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Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages whereby adjectives and adverbs are rendered in an inflected or periphrastic way to indicate a comparative degree, property, quality, or quantity of a corresponding word, phrase, or clause.
Definition: Superlatives are forms of adjectives or adverbs that express the highest or most extreme degree of a quality. Function: They denote a comparative relationship, typically among three or more entities, to identify one as the most or least within a set.
Comparative deletion is an obligatory ellipsis mechanism that occurs in the than-clause of a comparative construction. The elided material of comparative deletion is indicated using a blank, and the unacceptable b-sentences show what is construed as having been elided in the a-sentences: a. Fred reads more books than Susan reads ___. b.
Consequently, comparative and superlative forms of such adjectives are not normally used, except in a figurative, humorous or imprecise context. Similarly, such adjectives are not normally qualified with modifiers of degree such as very and fairly , although with some of them it is idiomatic to use adverbs such as completely .
Forms no longer considered superlative. muy agrio ("very bitter") → acérrimo ("strong, zealous, fanatic") Applying -ísimo to nouns is not common, but there is the famous case of Generalísimo. As in English and other languages influenced by it, a teenspeak superlative can be formed by the prefix super-, or sometimes hiper-, ultra-, re-or ...
Under the model of Distributed Morphology, the structure of a superlative would be [SPRL [CMPR [ADJ Adjective ] Comparative ] Superlative ]. Thus, the exponent of the comparative morpheme attaches to the bare adjective and the exponent of the superlative morpheme attaches to the comparative form (or replaces it in the suppletive cases).
Similarly, colour terms marked as plural (e.g., the reds in the painting) are nouns while those marked as comparative (e.g., redder) or superlative (e.g., reddest) are adjectives. However, the categorization of colour terms is less clear in cases like The foliage emerged, becoming deep green as the summer unfolds.
Comparatives and superlatives were usually formed by adding -er and -est. Adjectives with long vowels sometimes shortened these vowels in the comparative and superlative (e.g., greet, great; gretter, greater). [34] Adjectives ending in -ly or -lich formed comparatives either with -lier, -liest or -loker, -lokest. [34]