COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS

COMPARATIVE 1: -ER OR MORE

• -ER
• SHORT WORDS (ONE SYLLABLE)
• cheap-cheaper
• large-larger
• fast-faster
• thin-thinner
• OR TWO-SYLLABLE WORDS THAT END IN -Y --> -IER
• lucky-luckier
• easy-easier
• early-earlier
• pretty-prettier
• -ER OR MORE WITH SOME TWO SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES:
• clever
• narrow (estrecho)
• quiet
• shallow (superficial)
• simple
• MORE
• LONGER WORDS (TWO SYLLABLE OR MORE)
• more serious
• more expensive
• more often
• more comfortable
• OR ADVERBS THAT END IN -LY
• more slowly
• more easily
• more seriously
• more quietly

EXAMPLES

• You´re older than me.
• The exam was quite easy- easier than I expected.
• Can you walk a bit faster?
• I´d like to have a bigger car.
• Last night I went to bed earlier than usual.
• You´re more patient than me.
• The exam was quite difficult- more difficult than I expected.
• Can you walk a bit more slowly?
• I´d like to have a more reliable car.
• I don´t play tennis much these days. I used to play more often.

COMPARISON 2

• BEFORE COMPARATIVES YOU CAN USE: much a lot far(=a lot) a bit a little slightly(= a little)
• Let´s go by car. It´s much cheaper or a lot cheaper
• Could you speak a bit more slowly or a little more slowly?
• This bag is slightly heavier than the other one.
• Her illness was far more serious than we thought at first / much more serious/ a lot more serious.
• ANY AND NO + COMPARATIVE
• I´ve waited long enought. I´m not waiting any longer/ Do you feel any better?
• This hotel is better than the other one, and it´s no more expensive.
• BETTER AND BETTER OR MORE AND MORE: TO SAY THAT SOMETHING CHANGE CONTINUOUSLY
• Your English is improving. It´s getting better and better.
• As I listened to his story, I became more and more convinced that he was lying.
• These days more and more people are learning English.

Folie 4

• THE (SOONER/BIGGER/MORE ETC) THE BETTER
• What time shall we leave? The sooner the better = as soon as possible
• What sort of box (=kind of box) do you want? A big one? Yes, the bigger the better =as big as possible
• When you´re travelling, the less luggage you have the better
• THE +COMPARATIVE +SOMETHING THE +COMPARATIVE +SOMETHING TO SAY THAT ONE THING DEPENDS ON ANOTHER THING
• The warmer the weather, the better I feel = If the weather is warmer, I feel better
• The sooner we leave , the earlier we will arrive
• The younger you are, the easier it is to learn
• The more expensive the hotel, the better the service
• The more electricity you use, the higher your bill willbe
• The more I thought about the plan, the less I like it
• OLDER OR ELDER TO TALK ABOUT PEOPLE IN A FAMILY
• My elder o older sister/brother/daughter/son is a TV producer
• BUT WE DON´T SAY THAT SOMEBODY IS ELDER
• My sister is older than me

COMPARISON 3

• AS... AS NEGATIVE SENTENCE
• Richard isn´t as old as he looks
• The town centre wasn´t as crowded as usual
• Jenny didn´t do as well in the exam as she had hoped
• I don´t know as many people as you do
• It´s not warm, but it isn´t so cold as yesterday
• I spent less money tahn you/ I didn´t spend as much money as you
• AS... AS POSITIVE SENTENCE