Comparative & Superlative: Special Uses
Comparative & Superlative: Special Uses
Comparative & Superlative: Special Uses
& Superlative
The comparative form has the termination ‐er or more
The superlative form has the termination ‐est or most
When forming the comparative or superlative of an adjective we must first consider the number of
syllables:
Short adjectives of one syllable:
old older the oldest
slow slower the slowest
cheap cheaper the cheapest
big bigger the biggest
large larger the largest
nice nicer the nicest
Longer adjectives of more than two syllables:
interesting more interesting the most interesting
expensive more expensive the most expensive
difficult more difficult the most difficult
Adjectives terminating in ‐y (normally two syllables)
happy happier the happiest
easy easier the easiest
early earlier the earliest
Irregular comparatives / superlatives:
good / well better the best
bad / badly worse the worst
far farther the farthest
further the furthest
SPECIAL USES:
much
a lot
far more expensive / cheaper it is by far the best hotel in the city
a little he is my very best friend
a bit it is far from expensive
Cada vez más / más y más ………………….
The price of computers is getting cheaper and cheaper, but other things are getting more and more
expensive. Every year more and more people are recycling rubbish.
Cuanto más …………….. más ……………
The bigger the car the more expensive it is.
The sooner the better.
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Comparative sentences:
Comparative sentences are formed using “than”:
‐ She is far taller than he is.
‐ This hotel is much more expensive than the other
EXERCISE
Complete the sentences using “than”
eg He isn’t very tall. You are taller than him (or: than he is)
1 She isn’t very old. You’re much .....
2 I don’t work very hard. You ...
3 He doesn’t read very fast. You ...
4 I’m not a very good cook. Carlos is a much ...
5 I’m not very tall. Mary is far .....
6 I didn’t get up very early. My wife ...
Complete using “……….. and ……….”
1 It’s becoming …………………………………………………….………………… to find a job (hard)
2 My bags seemed to get ………………………………….…………. as I carried them (heavy)
3 As the day went on, the weather got ………………………………………………………… (bad)
4 As the conversation went on, he became ………………………………………….. (talkative)
5 Travelling is becoming ………………………………………………….…………………. (expensive)
TRANSLATE
1 La reunión fue muy larga ‐ más de dos horas
2 Sabes nadar mejor que yo
3 Antonio come mucho más que tu
4 El japonés es mucho más difícil que el inglés
7 Este piso es más nuevo y un poco más grande que el mío
8 Este pantalón cuesta más dinero del que puedo permitirme
9 Compré la camisa más cara de la tienda
10 Este libro es más aburrido que el otro
11 Es por mucho la mejor película que he visto jamás
12 John es el más alto de la familia
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AS ................. AS
Used to express comparisons of equality (tan ....... como .......)
He is as tall as Mary, but he is not as tall as Tom
(not so tall as)
Tan …………….. como She is as old as him (or: as he is)
Tanto …………. como He eats as much as I do
Tantos ……….. como He has as many books as I have
*Other expressions using “as …………………. as”
As far as: hasta (distancia)
As well as: además de
As long as: siempre que, a condición de que
The same as “el mismo que”
- My car is the same as yours
- I arrived at the same time as Tom
EXERCISE
1 Mi hermano no es tan inteligente como mi hermana
2 Ann no bebe tanta cerveza como Brian
3 Tenemos la misma profesora que tú
4 En Barcelona no hay tantos teatros como en Madrid
5 Bill no tiene tantos amigos como yo
6 Me siento mejor que ayer. No estoy tan cansado
7 Además de estudiar inglés, estudio matemáticas
8 Fuimos en coche hasta Sevilla y allí cogimos el tren
Exam practice
Re‐write the sentence:
a) John is taller than Mary
Mary is not ………………………………………………………………… John
b) Tom is the best in the class
Nobody in the class is as ……………………………………………. Tom
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