大多数两个音节以上( ),或字尾已含有字根ful, less, ing, ed, ous, ive, ible, able, ent, ant, ish, ic, ary, al等的形容词,直接在形容词字前加 more (更),如:wonderful - more wonderful、useless - more useless、exciting - more exciting、interested - more interested、difficult - more difficult、famous - more famous、expensive - more expensive...等。
基本的形容词比较级句型为“主词1 + Be动词 + 形容词比较级 + than + 主词2 (+ Be动词)”,如:“Health is more important than money.”(健康比金钱重要)。须要注意表示此句型时:
(1)两个主词的性质必须相同,才可加以比较, 例如:“Your house is larger than mine.”(你的房子比我的还要大)。
(2)than当连接词使用时,后应接“主词2 + Be动词”才算完整,但在口语上会把Be动词省略掉,此时主词2如果为人称代名词,可用受词代替主格,例如:“Tom is more handsome than he (is).”=“Tom is more handsome than him.”(汤姆比他还要英俊)。
(3)在不影响句意的情况下,比较的对象(than之后的内容)可以完全省略,例如:“It was colder yesterday.”(昨天比较冷)。
形容词比较级前面可以用程度副词来修饰,例如:much, a lot和far(比...得多)表示差异很大、even和still(甚至更)表示来强调比较,与a little(...一点点)表示差异很小,除此之外也可以用数字修饰,以表示具体的不同。
例1:“The radio is much more expensive than the fan.”(收音机比电扇还要昂贵很多)
例2:“Ted is even thinner than Kelly.”(泰迪甚至比凯莉还要瘦)
例3:“Linda is a little taller than her sister.”(琳达比她的姐姐高一点)
例4:“Kevin is one year older than his brother.”(凯文比他的弟弟大一岁)
其它常见的比较级句型及用法:
“主词1 + 一般动词 + 形容词比较级 + 名词 + than + 主词2 (+ 助动词)”,如:“Nick eats more cookies than his cousin.”(尼克饼干吃得比他表弟还多)。
表示“两者之间来做比较”时,可用“the + 形容词比较级 + of the two”,此处加the是因为后面的“of the two”的关系表示限定,如:“He is the happier of the two.”(他是两人之中比较快乐的)。
表示“越...(就)越...”时,可用“the + 形容词比较级, the + 形容词比较级”或“the + 形容词比较级 + 主词 + 动词, the + 形容词比较级 + 主词 + 动词”,此处的第一个和第二个形容词比较级是两个不同的形容词,如:“The more, the better.”(越多越好);“The harder you study, the better grades you will get.”(你越努力用功,你就会得到越好的成绩)。
表示“越来越...”时,可用“形容词比较级 + and + 形容词比较级”,此处的第一个和第二个形容词比较级是相同的,如: (1)“The weather is getting warmer and warmer.”(天气变得越来越暖和)
「原級 + - er」類型的比較級,用「比較級 + 比較級」表示「越來越...」
(2)“This kind of cellphone is becoming more and more popular.”(这款手机变得越来越受欢迎)
「more + 原級」類型的比較級,用「more and more + 原級」表示「越來越...」
如果是表示“越来越不...”时,则可用“less and less + 形容词原级”如:
(1)“It is getting less and less cold.”(天气变得越来越不冷了)。
(2)“This man is less and less handsome.”(这位男人越来越不英俊)。
表示“比任何其他的都...”时,可用“形容词比较级 + than + any other + 单数名词”;表示“比所有其他的都...”时,则用“形容词比较级 + than + all the other + 复数名词”,此两种句型都是用形容词比较级来表达形容词“最高级”的概念。
例1:“Jason is taller than any other student in his class.”(杰森比他班上任何其他男生都来得高)
此句意同Jason is the tallest student in his class.
例2:“To David, math is more difficult than all the other subjects.”(对大卫来说,数学比所有其他的科目还要来得困难)
此句意同To David, math is the most difficult subject of all.
如果是在同范围内做比较时,比较的对象用“any other + 单数名词”或“all the other + 复数名词”表达,是为了将自己排除在外,避免造成自己和自己比较的逻辑错误,但若是在不同范围之间做比较时,则名词前不加other,如下所示。
例如:“Emily is shorter than any boy in her class.”=“Emily is shorter than all boys in her class.”(艾蜜丽比她班上其他男生都来得矮)
其中上述的“any other + 单数名词 / all the other + 复数名词”还可以替换成“No other + 单数名词/复数名词”,
例如:“No other student(s) in his class is(are) more handsome than Gavin.”(在他班上没有其他同学比盖文还要俊俏)
使用“形容词原级”做比较的句型
如果比较的两个对象其性质是一致的,也就是阐述“主词1和主词2一样...”时,可以用as...as... 表示,其中第一个as含义为“像”;第二个as含义为“一样”,基本句型为“主词1 + Be动词 + as + 形容词原级 + as + 主词2 (+ Be动词)”,如:“I am as young as her.”(我和她一样年轻)。
如要表示“主词1比主词2还不...”时,可以用“主词1 + Be动词 + less + 形容词原级 + than + 主词2 (+ Be动词) ”,
例如:“Mandy is less smart than Ethan.”=“Mandy isn't as smart as Ethan.”=“Mandy isn't smarter than Ethan.”=“Mandy is stupider than Ethan.”(蔓蒂没比伊森聪明)
- ly 结尾的副词,在该副词之前加 more,如:quickly - more quickly、expensively - more expensively、sadly - more sadly、easily - more easily、seriously - more seriously、merrily - more merrily...等。
The syntax of comparatives can closely mirror the syntax of coordination. The similarity in structure across the following a- and b-sentences illustrates this point. The conjuncts of the coordinate structures are enclosed in square brackets:[2]
a. [The boys] and [the girls] sent flowers to him today.
b. More [boys] than [girls] sent flowers to him today.
a. [The boys sent] and [the girls dropped off] flowers for him today.
b. [More boys sent] than [girls dropped off] flowers for him today.
a. The boys sent [flowers to him] and [chocolates to her] today.
b. More boys sent [flowers to him] than [chocolates to her] today.
a. The boys sent [flowers to him today] and [chocolates to her yesterday].
b. More boys sent [flowers to him today] than [chocolates to her yesterday].
The structure of the b-sentences involving comparatives is closely similar to the structure of the a-sentences involving coordination. Based on this similarity, many have argued that the syntax of comparatives overlaps with the syntax of coordination at least some of the time.[3] In this regard, the than in the b-sentences should be viewed as a coordinator (coordinate conjunction), not as a subordinator (subordinate conjunction).
Examples of the comparative that do not allow an analysis in terms of coordination (because the necessary parallel structures are not present) are instances of comparative subordination.[4] In such cases, than has the status of a preposition or a subordinator (subordinate conjunction), e.g.
a. We invited more people than wanted to come.
b. A better striker was playing for them than we have.
c. More passengers than the airline had issued tickets tried to board the plane.[5]
d. More guests than we had chairs showed up.
e. Who did he eat more hotdogs than?
Since the parallel structures associated with coordinate structures, i.e., the conjuncts, cannot be acknowledged in these sentences, the only analysis available is one in terms of subordination, whereby than has the status of a subordinator (as in sentences a-d) or of a preposition (as in sentence e). What this means is that the syntax of comparatives is complex because at times an analysis in terms of coordination is warranted, whereas at other times, the analysis must assume subordination.
^For examples of accounts that argue that the syntax of comparatives overlaps with the syntax of coordination at least some of the time, see Pinkham (1982), Napoli (1983), McCawley 1988, Lechner (2004), Corver (2006), and Osborne (2009).
^The distinction between comparative coordination and comparative subordination is discussed at length by Osborne (2009).