COMPARISON

A - Comparison with -er/-est

clean - cleaner - (the) cleanest

We use -er/-est with the following adjectives:

1) adjectives with one syllable

clean cleaner cleanest

new newer newest
cheap cheaper cheapest

2) adjectives with two syllables and the following endings:

2 - 1) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y

dirty dirtier dirtiest

easy easier easiest
happy happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest

2 - 2) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -er

clever cleverer cleverest

2 - 3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -le

simple simpler simplest

2 - 4) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -ow

narrow narrower narrowest

Spelling of the adjectives using the endings -er/-est

large larger largest leave out the silent -e

big bigger biggest
Double the consonant after short vowel
sad sadder saddest
dirty dirtier dirtiest Change -y to -i (consonant before -y)
Here -y is not changed to -i.
shy shyer shyest
(although consonant before -y)

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 COMPARISON
B - Comparison with more - most

difficult - more difficult - (the) most difficult

all adjectives with more than one syllable (except some adjectives with two syllables - see
2 - 1 to 2 - 4)

C - Irregular adjectives

good better best

bad worse worst
much more most uncountable nouns
many more most countable nouns
little less least
little smaller smallest

D - Special adjectives

Some ajdectives have two possible forms of comparison.

common commoner / more common commonest / most common

likely likelier / more likely likeliest / most likely
pleasant pleasanter / more pleasant pleasantest / most pleasant
polite politer / more polite politest / most polite
simple simpler / more simple simplest / most simple
stupid stupider / more stupid stupidest / most stupid
subtle subtler / more subtle subtlest
sure surer / more sure surest / most sure

Difference in meaning with adjectives:

farther farthest distance

far distance or
further furthest
time
later latest
late latter x
x last
old older oldest people and things
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 COMPARISON
elder eldest people (family)
nearer nearest distance
near
x next order

Ghi chú: Các cách so sánh của tính từ đều áp dụng được cho trạng từ (adverbs). Để tiện lợi
hơn, trong phần này chúng tôi gọi chung là tính từ.

Khi đưa vào so sánh tính từ có ba mức độ: mức độ nguyên thể (positive degree), mức độ so
sánh (comparative degree) và mức độ cực cấp (superlative degree). Các hình thức so sánh hơn,
bằng, kém, đều dựa trên các mức độ này.

Người Việt Nam khi học tiếng Anh quen gọi là thể so sánh hơn, so sánh bằng, so sánh kém và
so sánh nhất. Cách gọi này có khi không thích hợp vì không thể so sánh một người hay vật ở
tình trạng “nhất” được. Tuy nhiên cách gọi này đã quá quen thuộc nên chúng tôi cũng tạm
thời sắp xếp theo các cách gọi ấy.

Trong các dạng so sánh ta còn có khái niệm tính từ dài và tính từ ngắn. Tính từ ngắn (short
adjectives) là tính từ một vần (syllable) và những tính từ hai vần nhưng tận cùng bằng phụ âm
+ Y. Tính từ dài (long adjectives) là những tính từ hai vần còn lại và các tính từ từ ba vần trở
lên.

I. Thay đổi hình thức khi thêm ER hay EST

1. Tính từ tận cùng bằng phụ âm + Y: Chuyển Y thành I trước khi thêm ER/EST.

Ví dụ:

happy - happier/happiest;

dirty - dirtier/dirtiest

nhưng

grey - greyer/greyest;

gay - gayer/gayest

2. Tính từ tận cùng bằng 1 nguyên âm + 1 phụ âm: Gấp đôi phụ âm cuối trước khi thêm
ER/EST. Ví dụ:

thin - thinner/thinnest;

big - bigger/biggest
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 COMPARISON
nhưng

green - greener/greenest

3. Tính từ tận cùng bằng E: Bỏ E trước khi thêm ER/EST:

ripe - riper/ripest ;

white - whiter/whitest.

II. Thể so sánh hơn (Comparison of Superiority)

Tính từ ngắn: adj. + ER (than)

Tính từ dài: more adj. (than)

long - longer ; beautiful - more beautiful

Harry is older than William.

Alice is more careful than her brother.

III. Thể so sánh bằng (Comparison of Equality)

Bằng: as adjective as

Không bằng: not so (as) adjective as

This garden is as large as ours.

(Khu vườn này lớn bằng khu vuờn của chúng tôi.)

She is as careful as her sister.

(Cô ấy cẩn thận hơn chị cô ấy)

It is not so (as) hot as it was yesterday.

(Trời không nóng bằng ngày hôm qua)

David is not so (as) careful as Kathy.

(David không cẩn thận bằng Kathy.)

IV. Thể so sánh kém (Comparison of Inferiority)

less adjective (than)

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 COMPARISON
It is less cold today than it was yesterday.

Ngày hôm nay ít lạnh hơn ngày hôm qua.

Tuy nhiên, trong tiếng Anh người ta thường ít sử dụng cấu trúc so sánh kém này.

Thay vào đó, người ta dùng cấu trúc so sánh bằng. Ví dụ:

Thay vì nói: This table is less long than that one.

Người ta nói: This table is not so (as) long as that one.

V. Thể so sánh cực cấp (Superlative)

Tính từ ngắn: the adj.+ EST

Tính từ dài: the most adjective

clear - the clearest;

sweet - the sweetest

interesting - the most interesting;

splendid - the most splendid

VI. Các tính từ (trạng từ) đặc biệt

Positive Comparative Superlative

good/well better best

bad/ill worse worst

little less (lesser) least

near nearer nearest (next)

many/much more most

far farther (further) farthest (furthest)

late later (latter) latest (last)

old older (elder) oldest (eldest)

(out) outer (utter) outmost (utmost) -

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 COMPARISON
outermost (uttermost)

(up) upper uppermost

(in) inner inmost, innermost

(fore) former foremost, first

VII. Thể so sánh kép (Double Comparative)

Khi cần diễn tả những ý nghĩ như “càng…. càng…” người ta dùng thể so sánh kép (double
comparative). Thể so sánh kép được tạo thành tùy theo số lượng ý mà ta muốn diễn đạt.

Nếu chỉ có một ý ta dùng:

Đối với tính từ ngắn: (adjective) and (adjective)

It is getting hotter and hotter.

(Trời càng ngày càng nóng)

His voice became weaker and weaker.

(Giọng nói của anh ta càng ngày càng yếu)

Đối với tính từ dài: more and more adjective

The storm became more and more violent.

(Cơn bão càng ngày càng dũ dội)

The lessons are getting more and more difficult.

(Bài học càng ngày càng khó)

Nếu có hai ý ta dùng The (adjective)…, the (adjective)…. cho cả tính từ ngắn lẫn tính từ dài.
(Lưu ý rằng trong các cấu trúc trên (adjective) có nghĩa là tính từ ở thể so sánh hơn).

The sooner this is done, the better it is.

(Chuyện này làm càng sớm càng tốt)

The older the boy is, the wiser he is.

(Thằng bé càng lớn càng thông thái)

VIII. Ghi chú về các thể so sánh của tính từ

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 COMPARISON
1. Well là một trạng từ (adverb). Tuy vậy nó lại là một tính từ vị ngữ (predicative adjective)
trong các thành ngữ như: I am very well, He looks/feels well.

2. In, up, out là những trạng từ (adverbs). Tuy thế dạng so sánh hơn và so sánh cực cấp của các
từ này lại là các tính từ. Vì thế trong ngữ pháp hiện đại các dạng này được xem như có liên
quan rất ít đến từ gốc của nó.

3. Lesser là dạng so sánh hơn đã cổ, chỉ thấy trong thi ca.

4. Nearest đề cập đến khoảng cách trong khi next nói đến thứ tự trước sau.

5. Farther/farthest đề cập đến khoảng cách không gian trong khi further/furthest - dù có thể
dùng thay cho farther/farthest - cũng có nghĩa là “hơn nữa, thêm vào”.

6. Older/oldest có thể dùng cả cho người lẫn cho vật. Elder và eldest chỉ dùng cho các thành
viên trong một gia đình và chỉ dùng như một tính từ thuộc tính (attributive adjectives).

My elder brother is three years older than me.

7. Latter có nghĩa là “cái / vật / người thứ hai trong hai người/vật”. Nó phản nghĩa với former.

He studied French and German. The former language he speaks very well, but the

latter one only imperfectly.

Last có nghĩa là “sau chót, sau cùng”.

He’s the last student that came this morning.

Latest có nghĩa là “gần đây nhất, cái sau cùng tính đến hiện tại”.

The latest news.

8. Khi có hai người hay hai vật được đưa ra so sánh, ta dùng thể so sánh hơn. Dù vậy, trong
một số trường hợp văn nói người ta cũng dùng thể so sánh nhất cho hai người hay vật.

The comparative form of an adjective or adverb shows the difference between two objects. The
superlative form of an adjective or adverb expresses the extreme quality of one thing in a group of
things.

a. Forming regular adjectives

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 COMPARISON
Adjectives Comparative Superlative
One syllable Add –er Add –est
light lighter lightest

neat neater neatest

fast faster fastest

Only one syllable, Add –r Add –st
ending in E
wide wider widest

fine finer finest

cute cuter cutest

One syllable, with one Double the consonant, Double the consonant,
vowel and one and add –er and add –est
consonant at the end.
hot hotter hottest

big bigger biggest

fat fatter fattest

sad sadder saddest

Two syllables, ending Change y to i, then ad – Change y to i, then ad–
in Y er est
happy happier happiest

silly sillier silliest

lonely lonelier loneliest

Two syllables or more, Use “more” before the Use “most” before the
not ending in Y adjective adjective
modern more modern most modern

interesting more interesting most interesting

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful

Some two syllables add “-er’ or “-est’ and “more” or “most” before the
adjective
clever cleverer/ more clever cleverest/ most clever

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 COMPARISON

gentle gentler/ more gentle gentlest/ most gentle

friendly friendlier/ more friendly friendliest/ most friendly

quiet quieter/ more quiet quietest/ most quiet

simple simpler/ more simple simplest/ most simple

Examples:

 A cat is fast, a tiger is faster but a cheetah is the fastest.

 A car is heavy, a truck is heavier, but a train is the heaviest.
 A park bench is comfortable, a restaurant chair is more comfortable, but a sofa is the
most comfortable.

b. Irregular adjectives

These adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative.

Adjectives Comparative Superlative

good better best
bad worse worst
little less least
much more most
far further / farther furthest / farthest

Examples:

 Italian food is better than American food.

 My dog is the best dog in the world.
 My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.

 Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

a. Forming regular adverbs

Like adjectives some adverbs can take comparative and superlative forms, with -er and –est.

Examples:

 Jim works harder than his brother.

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 COMPARISON
 Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.
 The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand.
 Could you sing more quietly please?
 Jim works harder than his brother.
 Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all.

b. Irregular adverbs

Adverbs Comparative Superlative

well better best
badly worse worst
little less least
far further / farther furthest / farthest

Examples:

 The little boy ran further than his friends.

 You’re driving worse today than yesterday!

Note: Comparatives can be modified by the following words: a bit, a little, much, a lot, far (=a
lot), even, no, still.
Examples:

 Let’s go by car. It’s much cheaper.

 Ann worked a lot harder than most of her friends.
 Could you speak a bit more slowly
 Her illness was far more serious than we at first thought.

 This is even worse than that one.

1. Comparison of Equality (So sánh ngang bằng)

When things being compared have equal characteristics, the comparison of equality is used.

Examples:

 The book is as good as the movie.

 The boy is as tall as the girl.

- To form the comparisons of equality using adjectives or adverbs, use the following formula:

as adjectives/adverbs as
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 COMPARISON

Examples:

 Peter is 24 years old. John is 24 years old. Peter is as old as John.

 A bicycle is not as expensive as a car
 Moscow is as cold as St. Petersburg in the winter.
 He doesn’t run as fast as I do.
 She drives as carefully as her mother

- To form the comparisons of equality using nouns, use the following formula:

S + V + the same + (noun) + as + {noun/

pronoun}

Examples:

 My house is the same height as his.

 Ann gets the same salary as me
 These trees are the same as those.
 He speaks the same language as she.
 Her address is the same as Rita’s.

- To show the differences between things, people …, we can use the following formula:

different from + (noun/pronoun)

or

different + (noun) +
(noun/pronoun)

Examples:

Their teacher is different from ours.

She takes different books from her friends.

2. Comparative/Superlative of inferiority (So sánh kém/kém nhất)

Examples:

 He visits his family less frequently than she does.

 This year’s exhibit is less impressive than last year’s.
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 COMPARISON
 She chose the least expensive of the hotels
 This is the least interesting part of the dictionary

3. Double comparative (So sánh kép)

We use the ‘double comparative’ when we want to show that something is changing or is in the process of
changing. We use the following formula:

….er and ….er

or

…. more and more ….

Examples:

 Children spend more and more time watching TV.

(Trẻ con càng ngày càng dành nhiều thời gian cho ti vi)

 She is getting fatter and fatter.

(Cô ấy càng ngày càng béo)

 He became more and more anxious with every passing minute

(Mỗi phút trôi qua, anh ta càng thêm lo lắng)

4. Proportional comparative (So sánh cấp tiến)

We can use comparatives with the … the … to say that things change or vary together. Note the word
order in both clauses.

The + comparative + the noun, the + comparative +

the noun

or

The more + clause, the more + clause

or

The more + clause, the + comparative + the + noun

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 COMPARISON

Examples:

 The hotter it is, the more miserable I feel.

(Trời càng nóng, tôi càng thấy khó chịu)
 The sooner you take your medicine, the better you will feel.
(Anh càng uống thuốc sớm bao nhiêu, anh càng cảm thấy dễ chịu bấy nhiêu)
 The more you study, the better the prospects of finding a good job.

(Càng học nhiều thì triển vọng tìm được công việc tốt càng lớn)

 The bigger they are, the faster they fall.

(Vật càng to bao nhiêu thì càng rơi nhanh bấy nhiêu)

 The more you study, the smarter you will become.

(Càng học, anh càng thông minh hơn)

EXERCISES
EXERCISES A
EXERCISE 1: Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use much/ a bit … etc.+ a
comparative.
1. Her illness was …………………. We thought at first (much/serious)
2. This bag is too small. I need something ………………. (much/big)
3. I’m afraid the problem is ……………….. it seems.(much/complicated)
4. You looked depressed this morning but you look ……….. now(a bit/happy)
5. I thought she was younger than me but in fact she’s ……….(slightly/old)
EXERCISE 2: Complete the sentences using an/no + a comparative
1. I’m fed up with waiting. I’m not waiting…………….. (long)
2. This shop isn’t expensive. The prices are ……………. Anywhere else(cheap)
3. The traffic isn’t particularly bad today. It’s ……………… usual (bad)
EXERCISE 3: Complete the sentences using “Double” Comparatives
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 COMPARISON
1. It’s becoming ……………….. to find a job (hard)
2. The hole in your pullover is getting ………….. (big)
3. My bags seemed to get ……………. As I carried them (heavy)
4. As I waited for my interview, I became …………….. (nervous)
5. As the day went on the weather got …………. (bad)
6. Travelling is becoming …………….. (expensive)
7. As the conversation went on, he became …………… (talkative)
8. Since she has been in England, her English has got …..(good)

EXERCISE 4: Finish these sentences using a comparative structure

1. I like warm weather. The warmer the weather, ………….. (good/ feel)
2. It’s hard to concentrate when you are tired. The more tired you are ……….
(hard/concentrate)
3. She had to wait a very long time. The longer she waited,………….. (impatient/become)
EXERCISE 5: Match the two halves containing the structure “the ……the……”

the earlier we leave the faster you’ll learn

the longer he waited
the more I got to know him
the more you practise your English
the longer the phone call
the more goods you sell
the more you have to pay
the sooner we’ll arrive
the more profit you’ll make
the more impatient he became
the more I liked him

EXERCISES B
1. Of the four dresses, which is ………………..expensive?
A. the best B. the most C. the more D. the greater
2. The larger the apartment, the................... the rent.
A. expensive B. more expensive C. expensively D. most expensive
3. The faster we walk,………….. we will get there.
A. the soonest B. the soon C. the more soon D. the sooner
4. “ Why did you buy these oranges? ” “They were ……….….. I could find. ”
A. cheapest B. cheapest ones C. the cheapest ones D. the most cheapest
5. She plays the piano …………… as she sings.

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 COMPARISON
A. as beautifully B. more beautifully C. as beautiful D. the most beautifully
6. The streets are getting more and …………… these days.
A. crowded B. less crowded C. more crowded D. most crowded
7. The larger the city, …………… the crime rate.
A. highest B. higher C. the highest D. the higher
8. You must explain your problems …………....
A. as clear as you can B. as clearly as you can
C. as clear than you are D. as clearly as you are
9. Pil is ……………… person we know.
A. the happier B. the happiest C. happier D. happiest
10. Which woman are you going to vote for? –I’m not sure. Everyone says that Joan is………….
A. smarter B. the smarter C. more smarter D. more smart
11. Bill is ………………
A. lazier and lazier B. more and more lazy
C. lazier and more lazy D. more lazy and lazier
12. It’s too noisy here. Can we go somewhere …………………?
A. noisier B. more quiet C. more noisy D. quieter
13. ………………..the time passes, …………….I feel ! The deadline of my thesis is coming, but I
have just finished half of it.
A. The faster / the nervous B. The more fast / the nervous
C. The fast / the more nervous D. The faster / the more nervous
14. China is the country with…………………..population.
A. the larger B. the more large C. the largest D. the most large
15. She sat there quietly, but during all that time she was getting…………….Finally she exploded.
A. more and more angry B. the more angry
C. angrier and angrier D. the most angry
16. For ……………….., it is certain that in the future some things will be very different.
A. the better or the worse B. the good or the bad
C. good or bad D. better or worse
17. Her grandfather’s illness was…………………..we thought at first.
A. more seriously as B. as seriously as B. more serious than
D. as serious than
18. My brother was feeling tired last night, so he went to bed…………..usual.
A. more early than B. as early as C more earlier as D. earlier than
19._______ you study for these exams, _______ you will do.
A. The harder / the better B. The more / the much
C. The hardest / the best D. The more hard / the more good
20. His house is _______ mine.
A. twice as big as B. as twice big as C. as two times big as D. as big as twice

21. Nobody is happy than Miss Snow is. ( happier)

22. He needs many more sugar than I do. (much)
23. Does Mary feel weller today than she did yesterday? (better)
24. It’s becoming hard and harder to find a job. (harder)

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 COMPARISON
25. The more you have, the most you want. (The more)

Combine the ideas given into a double comparative:

1-As he got older, he became more and more bad-tempered.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
2- He worked hard. He felt very bad.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
3- When we think of the exam, we get more and more excited.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
4- As this road gets busier, it becomes more and more dangerous.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
5- When you get near to the Equator, the temperature becomes high.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
6- If she stays in England a long time, her English will be very good.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
7- When I write fast, my writing becomes illegible.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
8- She sings well. A lot of people admire her.
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
9- She visited many countries. She had lots of friends
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................

10- He works harder. He feels more tired.

 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
11. There are a few tourists from Asia. (tourists from more are Asia. There more and )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
12. A lot of immigrants came from Europe. (immigrants come more from Europe. and More )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
13.Australian wine wasn't that good in the past. (better better. Australian is and wine )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
14. Surfing used to be less popular.(Surfing more and more is popular. )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
15. Coastal cities used to be less populated.(are and Coastal populated. more more cities )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
16. Many people didn't realise how dangerous it was to lie in the sun.(is how sun. more and
dangerous realise the lie to it More in people )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
17. Children spend a lot of time watching TV. (spend watching and time more TV. Children more )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
18. There are not many French songs on French radio. (French and fewer radio. songs There fewer
French are on )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................

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 COMPARISON
19. It is difficult to find a parking place. (find to difficult a is It and more parking place. more )
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................
20. Nowadays, personal computers are not very expensive. (expensive. computers Nowadays, and
less less are personal)
 The............................................................................, the...................................................................

------THE END------

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