比较级最高级特殊用法

英语中有一些表达，形式上没有形容词的比较级或最高级，实际含义却是那样的，例如：None is so blind as those that won't see（唯不肯正视者最盲目）. 另有许多词汇，不具有比较级和最高级形式，而具有其意涵。如，实际上表示比较级的：superior, inferior, senior, junior, ......

实际上表示最高级的就更多：maximum, maximal, minimum, minimal, optimum, optimal, ut(ter)most, ultimate, initial, original, prime, primary, first, culminant, ceiling, climax, summit, peak, top, bottom,...... 其中相当部分，但非全部，源自拉丁语。 源自拉丁语者较具书卷气，多用于科技或正式文案。非源自拉丁语者，如top等，亦常用。一提到比较级和最高级，初学者就容易想到相应的语法词尾形式-er和-est，其实往往可以用类似上述例词的修饰语，不拘泥于比较级和最高级形式，形式上多些变化，而表达同样意涵。 形容词与副词的比较级与最高级

1）形容词和副词比较级的形式是否和比较连词对应出现，即是否符合原级比较及比较级的结构。如：

Do you enjoy listening to records? I find records are often , or better than an actual performance.

[A]as good as [B]as good [C]good [D]good as

在这里as good as 比较连词与better than比较连词同时出现时候，不能省略任何一个介词。答案为A

On the whole, ambitious students are more likely to succeed in their studies than are those with little ambition.

2)比较的成分是否属于同类事物或同类概念，既是说比较要具有可比性。如：

The number of registered participants in this year’s marathon was half .

[A] of last year’s [B]those of last year’s

[C]of those of last year [D] that of last year’s

（前后相比的应该是今年和去年注册参加的人数“the number of”故代替它的应该是单数指示代词“that”，而不能选择B，those是指代participants，不是同类对比，答案为D。 Young readers, more often than not, find the novels of dickens far more exciting than Thackeray’s.

3)比较级与倍数词关系及其位置

原级结构中可插入表达倍数的词，表示为“为„.若干倍”,当与有表示倍数比较的词在一起时候等，他们的位置是，倍数词+as„as„,或倍数词+more„than„，但again一般放在原级词之后，即 “as+原级＋again+as”.如：

Smoking is so harmful to personal health that it kills people each year than automobile accidents.

[A] seven more times [B] seven times more

[C] over seven times [D] seven times

(答案为B)

“Do you regret paying five hundred dollars for the painting?”“No, I would gladly have paid for it.”

[A] twice so much [B] twice as much

[C] as much twice [D] so much twice

(答案为B)

My uncle is as old again as I am

4）下列词和短语不用比较级形式却表示比较概念：

inferior, minor, senior, prior, prefer to, superior, major, junior, preferable, differ from, compared with, in comparison with, different from, rather than. 如：

Their watch is to all the other watches on the market.

[A] superior [B] advantageous [C] super [D] beneficial

（答案为A）

Prior to his departure, he addressed a letter to his daughter. (1986年考研题)

5）“比较级＋and +比较级”或“more and more/less and less +原级”以及“ever, steadily, daily等副词＋比较级”结构表示“越来越„„”的意思，与这类结构搭配的常用动词有grow, get ,become等。前面两种情况更多地出现在进行时态中，注意的是这三种情况引导的比较级后面都不需要用than.如：

Things are getting worse and worse.

As I spoke to him he became less and less angry.

Her health was becoming daily worse

The road got ever worse until there was no road at all = the road got worse and worse.

6)比较级前面可以用even, still, yet ,all the (more)等修饰语用以加强语气，表示“更加”的意思。如

Today it is even colder than yesterday

I have yet more exciting news for you

7) 有关比较级的特殊句型：

A): not so much„as„与其说„„不如说„„

The chief reason for the population growth isn’t so much a rise in birth rates a fall in death rates as a result of improvements in medical care.

[A] and [B] as [C]but [D] or

人口增长的主要原因与其说是因为出生率的提高，还不如说是因为医疗的进步带来的死亡率下降的结果。答案为B

B) no/not any more„than„两者一样都不„„

The heart is intelligent than the stomach, for they are both controlled by the brain.

[A] not so [B]not much [C]much more [D] no more

（心脏和胃两者都不具有智力，他们都受大脑控制。答案为D）

There is no reason they should limit how much vitamin you take, they can limit how much water you drink.

[A] much more than [B] no more than

[C] no less than [D] any more than

（答案为D）

C)no/not any less„than„两者一样,都„„注意基本上与no/not any more„than意思相反

She is no less beautiful than her sister.她和她姐姐一样漂亮

D)just as„ so„ 正如„„， „„也„„（用倒装结构）

Just as the soil is a part of the earth, the atmosphere.

[A] as it is [B] the same is [C] so is [D] and so is

（答案为C）

2．最高级形式应注意的问题：

1）最高级比较范围用介词in, over, of, among。

in, (all) over用于在某一范围内的比较，如：in China, all over the world.

of, among用于在同一群体内同类事物的比较，如：among the teachers, of the four dresses.

注意：among„相当于one of „,不说among all„。这一点考生应与汉语表达区别开来 如：

all visible lights, red light has the longest and violet the shortest wavelength.

[A] Among [B] Of [C]For [D]To 答案为[B]

2)比较级形式表示最高级意义时，比较对象的范围应用：

any other +单数名词

the other +复数名词

the others

anyone/anything else

上述词是用业将比较级结构转变成最高级意义的关键词语，切不可遗漏，尤其是other，否则会造成逻辑混乱的错误。如不能说：John runs faster than anyone.注意与汉语表达的不同。

3）most可以用来修饰形容词或副词，意思相当于very，用法区分单复数，但不能用定冠词the，如：a most interesting book, most expensive restaurants， 要注意与 “the +形容词最高级＋of + 名词”的结构表示的最高级的区别，如：

He spoke in the warmest of voices

They have been most kind to me

Basketball is the most popular of sports in this country.

Chinese is the most difficult of language

Chinese is a most difficult language

不用比较级和最高级的形容词：

1）表示颜色的有：white, black

2）表示形态的有：round, square, oval, circular, triangular(三角形)，level

3)表示性质和特征的有：atomic, economic, scientific, sonic, golden, silvery, woolen, earthen, silent, full, empty, sure, dead, deaf, blind, lame, rainy

4)表示状态作表语的有：afraid, asleep, alive, ashamed, alone, aware, alike

5)表示时间、空间和方位的有：daily, weekly, monthly, annual, present, front, back, forward, backward, east, west, south, north, left, right, final

6)表示极限、主次、等级的有：maximum, minimum, utmost, main, major, chief minor, superior, inferior, senior, junior, super, favorite

7)含有绝对概念的有：absolute, entire, whole, total, perfect, excellent, thorough, complete.

平行结构与比较级

平行结构很多情况下是由形容词或副词的比较级或者暗含比较意味的连词引导的。如： The ideal listener stays both inside and outside the music at the moment it is played and enjoys it almost as much as the composer at the moment he composes. 大多数情况下平行结构都是具有一定的比较含义的，有的是递进对比not only„but (also) ;prefer„to„;rather than有的是同类对比：and ;but；or；both„ and„；either„or„; neither„nor„..

平行结构测试时候注意以下几点：

1．注意比较结构中相比较的内容在语法形式上是否相同。如：

It is better to die one’s feet than .

[A]living on one’s knees [B]live on one’s knees

[C]on one’s knees [D]to live on one’s knees

(答案为D)

Despite the temporary difficulties, the manager prefers increasing the output to decreasing it.

2．其他具有并列或比较意义的短语也可引导平行结构。

1）rather than, let alone 虽不是并列连词，但在结构上连接两个语法形式相同的成分。如：

We are taught that a business letter should be written in a formal style in a personal style.

[A]rather than [B]other than [C]better than [D]less than

答案为A

For the new country to survive, for its people to enjoy prosperity, new economic policies will be required.

[A] to name a few [B]let alone [C]not to speak [D]let’s say （答案为B）

2）如果平行的两个成分在形式上是介词短语，而且介词相同，一般说来第二个介词不要省略。如：

At times, more care goes into the composition of newspaper and magazine advertisements than into the writing of the features and editorials.