{"id":387,"date":"2014-07-25T20:10:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-25T20:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/writershandbook\/?post_type=chapter&p=387"},"modified":"2017-01-02T20:55:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T20:55:18","slug":"21-12-irregular-adjectives","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-mcc-styleguide\/chapter\/21-12-irregular-adjectives\/","title":{"raw":"21.12 Irregular Adjectives","rendered":"21.12 Irregular Adjectives"},"content":{"raw":" \r\n
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21.12<\/span> Irregular Adjectives<\/h2>\r\nIn English, adjectives have comparative and superlative forms that are used to more exactly describe nouns.\r\n
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Example<\/h3>\r\nJoey is tall<\/strong>, Pete is taller<\/strong> than Joey, and Malik is the tallest<\/strong> of the three boys.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\nOne common way to form the comparative and superlative forms is to add -er<\/em> and -est<\/em>, respectively, as shown in the preceding example. A second common method is to use the words more<\/em> and most<\/em> or less<\/em> and least<\/em>, as shown in the following example.\r\n
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Example<\/h3>\r\nLucy is eager<\/strong> to start, Callie is more eager<\/strong>, and Shannon is the most eager<\/strong>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nSome adjectives do not follow these two common methods of forming comparatives and superlatives. You will simply have to learn these irregular adjectives by heart. Some of them are listed Table 21.2 \"Sample Adjectives That Form Superlatives Using Irregular Patterns.\" Notice that some are irregular when used with a certain meaning and not when used with a different meaning. See Chapter 20 \"Grammar,\" Section 20.6.3 \"Using Comparatives and Superlatives\" for more examples of irregular adjectives.\r\n
\r\n\r\nTable 21.2<\/span> Sample Adjectives That Form Superlatives Using Irregular Patterns\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
much (noncount nouns)<\/td>\r\nmore<\/td>\r\nmost<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
many (count nouns)<\/td>\r\nmore<\/td>\r\nmost<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
little (size)<\/td>\r\nlittler<\/td>\r\nlittlest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
little (number)<\/td>\r\nless<\/td>\r\nleast<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
old (people and things)<\/td>\r\nolder<\/td>\r\noldest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
old (family members)<\/td>\r\nelder<\/td>\r\neldest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\nSome adjectives\u2019 comparatives and superlatives can be formed with either -er<\/em> and -est<\/em> or with more<\/em> and most<\/em> (or less<\/em> and least<\/em>). In these cases, choose the version that works best within a given sentence.\r\n
\r\n\r\nTable 21.3<\/span> Sample Adjectives That Can Form Superlatives Using -er<\/em> and -est<\/em> or More<\/em> and Most<\/em>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
clever<\/td>\r\ncleverer<\/td>\r\ncleverest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
clever<\/td>\r\nmore clever<\/td>\r\nmost clever<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
gentle<\/td>\r\ngentler<\/td>\r\ngentlest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
gentle<\/td>\r\nmore gentle<\/td>\r\nmost gentle<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
friendly<\/td>\r\nfriendlier<\/td>\r\nfriendliest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
friendly<\/td>\r\nmore friendly<\/td>\r\nmost friendly<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
quiet<\/td>\r\nquieter<\/td>\r\nquietest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
quiet<\/td>\r\nmore quiet<\/td>\r\nmost quiet<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
simple<\/td>\r\nsimpler<\/td>\r\nsimplest<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
simple<\/td>\r\nmore simple<\/td>\r\nmost simple<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\nSome adjectives do not have comparative and superlative forms since the simplest form expresses the only possible form.\r\n
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Sample Adjectives That Do Not Have Comparative and Superlative Forms<\/h2>\r\n