ADJECTIVES
(form=comparison)
________________ ________________ |
A) *DEFINITION: o Adjectives modify NOUNS or PRONOUNS.
B) *LOCATION: o located immediately before the noun modified OR o located after a LINKING VERB (is, am, are, was, were) o Lewis Black, the hilarious comedian, performed on The Daily Show. o Comedian Lewis Black is hilarious.
o what kind of o which one o how many
· usually, grammarians place the ARTICLES (a, an, the) under the category of Adjectives · typically, NUMBERS (3) are placed here as well, answering how many or which place (3rd) · NOUNS can function as adjectives, too o The bookstore owner sold his business. o Here, the noun-as-adjective “bookstore” modifies “owner”—what kind of owner?
· Comparative Mode: comparing 2 items = (-er) OR (more + base form of adjective) o adjective with 1-2 syllables = -er o adjective with 3+ syllables = more + base form o For the last few years, April has been drier than March in the Northeast. o Between a Saturn and a Lexus, the latter will presumably be the more expensive car of the two.
· Superlative Mode: comparing 3+ items = (-est) OR (most + base form) o adjective with 1-2 syllables = -est o adjective with 3+ syllables = most + base form o "April is the cruelest month..." (T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland) o Lexus models are typically the most expensive cars on the market today.
G) *ABSOLUTE MODIFIERS: · some modifiers cannot be used in the comparative or superlative because they are absolute · this means they cannot be decreased or increased · so, no (-er) OR (-est), no (more + base form) OR (most + base form) · for example, something cannot be more/less perfect, truly/really/very unique, less fatal · it is like being pregnant: you either are or not; there is no in-between and there is no greater or lesser degree of being pregnant
|