It should be noticed, however, that if the conjunction deri-pada or deri is not used, kurang usually has the force of a direct negative as, kurang baik, not good; kurang budi, unwise; kurang tajam, blunt (lit: not sharp), etc.
91. The comparative of equality is expressed by means of the word sama, like, same. Sperti or dngan are sometimes used in conjunction with sama, as,
sama bsar dngan dia, as big as he.
sama tinggi sperti tuan, as tall as you.
92. When the superlative implies a relation to some other object, it is most commonly expressed by the addition of the adverb skali, very, to the adjective, yang being placed before the adjective and taking the place of the English word “the,” as in the case of the ordinal numbers. Thus,
ini-lah chinchin yang bsar skali,
this is the largest ring.
93. Another common way of forming the relative superlative is by placing yang terlbeh before the adjective, as,
ia-lah orang yang terlbeh kuat,
he is the strongest man.
Other methods of forming the superlative, which are used chiefly in written composition, need not by mentioned here.
94. Where no relation to another object is implied, the superlative is formed by the use of one, or even two, of the following intensives:—terlalu, terlampau, terlbeh, skali, amat, sangat, banyak. These should be placed before the adjective, except skali which always follows it.
95. When two comparatives are contrasted, the Malays use the word makin (sometimes mingkin) to form each comparative; thus, makin lama makin jahat, the longer (it continues) the worse (it gets), or, it gets worse and worse.
NOUNS. |
putri, princess. |
| budi, wisdom. | roda, wheel. |
| chabai, chili. | skolah, school. |
| chinchin, ring. | |
| gunting, scissors. | ADJECTIVES. |
| kanak-kanak, baby. | btina, female. |
| kerbau, buffalo. | burok, rotten, worn out. |
| ladang, field. | halus, fine (of long thin things). |
| putra, prince. |
