Plan: 1. 2. 3. 4. The rules of using Comparatives and Superlatives adjectives; Grammar Exercises; Questions; References. The aims: 1. To develop grammar, reading, speaking, writing skills; 2. To enlarge students’ vocabulary, cognitive and creative abilities COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES We use the comparative to compare two people, places or things. small smaller HOW DO WE BUILT? Short adjective + ER. old older young younger CVC + ER (the final consonant is doubled) big bigger hot hotter Short adjective ended in –Y -IER easy easier heavy heavier Long adjective: MORE + long adjective exciting more exciting beautiful more beautiful Irregular adjectives good better bad worse We use THAN after the comparative form of the adjective. John is taller than Mary. A Ferrari is more expensive than a Fiat. old older I’m 70. (young –younger) The woman is old. The man is older than the woman. The woman is old, but she is younger than the man. I’m 75. bigger big (small- smaller) The polar bear is big. The elephant is bigger than the polar bear. The polar bear is big, but it is smaller than the elephant. tasty tastier Yogurt is tasty, but ice cream is tastier than yogurt. SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES We use the superlative to compare more than two people, places or things. big – bigger – the biggest HOW DO WE BUILT? Short adjective + EST. old the oldest young the youngest CVC + EST (the final consonant is doubled) big the biggest hot the hottest Short adjective ended in –Y -IEST easy the easiest heavy the heaviest Long adjective: THE MOST + long adjective exciting the most exciting beautiful the most beautiful Irregular adjectives good the best bad the worst We use THE before the superlative form of the adjective. John is the tallest. A Ferrari is the most expensive car . old – older- the oldest SOME RULES ABOUT FORMING COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES One syllable adjectives generally form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est: Adjective Comparative Superlative Soft Softer The softest Cheap Cheaper The cheapest Sweet Sweeter The sweetest Thin Thinner The thinnest SPELLING RULES Note that if a one syllable adjective ends in a single vowel letter followed by a single consonant letter, the consonant letter is doubled, e.g.: thin → thinner, big → biggest. If an adjective ends in -e, this is removed when adding er/-est, : wide → wider/widest. If an adjective ends in a consonant followed by -y, -y is replaced by -i when adding -er/-est, : dry → drier/driest. TWO SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES two syllable adjectives which end in -y usually form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, (note the change of -y to -i in the comparative/superlative) : Adjective Comparative superlative Lucky luckier The luckiest Pretty Prettier The prettiest Tidy Tidier The tidiest TWO SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES two syllable adjectives ending in -ed, -ing, ful, or -less always form the comparative with more and the superlative with the most: Adjective Comparative superlative Worried More worried The most worried Boring More boring The most boring Careful More careful The most careful Useless More useless The most useless THREE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES Adjectives which have three or more syllables always form the comparative and superlative with MORE and THE MOST, e.g.: Adjective Comparative Superlative Dangerous More dangerous The most dangerous Difficult More difficult The most difficult The only exceptions are some three syllable adjectives which have been formed by adding the prefix -un to another adjective, especially those formed from an adjective ending in -y. These adjectives can form comparatives and superlatives by using more/most or adding -er/-est: unhappy – unhappier – the unhappiest/ the most unhappy IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES Adjective Comparative Superlative Good Better The best Bad Worse The worst Far Farther/further The farthest/furthest USE OF COMPARATIVES Comparatives are very commonly followed by than and a pronoun or noun group, in order to describe who the other person or thing involved in the comparison is: John is taller than me. I think that she’s more intelligent than her sister. OTHER USES OF COMPARATIVES Comparatives are often qualified by using words and phrases such as much, a lot, far, a bit/little, slightly etc.: You should go by train, it would be much cheaper. Could you be a bit quieter? I’m feeling a lot better. Do you have one that’s slightly bigger? Two comparatives can be contrasted by placing the before them, indicating that a change in one quality is linked to a change in another: The smaller the gift, the easier it is to send. The more stressed you are, the worse it is for your health. Two comparatives can also be linked with and to show a continuing increase in a particular quality: The sea was getting rougher and rougher. Her illness was becoming worse and worse. He became more and more tired as the weeks went by USE OF SUPERLATIVES Like comparatives, superlatives can be placed before nouns in the attributive position, or occur after be and other link verbs: the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten Annabel was the youngest This restaurant is the best As shown in the second two examples, superlatives are often used on their own if it is clear what or who is being compared. If you want to be specific about what you are comparing, you can do this with a noun, or a phrase beginning with in or of: Annabel was the youngest child Annabel was the youngest of the children This restaurant is the best in town. THE OPPOSITES OF COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVES we use the forms less (the opposite of comparative more), and the least (the opposite of superlative the most). Less is used to indicate that something or someone does not have as much of a particular quality as someone or something else: This sofa is less comfortable. I’ve always been less patient than my sister. The least is used to indicate that something or someone has less of a quality than any other person or thing of its kind: It’s the least expensive way to travel. She was the least intelligent of the three sisters. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is (tall) than Sky. 2. Sky is (good) at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is (fast) than Sky. 4. Sky is (popular) than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are (big) than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is TALLER than Sky. 2. Sky is (good) at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is (fast) than Sky. 4. Sky is (popular) than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are (big) than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is TALLER than Sky. 2. Sky is BETTER at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is (fast) than Sky. 4. Sky is (popular) than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are (big) than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is TALLER than Sky. 2. Sky is BETTER at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is FASTER than Sky. 4. Sky is (popular) than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are (big) than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is TALLER than Sky. 2. Sky is BETTER at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is FASTER than Sky. 4. Sky is MORE POPULAR than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are (big) than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Tiny is TALLER than Sky. 2. Sky is BETTER at basketball than Tiny. 3. Tiny is FASTER than Sky. 4. Sky is MORE POPULAR than Tiny. 5. Sky’s feet are BIGGER than Tiny’s feet. Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Al is (short). Ed is (thin). Al is wearing (colourful) clothes. Ed is (tall). Joe is (smart). Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Al is THE SHORTEST. Ed is (thin). Al is wearing (colourful) clothes. Ed is (tall). Joe is (smart). Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Al is THE SHORTEST. Ed is THE THINNEST. Al is wearing (colourful) clothes. Ed is (tall). Joe is (smart). Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Al is THE SHORTEST. 2. Ed is THE THINNEST. 3. Al is wearing THE COLOURFUL clothes. 4. Ed is (tall). 5. Joe is (smart). MOST Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Al is THE SHORTEST. 2. Ed is THE THINNEST. 3. Al is wearing THE COLOURFUL clothes. 4. Ed is THE TALLEST. 5. Joe is (smart). MOST Complete the following sentences. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. 1. Al is THE SHORTEST. 2. Ed is THE THINNEST. 3. Al is wearing THE COLOURFUL clothes. 4. Ed is THE TALLEST. 5. Joe is THE SMARTEST. MOST Use the words given to compare the following pictures. FRUIT HEALTHY EXPENSIVE SWEET TASTY FATTENING JEEP ELECTRIC CAR Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative). My house is (big) ____ than yours. This flower is (beautiful) _______ than that one. This is the (good) ______ book I have ever read. Non-smokers usually live (long) _______ than smokers. Which is the (dangerous) _______ animal in the world? A holiday by the sea is (good) ______ than a holiday in the mountains. It is strange but often a coke is (expensive) ________ than a beer. Who is the (rich) _________ woman on earth? The weather this summer is even (bad) _______ than last summer. He was the (intelligent) _________ thief of all.