Thread: The comparative degree of Adjectives

What is the right way to build the comparative form for such adjectives:
well-off - better-off or more well-off?
Good-looking - better-looking or more gool-looking?
Is it correct to build the comparative degree for the adjectives like yellow, direct?
I think it's illogical. Although I met such examples in some textbooks: yellow-yellower
I'd better say a brighter yellow. So, what option is regular?

That looks like a question about English - it's in the wrong folder here.

What is the right way to build the comparative form for such adjectives:
well-off - better-off or more well-off?
Good-looking - better-looking or more gool-looking?

I'd prefer better off and better looking.

Is it correct to build the comparative degree for the adjectives like yellow, directly?
I think it's illogical. Although I met such examples in some textbooks: yellow-yellower
I'd rather say a brighter yellow. So, what option is regular?

When something is more yellow it is not necessarily brighter. The underlying convention is that the comparative tends to be formed with 'more' instead of appending '-er' when the number of resulting syllables when appending the suffix exceeds two. However, while 'greener' is OK, I think 'redder' will lose out and 'more red' will be preferred in comparison. And there are examples of polysyllabic adjectives still getting the -er suffix, so don't see the above as a hard and fast rule.

Robin

The classic Russian example of comparative adjective: «Ленин и сейчас живее всех живых» («Lenin is still aliver than every living person»). It sounds funny because adjectives like живой, мёртвый, беременный should not have comparative degrees. But in Soviet time we were told that there are 2 types of death which can be independent of each other: physical and social (social death is when the person no longer influence on the society, when memories about the person are lost). So, in this context «Lenin is alive» means that «Lenin's communistic ideology is still working and rule the modern world». The initial phrase should be interpreted as «Lenin is dead, but he still influence on the society more than any other living person».

Sorry for posting my text in a wrong place. I missed this fact somehow
Кстати, русский мой родной язык, поэтому выражение про Ленина мне понятно и без перевода Меня интересовали именно сравнительные формы приведенных мной прилагательный. Но все равно спасибо за ответы и примеры!
Thank you for your answers and examples!

Originally Posted by Agnetha

Меня интересовали именно сравнительные формы приведенных мной прилагательных.

Zaya, спасибо, это просто опечатка

Не за что. ) Я понимаю, что опечатка, просто не хочется, чтобы изучающие русский подумали, что так и надо писать. )) Мы тут иногда именно в этих целях друг друга поправляем.

Originally Posted by Agnetha

What is the right way to build the comparative form for such adjectives:
well-off - better-off or more well-off?
Good-looking - better-looking or more gool-looking?
Is it correct to build the comparative degree for the adjectives like yellow, direct?
I think it's illogical. Although I met such examples in some textbooks: yellow-yellower
I'd better say a brighter yellow. So, what option is regular?

Context wouldn't hurt.
More well-off sounds odd, clumsy. If someone is well-off it means he is rich, but if someone has more money you would say he is richer, not more well-off.
E.g.: My uncle is well-off but my aunt is even richer.
As far as yellow goes, the first thing that came to mind was deeper yellow. Yellower sounds very odd and I would never use it, but I'm sure the google lovers here will find some way to justify its usage.

Кстати, твой аватар прелестный.

Originally Posted by sperk

Кстати, твой аватар прелестный.

Не, мы не так говорим. :P
Мы говорим "У тебя прелестный аватар".

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by sperk

Кстати, твой аватар прелестный.

Не, мы не так говорим. :P

Но мы можем сказать:
Кстати, твой аватар прелестен.

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Но мы можем сказать:
Кстати, твой аватар прелестен.

This sounds too way bookish to me.

Originally Posted by Оля

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Но мы можем сказать:
Кстати, твой аватар прелестен.

This sounds too way bookish to me.

...way too...

No matter how you say it, anyway it's very pleasant to read such kind words!
Thank you for the explanations you wrote upper. It was very important for me to know your opinion about this case. Otherwise we could argue about it with my teacher forever

Originally Posted by Agnetha

No matter how you say it, anyway it's very pleasant to read such kind words!
Thank you for the explanations you wrote upper. It was very important for me to know your opinion about this case. Otherwise we could argue about it with my teacher forever

...you wrote above.

"Better looking" is fine, but we often add the word "even".
ex: Sarah is hot, but Francine is even better looking.

Yellow should be referred to as "brighter yellow" or "darker yellow", yellower does sound bad, you are right.

Well-off usually means "rich"

better-off is probably what you want to use, It would help to have a bit more context though. "Susan was better-off without him" would be a way to use that word. Good, better, best are some other options you might want to try.

More well-off is not used.

good looking and better looking can both be used. "She was good looking." "Susan was better looking than Katie." "Susan was the best looking girl in the room".