Synthetic and Analytic method in the degrees of adjectives
Degrees of adjectives are used to compare ‘two’ or ‘more’ nouns to mention the difference in their same quality.
Before studying it, let’s be familiar with adjectives.
Words that qualify nouns or tell about their quality, quantity, kind, number, etc are termed as adjectives.
Eg: a smart boy,
Here, the word smart qualifies or tells about the quality of the noun boy. So the word smart is an adjective.
Eg: Add a little water.
Here also , the word little tells about the quantity of the noun water. So the word little is an adjective
Another examples of adjectives are,
Good, small, tall, hot, cold, lazy, intelligent, beautiful etc…..
So we have studied what is an adjective and also its role.
Here, in this topic, we have to understand the role of degrees of adjectives in comparing two or more nouns.
Degrees of adjectives are classified into three types. They are
- Positive degree,
- comparative degree, and
- superlative degree.
1 Positive degree of an adjective is the normal form of an adjective itself.
Eg: a tall boy, a beautiful girl, etc.
Positive degree is used to say about the quality of only one noun.
That is, if there is only one noun to be mentioned, then the positive degree of adjective is used.
- Comparative degree of an adjective is used to compare the same quality of two nouns.
Eg: Vivek is taller than Mathew,
In this example, the same quality (tallness) of the two nouns Vivek and Mathew is compared to mention who is better in their quality.
Eg: Jancy is more beautiful than Mary
In this example too, the same quality ( beauty) of the two nouns Jancy and Mary is compared to mention who is better in their quality.
Now, let’s see how the positive adjective tall is changed into comparative degree taller.
We can see that, ‘-er’ is added to tall, to make it ‘taller’.
The method adding ‘-er’ to a positive degree adjective to change into comparative degree is known as Synthetic method.
This method is only applied to adjectives of one syllable and also a few adjectives of two syllables not ending with ‘-e’.
eg: small (one syllable) — smaller ( so ‘-er’ is added)
happy ( two syllables, but not ending with -e) —– happier ( so ‘-er’ is added)
- If the adjective is of more than one syllable, then more is used before the adjective, as we see in the 2nd example mentioned above as,
Jancy is more beautiful than Mary.
Here the word beautiful is of 3 syllables.
This method is known as analytic method.
Syllable is a unit of sound in the pronunciation of words. Here, a unit of sound means a puff of breath until for an another puff in pronunciation.
To clear it, let’s pronounce the words given below,
Examination — as per the units of pronunciation, the word can be divided into 5 units as,
e—xa—mi—na—tion, so this word has 5 units in pronunciation, because we have to deliver 5 times the puff of breath.
So, we can conclude that the word examination has 5 syllables.
Beautiful —- beau—ti—ful ( 3 units)
So, it has 3 syllables.
Water — wa—ter ( 2 units)
So, it has 2 syllables.
Tall – –tall– ( 1 unit)
So, it has only 1 syllable.
- Superlative degree is used to say about the best or worst quality among the persons or objects in a group.
Eg: Jacob is the tallest boy in the class.
That means Jacob is the tallest among his class mates.
Here, the superlative degree of the adjective tall is made by adding ‘-est’ to it.
So, like ‘-er’ in comparative degree, the method of adding ‘-est’ to a positive degree adjective of one syllable and a few adjectives of two syllables not ending with –e, is also known as synthetic method.
Here, the word tall has only one syllable.
Eg: Jancy is the most beautiful girl among her friends.
Here, as the adjective beautiful is of 3 syllables, ‘most’ is used before it, like more is used in the comparative degree. This method is also known as analytic method.
So, let’s remember the above mentioned methods once more,
- To change a positive adjective of one syllable and, also a few positive adjectives of two syllables not ending with ‘-e’, into comparative degree and superlative degree, ‘-er’ and ‘-est’ should be added at the end of the adjectives respectively. This method is called synthetic method.
Eg: Positive degree Comparative degree Superlative degree
- Big bigger biggest
- Small smaller smallest
- Long longer longest
- Clever cleverer cleverest
The adjective clever is of two syllables but not ending with –e, so the synthetic method is used here.
Another example,
happy happier happiest
- Similarly, to change a positive adjective of more than one syllable into comparative or superlative degree, ‘more’ and ‘most’ to be used before it respectively. This method is known as analytic method.
Eg: Positive degree comparative degree superlative degree
- Difficult more difficult most difficult
- Honest more honest most honest
- Splendid more splendid most splendid
Now, let’s go to
Adjectives in irregular comparison.
Here, irregular comparison means, certain positive degree adjectives have superlative degrees ending in ‘most’, and even no comparative at all, as listed below.
Positive degree comparative degree superlative degree
- Eastern ——- easternmost ( no comparative)
- Fore ——— foremost ( first) ( no comparative)
- Hind hinder hindmost
- In inner inmost (innermost)
- Northern ——- northernmost (no comparative)
- Out outer/utter outermost/uttermost/utmost
- Southern —— southernmost (no comparative)
- Top —— topmost (no comparative)
- Up upper uppermost
- Western —— westernmost (no comparative)
A few irregularities are due to certain sound changes
Eg: Positive degree comparative degree superlative degree
- Fore further furthest
- Late later/latter latest/last
- Old older/elder oldest/eldest
- Nigh ( near) nearer nearest/next
Some of them have comparatives and superlatives of different roots
Eg: Positive degree comparative degree superlative degree
- Bad/ ill worse worst
- Good better best
- Little less/lesser least
- Much/many more most
However, adjectives such as ‘dead’, ‘singular’, ‘perfect’ and ‘unique’ don’t have comparative and superlative degrees.