Omission of the Article

Sometimes the article is not used where we naturally expect to find it in accordance with the rules. No change of meaning is observed in these cases.

The article is often omitted in newspaper headings, telegrams, in stage directions.

Gas Blast Kills Woman. (Daily Worker)

Girl Gymnast Keeps Title. (Moscow News)

The article is often omitted with homogeneous members closely connected with each other and joined by the conjunction and. In most cases they go in pairs.

The breakfast was taken away, and that meal over, it was the general custom of uncle and niece to separate. (Ch. Bronte)

Chapter III

THE ADJECTIVE

§ 1. The adjective is a word expressing a quality of a substance.

§ 2. The adjective has the following morphological characteristics:

Most adjectives have degrees of comparison: the comparative degree and the superlative degree.¹

The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of a quality.

She is taller than her sister.

My box is smaller than hers.

The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of a quality.

She is the tallest of the three sisters.

Her box is the smallest of all our boxes.

(The noun modified by an adjective in the superlative degree has the definite article because the superlative degree of the adjective always implies limitation.)

Adjectives form their degrees of comparison in the following way:

(a)by the inflexion -er, -est (synthetical way);

(b)by placing more and most before the adjective (analytical way).

Monosyllabic adjectives usually form their comparatives and super­latives in the first way, and polysyllabic adjectives in the second way.

The following polysyllabic adjectives, however, generally form their comparative and superlative degrees inflexionally:

1. Adjectives of two syllables which end in -y, -ow, -er; -le.

happy

narrow

clever

simple

happier

narrower

cleverer

simpler

(the) happiest

(the) narrowest

(the) cleverest

(the) simplest

2. Adjectives of two syllables which have the stress on the last syl­lable:

¹ Some adjectives have no degrees of comparison (see § 7).

complete completer (the) completest

concise conciser (the) concisest

Some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of comparison, e.g.: