Making Comparisons

Making Comparisons

1. Comparative Adjectives

   • We use comparative adjectives when we talk about two things, we can "compare" them. We can see if they are the same or different. Perhaps they are the same in some ways and different in other ways. We can use comparative adjectives to describe the differences.
     • Examples
       • This car is certainly better, but it's much more expensive. I'm feeling happier now. We need a bigger garden.She is two years older than me. New York is much bigger than Boston.

2. Double Comparatives

   • Double comparatives are phrases commonly used in English to express increasing or decreasing returns. Double comparatives are often employed to underline the importance of doing or not doing a certain activity.
     • Examples
       • The more you study, the more you learn. The more time you take, the better the assignment your turn in. The less money I spend, the less I have to worry about saving. The less you worry about the others, the less they will bother you.

3. Superlative Adjectives

   • A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or highest degree of a quality. We use a superlative adjective to describe the extreme quality of one thing in a group of things.
     • Examples
       • I can't find my most comfortable jeans. The runt of the litter is the smallest. Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. She is the smartest girl in our class. This is the most interesting book I have ever read.

4. As....As/Not AS....AS

   • We use as/not as to make comparisons between similar or different things
     • Examples
       • The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks. You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile. Mirna hasn’t grown as tall as Kerin yet. She’s not singing as loudly as she can. They didn’t play as well as they usually do.