little - comparative

[Lenka]

What is the comparative of the adjective "little"?

 

[MikeNewYork]

What is the comparative of the adjective "little"?

This word has two, "littler and less".

In my experience, "smaller" is far more common for size than "littler".
We use "less" for the comparative of "little" when we talk about amounts.

John slept very little this week. Next week he will sleep even less.

 

[Humble]

(I always seem to tailgate you, Mike )
Hi, Lenka,
If you are asking abt the adjective it sure is smaller, as Mike said or younger.
This boy is little. That boy is smaller/younger.
This is a little table. That is a smaller table.
Rgs

 

[saleemabu]

Good morning,

In responce to the comparative " little"
You can think of the following:

1- The milk is little in this bottle.
2- That one has less milk as I think.
3- The one in the fridge has the leastas I know.
I think the answer is between lines with kind compliments.

saleemabu

 

[Philly]

In response to the comparative " little"
You can think of the following:
1- The milk is little in this bottle. There is little milk in this bottle. (There isn't much milk in this bottle.)
2- That one has less milk as I think. I think that one has less milk.
3- The one in the fridge has the least as I know. I know the one in the fridge has the least.

Hi saleemabu
I thought it might be a good idea to improve your post a little. ;-)
.
Your sentences compare the amount of milk in 3 bottles. It would also be possible to compare the size of bottles. In that case, you do not use less and least.
.
- The blue bottle is little (small).
- The green bottle is littler (smaller) than the blue bottle.
- The red bottle is the littlest (smallest) of all.
.
As Mike and Humble have mentioned, it would be more typical to use smaller and smallest in the three sentences above.
(If you already understood all of this, please forgive my redundant post.)

 

[Lenka]

Thank you all for your responses... I didn't know some of the things or I wasn't aware of them.

Anyway, I'd like to use the comparatice of little in this sentence:
When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
When I was littler (e.g. 4 ), I used to watch it all day long. (can I say it like this?)


Of course, I am not such a television maniac (I've just thought the sentences out), but let's say they are real.
I was told that when speaking aout my age - when I was little... - we shouldn't use "small" as it describes rather size of sth., while little describes the low age.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thank you all for your responses... I didn't know some of the things or I wasn't aware of them.

Anyway, I'd like to use the comparatice of little in this sentence:
When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
When I was littler (e.g. 4 ), I used to watch it all day long. (can I say it like this?)


Of course, I am not such a television maniac (I've just thought the sentences out), but let's say they are real.
I was told that when speaking aout my age - when I was little... - we shouldn't use "small" as it describes rather size of sth., while little describes the low age.

Your sentences are grammatical and your use of "littler" is also correct.
All I was telling you is that "littler" and "littlest" are not used as commonly as smaller/smallest or "younger/youngest. I don't know why that is.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Good morning,

In responce to the comparative " little"
You can think of the following:

1- The milk is little in this bottle.
2- That one has less milk as I think.
3- The one in the fridge has the leastas I know.
I think the answer is between lines with kind compliments.

saleemabu

Let me make some corrections.

1. There is little milk in this bottle. or This bottle contains little milk.
2. That bottle has less milk in it. or That bottle contains less milk.
3. The one in the fridge has the least milk in it or contains the least milk.

 

[Lenka]

Your sentences are grammatical and your use of "littler" is also correct.
All I was telling you is that "littler" and "littlest" are not used as commonly as smaller/smallest or "younger/youngest. I don't know why that is.

Thanks, Mike....

As to the sentence you wrote, "Your sentences are grammatical and your use of "littler" is also correct.", why don't you say "grammatically correct"? How can a sentence be grammatical? If a sentence is grammatical, does it mean that it is correct as far as the sentence's grammar is concerned?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thanks, Mike....

As to the sentence you wrote, "Your sentences are grammatical and your use of "littler" is also correct.", why don't you say "grammatically correct"? How can a sentence be grammatical? If a sentence is grammatical, does it mean that it is correct as far as the sentence's grammar is concerned?

Yes, that's what it means. IMO, "littler" is an issue of vocabulary, not grammar.

 

[BobK]

...
When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
When I was littler (e.g. 4 ), I used to watch it all day long. (can I say it like this?)
...

Excuse my butting in, but in BE few people would say "littler". In this instance I'd say

When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
When I was smaller/younger (e.g. 4 ), I used to watch it all day long.

You could also avoid the issue altogether:

When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
Years before, I used to watch it all day long.

b

 

[Lenka]

Excuse my butting in, but in BE few people would say "littler". In this instance I'd say

When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
When I was smaller/younger (e.g. 4 ), I used to watch it all day long.

You could also avoid the issue altogether:

When I was little (e.g. about 7 years old), I used to watch TV for about 8 hours daily.
Years before, I used to watch it all day long.

b

I just don't understand why "smaller" can be used here.

Is it correct to say "When I was small, I used to play with my dolls." ?

Small - short
young, little - of low age

Am I right?

 

[BobK]

I just don't understand why "smaller" can be used here.

Is it correct to say "When I was small, I used to play with my dolls." ?

:up:

Small - short or young
young, little - of low age

Am I right?

My daddy says I'm too small to go hunting with him.


This is perfectly OK.

b

 

[Lenka]

My daddy says I'm too small to go hunting with him.


This is perfectly OK.

b

Oh, I really didn't know it before! (I mean the fact that you can use "small" in the meaning of "young")
Thanks!!!

 

[saleemabu]

dear friends, can we use "er" " est" for coparative little to be "littler"
and littlest for the superelative .
what is the comparitive of good then?
what about bad . do we use a regular or irregular comparative as

good - better than - the best .

 

[Lenka]

What is the comparative of the adjective "modest"? Is it modester? It sounds a little odd to me...

 

[MikeNewYork]

What is the comparative of the adjective "modest"? Is it modester? It sounds a little odd to me...

Modester and modestest exist, but more modest and most modest are far more common.