第14章　形容詞 14.4　形容詞的比較級(jí)別

14.4　形容詞的比較級(jí)別

14.4.1　形容詞比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)的構(gòu)成法

1) 形容詞有些有兩種形式，即比較級(jí)（The Comparative Degree），表示“比較…”和最高級(jí)（The Superlative Degree），表示“最…”，與之相對(duì)的形容詞本身稱為原級(jí)（The Positive Degree），例如：

原級(jí) 比較級(jí) 最高級(jí)

* * *

* * *

* * *

這三種形式總起來稱為形容詞的比較級(jí)別（Degrees of Comparison）。

2) 單音節(jié)詞及少數(shù)雙音節(jié)詞都以在后面加詞尾-er，-est的方式構(gòu)成比較級(jí)，構(gòu)成的方式如下：

除以y結(jié)尾的雙音節(jié)詞外，以-ow，-er，-te等結(jié)尾的雙音節(jié)詞，也可用加詞尾的方法構(gòu)成比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)，如：

原級(jí) 比較級(jí) 最高級(jí)

* * *

* * *

* * *

3) 其他雙音節(jié)詞及多音節(jié)詞都以在前面加more和most的方式構(gòu)成比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)：

* * *

* * *

* * *

有少數(shù)單音節(jié)詞，如pleased，glad，tired，fond等，也可以這種方法構(gòu)成比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)：

* * *

* * *

* * *

4) less和least也可用來構(gòu)成比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)，表示“較/最不…”：

* * *

* * *

* * *

14.4.2　不規(guī)則的比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)形式

1) 有些形容詞有不規(guī)則的比較級(jí)和最高級(jí)形式：

* * *

* * *

* * *

little　　　　　 less　　　　　　　　　 least

2) 這些不規(guī)則形式的意思可表示如下：

better：

Two heads are better than one. （諺）兩人智慧勝一人。

This is a better example. 這是一個(gè)較好的例子。

The child is better today. 今天孩子的情況好些了。

best：

The best mirror is an old friend. （諺）老友是寶鏡。

East, west, home's best. 東跑西跑還是家里最好。

worse：

His behaviour is worse than ever before. 他的表現(xiàn)比過去更糟。

Her cold was growing worse. 她的感冒更厲害了。

worst：

The worst part of the journey was over. 旅途中最糟糕的一段路程過去了。

This is the worst accident for years. 這是多年以來最嚴(yán)重的事故。

more：

He went abroad to gain more experience. 他出國(guó)去學(xué)習(xí)更多的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

We won't have any more discussion about it. 這事我們不再討論了。

most：

Least talk, most work. 少說話，多干活。

The busiest men have the most leisure. （諺）最忙的人閑暇最多。

less：

I have less strength than he has. 我的力氣比他小。

More haste, less speed. （諺）欲速則不達(dá)。

least：

He didn't have the least desire to go to bed. 他一點(diǎn)都不想睡覺。

There isn't the least wind today. 今天一點(diǎn)風(fēng)都沒有。

3) older和elder意思不盡相同，older表示年紀(jì)較大的，oldest表示年紀(jì)最大的：

John is older than Tom. 約翰比湯姆年紀(jì)大。

He is the oldest student in our class. 他是我們班年齡最大的學(xué)生。

elder和eldest主要用來表示兄弟姐妹或子女的長(zhǎng)幼關(guān)系：

He's my elder brother. 他是我哥哥。

Sarah is the elder of the two. 兩人中薩拉是姐姐。

This is her elder daughter. 這是她較大的女兒。

Their eldest son died in infancy. 他們的大兒子在襁褓中就死了。

Her eldest child is at university. 她的大孩子上大學(xué)了。

He has three sons, and his eldest has just started school. 他有三個(gè)兒子，老大剛上學(xué)。

4) farther和further的意思不盡相同：

father：（較遠(yuǎn)）　Manchester is farther from London than Oxford is. 曼徹斯特離倫敦比牛津遠(yuǎn)。

farthest：（最遠(yuǎn)的）　Which of the cities is the farthest from us? 這些城市哪座離我們最遠(yuǎn)？

further： It was a few miles further. 它要遠(yuǎn)幾英里。

（更遠(yuǎn)）　　There is a cottage on the further side of the hill. 小山的那一邊有一座農(nóng)舍。

（進(jìn)一步的）They made further arrangements. 他們作了進(jìn)一步的安排。

（更多的）　Have you any further questions to ask? 你還有更多的問題要問嗎？

furthest：（更遠(yuǎn)的） It is the furthest point west in England. 這是英格蘭最靠西的地方。

14.4.3　形容詞比較級(jí)的用法

1) 形容詞的比較級(jí)可以單獨(dú)使用：

Are you feeling better today? 你今天感覺好點(diǎn)了嗎？

Be more careful next time. 下次小心點(diǎn)。

It was quieter outside. 外面安靜點(diǎn)了。

He feels more content now. 他現(xiàn)在比較滿意了。

It couldn't be easier. 不能再容易了。

This car's more expensive. 這輛車比較貴。

She hoped to get a better job. 她希望得到一份更好的工作。

Further supplies will soon be available. 不久將會(huì)有更多的供應(yīng)品。

Further discussion wouldn't be necessary. 沒有必要作進(jìn)一步討論。

Who is taller (more suitable)? 誰高（更合適）一點(diǎn)？

We must do more with less money. 我們要少花錢多辦事。

Which book is better (less difficult)? 哪本書好一些（不難一些）？

I'll try to make fewer mistakes in future. 以后我要少犯錯(cuò)誤。

2) 也可以和than一起用，表示兩者相比，than后可以跟：

a． 名詞或代詞（若為人稱代詞，在口語中多用賓格）：

He is older than me. 他年齡比我大。

Tokyo is bigger than New York. 東京比紐約大。

He made fewer mistakes than you (do). 他出的錯(cuò)比你少。

She has more time than me (I do). 她的時(shí)間比我多。

There are more boys than girls in our class. 我們班男生比女生多。

b． 動(dòng)名詞：

Skiing is more exciting than skating. 滑雪比溜冰更刺激。

This is more interesting than sitting in an office. 這比坐辦公室有意思。

Nothing is more unpleasant than finding insects in your bath. 什么也不如在浴缸里發(fā)現(xiàn)蟲子更令人不快。

Travelling by train is more comfortable than travelling by bus. 坐火車旅行比坐公共汽車旅行舒服。

Shopping at a supermarket is cheaper than going to the local shops. 在超市購(gòu)物比在鄰近商店購(gòu)物便宜。

c． 從句：

I am happier than I have ever been. 我現(xiàn)在比過去任何時(shí)候都快活。

I was a better singer than he was. 我唱歌比他好。

He is stronger than I expected. 他比我預(yù)料的更健壯。

It was more expensive than I thought. 它比我想的要貴些。

We produce 25 percent more steel than we did five years ago. 我們的鋼產(chǎn)量比五年前增加了百分之二十五。

d． 狀語（包括副詞、介詞短語等）：

She felt worse than usual. 她感到比平時(shí)更難受。

It's even colder than yesterday. 今天比昨天還冷。

He is busier than ever. 他比過去更忙了。

She is in better health than last year. 她身體比去年好了。

It takes less time to go there by plane than by train. 坐飛機(jī)到那里比坐火車快。

e． 跟其他成分（如動(dòng)詞、形容詞等）：

Better cut the shoe than pinch the foot. 把鞋鉸開也比夾腳好。

It's easier to do it yourself than (to) explain it to her. 你自己干比給她解釋更容易。

It's better to be prepared than unprepared. 有準(zhǔn)備比沒準(zhǔn)備好。

She was more surprised than angry. 她吃驚甚于生氣。

He was more lucky than clever. 他是運(yùn)氣好，而不是聰明。

14.4.4　形容詞比較級(jí)的修飾語

1) 形容詞比較級(jí)前可加much，a lot，far，a bit，a little，slightly之類表示程度的狀語：

He's feeling a lot better today. 他感到今天好多了。

You have far more imagination than I have. 你的想像力比我豐富多了。

She is a little bit better now. 她現(xiàn)在稍稍好一點(diǎn)了。

It's slightly warmer today. 今天稍暖和一點(diǎn)。

Now I feel a great deal more confident. 現(xiàn)在我感到信心強(qiáng)多了。

You look much happier than you did yesterday. 你比昨天顯得高興多了。

She's actually a good deal older than she looks. 她的實(shí)際年齡比她看上去要大得多。

2) 也可在比較級(jí)前加any，no，some，even，still這類詞：

Do you feel any better today? 你今天感覺好一點(diǎn)了嗎？

She was no older than Zilla. 她并不比齊拉大。

You must go and get some more milk. 你得再去弄些牛奶來。

This book is even more useful than that. 這本書甚至比那本書更有用。

He is fat, but his brother is still fatter. 他很胖，但他哥哥更胖。

When she heard the news, she became all the more depressed. 聽到這消息，她變得更加沮喪了。

3) 比較級(jí)前還可加其他表示數(shù)量的詞：

Shall I get a couple more chairs? 我要不要再搬兩把椅子來？

Where can I get a few more computers? 我從哪里還能再弄幾臺(tái)電腦來？

He had not so very many more years to live. 他已沒有多少年好活了。

My sister is ten years younger than me. 我妹妹比我小十歲。

You're a head taller than Jane. 你比簡(jiǎn)高一個(gè)頭。

It was one-fourth cheaper than the market price. 它比市場(chǎng)價(jià)格低四分之一。

Cotton output was 20 per cent higher than in the previous year. 棉花產(chǎn)量比前一年高百分之二十。

14.4.5　形容詞比較級(jí)的特殊用法

形容詞比較級(jí)有些特殊用法，例如：

1)"more．．．than" 有時(shí)可以把兩種品質(zhì)加以比較，表示“更多…而不是”：

I was more annoyed than worried when he didn't come home. 他沒回家時(shí)我更多的是生氣而不是擔(dān)心。

This is more a war movie than a western. 這應(yīng)當(dāng)說是戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)片而不是西部片。

To them, music is more a way of life than just an interest. 對(duì)他們來說，音樂是一種生活方式而不僅僅是一種愛好。

2) more and more這類結(jié)構(gòu)可表示“越來越”：

Secretly she became more and more indignant. 她內(nèi)心感到越來越氣憤。

The story gets more and more exciting. 故事變得越來越激動(dòng)人心。

Your English is getting better and better. 你的英語越來越好了。

Holiday flights are getting less and less expensive. 節(jié)假日的機(jī)票越來越便宜了。

3) the more．．．the more可表示“越是…越…”：

The more learned a man is, the more modest he usually is. 一個(gè)人越有學(xué)問，往往越謙虛。

The more difficult the questions are, the less likely I am to be able to answer them. 問題越難，我能回答的可能性越小。

The warmer the weather, the better I feel. 天氣越暖和我感覺越舒服。

4) more than常用在數(shù)詞前，表示“超過…”、“…多”：

He can't be more than thirty. 他不可能超過三十歲。

More than 800 people attended the concert. 八百多人出席了音樂會(huì)。

They enrolled more than 500 new students. 他們招收了五百多新生。

She has been away for more than a year. 她離開已一年多了。

5) less than常表示“不到…”，或（美）“不太”：

In less than a week, the MS was ready. 不到一周稿子就準(zhǔn)備好了。

I bought it for less than a dollar. 我買它花了還不到一美元。

We were busy and less than delighted to have company that day. 那天我們很忙，不太想接待客人。

The boys were less than happy about having a party. 男生們并不太高興開晚會(huì)。

6) no less than表示“多達(dá)”、“不少于”：

He won no less than ￡ 500. 他贏了不少于五百英鎊。

Its population is no less than two million. 它的人口多達(dá)兩百萬。

No less than 1,000 people came. 至少來了有一千人。

There were no less than three officials waiting there. 至少有三名官員在那里等候。

7) more or less表示“基本上”、“大體上”或“大約”

The work is more or less finished. 這項(xiàng)工作基本上完成了。

The answers were more or less right. 這些回答大體上是正確的。

It's an hour's journey, more or less. 這段路程大約需要一個(gè)小時(shí)。

It's a mile, more or less, from here to the station. 從這里到火車站大約有一英里。

14.4.6　as...as和notso...as結(jié)構(gòu)

1) as...as可表示“和…一樣…”（注意形容詞要用原級(jí)）：

Some of their states are as big as France. 他們有些州的面積有法國(guó)那樣大。

He considered her opinion as valuable as ours. 他認(rèn)為她的意見和我們的一樣有價(jià)值。

He is as energetic as a young man. 他像年輕人一樣充滿活力。

She was as busy as before. 她還是和過去一樣忙。

They were as firm as we could expect. 他們像我們所期待的那樣堅(jiān)定。

英語中有大量這樣的成語：

as brave as a lion 十分勇敢；無畏

as bright as day 亮如白晝

as busy as a bee 忙碌

as cheerful as a lark 興高采烈

as cold as ice 非常冷；無反應(yīng)的

as cunning as a fox 狡詐

as fat as a pig 體胖如豬

as fierce as a tiger 兇猛如虎

as firm as a rock 堅(jiān)如磐石

as graceful as a swan 舉止端莊

as innocent as a dove 非常天真的

as greedy as a wolf 貪得無厭

as loud as thunder 聲如雷鳴

as light as a feather 輕如鴻毛

as proud as a peacock 非常高傲

as obstinate as a mule 像騾子一樣

as quiet as a mouse 嫻靜固執(zhí)

as round as an apple 滾圓的

as quick as lightning 迅如閃電

as silly as a goose 蠢如呆鵝

as red as a cherry 臉色緋紅

as sour as vinegar 味道很酸的

as sharp as a needle 非常敏銳

as straight as an arrow 快捷的

as slippery as an eel 滑頭的

as strong as a horse 非常健壯

as stupid as a donkey 笨極了

as sweet as honey 非常甜的

as tame as a cat 非常聽話

as timid as a hare 膽小如鼠

as ugly as a toad 特別丑陋

as watchful as a hawk 警惕監(jiān)視著

as white as snow 潔白如雪

2) 在否定句中可用not as... （a）或not so... （b）表示“不像…那樣”：

a． Manslaughter is not as (so) bad as murder. 過失殺人沒有謀殺那么嚴(yán)重。

The food wasn't as good as yesterday. 今天的飯菜沒有昨天的好。

Your coffee is not as (so) good as the coffee my mother makes. 你煮的咖啡沒我媽煮的好。

The hotel was not as good as they expected. 旅館沒有他們預(yù)期的那樣好。

b． It isn't so cold as yesterday. 今天沒有昨天那么冷。

He is not so handsome as his brother. 他不像他哥哥那樣英俊。

I'm not so experienced as you think. 我沒有你想的那樣有經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

The situation is not so bad as had been painted. 形勢(shì)沒有描繪的那樣糟。

3) 在as...as結(jié)構(gòu)中也可以插入修飾語：

Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago. 汽油比前幾年貴了一倍。

Their house is about three times as big as ours. 他們的房子比我們的房子約大兩倍。

My command of English is not half so (as) good as yours. 我的英文學(xué)得還不及你一半好。

There the tuberculosis rate is 10 times as high as in North Carolina. 那里的肺結(jié)核發(fā)病率是北卡羅來納州的十倍。

14.4.7　形容詞最高級(jí)的用法

1) 形容詞最高級(jí)的主要用法：

形容詞最高級(jí)主要表示“最…”，前面一般帶定冠詞the：

This is the oldest theatre in London. 這時(shí)倫敦最古老的劇院。

It was the quickest route from Rome to Milan. 這是從羅馬到米蘭最快捷的路線。

Jim is the tallest of the three. 吉姆是三人中最高的。

This book is the most interesting one. 這本書是最有意思的一本。

Which is the longest river in China? 哪條河流是中國(guó)最長(zhǎng)的？

She has the worst task of us all. 我們所有人中她的任務(wù)最艱巨。

有時(shí)后面有一從句修飾：

This is the best beer (that) I've ever drunk. 這是我喝過的最好的啤酒。

That was the worst film (that) he had ever seen. 那是他看過的最糟糕的電影。

He is the kindest man (that) I 've ever met. 他是我碰到過的最善良的人。

That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard. 這是我聽過的最荒唐的故事。

It was the most expensive hotel we had ever stayed in. 這是我們住過的最貴的飯店。

That was the most tasty meal I've ever had. 那是我吃過的最可口的飯菜。

2) 最高級(jí)形容詞也可單獨(dú)使用，后面不跟表示比較的范圍的修飾語：

Her oldest daughter is eleven years old. 她的大女兒十一歲。

Who is the tallest, Julia, Mary or Helen? 誰最高，是朱麗亞、瑪麗還是海倫？

No one dared to raise the least objection. 沒人敢提丁點(diǎn)反對(duì)意見。

Which is the nearest river? 哪一條是最近的河流？

Who picked the most apples? 誰摘的蘋果最多？

Now we come to the most important thing. 現(xiàn)在我們來談最重要的事。

The smallest ones live in trees. 最小的生活在樹上。

3) 最高級(jí)形容詞前面有時(shí)可有一個(gè)狀語（a），有時(shí)有一個(gè)定語修飾（b）：

a． It was by far the best hospital I had ever seen. 這是我見過的最最好的醫(yī)院。

It was of the very highest quality. 它的質(zhì)量是最最高的。

That is much the worst stretch of motorway in this area. 那是這個(gè)地區(qū)最最糟糕的一段公路。

This is quite far the most expensive bicycle in the shop. 這是這家商店最最貴的自行車。

b． It's Japan's third largest city. 它是日本的第三大城市。

Hainan is China's second largest island. 海南是中國(guó)第二大島。

He is the most suitable person imaginable. 他是能想到的最合適人選。

We will finish the work in the shortest possible time. 我們將在盡可能短的時(shí)間內(nèi)完成這項(xiàng)工作。

14.4.8　形容詞最高級(jí)的特殊用法

1) 形容詞最高級(jí)可用作表語，這時(shí)定冠詞the可以省略：

I think her plan is best. 我認(rèn)為她的計(jì)劃最好。

Cotton blankets are generally cheapest. 棉毛毯一般最便宜。

We are busiest on Mondays. 我們星期一最忙。

Her argument is most convincing. 她的論點(diǎn)最有說服力。

2) 形容詞最高級(jí)前可以加a或不加冠詞來表示“非常…”：

It is a most joyful occasion. 這是一個(gè)非常快樂的日子。

That was a most extraordinary thing. 這是一件很特別的事。

She is a most mysterious person. 她是個(gè)非常神秘的人。

He has been most kind to me. 他對(duì)我非常好。

We were all most anxious to go home. 我們都很想回家。

I should be most happy to help you. 我會(huì)非常高興幫助你。

3) 形容詞最高級(jí)還可和at構(gòu)成短語作表語，表示“處于最…的狀態(tài)”：

The peony was at its brightest. 牡丹花正在盛開。

She was at her happiest in her home in the country. 她在鄉(xiāng)下家里時(shí)最高興。

I knew she was at her worst. 我知道她這時(shí)情緒最糟。

She is never at her best in the presence of her mother. 在她媽跟前她的表現(xiàn)從來不是最好的。

4) 形容詞最高級(jí)還可和at構(gòu)成許多短語作狀語：

He is , at best , a second-rate novelist.他充其量也就是個(gè)二流小說家。

I may not be good, but at least let me have a try. 我可能不算好，但至少讓我試試。

He had been gone 15 minutes at the most. 他離開頂多才一刻鐘。

I can't go to London till May 5th at the earliest. 我最早也要到五月五日才能去倫敦。

I'll be with you at latest by ten. 我最遲十點(diǎn)鐘就來陪你。