Speak good English: Comparative and Superlative degrees of adjectives
We learnt last week that if an adjective forms its comparative and superlative degrees by adding the letters -er and -est, respectively, to the positive degree, there is no way you can use the words more and most, respectively, as prefixes to form the comparative and superlative degrees of that adjective.
We said, for instance, that the comparative and superlative degrees of lucky are luckier and luckiest, and that there is no way the comparative and superlative degrees of that adjective could be more lucky and most lucky.
Advertisement
Having said that, I must add that a few adjectives can form their comparative and superlative degrees in both ways — adding the letters -er and -est to the positive degree and using the words more and most as prefixes.
For example, the adjective common can have, as its comparative and superlative degrees, commoner and commonest, respectively, or more common and most common.
Another example is the adjective clever, whose comparative and superlative degrees could be cleverer and cleverest, respectively, or more clever and most clever.
Yet another example is the adjective gentle. The comparative and superlative degrees of gentle could be gentler and gentlest, respectively, or more gentle and most gentle.
Note that apart from these few adjectives, no other adjective can form its comparative and superlative degrees in both ways.
One very common error associated with the comparison of adjectives is the tendency to combine the two ways in which the comparative and superlative degrees are formed for a particular adjective.
I am talking about sentences such as:
My sister is the most laziest person I know.
Bill Gates is the most richest person in the world.
Esi is more prettier than her other sisters.
Between the twins, Paul is more taller.
Needless to say, all these sentences are incorrect because the two ways of forming either the comparative or the superlative degree have been combined in the sentences.
The correct sentences should be:
My sister is the laziest person I know.
Bill Gates is the richest man in the world.
Esi is prettier than her other sisters.
Between the twins, Paul is the taller.
(To be continued)
