Grammar for Grade 9

Episode VIIIComparisons and Modifiers

Degrees of Adjectives and Adverbs

There are three degrees of adjectives and adverbs. There’s the positive, the comparative and the superlative.

• Sally is rich, but Janet is richer and Donna is richest of all. [adjectives]• Jake’s car goes fast, his dad’s races faster, but my car

drives fastest. [adverbs]

The comparative shows contrast between exactly two items, the superlative between three or more.

Forming the DegreesGenerally, we add –er to the positive degree to get

the comparative, and we add –est to the positive to get the superlative degree for one- and two-syllable adjectives and adverbs.

rich...richer...richest

For some two-syllable modifiers, and for all modifiers three syllables or longer, we use more + modifier to make the comparative, and most + modifier to make the superlative.

aggressive...more aggressive...most aggressive

However, there are many irregular forms...

Some IrregularsPositive Note(s) Comparative Superlative

Bad Adjective Worse (the) worst

Ill Adverb (=badly) Worse (the) worst

Far (distance) Farther (the) farthest

Far (degree, time) Further (the) furthest

Little (amount) Less (the) least

Many More (the) most

Good Adjective Better (the) best

Well Adverb Better (the) best

Error: Incomplete ComparisonsBe sure to include a word like other or else when

comparing members of a group.• China has more people than any country. [unclear]• China has more people than any other country. [clear]

Be careful that you compare like things.• China’s population is greater than America. [unclear]• China’s population is greater than America’s. [clear]• The population of China is greater than America.

[unclear]• The population of China is greater than the population

of America. [clear]

Error: Misplaced Modifier

• If you misplace a modifier, it might seem to modify the wrong word in the sentence.

• Throwing food on the floor, Maria smiled at the child.(So, Maria smiled and threw food? Seems odd...)• Maria smiled at the child throwing food on the floor.(While I’d have trouble smiling at a kid who was tossing

oatmeal onto the linoleum, maybe Maria knew her hated cousin Gretchen would have to mop it up. It makes more sense that the child would throw food than dear Maria would, though.)

Error: Dangling Modifier

A dangling modifier does not logically describe any word in the sentence.

• Quietly playing video games, the dog’s licking on my arm startled me.

[This sentence says that the licking was playing video games. I say, “What?”]• Quietly playing video games, I was startled when the

dog licked my arm.

It’s ONLY, a Modifier• You must put the word ONLY immediately before

the word(s) it modifies.These four sentences say four slightly different

things:• Only I study math on Tuesdays.

[Everyone else studies math on some other day.]

• I only study math on Tuesdays. [I don’t practice it or read about it, just study it.]

• I study only math on Tuesdays. [All the rest of my subjects are ignored for 24 hours.]

• I study math only on Tuesdays. [I refuse to study math any other day of the week.]