OPTIONAL CONTRASTIVE GRAMMAR 1 THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES I.

Comparing and intensifying Adjectives can be compared, namely the qualities which they identify may be expressed in varying degrees of comparison represented by the comparative (bigger, more attentive, less attentive) or the !per"ative (the biggest, the most attentive, the least attentive). Adjectives can be also i#te# i$ied (quite probable, very probable), without receiving a precise, definite degree or value. In order to understand the distinction between comparison and intensification, let s examine the following examples! (") #aul s wife is thinner than his mistress. ( #aul s wife weighs six pounds less than #aul s mistress.) ($) #aul s wife is the thinnest woman in the world. (#aul s wife weighs less than everybody I have seen) (%) #aul s wife is rather thin, don t you thin&' (I thin& she is thin, but I can t precisely tell how thin.) (() #aul s wife is very thin. (I thin& she is definitely thin, but I don t necessarily compare her to others.) ()) #aul s wife has become horribly thin. (*he is thin to a degree that horrifies me.) +he sentences above show clearly that there is a difference between compari o# and i#te# i$icatio#. *entences ("), ($) show precisely what the degree of thinness of #aul s wife is, namely in ("), it is greater than someone else s or, in ($), it is the greatest degree in the set of the world (thinner than everyone else), according to the spea&er. *entences (%), ((), ()) do not show values as precise as the ones shown in ("), ($). ,ere, what the spea&er tells us is that the intensity of #aul s wife s thinness is great, according to him, but he does not indicate the precise degree of her thinness in comparison to someone else s. 2. Remembering about the comparison of adjectives +he table below will remind you some simple facts about the comparison of adjectives! %ot c"ever& atte#tive& "o'a"& (ad Inflectional Phrasal -./#A0A+I12 Superiority Inferiority *3#204A+I12 Superiority Inferiority

hotter, cleverer more attentive, more loyal

5 less hot, less clever less attentive, less loyal, less bad 5

the hottest, the cleverest the most attentive the most loyal

5 the least hot, the least clever, the least attentive, the least loyal, the least bad 5

Irregular

worse

the worst

A few rules will ma&es the table above clearer! i. ii. iii. Inferiority is always expressed by phrasal comparison as shown above less least All adjectives with one syllable (thin, hot, fast) and all adjectives with two syllables ending on )' (easy, happy, pretty, dirty), )er (clever), )"e (simple), )o* (narro!) have inflectional comparison in 6er+)e t All adjectives with more than one syllable (with the exception of the two syllable adjectives in 7) have phrasal comparison with more most 8

iv. v.

A limited number of widely used adjectives have &ept the irregular forms they had in Anglo5 *axon. 2xamples! bad"!orse"the !orst, much"more"the most. +ry to remember other examples. +here are spelling rules to be obeyed in order to form inflectional comparison. 9ith the help of examples, try to remember the spelling rules that you have already learned.

:ota bene; <ou have to ma&e a distinction between most as a superlative comparison mar&er and most as an intensifier (which is rather formal)! <our daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world. (superlative) I found a most interesting boo& in that boo&shop down the corner. (intensifier) #. $radable and non"gradable adjectives (=) >ean saw a foreign film. (?) ''' +he film >ean saw is more foreign than the one @ill saw. (8A) ''' +he film I saw was the most foreign of them all. (88)''' +he film >ean saw is very foreign. As you can see in the examples above, not all adjectives can be compared or intensified. +his is why we can divide the class of adjectives into ,rada("e (those that can be compared and intensified), such as hot, attentive or bad and #o#5,rada("e (those that can t be compared and intensified), such as foreign. $enerally, adjectives that sho! the qualities of a thing are al!ays gradable. 9e can give a few examples such as old, new, nice and beautiful. *ince all these show qualities, they can be compared and intensified. :on5gradable adjectives can be adjectives that do not show so much the quality of a thing but its belonging in a class. %any such classifying adjectives are non-gradable, such as! French, English, foreign, ajar, ruined, dead, alive, married, single, separate, square, triangular , etc. If you thin& about the adjectives above, it becomes clear that they mar& an object as belonging to a certain class (that of Brench objectsCpersons or that of married people). +hey do not mar& the quality an object or a person might have, as old, ne! or hot can do. .ne other group of non-gradable adjectives is represented by those already having absolute or superlative values! perfect, optimal, maximum, unique, false, utmost, absolute, etc. :ota bene; &ven non"gradable adjectives can be compared and intensified' <es, some of them can indeed, but if you do that you operate a change in meaning. 4et s examine the following examples! (87) '''+his object more Brench than the other. (8") '''+his is fish is more alive than the other. (8$) #ierre is more Brench than /arcel. (8%) /y mother is very Brench. (8() *usan is more alive than you thin&. (8)) +oday I felt very much alive. +he first two sentences are ungrammatical. ,ere DBrenchE and DaliveE are used with their basic meaning and this is why they are non5gradable. ,owever, sentences (8$), (8%) and (8(), (8)) can be interpreted as grammatical, even if DaliveE and DBrenchE have been comparedCintensified. +he 7

sentences can be interpreted as correct, if we give a different meaning, a figurative meaning to the adjectives. In (8$) and (8%) DBrenchE can be thought to refer to the quality of being Brench. Bor example, #ierre is seen to be more Brench than /arcel, because he behaves more li&e Brench persons do than /arcel, or because, who &nows, he s more nationalistic than /arcel. In the same manner, DaliveE can be ta&en in its figurative meaning, namely DlivelyE or Dfull of lifeE, etc. (. )arious means of intensifying adjectives 9e have already seen the ways in which adjectives can be compared. 4et us ta&e a loo& at the means of intensifying adjectives. +here are intensifiers that can do that, such as! quite (8=) +his tea is quite hot. rather (8?) ,er husband is rather old. really (7A) /y linguistics teacher is really annoying. so (78) +hat music you play is so loud; ho! (in exclamative sentences) (77) ,ow interesting this movie is; very (7") +he movie I saw last night is very entertaining. As you can see above, some words can be used with no other meanings, but as that of intensifiers, but there are words that apart from being used as mere intensifiers, can also function independently. *uch words are adverbs such as! extremely, immensely, hugely, fairly, fantastically, incredibly, etc. terribly, awfully, dreadfully, horribly, etc. -ompare! (7$) <ou sang fantastically; (7%) *he spent a fantastically large amount of money in that shop. -ompare! (7() *he sang terribly; (7)) *he was terribly tired and couldn t come to the party. *. Intensifying participles used adjectivally #ast participles that are used as adjectives can be compared in the same way as adjectives! (7=) +his film has been more publiciFed than the other. (7?) +his has been the most publiciFed film ever. +here are however some means of intensification that some participles prefer that can t be used for adjectives, such as betterCbest or much! ("A) +his director is best remembered or better &nown for this feature. ("8) +his is the much acclaimed and the much criticiFed play that was staged last year. *. + case of metaphoric intensification

"

+here are other means of intensification that can be used for certain adjectives. Bor example in the case of colours, there is a variety of adjectivesCnouns used as modifiers meant to express the degrees and variety of a colour, such as! bottle green, deep purple, navy blue, dark grey, light blue, pale yellow, soft green, dull grey, etc. In the same way, metaphoric intensification can be achieved for other adjectives. 4et s give some examples! stark naked, raving mad, stinking rich, etc. E-ERCISES 1./ Tra# "ate i#to E#,"i %0 8. 7. ". $. %. (. ). =. ?. 8A. 88. 87. 8". 8$. 8%. 8(. 8). 8=. 8?. 7A. /alvolio era GmbrHcat Gntr5o jiletcH verde prHFuliu Ii purta niIte ciorHpei galbeni JipHtor cu jartiere GncruciIate. Am citit cartea ta mult lHudatH Ii nu mi s5a pHrut cine Itie ce. -red cH ai fi mai cunoscut dacH te5ai mulJumi sH scrii doar piese. Bratele lui >oan a venit asearH acasH beat mort. -u cKt pleacH mai repede de pe capul meu, cu atKt mai bine. AfarH era un ger de crHpau pietrele Ii am ajuns acasH cu adevHrat GngheJatH. Ann este cam prostuJH, dar este chiar priceputH la treburile gospodHriei. 1ino Ii tu la petrecere cu noi. -u cKt vom fi mai mulJi, cu atKt mai bine. :u5mi place sH port haine bleumarin Gnchis, cu atKt mai puJin Gn fiecare Fi. Apa din cadH era GngroFitor de fierbinte Ii sincer sH spun, nu Itiu cum ai fHcut baie Gn ea, cu atKt mai mult cu cKt Itiu cH eIti bolnav de inimH. *H Itii cH piesa a fost extraordinar de frumoasH Ii ar fi fost cu mult mai frumos dacH ar fi venit Ii pHrinJii tHi s5o vadH. 2ste oribil de FgKrcit cu toate cH e putred de bogat Ii are cei mai mulJi bani din oraI. :u m5aI cHsHtori cu 1ictor nici dacH ar fi ultimul bHrbat de pe #HmKnt; .glindH, oglinjoarH, cine5i mai frumoasH5n JarH' -red cH bHrbatul tHu este destul de chipeI GnsH este GngoFitor de slab, pe cKnd iubitul lui Ann este al naibii de arHtos Ii pe deasupra extraordinar de musculos. -hiar dacH Gn camerH era Gntuneric beFnH se gKndi cH ar fi mai simplu sH5Ii aItepte prietenul acolo, Gn caFul Gn care acesta venea mai devreme. LeIi era gol puIcH Ii teribil de obosit, GIi luH inima5n dinJi sH se Gmbrace Ii plecH chiar mult mai repede decKt anticipase. :u vreau absolut deloc sH te critic, dar cred cH dacH ai fi mai puJin Gngrijorat de reacJia celorlalJi Ii mai preocupat de propriile5Ji griji, ai fi mai fericit. 2 blond roIcatH, frumoasH de5Ji taie rHsuflarea Ii, pe deasupra, are o minte brici. LeIi era sHrac lipit pHmKntului, a reuIit sH5Ii construiascH o casH cu mult mai frumoasH decKt a acelora mai bogaJi decKt el. 3ite, cerneala e uscatH iascH, nu cred cH se mai poate folosi. Ia un pix la tine Ii renunJH la stilou. :enea Micu e surd toacH Ii n5aude nici dacH Gi rHcneIti Gn ureche. :u5Ji rHmKne decKt sH Gi scrii bileJele dacH vrei sH te faci GnJeles.

1/ Fi"" i# t%e ("a#2 *it% t%e ri,%t c%oice or c%oice / Tr' to $i#d a# appropriate Roma#ia# tra# "atio# $or t%e com(i#atio# t%! o(tai#ed0 buc&, scarlet, deep, snow, shoc&ing, lime, dirt, jet, in&y, piping, blood, roc&, midnight, iron, primrose, lemon, cherry, pea, chrome, navy, olive, lily, raFor, dove. ..... pin&, .....blue, .....sharp, .....white, .......purple, ..... solid, .......blac&, .......red, ....cheap, ......yellow & .......green, .....grey, .....na&ed, .....hot 3./ Tra# "ate i#to Roma#ia#0 8. +he chaplain felt most deceitful presiding at funerals, and it would not have astonished him to learn that the apparition in the tree that day was a manifestation of the Almighty s censure for the blasphemy $

and pride inherent in his function. +o simulate gravity, feign grief and pretend supernatural intelligence of the hereafter in so fearsome and arcane a circumstance as death seemed the most criminal of offenses. ,e recalled 6 or was almost convinced he recalled 6 the scene at the cemetery perfectly. ,e could still see /ajor Lanby standing as somber as a bro&en stone pillar on his side, see almost the exact number of enlisted men and almost the exact places in which they had stood, and the large, loose, triumphant mound of reddish5brown earth, and the massive, still, depthless s&y, so weirdly blan& and blue that day that it was almost poisonous. ,e would remember them forever, for they were all part and parcel of the most extraordinary event that had ever befallen him, an event perhaps marvellous, perhaps pathological, 5 the vision of the na&ed man in the tree. ,ow could he explain it' It was not already seen or never seen, and certainly not almost seenN neither dOjP vu, jamais vu or presque vu was elastic enough to cover it. 9as it a ghost, then' +he dead man s soul' An angel from heaven or a minion from hell' .r was the whole fantastic episode merely the figment of a diseased imagination, his own, of a deteriorating mind, a rotting brain' +he possibility that there really had been a na&ed man in the tree 6 two men, actually, since the first had been joined shortly by a second man clad in a brown moustache and sinister dar& garments from head to toe who bent forward ritualistically along the limb of the tree to offer the first man something to drin& from a brown goblet 6 never crossed the chaplain s mind. (>oseph ,eller 6 Catch 22) 7. 9hen she abused him in public, she did so with a diamond smile that suggested she was only teasing, that her constant belittlements were no more than a way of concealing an adoration too enormous to expressN it was an ironising smile that sought to put her behaviour into quotes. +his act was never completely convincing. .ften, she dran& 6 the anti5alcohol regulations came and went 6 and when she dran& she cursed. -onfident of her genius, armed with a tongue as merciless as her beauty and as violent as her wor&, she excluded nobody from her coloratura damnations, all delivered with that cheery stone5hard smile that sought to anaesthetise her victims as she ripped out their innards. (As& me how it felt; I was her only son. +he closer to the bull you wor&, the li&elier you are to be gored.) (*alman 0ushdie 6 ,he %oor-s .ast Sigh) ". +his was the closest Aurora came to than&ing Abraham for the uncomplaining inexhaustibility of his cheques, for the city of gold he had so quic&ly built from her family s wealth, which for all its old5 money graciousness had been no more than, as it were, a village, a country5estate, or a small provincial town, compared to the great metropolis of their present fortune. Aurora was not unaware that her lavishness required maintenance, so that she was bound to Abie by her own needs. *ometimes she came close to admitting this, even to worrying that the scale of her spending, or the looseness of her tongue, might bring the house down. Always fond of macabre bedtime stories, she would tell me the parable of the scorpion and the frog, in which the scorpion, having hitched a ride across a stretch of water in return for a promise not to attac& his mount, brea&s his vow and administers a potent and fatal sting. As the frog and scorpion are both drowning, the murderer apologises to his victim. QI couldn t help it, says the scorpion. QIt s in my nature. (*alman 0ushdie 6 ,he %oor-s .ast Sigh) 4/ Tra# "ate i#to E#,"i %0 8. RLe presupus cH scrisoarea la care se refereau dicomesienii o trimisese Bibula. I5o trimisese imediat, am Fis, dupH ce primise de la mine copia amintitH. . scrisoare mKnioasH Ii cu geloFii de nepoatH batrKnH care5l certa pe 3milit cH se lasH Gncontinuu pHcHlit de dicomesieni, care5i vor mereu banii si5i folosesc numele spre cKItigul lor, dupH cum Gl certa pe 3milit cH se lHsase GnIelat Ii o primise la 1iena pe falsa Gngrijitoare Soe 4ucescu care n5avea altH misiune decKt sH5l spioneFe Ii sH5l tKrasca spre Licomesia sau spre /avrocordat pentru a fi mai bine golit de averi Ii moIteniri. ApHs pe termeni, fiindcH limbajul Bibulei la mKnie Gl cunosc foarte bine. 4imbajul ei devine tot mai violent pe mHsurH ce GnainteaFH Gn vKrstH, masculiniFarea expresiei luKnd forme tot mai dure. *unt sigur cH Gn scrisoarea ei cHtre 3milit pe Soe 4ucescu n5a scos5o din tot felul de blasfemii Ii insulte. (Ttefan @Hnulescu 6 Cartea milionarului) 7.D1Hd cH te obsedeaFH Linu, rKse ea surprinFHtor de bucuroasH. La, cu ceva timp Gn urmH ai fi avut motive de neliniIte. AdevHrul este cH m5am GndrHgostit de el brusc, nebuneIte, de parcH m5aI fi GmbolnHvit. @Hrbat frumos, cHutat, admirat... fost sportiv de performanJH... armata avea o echipH foarte bunH... 2ram foarte bucuroasH cH5l rHpesc tuturor femeilor din oraI... LacH mi5ar fi cerut, i5aI fi oferit orice, fHrH sH eFit o clipH, cHlcKnd interdicJiile tatei. Lin fericire sau nefericire, Linu nu mi5a cerut nimic, mH trata ca pe o copilH de gimnaFiu... Ti, cu cKt Gl cunoIteam mai bine, cu atKt Gi reduceam din calitHJi. :u are nimic impreviFibil Gn el, trHieIte dupH niIte reguli foarte rigide... #entru fiecare viFitH %

sau GntKlnire cu vreun cunoscut se pregHteIte de parcH merge la un seminar. #louH, ninge, tunH, el GnvaJH citate, memoreaFH replici celebre Ii nu pierde ocaFia de a devia discuJia spre ceea ce Itie.E (Augustin @uFura 6 Recviem pentru nebuni /i bestii) "U. Lesigur, asupra lui timpul GIi fHcuse simJitH apHsareaN avea douaFeci Ii Iase de ani Ii GIi trHise o parte a vieJii mai mult pe sub pHmKnt Ii prin mlaItini, sHpKnd gropi Ii pregHtind ambuscade Ii se putea sH Ii moarH fHrH sH apuce sH vadH sfKrIitul luptei Ii sH respire Gn libertate, dar nu se putea ca aceIti opt ani sH nu5l fi atins greu Ii pe inamic, doar viaJa s5a scurs Ii pentru el Ii opt ani nu e o glumH cu atKt mai mult cu cKt mulJi dintre ai lui Ii5au dat Ii ei viaJa pe aceste locuri Ii uneori Gn chinuri la fel de cumplite ca acelea pe care ei le stKrneau pe unde treceau (fiindcH ei au fost cei care s5au arHtat cei dintKi fHrH cruJare aruncKnd din avioane benFinH asupra satelor Ii oamenilor, fHcKndu5i sH ardH ca niIte torJe, Ii atunci Ii lor au Gnceput sH le fie Gntinse pe drumurile lor de patrulare niIte curse, nu atKt de spectaculoase ca flHcHrile unui incendiu, dar nu mai puJin sinistre prin aparenJa lor inofensivH, gropi de pildH, acoperite cu un capac bine camuflat, la fel de sensibil ca o balanJH, care se rHsturna fulgerHtor Gndata ce era atins cu piciorul, de pe fundul cHrora trupul celui cHFut era GntKmpinat de vKrfuri ascuJite de bambus care Gi spintecau rinichii Ii maJele Ii ale cHrui urlete nici mHcar nu se mai auFeau.) (/arin #reda 5 0riguri) $.:ang simJi cum i se GnteJesc bHtHile inimii Ii ascultKndu5le se mirH. :u i se GntKmpla sH5Ii audH inima decKt foarte rar Ii GncH mai rar de emoJie, ci mai mult de efort Ii numai dacH era prea flHmKnd Ii prea obosit. . datH capturaserH o baterie de artilerie Ii o duceau Gn munJi prin pHduri neumblate. 3rcau foarte greu, trHgKndu tunurile GnhHmaJi la ele. (/arin #reda 5 0riguri) %.:u mai aIteptH Gntunericul, ieIi din apH Ii se spHlH de noroi. AfarH era mai frig Ii Gncepu sH dKrdKie tot aIa de tare ca ,ong genistul cKnd trecuserH pentru prima datH peste 4ach5+ray. (/arin #reda 5 0riguri) (.Lar intrarea ei Gn cauFH era strHinH de raJiuni militare, dar tot atKt de puternice, ca un ordin pe care Gl primea de astH datH din el GnsuIi, dintr5un :ang pe care nu5l cunoItea bine, dar tot atKt de hotHrKt, de prudent Ii de rHbdHtor! aceastH fatH trebuia feritH; Iar acesta era parcH mai mult decKt un ordin, o IoaptH parcH a unei divinitHJi care totdeauna Gl protejase, dar niciodatH nu5Ii deFvHluise preFenJa, iar acum Ii5o deFvHluia. (/arin #reda 5 0riguri) ). :ineta se GmbrHcase, dar nu pleca, stHtea Gn fotoliu Ii continua astfel despre copii Ii povestirea ei nu mai GnaintH, sH aflu Ii eu ce fHcuse atKJia ani, poate chiar FeceV Ti, fHrH un motiv aparent, iFbucni deodatH Gntr5un plKns interminabil, asemenea unei Bantine a cHrei copii se aflau sub puterea unui +henardier miFerabil, numai cH nu era nici bolnavH ca aceea, nu5Ii vKnduse dinJii Ii pHrul ca sH le trimitH bani, iar tatHl copiilor era departe de a fi un +henardierV -u atKt mai vinovatH deci Ii fHrH scHpare se simJea, cu cKt, Gn afarH de faptul cH Gi nHscuse, nu fHcuse nimic pentru ei. Acest adevHr brutal o Gmpiedica sH deschidH un proces Ii sH cKItige pentru ea mHcar unul. :5ar fi putut Gndura sH5i audH pe copii Gn instanJH optKnd pentru tatHl lor. DI5am Gntrebat,E Fise :ineta, GnseninKndu5se ca Gn faJa unei fatalitHJi, Ii nu mi5au spus chiar nu, dar nici nu mi5au rHspuns nimic, semn cH pentru ei hotHra tatHl, deIi cKnd le5am pus Gntrebarea el nu era de faJH.E (/arin #reda 6 Cel mai iubit dintre p1m2nteni)