<B>The British Council?s language clinic with ?Dr Danny? </B>

Hello and welcome to the English Language clinic. This week I have been asked to look at the language we use to compare. When comparing we use the ?comparative? form of adjectives, this usually takes one of two forms. When using most short adjectives the comparative is formed by adding the suffix ?er to the end of the word; for example, ?smaller? and ?older?. For the majority of long adjectives the comparative is formed by adding the modifier ?more? or ?less? before the adjective. Examples of this form of comparative include ?more beautiful?, ?less aggressive? and ?more considerate?.

Adjectives have either a short (-er) comparative form or a long (modified) form, never both. Usually when we use comparative forms we also use the word ?than?. For example, ?David is taller than Nathalie?, however this is not always the case. Statements such as ?our cars are faster?, ?we make things quicker? and ?we are simply better? are all examples of what is known as the ?null comparative?. This form is often used in advertising and can be used to confuse the reader, for example ?20% less fat?? less than what?

Another form of adjective used to describe relationships is known as the ?superlative? form. Superlatives are used when we want to describe the fact that something has more of a particular quality than anything else with which it is being compared. For example, if the quality in question is tallness and the things we are comparing are David and Nathalie (see above), then we could describe David as being the tallest. As with comparatives, superlatives are formed in one of two ways. With most short adjectives the suffix ?est is added, whereas with longer words, the modifier ?most? or ?least? is used.

Please send you comments, queries and questions to me,Dr Danny, by emailing [email protected] .If you are interested in improving your English Language skills, please contact us to find out more about joining one of our courses, or visit us in Rose Hill from 11th to 14th July and register a place for this term.