Aida Boumaaza

Y. B. T High School
BTS Classes

Comparatives / superlatives

Comparatives - introduction
We use the comparative structure to compare two things:

 A lion is bigger than a pet cat.

 Gold is more expensive than silver.
 Portugal isn't as big as Spain.
 I speak English better than you.
 A plane travels more quickly than a car.

Comparatives - form
We make the comparative with:
comparative adjective + "than"
or
"not as" + base adjective + "as".

If we use "as" + adjective + "as" in the positive, it means the two things are the same:

 Anna is as happy as Sue.

 I speak English as well as you.

Making comparative adjectives

1. For one-syllable adjectives such as: big or sad, we double the final consonant and add "er":
o bigger
o sadder

If the base adjective ends with a double consonant we just add "er":

o smaller
o taller
2. For adjectives with two or more syllables we put "more" or "less" before the adjective:
o more expensive, less expensive
o more exciting, less exciting
3. For two-syllable adjectives which end with the consonant "y", we take away "y" and add
"ier":
 o happier
o crazier

Irregular comparative adjectives include:

 good – better
 bad – worse

We can use determiners before comparative adjectives to modify or add emphasis:

 It is much colder in Sweden than in Thailand.

 James is a bit shorter than Susan.
 I get up a lot earlier than my sister.

Practice
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

 A new car is than an old car. (expensive)

 Sophie is a singer than Maria. (good)

 Maths is than physics. (easy)

 A king is than a doctor. (rich)

Superlatives - introduction
We use the superlative structure to say that something is more than all the others in a group:

 It's the tallest building in the world (no other is taller)

 He's the fastest runner in the race. (no one runs faster)
 She bought the most expensive watch. (the others were all cheaper)
 They are the worst football team. (the other teams are better)
 My mum is the happiest person I know. (I don’t know anyone happier)

Superlatives - form
We make the superlative with: "the" + superlative adjective

Making superlative adjectives

  For one-syllable adjectives such as: big or sad, we double the final consonant and add 'est':
o biggest
o saddest
 If the base adjective ends with a double consonant we just add 'est':
o smallest
o tallest
 For adjectives with two or more syllables we put 'most' or 'least' before the adjective:
o most expensive, least expensive
o most exciting, least exciting
 For adjectives which end with the consonant 'y', we take away 'y' and add 'iest':
o happiest
o craziest

Irregular superlative adjectives include:

 good – best
 bad – worst

Practice
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets.

 Paul is the singer in the group. (bad)

 Mrs Smith is the teacher in the college.

(amazing)

 That man has the dog on our street. (wild)

 That is the movie I have ever seen. (funny)

Further practice
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

 I think New York is ____ than many other cities. (well-known)

 I was ____ to arrive at the meeting. ( late)
 The blue table is ____ the red one. ( wide)
 Luxembourg ____ Russia. ( big)
 My room is much ____ yours. ( tidy)
 A dictionary is ____ book to have. (useful)
 1. A polite email to a client is usually __________when sending an informal email to a
colleague. ( long)
 2. A text message is usually __________an email. ( short)
 3. Sending a letter is _________ sending an email. ( romantic)
 4. A memo is _______ a company newsletter. ( important)
 5. BCCing someone is __________ CCing someone . (private)
 6. Sending a signed contract by bicycle courier is _______ faxing a signed contract. (official)
 7. Typing up the minute of a meeting is __________having to write a report. ( boring)
 8. People who send very short emails with lots of abbreviations and acronyms are
usually __________ people who write out everything in full. ( busy)

9. A note is a lot ________ a memo would be. (short)