THE ADJECTIVE. § 1. The adjective is a word expressing a quality of a substance.
§ 1. The adjective is a word expressing a quality of a substance. § 2. The adjective has the following morphological characteristics: Most adjectives have degrees of comparison: the comparative degree and the superlative degree.1 The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of a quality. She is taller than her sister. My box is smaller than hers. The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of a quality. She is the tallest of the three sisters. Her box is the smallest of all our boxes. (The noun modified by an adjective in the superlative degree has the definite article because the superlative degree of the adjective always implies limitation.) Adjectives form their degrees of comparison in the following way: (a)by the inflexion -er, -est (synthetical way); (b)by placing more and most before the adjective (analytical way). Monosyllabic adjectives usually form their comparatives and superlatives in the first way, and polysyllabic adjectives in the second way. The following polysyllabic adjectives, however, generally form their comparative and superlative degrees inflexionally: 1. Adjectives of two syllables which end in -y, -ow, -er; -le.
happy narrow clever simple
happier narrower cleverer simpler
(the) happiest (the) narrowest (the) cleverest (the) simplest 2. Adjectives of two syllables which have the stress on the last syllable: 1 Some adjectives have no degrees of comparison (see § 7).
complete completer (the) completest concise conciser (the) concisest
Some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of comparison, e.g.:
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