Comparison and Comparative Constructions As has been shown, most adjectives and adverbs are gradable and can be used in comparative clauses. When appearing in comparative constructions, adjectives and adverbs take special grammatical forms which are called “forms of comparison”. 25.1 Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
With gradable adjectives and adverbs, there are three degrees of comparison: positive\absolute degree, comparative degree and superlative degree. The positive\absolute degree is just the base form of an adjective or adverb. The comparative and superlative degrees may be regular or irregular. Most adjectives and adverbs have regular comparison; only a few of them are irregular.
1)Regular comparison of adjectives
Comparison in relation to a higher or the highest degree is expressed by the inflected forms in –er or –est, or by their equivalents with more or most; the former is known as the synthetic form and the latter the analytic form.
Generally speaking, with mono-syllabic adjectives the comparative and superlative degrees are formed by adding –er and –est to the positive, and with adjectives of more than two syllables by adding more and most. Disyllabic adjectives may have either –er\-est forms or more\most forms expect for those ending in –y and –ow which more often than not take the synthetic forms.
2)Regular comparison of adverbs
Comparison of adverbs is similar to that of adjectives. Adverbs of one syllable form their comparative degree in –er and their superlative in –est. adverbs of more than one syllable usually take more and most forms.
3)Irregular comparison of adjectives and adverbs
There are only a small number of adjectives and adverbs whose comparative and superlative degrees take irregular forms. These adjectives and adverbs include bad, good\well, old, far, much, badly.
25.2 Comparative constructions
There are three types of comparative construction:
1)“As…as” construction
The basic pattern of “as…as” construction is “as + adjective\adverb +as”.
There are parallels between a negative “as…as” and a “less…than” construction, which in actual usage is not so common as the former.
There are cases in which the subjects of the comparative and the main clause are identical but the comparative elements are different.
There are also cases where both the subjects and the comparative elements are different.
It should be noticed that there is always something omitted in the comparative clause expect that two different qualities are being compared as shown in the two examples cited above.
Another pattern of “as…as” construction is “as much\many + noun + as-clause”, in which much and many are determiners. The negative form of this pattern is “not as\so much\many + noun + as-clause”.
There is, in addition, a variant form of “as…as” construction: “as + adjective + noun phrase + as-clause”.
It should be noticed that in this variant pattern the embedded noun phrase is usually “a\an + singular count noun” or “zero + non-count noun” rather than “zero + plural count noun”which is rarely found in such a construction. It should also be noticed that this variant form is sometimes interchangeable with the pattern “noun phrase + as…as construction”with little or no difference in meaning. The only difference lies in the fact that in the variant pattern nucleus falls on the noun, while in the latter patter nucleus falls on the adjective.
2)“More…than” construction
The basic pattern of “more…than”construction is “comparative degree + than-clause”.
The latter is preferred when there is an established pair of antonymous adjectives or adverbs.
Another pattern of “more…than” construction is “determiner more\less\fewer + noun +that-clause”. As in the case of “as…as”construction, the noun is always
embedded in the comparative structure.
A variant form of “more…than” construction is “comparative adjective +noun + than-clause”.
Another variant form of “more…than”construction is “the + comparative adjective\adverb + of-phrase”. In this pattern, the definite article is obligatory with comparative adjectives, but optional with comparative adverbs.
A third variant form of “more…than” construction is “ more\less of a +noun + than-clause”. Here more and less are used as indefinite pronouns, and the noun that follows is usually a singular gradable noun.
3) “(The) + superlative adjective\adverb + scope of comparison”
The superlative construction is used when three or more than three people or things are compared. In this construction there is usually scope of comparison which may be expressed by a prepositional phrase, a relative clause, or a non-finite clause. Sometimes the scope of comparison is understood in the context and need not be expressed. In some set expressions, a scope of comparison is unnecessary at all.
The negative form of the superlative construction is “the least….”, which , in practical usage, is usually replaced by the superlative degree of antonymous adjectives or adverbs.
The idea of highest degree can also be expressed by other constructions. In some contexts the positive or comparative degree expresses the same meaning as is usually conveyed by the superlative.
25.3 Contrast between comparative constructions
Four pairs of related patterns may be noted.
1)“More…than” vs quasi-coordinative type
Apart from the basic use, “more…than”can also perform a quasi-coordinative function.
“Less…than” can perform the same function with a reversed interpretation.
2)“Not so…as” vs “not so much …as”
“Not so…as”is the negative form of “as…as”construction, whereas “not so
much..as”is another quasi-coordinative construction similar in meaning to the quasi-coordinative use of “less…than”.
3)“Not more\-er…than” vs “no more\-er…than”
“Not more…than” is the negative form of “more…than” construction, whereas “no more…than” means “mot…any more than”. Thus, “ a is no wiser than B” means “ a is not wise just as B is not wise”, implying both A and B are stupid. Likewise, “A whale is no more a fish than a horse is” means “A whale is not a fish just as a horse is not a fish”.
In specific contexts, “more than” may have negative implication.
4)“The more…the more” vs “ more and more”
“The more…the more” is commonly used to denote two parallel processes on a proportional increase. In this construction, the first part constitutes a subordinate clause, while the second the main clause.
“More and more” is a coordinate adverb phrase commonly used as premodifier in adjective\adverb phrases. In contrast with “the more…the more”, “more and more”is usually used to denote one process that is on a continual increase.