Unit 9 - Adjectives and adverbs

9.5 - Comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives

Read the following sentences:

1	Цей олівець - довгий. This pencil is long.
2	Цей олівець - довший. This pencil is longer.
3	А цей олівець - найдовший. And this pencil is the longest.

Example 1 gives the positive degree of the adjective, which simply describes the noun itself.

Example 2 gives the comparative degree of the adjective which, as its name suggests, compares the noun with another, i.e. the pencil in 2 is longer than the pencil in 1.

Example 3 gives the superlative degree of the adjective, defining the pencil as being the longest of all the pencils.

The positive degree

This has been addressed in pages 9.1 – 9.4.

The comparative degree

Here are some examples of comparatives of adjectives:

приємний pleasant	приємніший more pleasant
теплий warm	тепліший warmer
молодий young	молодший younger

The comparative form of adjectives in Ukrainian normally ends in -ший, -іший or, less frequently, in -жчий or -щий. The stem of the adjective can also change, but this should not be an obstacle to identifying the comparative.

The comparative may also be formed by putting більш or менш before the adjective:

Цей фільм менш цікавий.	This film is less interesting.
Його книжка більш контроверсійна.	His book is more controversial.

The superlative degree

The superlative of adjectives is straightforward, as it normally consists of the comparative with the prefix най-:

дешевий cheap	дешевший cheaper	найдешевший cheapest
м'який soft	м'якший softer	найм'якший softest
дорогий dear expensive	дорожчий dearer more expensive	найдорожчий dearest most expensive

There are a small number of adjectives which have irregular forms in the comparative and superlative:

добрий good	кращий better	найкращий best
поганий bad	гірший worse	найгірший worst
великий large	більший larger	найбільший largest
малий small	менший smaller	найменший smallest

To practise degrees of adjectives go to Exercise 9.5A.