To make your writing clear and concise, be careful to avoid using two modifiers that have the same meaning. Sometimes you will need to delete unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Take a look at the following examples.
1. Data science is enabling scientists to create exceptionally unique programming.
2. Data science is enabling scientists to create unique programming.
Did you note the elimination of the word ‘exceptionally’? It means the same thing as ‘unique’, so there is no need to use both modifiers.
Could you attempt deleting unnecessary adjectives and adverbs in the following sentences?
1. ChatGPT is a new and recent chatbox launched by OpenAI in November 2022.
2. When you go to the library, check for the whole and complete text on coding.
3. A minutely tiny fragment of participles enveloped the post.
Comparisons of adjectives and adverbs
Every adjective and adverb has a basic form, called the positive degree. This is the form of the word you will find in the dictionary. The positive degree is commonly used to describe individual things, groups or actions.
Example:
1. Many Macbooks are light. Most of them can be transported easily.
‘Light’ and ‘easily’ are positive forms of the adjective.
The comparative degree of an adjective or an adverb is used to compare two things, groups, or actions. Ensure there are two objects to be compared before you use the comparative form.
See how this comparison is done in the following sentence between two things.
1. Macbooks are lighter than HP Pavilion systems. That is why they can be carried more easily than most HP systems, especially the wider-inched ones.
Spot the use of ‘lighter’ and ‘more easily’ as comparatives. Two items of comparison here are Macbooks and HP systems.
The superlative form is used to compare more than two things, groups or actions.
1. Of all computers, Macbooks are the lightest, and they can be transported the most easily.
What are the more than two things being compared here? All computers!
What’s the point? Use the comparative degree for comparing two things or groups, and use the superlative degree for three or more things or groups.
Can you determine what degree of adjective should be used in the following sentence?
1. Pan-Atlantic University is the (better, best) university in Nigeria.
To help you decide which option is right, think about how many universities are being referenced here. One is Pan-Atlantic University and all the other universities. Therefore, the superlative form, best, should be used. What form works for the following example, you think?
1. Between boiled rice and jollof rice, which is (better, best)?
Again, how many types of rice are being compared here? Two? Yes. So the comparative form, better, should be used.
Moving on, note that there are regular and irregular comparisons. Like verbs, modifiers may be regular or irregular. Most adjectives and adverbs are regular and form the comparative and superlative in one of two ways. What rules might you keep in mind in determining which form such modifiers ought to take?
Most one-syllable modifiers form the comparative and superlative by adding -er and -est although there are a few exceptions. Some two-syllable modifiers also form the comparative and superlative in this way. Many words that end in ‘y’ take an ‘i’ plus ‘er’ in the comparative and ‘i’ plus ‘est’ in the superlative. Consider the following examples:
Positive (base form) Comparative Superlative
Warm warmer warmest
Close closer closest
Soon sooner soonest
Sad sadder saddest
True truer truest Funny funnier funniest
Most modifiers with two syllables and all modifiers with three or more syllables use ‘more’ and ‘most’ to form the comparative and superlative. They are considered ‘upward’ comparisons. See the following examples:
Positive (base form) Comparative Superlative
Helpful more helpful most helpful
Precisely more precisely most precisely
Optimistic more optimistic most optimistic
Reliably more reliably most reliably
For comparisons that are negative or downward, ‘less’ and ‘least’ are used before the positive form of the modifier.
Positive (base form)
Comparative Superlative
Careful less careful least careful
Comfortable less comfortable least comfort able
Eagerly less eagerly least eagerly
Impressive less impressive least impressive
Note that some words already express an extreme form of comparison and do not need any modifiers to complement them. Such words include unique, universal, fatal, extreme, and absolute.
Let’s now consider irregular comparisons. They are irregular because their comparative and superlative forms are not derived from their positive forms. You have to memorise comparative and superlative forms of these irregular modifiers because you often have to use them in writing. Take some time to examine the following list:
Positive (base form) Comparative Superlative
Bad worse (not worser) worst (not worstest)
Good better best
Late later latest or last Little less least
Many more most
Much more most
Well better best
Ill worse worst
Far farther or further farther or furthest
Please, note that ‘farther’ refers to distance, and ‘further’ refers to an addition in time or amount. For example, ‘The distance to school from where I live is farther than I thought. I won’t discuss it further.’
Can you try these exercises? Write the correct form of the two modifiers given in parentheses and identify whether the correct modifier is comparative or superlative.
1. The (more primitive, most primitive) forms of writing date about six thousand years ago.
2. Crude rock drawings were the (earliest, most early) written communications.
3. Human beings eventually learned to write ideas (conciser, more concisely) than they could before.
4. The Sumerian system is (older, oldest) than even Egyptian hieroglyphics.
5. Much later, the Babylonians and Assyrians (further, farther) improved on the Sumerian system of writing.
There are special problems with modifiers that I need to highlight here.
Certain adjectives and adverbs have forms that can be confusing. In the following section, learn the correct use of adjectives and adverbs that are often used incorrectly. This should then guide your writing.
This and These; That and Those
This and that modify singular words. These and those modify plural words. ‘Kind’, ‘sort’, and ‘type’ require a singular modifier.
Incorrect: These kind are the best.
Correct: This kind is the best.
Incorrect: These sort of gloves wear well.
Correct: This sort of glove wears well.
Them and Those
Those may be either a pronoun or an adjective. Them is always a pronoun and never an adjective.
Incorrect: Where did you get them pants?
Correct: Where did you get those pants? (adjective)
Correct: Where did you get them? (pronoun)
Bad and Badly
‘Bad’ is an adjective. It can modify a noun or pronoun. When it is used after linking verbs, it modifies the subject. ‘Badly’ is an adverb; it modifies action verbs.
Examples:
1.I felt bad. (The adjective ‘bad’ follows a linking verb and modifies the subject ‘I’.)
2.The team played badly. (The adverb ‘badly’ modifies the action verb ‘played’.)
Good and Well
‘Good’ is an adjective that modifies both nouns and pronouns.
1.Food supplements are a good choice for elderly persons. (‘Good’ modifies ‘choice’, which is a noun)
‘Good’ can also be used as a predicate adjective with linking verbs. When this happens, it modifies the subject instead.
1.My father always feels good after having a phone conversation with me. (‘Good’ modifies ‘father’ because it describes him.)
‘Well’, on the other hand, can be either an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, ‘well’ means “in good health”, and it can follow a linking verb. As an adverb, ‘well’ modifies an action verb. It tells how the action is performed.
Examples:
1.The President looks well. (adjective – describes the president)
2.Ronaldo is playing well now. (adverb- modifies the verb ‘playing’)
The Double Negative
Two negative words used together where only one is necessary is called a double negative, and this usage is incorrect.
Incorrect: He didn’t have no energy left.
Correct: He didn’t have any energy left.
Correct: He had no energy left.
It is incorrect to use ‘hardly’ or ‘barely’ with a negative word.
Incorrect: There wasn’t hardly a ticket left for the show.
Correct: There was hardly a ticket left for the show.