Grammar: comparatives and superlatives

INTRODUCTION: COMPARATIVES
What can you say about these two animals?

Peacock Elephant

The peacock is ______________ than the elephant.

The elephant is ______________ than the peacock.

The peacock is not _______________________________ as the elephant.

The elephant is not _______________________________ as the peacock.

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GRAMMAR RULES: COMPARATIVES
What’s a comparative?

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You can form a comparative in two ways:

1. Using ‘as … as ….’

1. She's twice as old as her sister.
2. He's not as stupid as he looks!
3. I'm almost as good in maths as in science.
4. This book is not as exciting as the last one.

2. Using ‘ …–er than’

When comparing with as .. as, the adjective does not change. When comparing with than,
however, some changes are necessary, depending on the number of syllables the adjective has.

EX 1: How many syllables are there in the following words:

1. Big
2. Boring
3. Exciting
4. Happy
5. Small

1-syllable adjectives: add -er to the adjective

 My sister is much taller than me.

 It's colder today than it was yesterday.

Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually
doubled in the comparative. Examples: big-bigger, fat-fatter, hot-hotter.

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2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -ier

 She's looking happier today.

 This grammar topic is easier than the last one.
 Why is everyone else luckier than me?

Other 2-syllable adjectives: use more with the unchanged adjective

 The shops are always more crowded just before Christmas.

 Is there anything more boring than reading about grammar?
 My sister is more careful with her writing than I am with mine.

Note: The comparative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with -er.
Examples: simple-simpler, clever-cleverer, narrow-narrower. To be sure which comparative
method to use, you will need to consult a good dictionary.

Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use more with the unchanged adjective

 Russian grammar is more difficult than English grammar.

 My sister is much more intelligent than me.
 I find maths lessons more enjoyable than science lessons.
 The older you get, the more irritating you become.

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EXERCISES: COMPARATIVES
EX 2: Who said these sentences? Fill in either Bart or Homer.

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EX 3: Write the comparative form of these adjectives.

happy ____________ hot ____________

comfortable ____________ exciting ____________

fat ____________ sunny ____________

silly ____________ complicated ____________

tall ____________ cold ____________

intelligent ____________ big ____________

sad ____________ contagious ____________

funny ____________ ugly ____________

crazy ____________ pretty ____________

cheap ____________ disgusting ____________

EX 4: Compare Belgium to a country of your choice. Write down five comparisons using full sentences.

Example: Belgium is smaller than the United Kingdom. France is more expensive than Belgium.
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INTRODUCTION: SUPERLATIVES
What can you say about these two animals compared to the sun?

The peacock and the elephant are _____________________ the sun.

The sun is _________________.

The peacock is _________________.

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GRAMMAR RULES: SUPERLATIVES
What is the difference between the comparative and the superlative?

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Just like the comparative form, the superlative form depends on how many syllables a word has:

1-syllable adjectives: add -est to the adjective (plus the)

 My sister is the tallest in our family.

 Yesterday was the coldest day of the year so far.

Note: If the word ends: consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is usually doubled in the
superlative. Examples: big-biggest, fat-fattest, hot-hottest.

2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -iest (plus the)

 The richest people are not always the happiest.

 Which do you think is the easiest language to learn?

 She's the luckiest person I know.

Other 2-syllable adjectives: use the most with the unchanged adjective

 The most boring thing about ESL class is doing grammar exercises.

 My sister is the most careful person I know.

Note: The superlative of some shorter 2-syllable adjectives can be formed with  -er. Examples:simple-
simplest, clever-cleverest, narrow-narrowest. To be sure which superlative method to use, you will
need to consult a good dictionary.

Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use the most with the unchanged adjective

 Some people think that Russian is the most difficult language.

 Albert Einstein was the most intelligent person in history.

 My most enjoyable class is English.

 You are the most irritating person I have ever met!

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Beware: some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms. You will have to know
these by heart!

Adjective Comparative Superlative

good better best

bad worse worst

little less least

much more most

far further / farther furthest / farthest

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EXERCISES: SUPERLATIVES
EX 1: Fill in the comparisons about these Simpson characters.

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EX 2: Superlative media!

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EXERCISES: COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
EX 1: Complete the table with the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

busy ________________ ________________

far ________________ ________________

noisy ________________ ________________

boring ________________ ________________

high ________________ ________________

cheap ________________ ________________

heavy ________________ ________________

early ________________ ________________

little ________________ ________________

much ________________ ________________

fit ________________ ________________

interesting ________________ ________________

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