Using more, most: rule

Как часто нам приходится сравнивать те или иные things, or people, or phenomena surrounding us? It seems that we rarely resort to comparisons. In fact, it turns out that people constantly compare something with something, sometimes not noticing it. For example, the next street may be wider, longer, and the house in which friends live is bigger, more convenient, higher, more modern. A number of similar comparisons can be continued indefinitely.

Everything can be compared

Everything that surrounds us, has one or anotherqualities, and therefore, can be compared according to different criteria. The qualities of objects are adjectives, and the qualities of actions are adverbs. These parts of speech can be used in the form of comparative and excellent degrees of comparison. You can run quickly and even faster, the dress can be expensive and even more expensive. In English, this grammatical phenomenon governs the rule describing the use of more / most.

How to say in English that one carexpensive, the second is more expensive, and the third is the most expensive in the cabin? In this situation, the words more / most will be useful. They are necessary to form a form of comparative and superlative degree for complex English adjectives, that is, those with two or more syllables: expensive, more expensive, the most expensive (expensive - more expensive - the most expensive).

When do you need suffixes of a comparative degree?

To understand the meaning of the words more, most, ruletheir use is better divided into two parts. First, we consider how a comparative degree is formed in English grammar, or, as linguists call it, comparative.

Short, often monosyllabic, adjectives and adverbs form a comparative degree with the suffix -er: cheap / cheaper, hard / harder, large / large, larger / thinner.

Some disyllabial adjectives, especiallythose ending in -y also form a comparative using this suffix, for example: lucky / luckier, funny / funnier, easy / easier, and also clever / clevere, simple / simpler.

Much or many for complex adjectives?

For longer adjectives and adverbs inrights enter the rules of use more. The English use more (but not the -er suffix) if polycomplex adjectives are involved in comparisons, for example: more modern, more expensive, more comfortable. The same applies to adverbs, if it ends in -ly: more slowly, more seriously, more carefully. But every rule has exceptions that need to be learned. English is spoken more often (but not oftener) and earlier (but not more early).

In general, regulatory use more / mostThe rule for adjectives and adverbs in English grammar is not a complex topic; it can be illustrated with the example of Russian. For example, we say “faster / faster / more quickly / less quickly” or “expensive / more expensive / more expensive / less expensive”. In our language, a comparative degree can also be formed using suffixes or the special words “more / less”.

The best or the best: how to say in english?

For the formation of superlative formsmore / most rule prescribes the most with obligatory definite article. As with the formation of a comparative degree, the word most is necessary for the formation of forms of multi-compound adjectives: the most famous, the most difficult, the most boring. Short forms of adjectives and adverbs require the suffix -est: long / the longest, hot / the hottest, hard / the hardest.

Russian language likewise forms a superlative degree with the help of suffixes or the words “most / most / least”, for example: dear / most expensive, great / greatest / greatest, difficult / most difficult.

How to express the concept of "a lot" in English?

Some difficulty causes beginnerslearn English defining usage much / many rule. After all, if in Russian they say “a lot of pencils” and “a lot of bread”, then when translating these phrases into English you have to make a difficult choice. Both much and many into Russian are translated equally: “many”. Which one to choose for translation?

Чтобы не сделать ошибку, необходимо помнить о division of nouns into countable and uncountable. What word to use - much, many - the rule dictates unequivocally: first, if we are talking about objects that can be counted, and the second, if we count them individually. So, you can count the pencils and bread rolls, but the bread in combination with “a lot” is not countable. The same can be said about water, flour, oil, earth, and other similar concepts in a collective sense: plenty of water - much, many bottles of water - many. Moreover, after many the noun necessarily stands in the plural form. The same nouns that follow after much are used only in the singular.

Another important condition limits the use in speech much / many in the meaning of “many”. Mainly these words are used in interrogative and negative sentences:

• Did you spend a lot of money?
• Do you have a lot of friends?
• We did not drink a lot of water.
• They have not eaten many apples.

When translating these sentences into English, it is appropriate to use much or many.

Another thing, if you need to make a statement:

• We spent a lot of money.
• They drank a lot of water.

In this case, the concept of "many" English is expressed in other words, and, moreover, for countable and uncountable nouns: a lot (of), lots (of), plenty (of).

It will help to learn the use of much / many (rule) table of examples.

What to say if there are too many ... rules?

The rules of grammar are not created by people, theircreates the language itself. Grammar is not a set of instructions for careless students, but a natural basis of language. Therefore, if an English learner states that there are too many rules, how can this be conveyed in English? This is where you need to look into a textbook or grammar reference book, where you can find appropriate expressions for too many / too much situations.

The rule specifies that you can usemuch / many in affirmative sentences, but only in such a combination with the word too in the meaning of “too”. If the speaker stresses that something is too much, then this is a sufficient condition for choosing these words:

• There are too many rules in English.
• They put too much sugar in the tea.

Переводя эти предложения на английский, надо remember that the first noun "rules" is countable and stands in the plural. So, only a combination of too many is possible. In the second, the noun “sugar”, uncountable, requires too much.

Для начинающих изучать английский язык правила English grammar seem very difficult and even insurmountable. It will take time enough for the laws and traditions of another language to no longer raise the question “Why is it that way?”. Typically, teachers respond with this phrase: "So they (native speakers) speak." You just need to get used to talking and thinking according to the laws of another language world.