adverbs in many languages of the world have degrees of comparison. In English, these are Positive Degree, Comparative Degree and Superlative degrees, in Polish - rywny, wyższy, najwyższy, in French - le positif, le comparatif, le superlatif. The Russian language was no exception, it has a positive, comparative and superlative degree of adjectives. How do they differ and what are their forms?
Comparison: types, table
The ability to form degrees of comparison is possessed by adjectives and adverbs formed from them.There are three of them:
- Positive, Comparative, Excellent.
What adjectives can be used to form degrees of comparison
As you know, all adjectives in the Russian language are divided into several categories.
- Qualitative - mean signs that an object or living thing can have in different degrees: sweet, sweeter, the sweetest. Relative - they call the signs of an object or living being in relation to their circumstances, actions or other personalities, things: a telephone call, a wooden building. Possessive - indicate that something belongs to someone: Pushkin's stanza, paternal parting words.
Also, adverbs that come from the qualitative category of adjectives can form degrees of comparison: cheerful - cheerful (more cheerful).
Comparative degree of adjectives in Russian
Before moving on to the consideration of the comparative degree, it is worth mentioning a little about the positive. This is the name of the initial degree of comparison (boring). In fact, it is considered a degree of comparison only formally. But the next is the comparative degree of the adjective (more boring, more boring). It serves to show that a certain object or person has this quality in more / less quantity than someone / something else. For example: "This tea is stronger (stronger) than the one we drank yesterday."Information on forms of comparative degree
In the above example, you can see that the comparative degree in Russian can be formed in the following ways: using suffixes or by adding an additional word (in this example, it is "more"). It turns out that two forms of the comparative degree of adjectives in the Russian language can be distinguished: simple and compound or, as it is sometimes called, complex.Methods for the formation of a simple form
There are several ways to form it.- With the help of the suffixes -ee, -ee, -e, -che, added to the stem: cheerful - more cheerful. However, it is worth remembering that if the suffixes of the comparative degree of adjectives -е, -che are used, then the consonants in the root of the word may alternate, and the suffixes -к, -ок, -ек may be abolished altogether. For example: narrow - narrower, voiced - louder. Sometimes a simple form can be formed by adding all the same -ee, -ee, -e, -che, as well as the prefix po. For example: soon - quickly, quickly - quickly. Adjectives formed in this way, as a rule, are the lot of colloquial speech. Sometimes the comparative degree of adjectives in Russian is formed using a different basis of the word: bad - worse.
Complex form
Unlike a simple one, it is formed not with the help of suffixes or prefixes, but by the way of adding the words "more" or "less" to the adjective in a positive degree. For example: "Rembrandt was a more brilliant artist than most of his contemporaries, but he was truly appreciated years after his death." "less" remains unchanged. For example: more powerful (powerful, powerful, powerful). Both in a simple form and in a compound form, comparative adjectives in a sentence play the role of predicates or definitions: "Their relationship was closer and higher than that of anyone around." Having reviewed the information about the comparative degree, it is now worthwhile to move on to the study of the excellent. And it will help you not to forget how the comparative degree of adjectives is formed - the table. It summarizes all the information about simple and complex forms and their formation.
Superlative Comparison at a Glance
It serves to demonstrate that a certain object or living creature is absolutely superior to any others in a certain quality, which is presented to them in the highest degree.For example: "The house of the third pig was the most durable and the wolf could not destroy it."
A little about superlative forms
Knowledge of how the simple and complex comparative degree of adjectives is formed will help to deal with this topic. In the case of the superlative degree, both of its forms bear similar names: simple and composite (complex) and are formed according to the corresponding principle.
They are formed according to the same principle:
- Simple is formed by adding suffixes -eish, -aish to the stem: caring - caring. Similarly to the comparative one, the excellent one may also have a stem suffix -k: low, lowest. A word formed using a simple superlative form is inflected in cases and changes in numbers and gender. While the comparative degree of an adjective in a simple form is devoid of this property. For example: "light". As mentioned above, in the comparative form, it is invariably "lighter". But in the superlative degree - "the lightest", it is capable of changing: "the brightest", "the lightest." most ") to the adjective in a positive degree. For example: the brightest, the least entertaining, the funniest. In some cases, the formation may involve the comparative degree of the adjective plus the word "all". For example: "This girl coped with the task faster than anyone in the class." As in the case of the comparative compound form, the adjective in the excellent changes in the same categories. And the additional words: "most" or "least" remain unchanged: "The wolf ran the shortest path to Grandma's house and outstripped Little Red Riding Hood." However, the "most" also changes: "The wolf ran the shortest path to Grandmother's house and outstripped Little Red Riding Hood."
Superlative and comparative adjectives: exercises to consolidate knowledge
To better remember all the material presented, it is worth practicing by performing a few fairly simple exercises.- In this task, you need to form all possible forms of degrees according to the model: attractive, more attractive, more attractive, most attractive, most attractive, most attractive of all. In this exercise, you need to select both superlative forms for the adjective, mark the suffixes and emphasize alternating letters, according to the samples. In this task, you need to find errors and explain. 1. Petrov is the best player in the whole team. 2. Things were getting worse in our company. 3. The air in the room was getting heavier. 4. Our company turned out to be more successful. 5. Natasha's shoes are cheaper than Sveta's. In this exercise, you need to compare 2 objects of different properties, according to the sample: French and German (euphonious). - French is more euphonic than German. 1. Autumn and winter (warm). 2. Masha's locker and Dima's closet (convenient). 3. Laptop and smartphone (expensive). 4. Vladimir and Maxim (serious). 5. Katya and Valya (handsome). 6. Kiev and Lvov (young).
The difficulty of using high-quality adjectives also lies in the ability to form them. degrees of comparison.
- Positive degree it is the simplest for all adjectives, since it simply says that this feature is present in the subject: cheerful, light etc.
- comparative suggests that some feature is manifested in the object to a greater or lesser extent. This degree is formed only from quality adjectives. It can be simple and complex. A simple one is formed using parts of a word - morphemes, and a complex one - using additional words. Moreover, words in the form of a simple comparative degree do not change, that is, they are not inflected.
Methods of education of a simple comparative degree:
⇒Do not form a simple comparative form:
- adjectives that have passed into the category of qualitative from possessive and relative: golden (guy), fox (character);
- adjectives that do not change in degrees, since they denote a constant sign: blind, deaf, single;
- adjectives with suffixes - SK-, -ESK-, -ОВ-, -К-, -ОНЬК-, -ОВАТ-, etc .: prickly, friendly, businesslike, tiny, whitish;<.li>
- adjectives denoting the color of animals: black, gray, bay.
Moreover, words in the form of a complex comparative degree can be easily declined in cases, genders and numbers.
Methods for the formation of a simple superlative:
⇒Words that do not form a simple superlative:
- those that do not form a simple comparative degree (see above);
- separate adjectives with suffixes -CHIV-, -LIV-, -К-: hot, gullible;
- adjectives with suffixes -IST-, -AST-: big-eyed, vociferous.
ONLY QUALITATIVE APPENDICES HAVE DEGREES OF COMPARISON!
Qualitative adjectives differ in that they can denote a sign in varying degrees of its manifestation ( large - larger - largest). These forms are called degrees of comparison:
Comparative
Excellent
The paradigm of degrees of comparison also includes the adjective from which forms of degrees of comparison are formed. The semantic basis of the degrees of comparison is a quantitative assessment of the measure of a feature. In the paradigm of degrees of comparison, the original adjective is called the positive degree form.
Comparative degree (comparative) - denotes a quality that is in any object to a greater extent than in another, the name of which is put in the form of gender case or name case; the latter is preceded by a comparative union How(the truth is more expensive than gold).
Superlative degree (superlative) - denotes the highest degree of quality in any subject in comparison with another: favorite writer; inflected like ordinary adjectives.
Comparative and superlative degrees can be expressed in simple (synthetic) and complex (analytical) forms.
comparative
The simple form of the comparative degree does not change in gender, number and case; and therefore it must be able to distinguish it from the form of the comparative degree of the adverb. If a word of this type is syntactically related to noun, then compare the degree of the adjective, if connected with a verb, then compare the degree of the adverb ( oak is stronger than birch- an addendum; he gripped the handle tighter- adverb)
Forms of a comparative degree tend to be used in a position with a ligament, i.e. in the role of a predicate, but it can also be a definition.
Formed from the stem of the original adjective using suffixes - her (s) - bolder,whiter(productive way) or - e, - more - more expensive, richer(unproductive way).
From adjectives based on k, r, x and some words stemming from d, t, st comparative degree formed by suffix –E(while the final consonant stems alternate with hissing) ( loud - louder, quiet - quieter, steep - cooler). In adjectives on -OK and -To the generating stem is truncated, the remaining final consonant alternates with a hissing or paired soft ( high - higher, low - lower).
Comparative forms with suffix –Yes single ( far - farther, early - earlier, long - longer).
From three adjectives, the form is formed in the supplementary way ( small - less, good - better, bad - worse).
Forms of a comparative degree are not formed from adjectives that call signs that do not change in degrees. Sometimes they are not formed in accordance with the usus, and not the meaning ( decrepit, alien, scanty).
The complex form of degrees of comparison is formed by the addition of the word more... Moreover, such combinations can be formed with a short form ( faster, more red).
Superlative degree
The simple form of the superlative degree has features in its meaning: in addition to the above-mentioned basic meaning of the superiority of quality in an object compared to other objects, this form can denote the highest, limiting degree of quality in any object without comparison with others. In other words, it can mean an irrespectively high degree of quality: worst enemy, kindest creature.
The simple form is formed by attaching a suffix -Eish (-eish). At the same time, it is not formed from all adjectives, usually it is not for those lexemes from which the form of the comparative degree is not formed. It may also be absent in those forms that have the form of a comparative degree. These are quality adjectives with suffixes -Ast-, -ist, as well as many words with suffixes - liv-, -chiv-, -k-(narrow - narrower, hairy - hairy, silent - more silent).
A complex form is formed by a combination of a quality adjective and a word most... It is not related to lexical restrictions: the reddest, the kindest, the narrowest.
For adjectives with suffixes –Owat - (- evat-) no superlative form is formed because the value of the incomplete characteristic is incompatible with the value of the high degree of the characteristic ( deafest, most deafish).
The superlative shape denotes the highest quality. In contrast to the comparative degree, the forms of the superlative degree cannot express a comparative assessment of the degree of a feature in the same subject and in two subjects.
Adjectives in Russian. They are irreplaceable when it is necessary to compare one characteristic of an object or phenomenon with another. Let's try to understand the intricacies of this topic.
Adjective
Before you start studying the topic "Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives in Russian", you need to find out how this part of speech differs from all others. And she really has a lot of features. It is difficult to imagine our speech without this colorful, graceful group. With the help of adjectives, we describe appearance (low, handsome, unsightly), character (kind, grumpy, difficult), age (young, old). However, not only human qualities, but also much more can be represented with their help. For example, no piece of fiction is complete without the use of adjectives. And the lyrics and even more so. Thanks to this part of speech, stories, poems, and stories acquire expressiveness and imagery.
Helps to form such artistic means as epithets (dazzling beauty, wonderful morning), metaphors of a stone heart), comparisons (looks like the happiest; the sky is like azure watercolor).
A distinctive feature of adjectives is their ability to form short forms. The latter always play the role of a predicate in a sentence, which gives this part of speech another advantage - to give dynamics to any text.
What is a Degree?
Anyone who studies Russian is faced with this question. Comparison of adjectives is a characteristic that helps to compare one subject with another.
For example, we have two balls in front of us. They are exactly the same, only one of them is slightly different in size. We need to compare them with each other and draw a conclusion: one ball more another. We can approach this issue from another angle and note that one ball smaller than the second. And in fact, and in another case, we used a word that characterizes the degree of comparison of these objects.
Now let's add to our subjects one more, the same, but much larger. We need to distinguish it from others. How are we going to do this? Use comparison, of course. Only now it is necessary to indicate that the third ball differs from the first and the second at once. In this case, we say that he the largest among them.
That is why we need them.We will tell you about each of their types in detail below.
comparative
When we have an adjective in front of us, which no one compares with anything, then it is characterized by a positive degree. But if one subject needs to be compared with another, then we will use the comparative degree of the adjective.
It has two subspecies. The first is called simple, or suffix. This means that the word used in this degree has a suffix characteristic of it.
For example: This table chic... Neighbor's table smarter our.
In the first case, the adjective is in a positive degree. In the second, the suffix "her" was added to it and with the help of this they compared one table with another.
The second kind is the compound degree. As the name suggests, its formation does not occur with the help of morphemes, but with the use of special words.
For example: This project is very successful... The last project was more successful.
The word "more" helps us compare one project to another.
Another example: We got valuable information. The previous one turned out to be less valuable.
Now with the word "less" we have indicated a sign that manifested itself to a lesser extent.
It is worth remembering that the degrees of comparison of adjectives in the Russian language, regardless of the varieties, are formed only from Neither possessive nor relative possess this ability.
Superlative degree
In some situations, we need not just to compare one object or phenomenon with another, but to distinguish it from all those similar to it. And here we will also be helped by the degree of comparison of adjectives in Russian. This degree of comparison is called excellent, which already implies the highest limit.
Like the comparative one, it has two varieties.
A simple degree is formed with suffixes.
For example: Ivanov strongest of all athletes on the team.
The word “strong” with the suffix -eysh- formed and distinguished the athlete Ivanov among other members of the national team.
Next example: New tulle the most beautiful of those that I have seen.
In this case, the auxiliary word "most" gave this sentence the same meaning as in the previous example. This form is called composite.
Sometimes it can be accompanied by the prefix "na-" for amplification: the most beautiful.
Peculiarities
In some cases, forms of degrees of comparison of adjectives have exceptions.
These include the words "good" and "bad". When we begin to compare objects with their help, we will face some difficulties.
For example: We conducted good evening. Let's try to form a chain of degrees of comparison.
In a simple comparative, we will see that the word "good" does not exist. "Better" comes to replace him. And to the word "bad" we will choose "worse". Such a phenomenon in Russian is called the suppletivism of the foundations. This means that the word must be radically changed in order to form a comparative degree.
Conclusion
Thus, we managed to find out not only the basics, but also some of the nuances on the topic "Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives in Russian".
Now this rule will not cause you any difficulties, since it is not difficult at all.
Adjectives and adverbs in many languages of the world have degrees of comparison. In English, these are Positive Degree, Comparative Degree and Superlative degrees, in Polish - rywny, wyższy, najwyższy, in French - le positif, le comparatif, le superlatif. The Russian language was no exception, it has a positive, comparative and superlative degree of adjectives. How do they differ and what are their forms?
Comparison: types, table
The ability to form degrees of comparison is possessed by adjectives and adverbs formed from them.
There are three of them:
- Positive.
- Comparative.
- Excellent.
Each of them expresses a different level of possession of an object or a special certain quality.
For example: resourceful boy ( positive), but he can be more resourceful ( comparative), and in a certain life situation even become the most resourceful ( excellent).
What adjectives can be used to form degrees of comparison
As you know, all adjectives in the Russian language are divided into several categories.
- Qualitative - means signs that an object or living creature can have in different degrees: sweet, sweeter, sweetest.
- Relative - they call the signs of an object or living creature in their relation to circumstances, actions or other personalities, things: a telephone call, a wooden building.
- Possessive - indicate that something belongs to someone: Pushkin's stanza, paternal parting words.
Only from the first category can a comparative and superlative degree of adjectives be formed (charming - more charming, the most charming), since one cannot say: "a more wooden building" or "the most Pushkin stanza".
Also, adverbs that come from the qualitative category of adjectives can form degrees of comparison: cheerful - cheerful (more cheerful).
Comparative degree of adjectives in Russian
Before moving on to the consideration of the comparative degree, it is worth mentioning a little about the positive. This is the name of the initial degree of comparison (boring). In fact, it is considered a degree of comparison only formally. But the next is the comparative degree of the adjective (more boring, more boring). It serves to show that a certain object or person has this quality in more / less quantity than someone / something else. For example: "This tea is stronger (stronger) than the one we drank yesterday."
Information on forms of comparative degree
In the above example, you can see that the comparative degree in Russian can be formed in the following ways: using suffixes or by adding an additional word (in this example, it is "more"). It turns out that two forms of the comparative degree of adjectives in the Russian language can be distinguished: simple and compound or, as it is sometimes called, complex.
Methods for the formation of a simple form
There are several ways to form it.
- With the help of the suffixes -ee, -ee, -e, -che, added to the stem: cheerful - more cheerful. However, it is worth remembering that if the suffixes of the comparative degree of adjectives -е, -che are used, then the consonants in the root of the word may alternate, and the suffixes -к, -ок, -ек may be abolished altogether. For example: narrow - narrower, sonorous - louder.
- Sometimes a simple form can be formed by adding all the same -ee, -e, -e, -che, as well as the prefix po. For example: soon - quickly, quickly - quickly. Adjectives formed in this way, as a rule, are the lot of colloquial speech.
- Sometimes the comparative degree of adjectives in Russian is formed using a different basis of the word: bad - worse.
It is worth remembering that not every high-quality adjective can form a simple form. It so happened historically that from some words it is simply impossible to form it. For example, from such adjectives as "tall" or "business". After all, one cannot say: "taller" or "more efficient".
Unlike a positive one, a simple comparative degree has no ending and does not change. For example, the adjective “light” changes in gender and number: “light”, “light”, “light”, etc. In addition, it is declined by case. But the comparative degree of the adjective - "lighter", is unchanged.
In this form, words, as a rule, perform the syntactic role of a predicate: "Words of love are sweeter than honey", and in some cases - definitions: "Cook jam sweeter".
Complex form
Unlike a simple one, it is formed not with the help of suffixes or prefixes, but by the way of adding the words "more" or "less" to the adjective in a positive degree. For example: "Rembrandt was a more brilliant artist than most of his contemporaries, but he was truly appreciated years after his death."
Adjectives in a complex form are declined in cases, change in numbers and, accordingly, in gender, while "more" and "less" remain unchanged. For example: more powerful (powerful, powerful, powerful).
Both in a simple form and in a compound form, comparative adjectives in a sentence play the role of predicates or definitions: "Their relationship was closer and more elevated than that of anyone around."
Having reviewed the information about the comparative degree, it is now worthwhile to move on to the study of the excellent. And it will help you not to forget how the comparative degree of adjectives is formed - the table.
It summarizes all the information about simple and complex forms and their formation.
Superlative Comparison at a Glance
It serves to demonstrate that a certain object or living creature is absolutely superior to any others in a certain quality, which is presented to them in the highest degree.
For example: "The house of the third pig was the most durable and the wolf could not destroy it."
A little about superlative forms
Knowledge of how the simple and complex comparative degree of adjectives is formed will help to deal with this topic. In the case of the superlative degree, both of its forms bear similar names: simple and composite (complex) and are formed according to the corresponding principle.
They are formed according to the same principle:
- Simple is formed by adding suffixes -eish, -aish to the stem: caring - caring. Similarly to the comparative one, the excellent suffix of the stem -k may also drop out: low, lowest. A word formed using a simple superlative form is inflected in cases and changes in numbers and gender. While the comparative degree of an adjective in a simple form is devoid of this property. For example: "light". As mentioned above, in the comparative form, it is invariably "lighter". But in the superlative degree - "the most luminous", it is capable of changing: "the most luminous", "the lightest".
- The compound (complex) form is formed by adding the words "most", "least" or "most" ("most", "most", "most") to the adjective in a positive degree. For example: the brightest, the least entertaining, the funniest. In some cases, the formation may involve the comparative degree of the adjective plus the word "all". For example: "This girl coped with the task faster than anyone in the class." As in the case of the comparative compound form, the adjective in the excellent changes in the same categories. And the additional words: "most" or "least" remain unchanged: "The wolf ran the shortest path to Grandma's house and outstripped Little Red Riding Hood." However, the "most" also changes: "The wolf ran the shortest path to Grandmother's house and outstripped Little Red Riding Hood."
As for the syntactic role, adjectives in this degree, as a rule, act as predicates: "The most amazing journey." Less often - definitions: "It was a story about an amazing journey." And in a complex form, they most often fulfill the role of definitions: "He was smarter than everyone in school."
Superlative and comparative adjectives: exercises to consolidate knowledge
To better remember all the material presented, it is worth practicing by performing a few fairly simple exercises.
By itself, the topic of comparative degrees of adjectives is pretty easy. However, in order to avoid mistakes, it is worth remembering the basic rules, especially since in most European languages adjectives also have 3 degrees of comparison. Therefore, having figured out what they are in Russian, you can safely take on the study of the grammar of foreign languages.