原级指的是形容词的原形。例如: tall、short、big、small等。形容词除了所具备的句法功能,原级之间也可相互比较。
(1)形容词原级之间也有比较,通常用“...as...as...(……与……一样,像……那样)”和“...not as/so...as...(……与……不一样,不像……那样)”表示。例如:
The girl is as tall as her mother.
这个女孩和她妈妈一样高。
He is as handsome as his father.
他像他父亲那样帅。
This room is not as/so big as that one.
这个房间与那个房间不一样大。
This story is not as/so interesting as that one.
这个故事不如那个故事有趣。
(2)在肯定式原形比较结构前面可用倍数或者分数。例如:
I have three times as many books as he.(=I have twice books more than he.)
我的书是他的三倍(=我的书比他的多两倍)。
This library is twice as large as ours.(=This library is once larger than ours.)
这座图书馆是我们图书馆的两倍大(=这座图书馆比我们的图书馆大一倍)。
多数形容词(性质形容词)在原级(原形)的基础上有比较级和最高级的变化,用来表示事物的等级差别。比较级和最高级有规则变化和不规则变化两种。
(1)规则变化。在单音节词和少数双音节词的词尾加上-er、-est来构成比较级和最高级,见表4。
表4 形容词比较级和最高级的规则变化
续表
(2)不规则变化。(见表5)
表5 形容词比较级和最高级的不规则变化
(3)有的词是规则变化,有的是不规则变化;有的词既可作形容词,也可作副词。例如:
early、much、well、ill、far、hard、late等。
(1)连词than表示“与……相比更……”,其后可以跟名词、代词或者动名词、状语、状语从句、动词、形容词等,有时than及后面的成分可以省略。例如:
He is taller than I (me).
他个头比我高。
Your English pronunciation is better than his.
你的英语发音比他的好。
Shopping online is more interesting than going shopping from physical store to physical store.
网上购物比实体店购物更有趣。
The students have done better than I have expected in their English learning.
学生们的英语学习比我预期得好。
It is cooler in Qingdao than in my hometown in summer.
在夏天,青岛比我家乡凉爽得多。
On Sundays people get up later than usual.
星期天人们比平时起得晚。
In fact, he spends less money as is planned to spend every month at university.
事实上,他上大学每个月花的钱比计划的少。
He has more money than I.
他比我有钱。
It is better to learn more with less time.
最好用最少的时间学习更多的东西。
(2)比较级前面可加上much、many、far、still、even、a lot、a little等表示程度的状语,也可加上表示倍数、时间、百分比等数量的词如four times、ten years、one-fourth,60%等。例如:
My hometown is much more beautiful than this town.
我的家乡比这座城市美丽。
She is two years older than her younger brother.
她比她弟弟大两岁。
In fact, the price of the goods online is one-fourth cheaper than that in the physical store.
实际上,网上商品的价格比实体店的便宜四分之一。
(3)“ the +比较级……, the +比较级……”结构表示“越……,越……”。例如:
The harder you study, the more progress you will make.
你学习越努力,取得的进步就越大。
The more stress you have, the more nervous you will be.
你的压力越大,就会越紧张。
(4) more和less分别与than构成“ more than (over)”和“ less than”,表示“多于”“少于”。例如:
She has more than two hundred books in her study.
她书房里有200多本书。
We have finished our task in less than one week.
我们用了不到一周时间完成了任务。
I like music more than sports.
我喜欢音乐甚于喜欢运动。
* (5)“more A than B”结构中,在more和than的后面同时用形容词、名词或者副词等,表示“与其说B……不如说A……”。例如:
She is more an actress than a singer.
与其说她是歌手,不如说她是演员。
On hearing the news, I was more excited than happy.
听到这个消息,我与其说是高兴,不如说是兴奋。
(6)“more and more...”或者“比较级+比较级……”结构中,后面可以跟名词、形容词或者副词等,表示“越来越……”。例如:
Nowadays, more and more people enjoy staying at home surfing the net.
现在,越来越多的人喜欢待在家里上网。
It is getting warmer and warmer.
天变得越来越暖和。
(7) more or less表示“基本上”“大体上”“或多或少”“左右”。例如:
His house is five hundred meters more or less from his school.
他家离学校五百米左右。
Your guess is more or less correct.
你的猜测基本上正确。
* (1)通常用于三个及以上的人或者事物之间的比较,表示“最……”。使用时,前面一般要加定冠词the。作表语时,不与其他比较时,或者只作自身比较,前面不加定冠词。例如:
He is the tallest student in his class.
他是班里最高的男孩。
This winter is the coldest of the recent ten years.
今年冬天是近十年最冷的。
This is the most interesting movie that I have ever seen.
这是我看过最有趣的电影。
Tonight's moon is brightest.
今晚的月亮最亮。
Your words are most convincing.
你的话很有说服力。
(2)在最高级前可以加上一个状语或者定语。例如:
Beijing is by far the most beautiful city in Chinese mind.
在中国人心中,北京是最美丽的城市。
This kind of car is of the very highest quality.
这种汽车的质量最高。
This city has the first largest population in this country.
这座城市是这个国家中人口最多的。
He is very efficient and he always tries to finish his work in the shortest possible time.
他很有能力,总是试图在最短的时间内完成工作。
(3)最高级前面可加不定冠词或者不加冠词,表示“非常……”。例如:
He is a most interesting guy.
他是个非常有趣的家伙。
The love from parents is most unselfish.
父母的爱是最无私的。
(4)“at one's +最高级”表示“处于最……状态”。例如:
For most people, they are at their happiest in their childhood.
对大多数人来说,童年时代是他们最快乐的时光。
I feel at my best in the autumn.
我在秋天感觉状态最好。