Quantifiers: Definisi, Jenis-jenis, dan Contoh

Kalimatnya
Raffi: I have lots of jobs.
Rafathar: Of course, and I’m sure that you love your jobs a lot.
Wah, kira-kira kenapa Raffi pakai lots of ya? Kenapa nggak pakai much? Lalu, apa
perbedaan lots of dan a lot? Daripada bingung, mending belajar macam-
macam quantifiers, yuk!

--

Guys, meskipun sudah belajar bahasa Inggris sejak di bangku sekolah dasar, sepertinya tak
sedikit di antara kita yang masih keliru dalam penggunaan quantifiers. Pasalnya, dalam bahasa
Inggris, kamu bisa menyatakan jumlah suatu benda dengan kosakata yang sangat beragam.

Quantifiers adalah bagian dari determiner. Nah, si determiner sendiri termasuk ke dalam
materi parts of speech, yaitu grammar yang ‘wajib’ kamu pelajari dalam bahasa Inggris.

Nah, karena jumlah quantifiers yang cukup banyak, tak heran jika kamu atau temanmu masih
tertukar dalam penggunaan beberapa kata atau frasa yang cukup mirip,
seperti much dan many, some dan any, dan masih banyak lagi.

Tapi tenang, di artikel ini kita akan membahas apa itu quantifiers, jenis-jenis, serta contoh
kalimatnya dengan lengkap. Konsentrasi ya!

Apa Itu Quantifiers?

Quantifiers adalah kata atau frasa yang digunakan untuk menunjukkan jumlah atau
kuantitas dari suatu kata benda (noun). Seperti semua determiners, quantifiers letaknya
akan selalu sebelum noun atau noun phrase.

Apa Fungsi Quantifiers?

Dalam kalimat bahasa Inggris, quantifiers berfungsi untuk menjawab pertanyaan “Berapa
banyak?” atau “Berapa?” mulai dari skala tidak ada (0%) sampai semuanya (100%).

Contoh, kalau ‘tidak ada’ berarti bisa kita ungkapkan dengan ‘no’, sedangkan jika ‘semuanya’,
maka bisa dinyatakan dengan ‘all’.
Jenis-jenis Quantifiers Berdasarkan Bentuk Noun

Berdasarkan bentuk noun, quantifiers terbagi menjadi tiga jenis, yaitu countable
quantifiers, uncountable quantifiers, dan mix (countable & uncountable quantifiers).

1. Countable Quantifiers (Dapat dihitung)

Kalau kamu masih ingat, kita sudah pernah membahas tentang noun pada artikel Noun (Kata
Benda): Pengertian, Jenis-Jenis, Contoh, dan Penggunaannya dengan sangat detail, guys.

Jadi, countable quantifiers adalah kata pembilang untuk menyatakan kuantitas atau
jumlah dari kata benda (noun) yang dapat dihitung. Countable noun contohnya seperti chair,
table, apple, glasses, dan lain-lain. Supaya lebih mudah untuk mengingatnya, kita akan
membagi quantifiers ini ke dalam dua kategori, yaitu:

a. Quantifier of Large Quantity

Ini adalah kata yang digunakan untuk jumlah yang cukup besar. Berikut ini quantifiers-nya:

 Each: Setiap
Contoh kalimat: Each child was given a prize.
(Setiap anak diberikan hadiah.)
  Every: Setiap
Contoh kalimat: There was a contest in every street.
(Ada perlombaan di setiap jalan.)
 Both: Keduanya
Contoh kalimat: Both the supermarket were closed.
(Kedua supermarket tutup.)
 A couple of: Sepasang
Contoh kalimat: Let's wait for other friends in a couple of minutes.
(Mari kita tunggu teman-teman lain dalam beberapa menit.)
 A large number of: Sejumlah besar
Contoh kalimat: My mom bought a large number of flower vases for her favorite flowers at
home.
(Ibuku membeli sejumlah besar vas bunga untuk bunga-bunga kesayangannya di rumah.)
 Many: Banyak
Contoh kalimat: I have many cute puppies.
(Aku memiliki banyak anak anjing lucu.)
 A great number of: Sejumlah besar
Contoh kalimat: Azka has sold a great number of his comic collection.
(Azka telah menjual banyak koleksi komik yang dia miliki.)
 A number of: Sejumlah
Contoh kalimat: I found a number of dolphins while swimming on the beach in Lombok.
(Aku menemukan sejumlah lumba-lumba saat berenang di pantai di Lombok.)
 A majority of: Sebagian besar
Contoh kalimat: A majority of the students at Pelita Hati University are male.
(Mayoritas mahasiswa di Universitas Pelita Hati adalah laki-laki.)

b. Quantifier of Small Quantity

Seperti namanya yaitu ‘small’, quantifiers ini digunakan untuk mengekspresikan

kuantitas noun dalam skala kecil. Simak cakupannya di bawah ini!

 A: Sebuah/Seekor/Suatu
Kata ‘A’ berlaku untuk mengungkapkan noun dengan awalan huruf konsonan.
Contoh kalimat: My teacher has a smart student.
(Guruku memiliki murid yang pintar.)
 An: Sebuah/Seekor/Suatu
Hati-hati terbalik! Kata ‘An’ hanya berfungsi saat kamu ingin membicarakan kata benda
berawal huruf vokal bahasa Inggris (A-E-I-O-U) dan kata benda yang penulisan huruf
awalnya konsonan, tetapi diucapkan dalam bunyi vowel seperti hour yang dibaca ‘our
(tanpa huruf H).
Contoh kalimat: Alfi bought an orange yesterday.
(Alfi membeli sebuah jeruk kemarin.)
  One: Satu
Kwetiau is one of Lisa’s favorite foods.
(Kwetiau adalah salah satu makanan favorit Lisa.)
 Several: Beberapa

Apa bedanya several dengan some dan many? Several artinya banyak, tetapi digunakan
untuk noun dengan jumlah yang tak pasti.

Several lebih besar dari ‘some’, tetapi ia lebih kecil dari ‘many’. Several hanya berlaku
untuk countable nouns, sedangkan some digunakan pada countable dan juga uncountable
nouns. Selain itu, several cenderung lebih banyak dari ‘a few’, tetapi perbedaannya tidak terlalu
besar.

Contoh kalimat: Rahma used several kinds of flowers at her wedding.

(Rahma menggunakan beberapa macam bunga di pernikahannya.)

 A few: Beberapa
Few: Sedikit
Very few: Sangat sedikit

Bedanya A few, Few, dan Very Few

A few jumlahnya lebih banyak dari few, dan ia dapat memberikan kesan yang positif.Sementara
itu, few dan very few umumnya berlaku untuk mengindikasikan sesuatu yang negatif atau
‘almost none’, alias ‘hampir tidak ada sama sekali’. Lihat contoh kalimatnya:

 I have got a few customers in a day.

(Saya mendapat beberapa pelanggan dalam sehari.)

 The painter draws with only a few pencils.

(Pelukis menggambar hanya dengan beberapa pensil.)

 I have very few friends at this age.

(Aku memiliki sangat sedikit teman di usia sekarang.)

2. Uncountable Quantifiers (Tidak dapat dihitung)

Yap, kalau uncountable quantifiers adalah kata atau frasa yang berlaku saat kita ingin
menunjukkan jumlah dari noun yang tak dapat dihitung. Contoh uncountable
noun adalah milk, water, sand, grass, rice, dan masih banyak lagi. Ini dia contoh-
contoh quantifiers yang bisa kamu pakai:
a. Quantifier of Large Quantity

 Much: Banyak
Contoh kalimat: How much grass did you get today?
(Berapa banyak rumput yang kamu dapat hari ini?)
 A great deal of: Banyak sekali
Contoh kalimat: I brought a great deal of sand from Ancol beach.
(Aku membawa banyak sekali pasir dari pantai Ancol.)
 A large amount of: Sebagian besar dari
Contoh kalimat: She extorted a large amount of money from her boyfriend.
(Dia memeras sejumlah uang besar dari kekasihnya.)
 A large quantity of: Sejumlah besar
Contoh kalimat: My father makes a large quantity of porridge to serve at the food festival.
(Ayahku membuat sejumlah besar bubur untuk dihidangkan di festival makanan.)

b. Quantifier of Small Quantity

 A bit of: Sedikit

Contoh kalimat: Could I have a bit of butter, please?
(Bisakah saya minta sedikit mentega?)
 A little: Sedikit
Contoh kalimat: Would you like a little wine?
(Apakah kamu mau sedikit wine?)
 Little: Sedikit
Contoh kalimat: There is only little oil in the kitchen.
(Hanya ada sedikit minyak di dapur.)
 Very little: Sangat sedikit
Contoh kalimat: Your bedroom has very little ventilations.
(Kamarmu memiliki ventilasi yang sangat sedikit.)

Bedanya A little, Little, dan Very Little

Ingat baik-baik ya, kalau little dan very little artinya sangat sedikit, noun-nya ada tetapi
jumlahnya tidak cukup, sedangkan little artinya sedikit, tapi jumlahnya masih memadai.

3. Countable Quantifiers (Dapat dihitung) & Uncountable Quantifiers (Tidak dapat

dihitung)

Nah, kalau ini bisa kita sebut juga sebagai mix noun. Jadi ada beberapa quantifiers yang bisa
kamu gunakan untuk countable atau uncountable noun seperti berikut ini:
  A lot of: Banyak
 Lots of: Banyak
 A lot: Banyak

Apa Perbedaan A Lot Of, Lots of, dan A Lot?

Nah, selain perbedaan much dan many, sepertinya tak sedikit orang yang bingung apa
perbedaan keduanya dengan a lot of, lots of, dan a lot.

Jadi, a lot of dan lots of adalah quantifier yang bisa digunakan baik untuk countable
noun (kata benda dapat dihitung) atau pun uncountable noun (kata benda yang tidak bisa
dihitung). Tidak ada perbedaan antara a lot of dan lots of, hanya saja a lots of sifatnya lebih
informal (santai).

Contoh kalimat menggunakan a lot of dan a lots of:

 Ms. Syifa has a lot of schedules.

(Ibu Syifa memiliki banyak agenda/jadwal.)
 My teacher brings a lot of textbooks to the class.
(Guru saya membawa banyak buku pelajaran ke dalam kelas.)
 I invite you to attend my party tomorrow at 08.00 p.m. There is lots of happiness that I
have prepared for you.
(Aku mengundangmu untuk hadir di pestaku besok jam 8 malam, ada banyak
kesenangan yang sudah aku siapkan untukmu.)
 My sister is stingy, even though she has lots of money.
(Kakak aku pelit, padahal dia mempunyai banyak uang.)

Lalu, apa itu a lot? Nah, a lot diartikan sebagai “sangat” atau “sekali”. Frasa a lot bisa juga
menggantikan kata “much” atau “very much” untuk kalimat positif. Misalnya seperti ini:

 My mother loves me a lot.

(Ibuku sangat mencintaiku.)
 Luna, my cat, likes boiled chicken a lot.
(Luna, kucingku, menyukai sekali ayam rebus.)

Selain a lot, lost of, dan a lot, quantifiers lain yang berlaku untuk countable dan uncountable
noun adalah:

 Any: Setiap
 Some: Beberapa

Bedanya Some dan Any

Some tidak digunakan dalam teks atau kalimat negatif dan kalimat tanya. Some lebih
umum dipakai untuk kalimat yang positif (affirmative), offering something (menawarkan
sesuatu), dan asking for request (melakukan permintaan).

Asking for request dapat kita kenal juga sebagai kalimat tanya dengan konotasi positif
(maksudnya dengan asumsi jawaban "iya/bisa" atau jawaban positif lainnya.)

Jadi, kalau kamu ingin mengatakan sesuatu baik itu countable atau uncountable
noun dengan bentuk pertanyaan dan kalimat negatif, maka gunakanlah ‘any’.

Contoh kalimat menggunakan some dan any:

 I will give you some water.

(Aku akan memberimu air.)

 Would you like some juice?

(Apakah kamu mau jus?)

 I don’t have any comments.

(Saya tidak punya komentar.)

 Any other questions?

(Ada pertanyaan lain?)

Lanjut ke quantifiers lainnya!

 Most: Paling
Contoh kalimat: Most children start school at the age of six.
(Kebanyakan anak mulai sekolah pada umur enam tahun.)
 More: Lagi
Contoh kalimat: I only got one cake, I want more.
(Aku hanya mendapat satu kue, aku ingin lagi.)
 All: Semua
Contoh kalimat: All the doll machines in this mall are very well maintained.
(Semua mesin boneka di mall ini terawat dengan sangat baik.)
 Plenty of: Banyak
Contoh kalimat: Many of Joe's Bakery employees were tired.
(Banyak karyawan Joe's Bakery yang kelelahan.)
 Enough: Cukup
Contoh kalimat: I never have enough money for traveling.
(Aku tidak pernah memiliki cukup uang untuk jalan-jalan.)
 No/none: Tidak/tidak ada
Contoh kalimat: There is no food menu at this cafe.
(Tidak ada menu makanan di kafe ini.)
  Less/least: Kurang/Paling Sedikit
Contoh kalimat: Even though we got a small salary, at least we still have a job.
(Walaupun gaji kita kecil, setidaknya kita masih punya pekerjaan.)

Tipe-Tipe Conditonal Sentence

Conditional sentence dibagi menjadi beberapa tipe. Di antaranya adalah:

Conditional sentence type 0

Tipe ini biasanya disebut sebagai zero conditional sentences.

Tipe kalimat ini digunakan ketika hasil atau konsekuensi dari kondisi terwujud
alias memaparkan sebuah kebeneran (general truth) dan fakta ilmiah.

Kalimat ini biasanya berbentuk present tense dengan rumus: if + simple

present, simple present. Contoh kalimat (berdasarkan contoh
dari grammarly.com):

 If we burn paper, it becomes ash.

 I feel sick if I eat too much.
 If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.
 When people smoke cigarettes, their health suffers.

Conditional sentence type 1

First conditional sentence merupakan bentuk kalimat pengandaian yang

digunakan ketika hasil atau konsekuensi memiliki kemungkinan untuk terjadi di
masa depan.

Hal ini bisa terjadi karena masih ada kondisi realistik yang masuk akal untuk
kemungkinan terjadi.

Maka dari itu, bentuk kalimat dari conditional sentence tipe pertama ini memiliki
bentuk kalimat simple future alias kalimat yang akan datang.

Rumus dari kalimat ini adalah: if + simple present, simple future “will”
/ imperative dan contohnya adalah:

 If I meet him, I will introduce myself.

 I will cook dinner tonight if you clean the house.
 If you rest, you will feel better.
 If you set your mind to a goal, you will eventually achieve it.
  If it rains, I will stay at home.
 If he gives her chocolate, she will be happy.
 If it doesn’t rain, we will go to the library.

Conditional sentence type 2

Second conditional sentences merupakan tipe kalimat pengandaian yang

digunakan ketika hasil atau konsekuensi hanya memiliki harapan terwujud
walaupun kemungkinannya sangat kecil.

Jadi bisa dikatakan kalau kalimat pengandaian tipe kedua ini belum tentu
terjadi namun juga bisa menjadi kenyataan.

Dalam bentuk kalimat ini, rumus yang digunakan adalah if + simple past/were,
would/could/might + bare infinitive.

Penggunaan would/could/might berfungsi untuk menjelaskan seberapa besar

sebuah kondisi itu akan terjadi. Contohnya:

 If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

 If I owned a zoo, I might let people interact with the animals more.
 If I were you, I would continue my study.
 If I had time, I would go with you.
 If she met her mother, she would be very happy.
 If it rained tomorrow, I would sleep all day.
 If I were you, I’d tell him the truth.

Conditional sentence type 3

Third conditional sentence merupakan sebuah kalimat pengandaian ketika

sebuah kondisi tidak mungkin terwujud sama sekali.

Hal ini bisa digambarkan karena kondisi yang sangat mustahil atau hanya
sebuah mimpi atau imajinasi.

Dalam tipe kalimat pengandaian yang ketiga ini, bentuk kalimat menggunaka
past perfect yang dilengkapi dengan modal auxiliary seperti would, could, dan
should.

Rumus yang digunakan adalah if + past perfect, would/should/could/might +

have + past participle. Contoh kalimat:

 If you had remembered to invite me, I would have attended your party.
 We might have gone to South America if she had not been pregnant.
 If you had told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier.
 If I had cleaned the house, I could have gone to the movies.
 If she hadn’t taken the course, she wouldn’t have gotten the scholarship.
 If I had locked the car, the thief wouldn’t have stolen my car.
Had I locked the car, the thief wouldn’t have stolen my car.
Nah, itu dia penjelasan singkat mengenai conditional sentence alias kalimat
pengandaian yang bisa digunakan dalam percakapan sehari-hari.

When to use “-er,” “-or,” or “-ar” at the end of a word

The suffixes “-er,” “-or,” and “-ar” are all used to create nouns of agency (indicating “a person or thing that performs
an action”) from verbs. Of the three, “-er” is by far the most common, while “-or” is much more common than “-ar.”
Because they perform the same function and are pronounced in the same way (/ər/), it can be difficult to decide
which suffix is the correct one to use.
When a verb is changed into a noun of agency using a suffix, it will almost always be “-er.” However, there are a
few particular conventions we can follow to determine when we should use “-or” instead. (We use the “-ar” suffix
much more rarely, so we will discuss it separately toward the end of the section.)

Rule 1: Use “-er” with verbs ending in a single consonant

When a verb ends in a single consonant, it will almost always take the suffix “-er.” Note that if the consonant is
preceded by a single vowel, the consonant will generally double before the suffix (though this is not always the
case; go to the section Doubling Consonants with Vowel Suffixes to learn more).
For example:
  bat→batter
 barter→barterer
 canvas→canvasser
 cater→caterer
 cheat→cheater
 eat→eater
 embroider→embroiderer
 feel→feeler
 fib→fibber
 format→formatter
 grab→grabber
 loiter→loiterer
 loot→looter
 propel→propeller
 rap→rapper
 read→reader
 scrub→scrubber
 sit→sitter
 shred→shredder
 travel→traveler
 yak→yakker

There are several exceptions to this rule, though:

 conquer→conqueror
 council→councilor
 counsel→counselor
 offer→offeror
 sail→sailor

Rule 1.5: Use “-or” with multi-syllable verbs ending in “-it”

While single-syllable verbs that end in “-it” will usually take the suffix “-er” and have the final T doubled (as in hitter,
knitter, quitter, sitter, etc.), verbs with two or more syllables ending in “-it” are much more likely to take the suffix “-
or.” For example:

 audit→auditor
 credit→creditor
 edit→editor
 exhibit→exhibitor
 inherit→inheritor
 inhibit→inhibitor
 solicit→solicitor
 visit→visitor

While this convention is fairly reliable, there are some exceptions:

 delimit→delimiter
 profit→profiter
 recruit→recruiter

Also note that this convention does not apply when a silent E follows the final T.

Rule 2: Use “-er” with verbs ending in a silent E

Most verbs that end in a consonant + silent E will take the “-er” suffix (which replaces the final E of the root word).
For instance:

 advertise→advertiser
 bake→baker
 bathe→bather
 change→changer
 code→coder
  divide→divider
 frame→framer
 give→giver
 grate→grater
 hate→hater
 love→lover
 make→maker
 organize→organizer
 page→pager
 ride→rider
 slide→slider
 time→timer
 write→writer

This is a reliable convention to follow, but there are some exceptions, most often when a word ends in “-ise”:

 incise→incisor
 previse→previsor
 promise→promisor (variant of promiser, used especially in legal writing)
 supervise→supervisor
 survive→survivor

However, the most consistent exception is for verbs with more than one syllable that end in “-ate.”

Rule 2.5: Use “-or” with multi-syllable verbs ending in “-ate”

When a word has more than one syllable and ends in “-ate,” it will almost always take the “-or” suffix. Once again,
the suffix replaces the silent E at the end. For example:

 accelerate→accelerator
 administrate→administrator
 animate→animator
 calculate→calculator
 coordinate→coordinator
 educate→educator
 elevate→elevator
 generate→generator
 instigate→instigator
 liberate→liberator
 motivate→motivator
 narrate→narrator
 perpetrate→perpetrator
 refrigerate→refrigerator
 spectate→spectator
 terminate→terminator
 ventilate→ventilator

Remember, single-syllable verbs ending in “-ate” will take the “-er” suffix, as in grater, hater, skater, etc.

Rule 3: Use “-er” with verbs ending in consonant clusters

So far we’ve mostly looked at examples of verbs that end in a single consonant and a silent E, with a few different
instances in which “-or” is (or might) be used instead of “-er.”
However, when a verb ends in a consonant cluster (two or more consonants that quickly blend together in the
same syllable), it is much more likely to take the “-er” suffix.
For example:

 adapt→adapter*
 bend→bender
 boost→booster
 build→builder
 busk→busker
 contend→contender
  defend→defender
 dust→duster
 forest→forester
 golf→golfer
 grind→grinder
 help→helper
 jump→jumper
 lend→lender
 mend→mender
 protest→protester
 respond→responder
 shoplift→shoplifter
 tempt→tempter
 weld→welder

However, there are a few common exceptions to this convention:

 invent→inventor
 invest→investor
 sculpt→sculptor
 torment→tormentor
 vend→vendor

(*Adapter can also be spelled adaptor, but this is a bit less common.)
Uniquely, we more commonly use “-or” when a word ends in the cluster CT.

Rule 3.5: Use “-or” with verbs ending in CT

While verbs ending in other consonant clusters will take the “-er” suffix, a verb that ends in CT will almost always be
made into a noun with the suffix “-or,” as in:

 abduct→abductor
 act→actor
 conduct→conductor
 contract→contractor
 correct→corrector
 direct→director
 eject→ejector
 instruct→instructor
 object→objector
 project→projector
 react→reactor
 reflect→reflector
 select→selector

Rule 4: Use “-er” with verbs ending in consonant digraphs

Like we do with verbs ending in consonant clusters (other than CT), we use the “-er” suffix with verbs ending in
consonant digraphs, pairs of consonants that form a single unique consonant sound. This is also true of words
ending in the consonant trigraph TCH.
For example:

 catch→catcher
 choreograph→choreographer
 cough→cougher
 etch→etcher
 laugh→laugher
 march→marcher
 publish→publisher
 sing→singer
 teach→teacher
 wash→washer
 watch→watcher
This is also true when a verb ends in a double consonant (except SS, as we’ll see later). For example:

 bluff→bluffer
 buzz→buzzer
 call→caller
 distill→distiller
 mill→miller
 roll→roller
 spell→speller
 staff→staffer

Rule 4.5: There’s no pattern for verbs ending in SS

While verbs ending in FF, LL, or ZZ will always take the suffix “-er,” there is much less certainty for words ending
in SS—there is no clear pattern, so we just have to memorize which suffix a particular word will take.
-er -or
address→addresser assess→assessor
canvass→canvasser compress→compressor
dress→dresser confess→confessor
express→expresser depress→depressor
guess→guesser possess→possessor
hiss→hisser process→processor
kiss→kisser profess→professor
pass→passer suppress→suppressor
trespass→trespasser transgress→transgressor

Using the suffix “-ar”

While “-er” is the most common suffix to form nouns of agency from verbs, the suffix “-or” performs the same
function in certain instances. However, there is a third suffix that can be used to form these types of nouns, and it is
pronounced the same way as the other two: “-ar.”

Nouns of agency ending in “-ar”

Nouns of agency ending in the “-ar” suffix are much less common than “-er” or “-or,” and there is no real convention
to dictate when “-ar” is the appropriate ending.
There are only two nouns that can be directly derived from verbs using “-ar”:

 beg→beggar
 lie→liar

There is a third verb that is connected to a noun of agency: burgle→burglar. In this case, however, burglar is the
original word (derived from Anglo-Latin) with the verb burgle derived from it, a process known as a “back-
formation.”
Finally, there are a few other nouns of agency that end in “-ar,” but they are not derived from or directly connected
to a verb, so “-ar” is not functioning as a suffix:

 bursar
 registrar
 scholar
 vicar

Other nouns ending in “-ar”

In addition to ending some nouns of agency, “-ar” appears at the ends of several other common nouns. However, it
is not functioning as a suffix in these cases, as it does not change a different part of speech into a noun. For
instance:

 altar
 avatar
 calendar
 cheddar
 dollar
  grammar
 guitar
 hangar (meaning “a large building or shelter, usually to house aircraft”; not related to the verb hang)
 mortar
 nectar
 pillar
 radar
 vinegar

Using “-ar” to form adjectives

While the suffix “-ar” is used to form a few nouns, it is much more commonly used to create adjectives, either on its
own or as part of the larger suffix “-ular.” (Both “-ar” and “-ular” are used to mean “like; resembling or relating to; of
or belonging to.”)
For example:

 angle→angular
 cell→cellular
 circle→circular
 grain→granular
 line→linear
 muscle→muscular
 nucleus→nuclear
 pole→polar
 populace→popular
 title→titular
 vehicle→vehicular

Forming Comparative Adjectives and Comparative Adverbs

While many adjectives can be formed with the suffix “-ar,” it’s important to note that the suffix “-er” is
the only ending that can be used to create comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs—adjectives and
adverbs used to compare traits between two people or things. For example:

 bright→brighter
 dim→dimmer
 fast→faster
 full→fuller
 happy→happier
 long→longer
 red→redder
 slow→slower
 tall→taller
 witty→wittier

Forming other comparatives

Note that not all adjectives can become comparative by adding “-er.” Only those that have one syllable or those
with two syllables ending in “-y” can do so. For longer adjectives, we simply add the words more or less before
them, as in:

 admirable→more/less admirable
 careful→more/less careful
 intelligent→more/less intelligent
 loyal→more/less loyal
 respectful→more/less respectful
 vivid→more/less vivid

Adverbs also have this restriction, though it is only single-syllable adverbs that can take the “-er” suffix; adverbs
ending in “-y” are almost always formed by adding “-ly” to adjectives, and they take the words more/less to become
comparative. For example:
  admirably→more/less admirably
 carefully→more/less carefully
 intelligently→more/less intelligently
 loyally→more/less loyally
 respectfully→more/less respectfully
 vividly→more/less vividly

Other adjectives are simply irregular, and have a specific comparative form that does not follow the convention
above; here are some of the most common examples:
Adjectives Adverbs
bad→worse badly→worse
fun→more/less fun early→earlier*
far→farther (literal distance) or further (figurative far→farther (literal distance) or further (figurative
distance) distance)
good→better little→less (when describing an amount)
little→less (when describing an amount) well→better
(*Early is both an adjective and an adverb, and it has the same comparative form in both uses: earlier. This is
irregular only as an adverb because it goes against the convention of adding more/less to adverbs ending in “-ly.”)
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