영어문법, 19. 비교구문

Chapter 19 비교구문

 

1. 비교구문이란?

: 둘 이상의 대상을 놓고 그 성질이나 수량을 비교하는 표현, 즉 우열을 따지는 표현을 비교구문이라 한다. “형용사와 부사”는 원급 / 비교급 / 최상급이 있으며, 원급은 비교의 두 대상에 우열이 없음을 표시할 때 사용하며, 비교급은 둘 중에서 하나가 더 나음을, 그리고 최상급은 셋 이상에서 하나가 가장 앞섬을 표시할 때 사용한다.

 

2. 원급 / 비교급 / 최상급의 형태

 

1)    규칙변화

l  1음절 단어, 2음절의 일부 단어 및 명사+ly형 형용사에는 –er, -est를 붙인다

old-older-oldest, fast-faster-fastest / clever-cleverer-cleverest, slow-slower-slowest / costly-costlier-costliest, lovely-lovelier-loveliest

l  기타의 단어에는 more, most를 앞에 붙인다

 

2)    불규칙변화

원급		비교급	최상급
good / well	좋은 / 잘	better	best
bad / badly	나쁜 / 나쁘게	worse	worst
many / much	많은 (수/양)	more	most
little	적은	less	least
far	(거리가) 먼	farther	farthest
	(정도가) 더한	further	furthest
old	(나이가) 많은	older	oldest
	(순서가) 높은	elder	eldest
late	(시간이) 늦은	later	latest
	(순서가) 늦은	latter	last

 

Rome is farther from London than Paris is.

For further details, write in for our free fact-sheet.

The cathedral is the oldest building in the city.

The eldest son inherited the bulk of the estate.

His later paintings are far too commercial.

I prefer the latter proposition. 

 

3. 원급을 이용한 비교 구문

 

1) 원급구문

: as 형용사/부사 as ... (... 만큼 ~한), 

not so (as) 형용사/부사as ...  (... 만큼 ~ 하지 않은)

He is as tall as his father.

You may take as many as you like.

I have never seen so great a man as he.

This city is not as large as Seoul.

 

2) 명사 원급구문

: as many/much/few/little 명사 as (~만큼 많은/적은),

such a(n) 형용사 명사 as (~만큼 ~한)

I spent as little money as you did.

I have never seen such a great man as he.

It’s not such an easy question as you think.

 

3) as ~ as any + (단수명사)  (어느 ...에도 못지 않게 ~한 ; 최상급의 의미)

He plays tennis as good as any student in our school.

He works as hard as any.

 

4) as ~ as ever + 동사 (이제까지 ...한 만큼 ~한 ; 최상급의 의미)

She is as great a playwright as ever lived.

He is as wise a man as ever lived.

 

5) as + 형용사 + as ever  (여전히 ~)

His mother is as kind as ever.

He works as hard as ever.

 

6) as ~ as possible = as ~ as one can  (가능한 한 ~하게)

Please let me know the result as soon as possible.

The boy ran as fast as he can.

 

7) as early as ~ (~ 만큼이나 일찍이)

As early as in 1980, he predicted the effect.
(1980년에 벌써 그는 그 효과를 예측했었다.)

She finished up the work as early as in May.
(5월 달에 벌써 그녀는 그 일을 끝마쳤다.)

 

8) as long as ~ (~하는 한; ~하기만 하면)

Any book will do as long as it is interesting.

You may stay here as long as you want to.

 

9) 배수/분수 + as ~ as... (...만큼 ~한)

He ate twice as much as I did.

This bridge is four times as long as that one.

The job took only half as long as I had expected.

The population of Korea is about one third as large as that of your country.

 

l  수사 + 비교급 + than ... (...보다 ―만큼 더 ~한)

This land is 25 times bigger than that.

He is two years older than Jane.

 

4. 비교급 구문

 

1) 비교급의 구문

: 비교급 + than , more/fewer/less 명사 than

 

Gold is heavier than copper (is).

He is taller than his father.

This game is more / less exciting than that one.

I can speak English more / less fluently than my brother (can speak English).

Fewer people than last year came to the party.

 

* than 이하에서 앞부분과 중복이 되는 말은 생략하는 것이 원칙

** 비교의 대상이 되는 것은 문법적으로 동등한 것이어야 함.

The climate of Korea is milder than that of Canada.

cf. The climate of Korea is milder than Canada. (X)

 

2) the 비교급 구문

: 비교급 앞에는 the를 붙이지 않는 것이 원칙이지만, 다음과 같은 경우에는「the + 비교급」의 형태로 쓰인다.

 

①    두 개 중 더 ~한」의 의미로 쓰일 때 (the 비교급 of the two)

This is the heavier of these two bags.

This computer is the better of the two.

 

②    절대비교

: the greater part of ~ (대부분의 ~), the latter part of ~ (~의 후반부), the younger generation (젊은 세대), the upper class (상류계층) 등과 같이 비교의 대상이 없이 막연히 그룹을 지어「~한 편의 것」이라는 뜻으로 쓸 때

 

His family belonged to the upper class. (그의 집안은 상류계층에 속했다.)

The latter part of his play was so boring. (그의 연극의 후반부는 아주 지루했다.)

 

③    the+비교급, the+비교급 (~하면 할수록 더 ~하다)

The more, the better.

The higher we climb, the colder it becomes.

 

④    all the+비교급+for/because of = so much the+비교급+for/because

(...하기 때문에 더욱 ~하다)

I love her all the more for her beauty.

I like him all the better because of his honesty.

 

3) 주의해야 할 비교급 구문

 

①    not more than (=at most ; 많아야)과 no more than (=only ; 단지, 겨우)

She has not more than 20 books.

She has no more than 20 books.

 

②    not less than(=at least ; 적어도)과 no less than (=as much as ; ~만큼)

You will have to wait not less than two weeks.

You will have to wait no less than two weeks.

 

③    A is not more ~ than B (A는 B 만큼 ~하지 않다)
A is not less ~ than B (A는 B 못지 않게 ~하다)
( = as 반대 원급 as)

This question is not more difficult than that one. (= as easy as)

She is not less beautiful than her sister.  (as beautiful as)

 

④    A is no more + 명사 + than  B = A is not + 명사 + any more than  B
( A가 ~이 아닌 것은 B가 ~이 아닌 것과 같다, B와 마찬가지로 A도 ~아니다)

A whale is no more a fish than a horse is.

He is not a god any more than we are.

 

⑤    not so much A as B = less A than B = more B than A  (A라기 보다는 B)

He is not so much a scholar as a businessman.

She is less beautiful than intelligent.

These shoes are more comfortable than pretty.

 

⑥    know better than to+동사원형 (~할만큼 어리석지 않다)

You should know better than to say so.

I know better than to quarrel.

 

⑦    비교급+and+비교급 (점점 더, 더욱 더)

It is getting darker and darker.

 

⑧    no longer = not ~ any longer (더 이상 ~아니다)

You are no longer a child.

= You are not a child any longer.

 

⑨    more than+수사 (~ 이상의)

More than 200 students were present at the meeting.

There are more than a hundred houses on the hill.

 

⑩    라틴계 비교급

: 비교급 형태가 –or로 끝나는 것은 than 대신 to를 사용

(superior, inferior, senior, major, minor, junior, exterior, interior, posterior, anterior)

He is three years senior to me.

 

l  prefer A to B

I prefer spring to fall

I much prefer playing in the open air (to reading indoors.)

I prefer to start early.

I prefer to read rather than to watch television.

 

5. 최상급 구문

 

1) 최상급 표현

She is the smartest girl of all the students.

Chuck is the tallest person in his family.

It is the best movie that I’ve ever watched.

 

l  형용사의 최상급 앞에는 반드시 the를 수반. 그러나 부사의 최상급 앞에는 the를 사용하지 않는다.

He runs fastest in his team.

l  Most가 대부분(의)라는 의미로 사용되는 경우에는 the를 붙이지 않음

He spends most of time reading. (대명사)

Most people know the news. (형용사)

l  소유격과 the는 함께 사용할 수 없다. 따라서 소유격이 올 경우에는 the 생략

He gave my most impressive speech.

 

2) 원급 / 비교급으로 하는 최상급 표현

 

Ted is the tallest student in his class.

= No one in his class is so tall as Ted. (부정어 ~ as/so 원급 as)

= Ted is taller than any other student in his class.

(비교급 than any other 단수명사)

= Ted is taller than all the other students in his class.

(비교급 than all the other 복수명사)

= Ted is taller than any one else in his class. (비교급 than any one else)

= No one in his class is taller than Ted. (부정어 ~ 비교급 than)

 

3) one of the 최상급 + 복수명사

The city boasts one of the most famous art galleries in the world.

 

4) at 최상급

: at most (기껏해야), at least (적어도), at best (잘해야)

 

There were three or four at most who gathered up for meeting.

At least one in ten women suffers from postnatal depression.

We can't arrive before Friday at best.

 

6. 원급 / 비교급 / 최상급의 강조 표현

 

원급 강조	quite, too, very, almost, just, nearly, …
비교급 강조	even, far, by far, much, a lot, still, a bit, a little, rather, somewhat, …
최상급 강조	much, by far, even, very

 

He is far happier than before.

She is still more beautiful than her sister.

This is the very largest factory around here.   * 강조의 very는 the 다음에 위치

The road map is by far the most useful of all.