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Sunday, March 6, 2011

E33 Degrees of Comparison

Any grammar handbook or website will give you a standard definition of the degrees of comparison of adjectives and of adverbs.  They are the positive, comparative and the superlative.   The latter are usually signalled by the suffixes er and est (or ier and iest) or by more and most (or less and least/fewer and fewest).

The positive is the usual use in which you describe one person or action: Mom is usually kind.
The comparative is for describing two people or actions: Her mom is often kind, but my mom is more often kinder.
The superlative is for comparing three or more persons or actions: Her mom is often kind, your mom is more often kinder, but my mom is most often kindest.

But there is also a word game of the name Degrees of Comparison in which synonyms or antonyms are used to indicate differences.  It is always played with the pronouns He/She/They, plus You, plus I/We thus:
    He is pig-headed; you are stubborn; but I am resolute.
    She is cheap; you are frugal; but I am economical.
    They are totally profligate; you are a spend-thrift; but I support the economy.

Always the rule in this game is to find the word that denigrates the people in the 3rd person and compliments the people in the first person.  Unfortunately, many people play this game for real to justify their contempt for others and their justification of themselves.

A good thesaurus or  a website such as http://www.synonyms.net  will help you.

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