Commom errors in the use of comparative sentences of adjtives made by Nam Tien Hai High School students

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY PHAM THI NGUYET COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Gr

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

PHAM THI NGUYET

COMMON ERRORS

IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES

OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English)

Hanoi, May 2013

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

PHAM THI NGUYET

COMMON ERRORS

IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES

OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English)

SUPERVISOR: PHI THI THO, B.A

Hanoi, May 2013

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I own Mrs Phi Thi Tho, B.A, my supervisor, great gratitude for her inestimable support and careful guidance throughout the process of writing this research

Also, I would like to express my great thanks to my all beloved lecturers who always motivated and suggested me to finish my research soon

Furthermore, I want to express my special thanks to all the students in grade 11 from Nam Tien Hai high school because of their support in the survey Last but not least, I would like to thank my beloved family and all my friends who never stop encouraging me to finish my research

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ABSTRACT

Comparison of adjectives are a basic and interesting category of English

grammar There are many types of comparison of adjectives, and each type has its own characteristics as well as uses So far the uses of the adjectives referred

in some books have not been dealt with in full and it is sometimes difficult for students to understand and use correctly Therefore, learners sometimes confuse types of comparison of adjectives and usually make errors in the uses of comparison with adjectives

Therefore, this study focuses on common errors in the uses of comparison

of adjectives The most important objectives of the research work is to show how to make a correct comparison of adjectives and suggest some solutions to the common errors in the uses of comparison of adjectives

Based on material analysis and error analysis with the assistance of the test survey, common errors in the uses of comparison of adjectives have been analyzed clearly Consequently, the noticeable rules as well as solutions to these problems are convenient to understand in using comparison of adjectives in English

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Title: Common errors in the use of comparative sentences of adjectives made by Nam Tien Hai high school students

(Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of bachelor of Arts in English)

I certify that no part of the above report has been copied from any other

person’s work without acknowledgements and that the report is originally

written by me under instructions of my supervisor

Date submitted: May 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, 5-5 <5 Sư nh ngu mgmge i

ABSTRACT iv STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP “Vv

IV 3;)02/9)2609)600016)00151515554.4 vi

PART ONE INTRODUCTION I2 V019) 7.302 0155 1

II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITIONN . - 5-5 «55s exexsrsexesee 2 TIT RESEARCH OBJEC TIV ES s-< 55x neeeerereeeeree 2

IV RESEARCH SCOIPE 5-5 <1 ng 00010104 2

V RESEARCH TA SÍS o 2-5-5 như nh nung 2

VI RESEARCH MIETHODS .- 5-5 5555 S33 xxSeEeEeeeeersrsesee 3 VỊI RESEARCH SIGNIFICANNCCE 5° 5-5 55x nerxeseserseee 3 M008 423279(0.0))25(601555 3

PART TWO

DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 LITERA TURE REVIEW IN BRIEEE . 55555 sen eeesee 5

I2 COMPARISON OE ADJECTTV ES -s 5555 SĂssxseeseeeersesesee 6

I9 va 7 1.2.2.1 The main functions of descriptive adj€CfÏV€S 55c ccssexsexesee 7 1.2.2.2 Classification of adJectives used 1n cofnpar1SOH - «+ s« «<< +++ 9

PA N d0 an 9 1.2.2.2.2 Long adjectives (disyllabic adjectÏV€S) 5c cS+cs+sesseeeses 11

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ID Nho eo canh 12

1.2.3 Comparative forms of adjectives and their functions -«- 13

1.2.3.1 Single v0ai 0 13

1.2.3.2 Double Comparison 18

1.2.3.3 Multiple Numbers Comparison .::ceccescesececeeceeseeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeaeeaeeaes 18 1.2.4 Substitutions, omissions and additions in comparative patterns 19

1.2.4.1 Substitufions in comparafIVe Daff€TTS Ăn Si 19 1.2.4.2 Omissions in comparatIVe pafÍ€TTNS c5 SSc*+sesrererreee 20 1.2.4.3 Additions in comparatIVe paff€TTIS - -ó- 55 S2 se x+++Esseererres 20 In a 21

CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES TI.1 SUVỀEYY 5< Ă họ Họ họ HH Hư ne 22 IL.1.1 Purpose 0á 22

ID Population of the 22

IL.1.3 Type of the survey 22

IL.1.4 Construction of the test 22

IL.1.5 Preparation of the 20 23

IL 1.5.1 Test items eee ce ceeeceecseceeceaeeaeseeseesaesaeseaseeeseesseseaeeaeeaes 23 II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the f€Sf I{€TTS .- -.- 6 55 S6 St + ++Esseeseeees 23 IL.1.6 Administration of the try-OUt .- -ó- <6 St k21 91 91 91 1 11 ni 24 IDRO ii vo 0á co 1 24

IEDRZA0au 5 24

TL.1.7 iu tui Số 25

INR N00 Toà 0 25

II.2 COMMON ERRORS AND CAUSES . <-<=55cscsesseseeesse 27

II.2.1 Errors when using multiple numbers compariSOH - - 5+ +s+ 27 IL2.2 Errors when using absolufe adj€CfIV€S - S5 se + S++ssrerrrrres 28 II2.3 Errors when using double cormpar1SOI1 - 5+5 «+5 £+s+*++e++e+2 28

Vii

11.2.4 Errors when using intensifier in €Orpar1SOH 5 «5s<++s+s+2 29

II.2.5 Confusion between short adjectives and long adjectives - 29

IL.2.6 Wrong form of irregular adjectives .cceccesceeeseeseeeeeeseeseeeeeeeeeeeeaeeaes 30 IL.2.7 Wrong forms of superlatIV€ SfTUCẦUT€ - 5 5< se *+e++E+seererres 30 1I.2.8 Wrong forms of comparafIVe SÍTUCfUTC€ - 55x 31 IL.2.9 Errors when adding er and CSt ccccceeceeccesseececeeceeseeaeeeceeaeeeeeeseeaeeateaes 31 I1.2.10 Wrong forms of comparion at the lower degree - - ‹ «+- 32

IL.2.11 Wrong forms of comparison at the same degree - - -‹+s+++ 32 IL.3 SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS AND SUGGESTED EXERCISES 33

IESSNRSAI 000 17 33

II.3.1.1 Thorough lecture can solve the difficuÏty «++5<<<<+<<<<s+2 33 II.3.1.2 Negative influences of mother tongue should be limited 33

1L3.1.3 Paying attention to difficult strucfures 1S nec€SSaTy 34

IL3.1.4 Studenfs also should study more about adjectives - 34

I6 2Á 34

PART THREE

CONCLUSION TREFERENCES - 5-5 nhọ Họ nh HH Hưng mem 38 APPENDICES . << 5 << ng HH ng ngu ng ng nen nenre 40

PART ONE:

INTRODUCTION

I RATIONALE

In Vietnam as well as in other countries, there is a greater and greater

need to learn English No one can deny the importance of English in Vietnam at

present Therefore, English is being taught at every educational level

However, using English grammar structures is never easy to Vietnamese learners because of the complex structures and the differences between the two languages

There is a fact that comparative structures are an important part of English grammar that high school students often see in exercises Using comparison of

adjectives correctly is rather complex because there are many types of comparison of adjectives, and each type has many rules of adjective forms and structures It is assumed that there are many errors which maybe made Students sometimes can not distinguish comparative types or some often give a wrong form of comparative structures due to the influence of mother tongue For example:

He is more happyer than me

She ate as twice as much as me

Mary is so beautiful as Anna

As the reasons above, this study was conducted to give basic theory about comparative structures and show the errors students often make when using this type of sentences Then base on the errors they made, the causes of the problems were found out and some solutions was proposed to limit the errors

Il RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION

1 What kinds of errors in using comparison of adjectives are made by the high school students?

2 What are the causes of the errors in using comparison of adjectives made by high school students?

3 What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by the high school

students?

Il RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the study is to:

1 Find out the kinds of errors in the use of comparison of adjectives made by the senior students

2 Find out the causes of the errors in the use of comparison of adjectives made

by the senior students

3 Offer some suggestions to minimize errors in using comparison of adjectives

IV RESEARCH SCOPE

The general research area of this study is grammar The phenomenon is the errors in using comparison of adjectives made by one hundred students at Nam Tien Hai high school One hundred students from class 12al and 1 1a4 are the subjects of the survey

V RESEARCH TASKS

The research work involves a number of tasks:

1 Studying the theory of comparison of adjectives

2 Conducting a survey to find out error types that high school students often

make

3 Suggesting some solutions to minimize the students’ errors

VI RESEARCH METHODS

With the aim of finding the common errors as well as their possible solutions in using comparison of adjectives in English, the following methods

have been applied:

1 Selecting necessary data and synthesizing theoretical materials relating to

comparison of adjectives

2 Conducting a survey in order to find out common errors when using comparison of adjectives

3 Suggesting solutions

VII RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

The research is hoped to have significances as following:

1 Helping Nam Tien Hai high school students understand about comparison of

VIII RESEARCH DESIGN

The research has three main parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion

The part Development consists of two chapters

Chapter one named Theoretical Background presents literature review in

brief and the definition, function, comparative forms of adjectives Also, the

differences among types of comparison of adjectives are mentioned

Chapter two is Common errors in the use of comparison of adjectives It consists of three sections Section one is devoted to survey The second

mentions to error types and causes The last one provides solutions to the

problems and suggests exercises on comparison of adjectives

PART TWO DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF

Comparison of adjectives has been studied by many grammarians like Alexander (1988), Harrison (1998), Jocelyn (1997), Eastwood (1992) and so on

In general, they focus their attention on classification of comparison of adjectives and their uses Most of the knowledge they present are really useful

for high school students

Eastwood (1992) focused on the differences between comparison of superiority and superlative comparison

Jocelyn (1997) studied comparative forms of adjectives He also mentioned some special notes when using comparison of adjectives such as substitutions, omissions and additions in comparative patterns

Vince (1851) introduced the uses of some types of comparative forms of adjectives

Brown (1851) showed both regular and irregular comparison

To sum up, many researchers have studied about comparison of adjectives However, not many of them have deeply studied the special cases of comparatives as well as the differences among types of comparison of adjectives Besides, the errors students make when using comparison of adjectives have not studied specifically

Therefore, it is essential to have a comprehensive study of the common errors in the use of comparison of adjectives

1.2 COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

1.2.1 Definitions of adjectives

According to Alexander (1988), an adjective describes the person or thing which a noun refers to We use adjectives to say what a person or thing is like or

seems like For example, adjectives can give us information about:

** Quality: a beautiful dress, a nice day

“+ Size: a big car, a small coin ee

» Temperature: a cool evening, a hot day

** Shape: a round table, a square box

To identify whether a word is an adjective or not, learners can sometimes base on suffixes of the words Here are the main suffixes:

(1): -ful: wonderful, beautiful, forgetful

(2): -less: thoughtless, worthless, lawless

(3): -able: acceptable, likeable, charitable

(4): -ible: edible, terrible, irresistible

(5): -en: golden, woolen, wooden

(6): -ous: glorious, victorious, mischievous

(7): -al: musical, national, natural

(8): -ive: imaginative, destructive, descriptive

(9): -ic: heroic, scientific, poetic

(10): -ish: childish, selfish, English

(11): -ary: customary, secondary, imaginary

(12): -some: handsome, quarrelsome, lonesome

(13): -y: silky, shady, smoky

(14): -ly: friendly, manly, lonely

1.2.2 Descriptive adjectives

Adjectives used in comparison are descriptive adjectives Therefore, in this research, only descriptive adjectives are studied

1.2.2.1 The main functions of descriptive adjectives

According to Quirk, et.al (1972), adjectives have main functions as following:

¢ Used as attributives and predicative

The major syntactic functions of adjectives are attributive and predicative

These are termed the major syntactic functions, since a word that cannot function either attributively or predicatively is not recognized as an adjective Adjectives are attributive when they modify nouns Attributive adjectives appear between the determiner and the head of the noun phrase:

The beautiful painting

A mere child

His main argument

Predicative adjectives can be:

(1): subject complement: there is co-reference between subject and subject complement, the two being in an intensive relationship:

Your daughter is pretty

He is handsome

(2): object complement: there is co-reference between direct objects and object complement, the two being in an intensive relationship For example:

I consider him foolish

He made his wife happy

Anyone (who is) intelligent can do it

I want to try on something (that is) larger

Of course, adjectives that can occur only attributively are excluded:

Something (which is) main

Somebody (who is) mere

¢ Used as heads of a noun phrase

Adjectives can function as heads of noun phrases and can be subjects of the sentence, complement, object, and complement of a preposition Adjectives

as noun-phrase heads do not inflect for number or for the genitive case and they must take a definite determiner These types of adjectives function as noun-

phrase heads

All adjectives qualifying personal nouns can be noun-phrase heads:

The poor are causing the nation’s leaders great concern

There is a lack of communication between the young and the old

¢ Used as supplementive adjective clauses

Adjectives can function as the sole realization of a verbless clause or as the head of an adjective phrase realizing the clause One such type of verbless is

the supplementive adjective clause

Nervous, the man opened the letter

The man, nervous, opened the letter

The man opened the letter, nervous

As the above examples demonstrate, the supplementive adjective clause is mobile, though it usually precedes or follows the subject of the super-ordinate

clause When it follows the subject, as in, it is in some respects like a non-

restrictive relative clause

The men, who was nervous, opened the letter

But the adjective clause suggests that the man’s nervousness was shown, whereas the relative clause does not convey that implication The difference is because the adjective clause is related to the predication as well as to the subject

Furthermore, unlike the relative clause, the adjective clause is mobile and its

implied subject is the subject of the sentence Thus, while we have “The man restrained the woman, who was aggressive”, we do not have as its equivalent

“The man restrained the woman, aggressive.”

1.2.2.2 Classification of adjectives used in comparison

There are some ways to classify adjectives They can be classified based

on their functions, their formations, their uses, etc In this research, adjectives

are divided into 3 types: short adjectives, long adjectives and irregular adjectives, so that the study on comparison of adjectives can be done conveniently

1.2.2.2.1 Short adjectives

Many short adjectives form comparatives and superlative with -er and

-est.

Positive degree Comparative degree | Superlative degree

long longer longest

Monosyllabic adjectives can normally form their comparison by inflection Many disyllabic adjectives can also do so, though like most monosyllabic adjectives they have the alternative of the periphrastic forms:

My jokes are funnier/ funniest// more funny/ most funny

Common disyllabic adjectives that can take inflected forms are those ending in an unstressed vowel, syllabic /I/, or / (r)/ (Randolph Quirk and

Sidney Greenbaum, 1973):

(1) -y: funny, noisy, wealthy, friendly

(2) -ow: hollow, narrow, shallow

(3) -le: gentle, feeble, noble

(A) -er, -ure: clever, mature, abscure

*Note: spelling of comparative and superlative forms (Alexander, 1988)

1 Most one-syllable adjectives form their comparatives and superlatives are

added to their basic forms Some examples are hot, cold, strong, etc

2 Many one-syllable adjectives end with a single consonant after a single vowel-letter This consonant doubles in the comparatives and superlative, as in the case of big Other example like big are fat— fatter — fattest; sad — sadder

— saddest; thin — thinner — thinnest, etc

3 Many one-syllable adjectives ending in -e, like nice, are added -r and -st¢ to

the basic form Other examples like nice are fine, large, late, safe, etc

4 Some adjectives, like tidy, end in y with a consonant letter before it These adjectives are usually two-syllable In the comparative and superlative y is replaced by 7 other examples like tidy are busy, dirty, dry, easy, etc

1.2.2.2.2 Long adjectives (disyllabic adjectives)

Most long adjectives combine with the quantifiers more/less to form their comparatives and most/ least to form their superlatives Less can be used with one-syllable adjectives but more/ most and least are not normally used in this way More is occasionally used with one-syllable adjectives(e.g it’s more true

to say that British English is influenced by American, rather than the other way round.) more/ less can never be used in front of a comparative (e.g happier); nor

can most/ least be used in front of a superlative (e.g happiest)

less careful

1 pleasant more pleasant the most pleasant

less pleasant the least pleasant

2 careful more careful the most careful

the least careful

3 expensive

more expensive

less expensive the most expensive

the least expensive

* Notes on the comparison of longer adjectives (Alexander, 1988):

(1): Some two-syllable adjectives can form their comparatives and superlatives either with -er and -est or with more/ less and most/ least Other examples like

pleasant are common, handsome, stupid, tired, etc The opposites of such words,

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when formed with the prefix un, can also form their comparatives and

superlatives in two ways: e.g uncommon, unhappy, unpleasant, unhappier or more unhappy, unhappiest or most unhappy Where there is uncertainly, it is safest to use more and most with two-syllable adjectives

(2): The comparatives and superlatives of other two-syllable adjectives must always be with more/ less and most/ least These include all adjectives ending in -full or -less (e.g careful, careless, useful, useless)

Other examples of adjectives which form comparisons in this way are

(un)certain, (in)correct, (in)famous, foolish, (in)frequent, modern, (ad)normal Adjectives with more than two syllable compare with more/most and less/ least

such as beautiful, comfortable, dangerous, expensive, important, etc

This applies to most compound adjectives as well, such as quick-witted,

waterproof However, note compounds with good, well, and bad: good-looking

— better-looking (or more good-looking); well-built — better-built (but more well-built is sometimes heard); bad-tempered — worse-tempered (or more bad- tempered)

1.2.2.2.3 Irregular adjectives

A number of irregular comparative adjective forms in English cannot be

explained with reference to the -er inflection or the periphrastic form more:

elder the eldest

1.2.3 Comparative forms of adjectives and their functions

Each comparative form of adjectives has its own function However, in general, comparatives are normally used to compare two things, people or ideas 1.2.3.1 Single comparison

mu The same degree

We use as as with an adjective in between to say that something or someone is like something or someone else, or that one situation is like another For example:

Was the film as funny as his last one?

It is said in the book Advanced grammar in use (1999) that if you put a countable noun between the adjective and the second as, you should use a/ an in front of the noun (if the noun is singular) For instance:

She was as patient a teacher as anyone could have had

Degrees of similarity can be expressed by means of almost, exactly, just, nearly + as + adjective For example:

Jeffrey is nearly as tall as his father now

u The lower degree

Negative forms of sentences like this can use either not as or not so In formal speech and writing, it is more common to use /ess than For example:

The gap between the sides is not as wide as it was

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The gap between the sides is less wide than it was

The bees are plentiful, but not so common as last summer

The bees are plentiful, but less common than last summer

Not such a/ an (+adjective)+ noun is also possible For instance:

He’s not such a hard worker as his brother

m= Comparatives

Comparatives can also be used to compare one thing and a group of many things considered together, or one thing and everything else in the group

For example:

Mary is cleverer than the three sisters

Mary is cleverer than everyone else in her class (= Mary is the

cleverest student in class.)

In all the above examples, there is a phrase beginning with than which states the thing(s) which the subject of the sentence is compared to In the following examples, the than phrase is left out and it is clear from the context, that the things or people concerned are compared with themselves over a period

of time In the other words, comparatives are used to indicate changes over a

period of time For example:

With practice, we find the task easier

As he grew older, he became wiser

We will have to be more careful

A few adjectives are spelt like comparatives and they convey the meaning

of comparison, but they do not serve the normal functions of comparatives They function more as adjectives of the positive degree and cannot be followed

by a phrase beginning with than Such adjectives include upper, elder, utter,

inner, outer, interior, exterior, ulterior, major, minor

For example:

He belongs to the upper class (CORRECT)

His social class is upper than mine (WRONG)

He is my elder brother (CORRECT)

He is elder than I (WRONG)

John is an utter fool (CORRECT)

As a fool, John is more utter than others (WRONG)

This is the inner wall (CORRECT)

This wall is inner than that wall (WRONG)

The following adjectives are not followed by than but by to: interior,

superior, anterior, prior, posterior, senior, junior:

For example:

John is interior than Tom in dancing skills (WRONG)

John is inferior to Tom in dancing skills (CORRECT)

There are many managers senior than George (WRONG)

There are many managers senior to George (CORRECT)

* Notes: The use of than in the comparative

A comparative can stand on its own if the reference is clear

The grey coat is longer

This implies that the hearer understands that the grey coat is being compared with another coat or something similar If two things of exactly the same kind are being compared, we can use the before a comparative in formal style

Which is (the) longer? (of the two coats)

The grey coat is (the) longer (of the two coats)

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However, if we need to mention each item, then we must use than after

the comparative: when than is followed by a noun or pronoun, it functions as if

it were a preposition; when it is followed by a clause, it functions as if it were a conjunction, but note the ambiguity of “I know him better than you.” This could

mean:

I know him better than you know him (than is a conjunction)

I know him better than (I know) you (than could be a preposition)

= Superlatives

Superlatives are normally used when more than two things, people or

ideas are compared A superlative is used to refer to the thing, person or idea that is the most outstanding in a certain quality

For example:

Of all the projects that have been completed, mine is the best

I’m the youngest in the family

Tom is the richest person in this district

It is important to remember that most is sometimes used to mean very So

an adjective that has most in front of it is not necessarily a superlative It is a superlative only if it involves comparison of things, people or ideas

What you say is most interesting (most = very)

John is the most interesting person in this district (a superlative ) The definite article the is used before a superlative in a phrase or sentence Sometimes superlatives are qualified by ordinal numbers For example:

John is the second richest person in this country

Informally, we sometimes use the superlative instead of a comparative when we are comparing two people or things For example:

Who’s the most reliable, Frank or Alan?

Similarly, the is sometimes dropped, especially after which

Which is best? The red one or the green one?

And when the superlative is in front of a to-infinitive

I think it’s safest to overtake now

* Notes: The use of a qualifying phrase or a relative

A qualifying phrase is not necessary after a superlative if the reference is

clear, for example, John is the tallest

This implies that the hearer understands that John is being compared with two or more people in the same group If the comparison is not clear, then we must use a qualifying phrase after the superlative Phrases of this kind usually begin with in or (less frequently) of: For example:

John is easily the tallest boy in our class

Yesterday is the hottest day of the year

Other fixed prepositional phrases are possible:

For example: It’s the oldest trick on earth

Alternatively, we can use a relative clause after a superlative This is often accompanied by a present perfect with .ever heard, met, read, seen, etc For example:

“War and Peace” is the longest book I have ever heard

Penfold is the most conceited man I have ever met

To make a superlative negative, put the least before the adjective

For example:

The least funny

The least polite

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The weather gets colder and colder

His daughter becomes more and more intelligent

More than one repetition is also possible (Longman Grammar of Spoken

and Written English, 1999)

For example:

See the branches get smaller and smaller and smaller

¢ The different adjectives

The richer she is, the more selfish she becomes

The more intelligent he is the lazier he becomes

1.2.3.3 Multiple Numbers Comparison

The structure:

S + V+ multiple numbers + as + much/many/adj + (N) + as + N/pronoun

For example:

In many countries in the world with the same job, women only

get 40%-50% as much as salary as men

This encyclopedia costs twice as much as the other one

At the clambake last week, Fred ate three times as many oysters as Barney

* Note: Absolute adjectives

There are a number of adjectives called absolute adjectives Absolute adjectives should not have comparative and superlative forms because the positive form of these adjectives refers to a quality that is of the highest possible degree For example, if something is perfect, it is already in the best possible state So strictly speaking, it is wrong to say more perfect or the most perfect

Absolute adjectives include alone, correct, dead, deadly, blind, empty, everlasting, fatal, final, full, mortal, perfect, round, single, straight, square, supreme, unique, universal, vertical, and wrong

It should be noted that we can use nearly and more nearly with absolute adjectives: nearly perfect, more nearly perfect

1.2.4 Substitutions, omissions and additions in comparative patterns

1.2.4.1 Substitutions in comparative patterns

Since English comparative constructions often involve two clauses, the

second of which has been greatly reduced, certain substitute expressions commonly occur as part of a comparison The possessive pronouns are one such type of substitute expression For example:

This car is bigger than mine (mine = my car)

However, when a possessive pronoun is not appropriate, the substitute

«

expressions “one” and “ones” are often used along with an appropriate determiner such as the definite article or demonstrative:

19