Consumption more, most: rule

How often do we have to compare these or other things, or people, or the phenomena of reality surrounding us? It seems that we rarely resort to comparisons. In fact, it turns out that people constantly compare something with something, sometimes not noticing it. For example, the neighboring street may be wider, longer, and the house in which friends live is larger, more convenient, higher, more modern. A number of such comparisons can be continued indefinitely.

Everything can be compared

Everything that surrounds us has certain qualities, which means that it can be compared by different criteria. The qualities of objects are adjectives, and the qualities of actions are adverbs. These parts of speech can be used in the form of comparative and superlative degrees of comparison. You can run fast and even faster, the dress can be expensive and even more expensive. In English, this grammatical phenomenon is governed by the more / most rule describing usage.

How do you say in English that one car is expensive, the second is more expensive, and the third is the most expensive in the cabin? In this situation, the words more / most will come in handy. They are necessary to form a comparative and superlative form for polysyllabic English adjectives, that is, where two or more syllables are used: expensive, more expensive, the most expensive (expensive - more expensive - the most expensive).

When are suffixes of a comparative degree needed?

To understand the meaning of the words more, most, the rule of their use is better divided into two parts. First, consider how a comparative degree is formed in English grammar, or, as linguists call it, a comparative.

Short, often monosyllabic, adjectives and adverbs form a comparative degree using the -er suffix: cheap / cheaper, hard / harder, large / larger, thin / thinner.

Some two-syllable adjectives, especially those ending in -u, also form a comparative using this suffix, for example: lucky / luckier, funny / funnier, easy / easier, as well as clever / clevere, simple / simpler.

Much or many for polysyllabic adjectives?

For longer adjectives and adverbs, the rules for the use of more enter. The English use more (but not the -er suffix) if polysyllabic adjectives are involved in comparisons, for example: more modern, more expensive, more comfortable. The same applies to an adverb if it ends in -ly: more slowly, more seriously, more carefully. But every rule has exceptions that need to be memorized. English is spoken more often (but not oftener) and earlier (but not more early).

In general, the regulating use of the more / most rule for adjectives and adverbs in English grammar is not a difficult topic, it can be clearly illustrated by the example of the Russian language. For example, we say “fast / faster / faster / less fast” or “expensive / more expensive / more expensive / less expensive”. In our language, a comparative degree can also be formed using suffixes or the special words “more / less”.

The best or the best: how to say in English?

For the formation of forms of superlative more / most, the rule prescribes the use of the most with the obligatory definite article. As with the formation of a comparative degree, the word most is necessary for the formation of polysyllabic adjectives: the most famous, the most difficult, the most boring. Short forms of adjectives and adverbs require the suffix -est: long / the longest, hot / the hottest, hard / the hardest.

The Russian language likewise forms a superlative with the help of suffixes or the words “most / most / least”, for example: dear / most expensive, great / greatest / greatest, difficult / most difficult.

How to express the concept of “many” in English?

Beginners to learn English have a certain difficulty in determining the use of the many / many rule. After all, if in Russian they say “a lot of pencils” and “a lot of bread”, then when translating these phrases into English, you have to make a difficult choice. Both much and many are translated into Russian the same way: “many.” Which one to choose for translation?

In order not to make a mistake, you must remember about the division of nouns into countable and uncountable. What word to use - much, many - the rule dictates unambiguously: the first, if we are talking about objects that can be counted, and the second, if it is impossible to count individually. So, you can count pencils and rolls of bread, but bread in combination with “a lot” cannot be counted. The same can be said about water, flour, oil, earth and other similar concepts in a collective sense: a lot of water - much, many water bottles - many. Moreover, after many, the noun necessarily stands in the form of the plural. The same nouns that follow after much are used only in the singular.

Another important condition limits the use of much / many in the word “many” in speech. These words are mainly used in interrogative and negative sentences:

• Have you spent a lot of money?
• Do you have a lot of friends?
• We did not drink a lot of water.
• They did not eat a lot of apples.

When translating these sentences into English, it is appropriate to use much or many.

Another thing, if you need to make a statement:

• We spent a lot of money.
• They drank a lot of water.

In this case, the term “many” is expressed by the English language in other words, moreover, it is the same for countable and uncountable nouns: a lot (of), lots (of), plenty (of).

The use of the much / many (rule) example table will help.

What can I say if there are too many ... rules?

Grammar rules are not created by people; language itself creates them. Grammar is not a set of directions for careless students, but the natural basis of the language. Therefore, if a student of English claims that there are too many rules, then how can this be conveyed in English? This is where you need to look into a textbook or grammar guide, where you will surely find too many / too much expressions suitable for the situation.

The rule clarifies that you can use much / many in affirmative sentences, but only in such a combination with the word too in the meaning "too." If the speaker emphasizes that there is too much of something, then this is a sufficient condition for choosing these words:

• There are too many rules in English.
• They put too much sugar in the tea.

When translating these sentences into English, one must remember that in the first the noun “rules” is countable and is in the plural. So, only a combination of too many is possible. In the second - the noun “sugar”, uncountable, requires too much.

For beginners to learn English, the rules of English grammar seem very difficult and even insurmountable. It will take enough time for the laws and traditions of another language to no longer raise the question “Why do they have that?”. Usually teachers respond to this with the phrase: “So they (native speakers) say.” You just need to get used to talking and thinking according to the laws of another language world.