Comparatives and superlatives
A Forms Regular one-syllable adjectives:
A add -er and -est to the adjective:
Adjective : cheap
Comparative : cheaper
Superlative : the cheapest
Other examples: clean, dark, light, short, tall, slow
B add -r and -st to adjectives ending in -e:
late later the latest
Other examples: large, loose, safe, strange, wise
c double the consonant of adjectives ending in a short vowel and a consonant, and add -er and -est:
thin thinner the thinnest
Other examples: fat, sad, wet, red, big, hot, fit
2 Regular adjectives with more than one syllable
Ause more and most in front of the adjective:
sincere more sincere the most sincere
Other examples: boring, careful, modern, comfortable
B change -y to -i and add -er and -est to adjectives ending in -y after a consonant:
happy happier the happiest
Other examples: dirty, friendly, funny, noisy, tidy, silly
C a limited number of two-syllabic adjectives can form the comparative and superlative in two ways:
stupid stupider more stupid the stupidest the most stupid
Other examples: clever, common, polite, quiet, gentle
Dmost adverbs form their comparative and superlative with more and most:
quietly more quietly the most quietly
a limited number have comparative and superlative forms with -er (or -r) and -est (or -st)
fast faster the fastest
Other examples: early, hard, late, long, soon
adjective | comparative | superlative |
---|---|---|
good | better | the best |
bad | worse | the worst |
far | farther/further | the farthest/furthest |
old | older/cider | the oldest/eldest |
adverb | comparative | superlative |
---|---|---|
well | better | the best |
badly | worse | the worst |
little | less | the least |
much | more | the most |
determiners | comparative | superlative |
---|---|---|
little | less | the least |
few | fewer | the fewest |
much/many | more | the most |
B Use
1 To talk about people or things that arc different in some way we use:
a Comparative forms of adjectives/adverbs + than.
I think listening is more difficnlt than reading.
For small differences use a bit, a little, slightly.
You need to work a little harder
For big differences use much, a lot, far, significantly.
My new car's much faster than my old one.
bSuperlative forms of adjectives/adverbs:
That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day.
To emphasize the difference between one person or thing from all the others we can use by far:
This is by far the best book I've ever read.
c Less ... than and the least
Rugby is less popular than football here. That's my least favourite track on the album.
2As ... as
a For people or things that are the same in some way we use as + adjective/adverb +as.
Size's as intelligent as her sister.
Almost, nearly; just, twice, three times, etc can be used to qualify the comparisons.
There were nearly twice as many people at the party as last year.
bSo can replace the first as in negative sentences.
It's not so difficult as I thought it would be.
Quite and nearly can be used to qualify negative sentences of this type.
Her new film isn't nearly as bad as her last one. (= her new film is much better than her last one)
He's not quite so impatient as his brother.
(= he's a little more patient than his brother)
c The same + noun + as
My mom 's the same age as my dad.
3 The + comparative, the + comparative
We use this structure for things which occur together .
The more money I have, the faster I spend it.
Complete the following sentences from the text. If a word is given in brackets, write the correct form of that word. You may need to write more than one word.
1 The facts we have at our fingertips, the we seem to know.
2 Their attention spans increased, allowing them ... to hold (long) and (complex) conversations with adults.
3 They probably did no homework during The Experiment they had done before, but they all completed it far (efficiently) and far (quickly).
4 She'd been our family's (militant) multitasker, and the one who'd been attracted by a digital lifestyle at the (young) age.
5 Subjects who slept the also multi-tasked the
Now check your answers in the reading text.
A Comparative and superlative forms
1 Why are the following comparative and superlative forms not possible in sentences 2 and 5 above? TALK ABOUT IT
more long complexer militantest most young
2 What are the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives? In the first gap write the comparative form and in the second gap write the superlative form.
clean
hot
strange
happy
clever
good
bad
far
3 Easy and quickly both have two syllables and both end in -y. The comparative form of easy is easier. Why isn't quicklier the comparative form of quickly in sentence 3? GIVE YOUR REASON
4 In sentence 3 , far is used with a comparative (far more quickly) to talk about a big difference. Which of the following are used before comparatives for big differences and which for small differences? write B for BIG and S for small
a bit much significantly a little slightly a lot
1To talk about people or things that are the same in some way we can use as + adjective or adverb + as.
They're just as silly as each other.
In negative sentences which talk about differences, so can be used instead of the first as.
She's not so fit as she used to be.
Not so becomes not such if a noun is used after the adjective.
Maybe this isn't such a good idea as I thought.
2 The + comparative, the + comparative
This structure is used to show that two changes happen together. The second change is often the result of the first.
The more facts we have at our fingertips, the less we seem to know.
The older he gets, the more slowly he drives.
1 Match each sentence 1-6 with a sentence a-f which expresses a similar idea. The first one has been done for you.
1 She's far lazier than anyone else. c
2 She works a lot less than she ought to.
3 She's not quite as lazy as she used to be.
4 She doesn't have as many problems as she used to.
5 She's the worst student I've ever taught.
6 The more she works, the more success she has.
a She doesn't work nearly as much as she should.
b She has fewer difficulties than before.
c Everyone works much harder than her.
d She's more successful when she works harder.
e She's slightly more hardworking than before.
f I've never had such a bad student in my class.
2 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given .
1 The film wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be.
FAR
The film I thought it would be.
2 I've never had such a boring holiday!
ENJOYABLE
This is I've ever had!
3 There are fewer teachers in my school than there were last year.
NOT
There teachers in my school as there were last year.
4 If you work harder now, you won't have to do so much later.
THE
The harder you'll have to do later.
5 Lucy is as tall as her mother.
HEIGHT
Lucy her mother.
6 Kate has slightly more experience than the others.
QUITE
The others don't have Kate.
3 a Write down one example for each of the following: TALK ABOUT THEM
1 The best type of pet.
2 The best smartphone.
3 Your favourite pop or rock group.
4 A film you really enjoyed.
5 A sportsman or woman you admire. 6 A favourite holiday destination.
b Work in small groups. Try to persuade the other members of your group that your choices are better than theirs. DO IT
Example:
Student A : Cats are the best pets to have. They're far more independent than most other animals.
Student B : Yes; but cats aren't nearly as playful as dogs. Dogs are a lot more fun.
Student C : You're both wrong. Hamsters are the friendliest pets - much nicer than cats or dogs ...
Write the correct noun form of the words in brackets to complete these extracts from the reading text. You may need to use a plural form.
1 Gracefully and without (conscious) or (curious) as to how they got there.
2 As a culture we are practically swimming in (entertain) .
3 Their (attend) spans increased, allowing them ... to hold longer and more complex (converse) .
4 The (evident) strongly suggests she is no isolated case.
Check your answers in the text.
2 Use the suffixes in the box to create nouns from the words in 1-6. The same suffix is required for all four words in each group. The final word in each group also requires a spelling change. There is an example at the beginning (0) .
react/object/predict/convert : -ion
Find the correct affix for the group of the words.
3 Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a noun that fits in the gap in the same line. You may need to use a plural or a negative form. The first one has been done for you.
1 Carla could not hide her amusement (AMUSE) at the sight of her father's first ever laptop. He had quite a (COLLECT) of what he called 'technological antiques' and this was his favourite. It had plenty of (SIMILAR) to her own model, but it was the weight and (THICK) of it that caused her to smile.
2 One of the many (ACTIVE) during our Science Week this year is a trip to the Technology Museum. A single (PAY) of £ 15 should be made by Friday 7 October. Please also sign the attached form giving (PERMIT) for your child to attend.
3 Aunt Gwen's (GENEROUS) at Christmas was unquestionable but it had to be said that most of her present-buying (DECIDE) were not the best - a pink jumper and a romantic novel, for example. Prepared for (DISAPPOINT) , Paul unwrapped her gift and was amazed to find a top-of-the-range smartphone.
4 I am writing to express my (SATISFY) with the speakers I recently ordered from you. There are a number of (DIFFERENT) between the (DESCRIBE) of the product on your website and the speakers I received. Judging from some of the more negative Internet reviews I have read, this is not an isolated (OCCUR)
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