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Revision as of 01:03, 21 November 2005 by Theshibboleth (talk | contribs) (created)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The three degrees of comparison refer to the absolute, comparitive, and superlative.
The absolute refers to the most basic form of the adjective, absolute because it exists without being relative to another term. In the case of the adjective wt:tall, tall would be the absolute form of the adjective. In the case of the adjective wt:fun, fun is the absolute form of the adjective.
The comparitive form of the adjective is used to refer to the subject of the adjective relative to something else. For example, in the phrase, "He is taller than his father," wt:taller is the compartive form of the adjective tall. In the case of the adjective fun, more fun is the comparitive form of the adjective.
The superlative form of the adjective is usually used to refer to the subject of the adjective as being the most extreme of three or more items being compared. (It is disputed whether to use the comparitive there always have to be more than two items being compared.) In the phrase, "He is the tallest member of his family," wt:tallest is the superlative form of the adjective. In the case of the adjective fun, most fun is the superlative form of the adjective.