Transcript COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES AND …

Mª Jesús Pérez Robleda
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One-syllable adjectives
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Irregular comparison
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Two-syllable adjectives finished in: - y
- ow
- le
- er
Two-syllables adjectives: er/est or more/most.
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Three or more syllables adjectives.
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Hyphenated adjectives and compounds.
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More and most with short adjectives.
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Comparative and superlative adverbs.
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Most adjectives:
*old –older –oldest
*tall -taller
Adjectives ending in e:
*late
-later
-latest
-tallest
One vowel + one consonant: double
consonant.
*fat
-fatter
-fattest
*thin
-thinner thinnest
Good
 Bad
 Ill
 Old
 Far
 Little
 Much
Many
 Few
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better
best
worse
worst
worse
older/elder
oldest /oldest
farther/further farthest/farthest
less
least
more
fewer
less
most
fewest
least
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They normally take the –er and –est comparative
form, specially adjectives ending in unstressed
vowel:
*pretty
-prettier
-prettiest
*narrow
-narrower
-narrowest
*simple
-simpler
-simplest
*clever
-cleverer
-clevest
*quiet
-quieter
-quietest
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Others, particularly participial adjectives
formed with -ing and -ed and those ending
in -ious and -ful form their comparatives and
superlatives with more and most:
*boring
*worried
*anxious
*careful
more boring
more worried
more anxious
more careful
most
most
most
most
boring
worried
anxious
careful
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With some two-syllable adjectives er/est and
more/most are both possible:
The commonest /most common alcoholic
drink in Poland is vodka.
He is more pleasant/pleasanter to talk to
when he has not been drinking.
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In general, the structure with more/most is becoming
more common. In case of doubts, check a good
dictionary.
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Three or more syllable adjectives take more
or most in the comparative and superlative
except for two-syllable adjectives ending in y and prefixed with un-:
*reasonable
*beautiful
*unhealthy
*untidy
more reasonable most reasonable
more beautiful
most beautiful
unhealthier
unhealthiest
untidier
untidiest
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Hyphenated adjectives, which are also known
compound adjectives, normally use more and
most for the comparative and superlative
forms:
You are more sun-tanned than I am.
Some compounds adjectives have two
possibilities:
good looking better-looking best-looking
more good-looking
most good-looking
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More is normally used when a comparative is
not followed inmediately by than. Forms with
–er are also possible:
The road is getting more and more steep.
steeper and steeper.
Most in formal style followed by adjectives
means “very”.
That is most kind of you.
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Most of them are made with more and most:
Could you talk more quietly?
Adverbs with the same form of adjectives,
have comparatives and superlatives with –er
and –est. The most common are: fast, early,
late, hard, long, near, high, low, soon,well
(better, best),badly (worse, worst), etc…
Can’t you drive any faster?
Talk louder¡
Can you come earlier?
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More … than.
Less ... Than.
As
… as/as much … as/as many … as.
Half, twice, three times as … as.
-er/more and –er/more.
The –er/more , the –er/more.
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A big difference:
◦ Much
◦ Far
◦ Nowhere
◦ Considerably
◦ Not
◦ A great
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A small difference
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
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-er/more than
-er/more than
near
as… as
less
than
nearly
as … as
deal -er/more than
Almost as + adject + as
Nearly as + adject + as
Slightly –er/ more adject than
Not quite as + adject + as
A bit/a little –er/more adject than
No difference
◦ Just as + adject + as
◦ Not any –er/more adject than
◦ No –er/more adject than
Mucho más … que
De lejos más … que
Ni de cerca tan … como
Considerablemente menos … que
Ni con mucho tan … como
Muchísimo más … que
Casi tan … como
”
“
“
Ligeramente más … que
No exactamente tan … como
Un poco más … que
Justo tan … como
No es mucho más … que
No es más … que
-est/most ... in/of
*”In” with singular words referring to a place
or group. “Of” before plural and “lot”.
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She is the fastest player in the team
She is the fastest player of them all – She is
the best of the lot