Comparative scales
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Full comparative arity
Beginner already used two names plus zol (more … than) and one name (the …-est). The same shared-scale pattern also uses reverse rank uo (less … than / the least) and zero names.
| Ageben | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
Multi (2+) + shared scale under o / uo | comparative ladder | earlier above later (o); later above earlier under uo | o ≈ rank; u ≈ undo |
Single-item (1) + shared scale under o / uo | superlative | the …-est / the least … under uo | one name is the extreme |
Standalone (0) + shared scale under o / uo | empty superlative | there is no biggest / there is no smallest under uo; open -m = none comes to mind | empty list: nobody is on top |
A standalone ladder says only that nothing is on top. It does not say why (a tie, no end to the scale, or items that do not compare). To assert a tie, use equative zoel. To say someone is on top without naming them, use zor.
| Example | Reading |
|---|---|
zazozon zalazun zahelan zom gamahum | Azozon is more challenging than Alazun, who is more challenging than Ahelan (open: others may fit in the ranking too) |
zazozon zalazun zuol gamahum | Azozon is less challenging than Alazun |
zol gamahum | there is no most challenging |
zom gamahum | no most challenging comes to mind |
zuol gamahum | there is no least challenging |
zazozon zuol gamahum | Azozon is the least challenging (of all) |
zor gamahum | whatever ranks highest on challenging (someone is on top; not saying who) |
zazozon zalazun zor gamahum | whichever of Azozon or Alazun ranks higher on challenging |
Compare with: a rank join with no shared adjective is an ordinary rank join (A matters more than B). Add the shared /ɡ/ when you mean more ADJ than.
English not as challenging as says the first name is below the second, so it is zuol: zalazun zazozon zuol gamahum is Alazun is not as challenging as Azozon. For a firm tie, use zoel.
English no more challenging than says less: the first name is below the second or tied with them. Write the whole comparison as usual, then deny it with zul, the way you deny a whole list. What English often only hints (that neither is very challenging) is not said.
zalazun zazozon zol gamahum zul.[[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-rank/more | g-challenge] | z-not]
"Alazun is no more challenging than Azozon."
Place on a scale (w#N)
English the second biggest names a place just below the winner. Keep the superlative frame (one name before zol) and put an ordinal in the degree slot, /w/ right before the adjective: wrodol (w#2) is second. The place is on the scale the adjective names. (cue: o ≈ rank, as in grodol the second)
zazozon zol wrodol gelazem.[z-Azozon | z-rank/more | [w-2nd | g-big]]
"Azozon is the second biggest."
Under zuol the same place counts from the bottom, so zazozon zuol wrodol gelazem is the second smallest. Use it from second on, because first place is the plain superlative. Write it only with one name before zol or zuol. With two names, the ordinal has no group to rank within, and outside a rank fence an ordinal on /w/ has no reading.
Compare with: an ordinal after a noun picks the Nth thing (zodozel grodol the second dog), not the Nth on a scale. A factor (twice as big) goes on /h/, not /w/.
Manner scale (/h/)
When English would say Alazun walks more intensely than Azozon, you rank how they walk, not a quality of the people. Keep the same rank join. Write a manner adverb (/h/) immediately after it, then the verb. The first name sits higher on that manner.
zalazun zazozon zol hahunom vowurol.[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-rank/more | h-intensity] | v-walk
"Alazun walks more intensely than Azozon."
zalazun zol hahunom vowurol.[z-Alazun | z-rank/more | h-intensity] | v-walk
"Alazun walks the most intensely."
zalazun zazozon zoel hahunom vowurol.[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-equal-rank | h-intensity] | v-walk
"Alazun walks as intensely as Azozon."
Compare with: gahunom after zol (no verb) is more intense as a quality of the people. After the verb, hahunom is an ordinary how they walk and ranks nothing.
Amount scale (gral)
When English would say more cats than dogs, you rank how many, not a quality. Keep the rank join. For the shared word, write the digitless number gral: after a rank join it means by amount.
zogozelx zodozelx zol gral.[z-cat-x | z-dog-x | z-rank/more | g-amount]
"There are more cats than dogs."
zogozelx zodozelx zuol gral.[z-cat-x | z-dog-x | z-rank/less | g-amount]
"There are fewer cats than dogs."
zogozelx zodozelx zoel gral.[z-cat-x | z-dog-x | z-equal-rank | g-amount]
"There are as many cats as dogs."
The noun decides whether English says many or much: cats are counted, tea is measured. Ageben uses the same gral for both.
Open gram ranks by a rough impression instead of a count: it looks like more cats than dogs. Use gral when you counted or measured, and gram when you are going by how it seems.
zogozelx zodozelx zol gram.[z-cat-x | z-dog-x | z-rank/more | g-amount.about]
"It looks like there are more cats than dogs."
To say how many more, put the difference in a bl- word right after gral. A count needs no unit noun: the unit is the thing counted.
zogozelx zodozelx zol gral blragel.[z-cat-x | z-dog-x | z-rank/more | [g-amount | bl-three]]
"There are three more cats than dogs."
Compare with: after set join a, a shared word describes each item, so zogozelx zodozelx zal gral is several cats and several dogs. Only a rank join turns gral into the scale. For a named quantity such as weight or time, use its own word (garolem, godurom), not gral.
Frequency scale (hral)
English walks more often than ranks how many times something happens. Write digitless hral (multiple times) in the manner slot, right after the rank join. Only digitless hral sets this scale; other number words do not rank how often.
zazozon zalazun zol hral vowurol.[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-rank/more | h-how-often] | v-walk
"Azozon walks more often than Alazun."
Time scale (bral)
English arrives earlier than ranks when something happens. Write digitless bral (later) in the same place, right after the rank join. Rank o is later than, and uo is earlier than.
zazozon zalazun zol bral vevorol.[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-rank/more | b-later] | v-arrival
"Azozon arrives later than Alazun."
zazozon zalazun zuol bral vevorol.[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-rank/less | b-later] | v-arrival
"Azozon arrives earlier than Alazun."
Covarying clauses (the more …, the more …)
English the more Azozon walks, the more Alazun sleeps says two amounts rise together. Put digitless hral (multiple times) or another amount word in each clause, and join the clauses with xoel. As with the frequency scale, the equal-rank join turns each amount into a scale and says the two scales move in step.
zazozon hral vowurol xoel zalazun hral vezuvel.[z-Azozon | h-more-than-one | v-walk | x-equal-rank | z-Alazun | h-more-than-one | v-sleep]
"The more Azozon walks, the more Alazun sleeps."
For the more …, the less …, use xuol: when the first scale rises, the second falls.
zazozon hral vowurol xuol zalazun hral vezuvel.[z-Azozon | h-more-than-one | v-walk | x-rank/less | z-Alazun | h-more-than-one | v-sleep]
"The more Azozon walks, the less Alazun sleeps."
Compare with: xoel / xuol state only that the two go together, not which one causes the other. To say the first causes the second, use a causation pole.
Factor (twice as … as)
English twice as big as gives the ratio between the two heights. Use the equative zoel and its shared adjective, then a factor number (/h/ + marker ra, numbers) right after the adjective. The first name sits at that many times the second's height.
zazozon zalazun zoel gelazem hradol.[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-equal-rank | g-big | h-two]
"Azozon is twice as big as Alazun."
Inverse marker ru divides: hrudol is half as. The factor hosts nothing, so no bl- word comes after it.
zalazun zazozon zoel gelazem hrudol.[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-equal-rank | g-big | h-divided-by-two]
"Alazun is half as big as Azozon."
English three times bigger usually means the same ratio: use zoel with hragel, not rank zol. After zol, a number /h/ is not a factor; it is an ordinary N times on the clause. For a gap in units (two meters taller), put a measure noun on the scale instead of a factor.
Comparing against a stance (bars)
English more than planned and later than planned rank one thing against a value a stance sets, not against another person: the plan sets how much and when. Write that /th/ stance word, or that intention adverb on /h/ (FORMER, ability, a say word), where the second name would go, right before the rank join. That word is the bar. The join closes everything before it, so the bar is part of the comparison: it says what you rank against. It is not your stance on the whole sentence.
zazozon thagom zol bral vevorol.[z-Azozon | th-plan-itinerary | z-rank/more | b-later] | v-arrival
"Azozon arrives later than planned."
The same stance word after the fence has its ordinary reading, a stance on the whole sentence. With one ranked name, the fence is then a superlative:
zazozon zol bral vevorol thagom.[z-Azozon | z-rank/more | b-later] | v-arrival | th-plan-itinerary
"I plan for Azozon to arrive last."
A bar fence ranks one item against one bar: with a bar, there is no second name and no second bar. Any of the rank joins works (zol, zuol, zoel, and their open -m forms), and the bar keeps its own ending. The fence can rank an object or a recipient the same way:
zazozon dodelx thagom dol gral vagedal.z-Azozon | [d-strawberry-x | th-plan-itinerary | d-rank/more | g-amount] | v-eat
"Azozon eats more strawberries than planned."
zazozon vezuyol balazun thagom bol hral.z-Azozon | v-tell | [b-Alazun | th-plan-itinerary | b-rank/more | h-how-often]
"Azozon tells Alazun more often than planned."
A hook and its /b/ on the ranked item go right before the bar, the way they go right before a join word:
zanal em buwen thagom zol garolem.[[z-book | [near | b-speaker]] | th-plan-itinerary | z-rank/more | g-heavy]
"This book is heavier than planned."
| Ageben | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
name + bar + zol | above the bar | more than planned / later than planned |
name + bar + zuol | below the bar | less than planned / earlier than planned |
name + bar + zoel | at the bar | as planned |
| bar after the fence | a stance on the whole claim | plans to be the most … |
Compare with: a name before the rank join is someone you rank against (zazozon zalazun zol guzemel Azozon is sleepier than Alazun). A stance word in that place is the value that stance sets.
Practice
Short drills for Intermediate. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a weighing room
New words:
| English | Ageben | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| pie | abodal | 🥧 |
| lift | velunel | 🏋️: its abstract is exertion |
| arrival | vevorol | 🛬 |
Review:
| English | Ageben |
|---|---|
| Azozon | azozon |
| Alazun | alazun |
| Ahelan | ahelan |
| PLAN | thagom |
| heavy | arolem |
| intensity | ahunom |
| mango | amedel |
| doughnut | udodel |
| sleep | vezuvel |
English → Ageben
1. Azozon is less heavy than Alazun.
Show answer
zazozon zalazun zuol garolem.
[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-rank/less | g-heavy]
2. There is no heaviest.
Show answer
zol garolem.
[z-rank/more | g-heavy]
3. Alazun lifts more intensely than Azozon.
Show answer
zalazun zazozon zol hahunom velunel.
[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-rank/more | h-intensity] | v-lift
4. There are more mangoes than pies.
Show answer
zamedelx zabodalx zol gral.
[z-mango-x | z-pie-x | z-rank/more | g-amount]
5. The pie is twice as heavy as the mango.
Show answer
zabodal zamedel zoel garolem hradol.
[z-pie | z-mango | z-equal-rank | g-heavy | h-two]
6. Ahelan is heavier than planned.
Show answer
zahelan thagom zol garolem.
[z-Ahelan | th-plan-itinerary | z-rank/more | g-heavy]
Ageben → English
1. zalazun zol wrodol garolem.
Show answer
[z-Alazun | z-rank/more | [w-2nd | g-heavy]]
Alazun is the second heaviest.
2. zazozon zalazun zol hral velunel.
Show answer
[z-Azozon | z-Alazun | z-rank/more | h-how-often] | v-lift
Azozon lifts more often than Alazun.
3. zahelan zalazun zuol bral vevorol.
Show answer
[z-Ahelan | z-Alazun | z-rank/less | b-later] | v-arrival
Ahelan arrives earlier than Alazun.
4. zazozon hral velunel xoel zalazun hral vezuvel.
Show answer
[z-Azozon | h-more-than-one | v-lift | x-equal-rank | z-Alazun | h-more-than-one | v-sleep]
The more Azozon lifts, the more Alazun sleeps.
5. zalazun zazozon zol garolem zul.
Show answer
[[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-rank/more | g-heavy] | z-not]
Alazun is no heavier than Azozon.
6. zabodalx zudodelx zol gram.
Show answer
[z-pie-x | z-doughnut-x | z-rank/more | g-amount.about]
It looks like there are more pies than doughnuts.
Pick one
1. Alazun is not as heavy as Azozon. zalazun zazozon zuol garolem. or zalazun zazozon zol garolem zul.
Show answer
zalazun zazozon zuol garolem.
[z-Alazun | z-Azozon | z-rank/less | g-heavy]
Not as … as puts Alazun below, zuol; denying zol also allows a tie.
2. Azozon lifts more intensely than Ahelan. zazozon zahelan zol hahunom velunel. or zazozon zahelan zol gahunom velunel.
Show answer
zazozon zahelan zol hahunom velunel.
[z-Azozon | z-Ahelan | z-rank/more | h-intensity] | v-lift
The ranking is how they lift, so the scale is /h/; /ɡ/ would rank the people.
Fix it
1. Azozon is three times as heavy as Ahelan. zazozon zahelan zol garolem hragel.
Show answer
zazozon zahelan zoel garolem hragel.
[z-Azozon | z-Ahelan | z-equal-rank | g-heavy | h-three]
A factor goes with the equative zoel; after zol the number is just three times on the clause.