Level 7 Chapter 1 - Comparatives Part 2

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COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

We use COMPARATIVES to compare two persons or things:

ADJECTIVE or ADVERB + -ER + THAN; e.g.

Ben is SHORTER THAN Peter is.

Kathy is NICER THAN Marcy was.

A Ferrari is FASTER THAN a Ford.

Spelling rules for - ER comparatives:

Most add -ER: quieter, cheaper.

ending in -E; just add -R: larger, finer

ending in vowel + consonant; double the consonant: madder, bigger

ending in consonant + -Y; drop the -y and add -ier: busier, earlier

MORE / LESS + ADJECTIVE (of three syllables)/ ADVERB + THAN

The new office is MORE SPACIOUS THAN the old one was.

Buying a new car was LESS EXPENSIVE THAN I thought.

Gary speaks French MORE FLUENTLY THAN I do.

(NOT) AS + ADJECTIVE/ADVERB + AS

Bob is AS TALL AS Mike is.

Sales AREN'T AS GOOD AS they were last year.

I'll finish the job AS QUICKLY AS I can.

Modifying comparatives: ALMOST as big, TWICE as nice, QUITE A BIT taller

EVEN bigger, A LITTLE more intelligent, etc.

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We use SUPERLATIVES to compare at least three things:

THE + ADJECTIVE + -EST

Peter has THE BIGGEST office in the building.

The Ritz is THE NICEST hotel in the city.

THE MOST / LEAST + ADJECTIVE (of three syllables) / -LY ADVERBS

Last year was THE LEAST PROFITABLE year of all.

What's THE MOST INTERESTING book you've read?

Modifying superlatives: the VERY largest, ONE OF the most profitable,

BY FAR the worst, the second longest, etc.

Irregular forms of adjectives:

GOOD BETTER THE BEST

BAD WORSE THE WORST

LITTLE LESS THE LEAST

Irregular forms of adverbs:

WELL BETTER THE BEST

BADLY WORSE THE WORST

FAR FARTHER THE FARTHEST

FAST FASTER THE FASTEST

SOON SOONER THE SOONEST

CLOSE CLOSER THE CLOSEST

If all the Board's plans work out, AP will be one of ________________ companies in the industry by next year.
1. strongest
2. stronger
3. the strongest
If you ask me, Mary Barnes is probably ___________ talented programmer in the whole department.
1. the very
2. most
3. more
4. the most
My trip to Tahiti was _______________ vacation I ever had.
1. better than the
2. the very best
3. better
4. the very good
Labour costs and aging equipment are the company's two _____________ problems.
1. biggest
2. the biggest
3. as big as
4. bigger
Quitting school to get married is one of ___________ things a teenager can do.
1. worse
2. as bad as
3. the worst
The company James works for now isn't quite _______________ where he used to work.
1. large
2. as large as
3. larger than
4. the largest
If all the applicants are _________________ the first one was, we'll have a hard time deciding who to hire.
1. more qualified than
2. as qualified as
3. so qualified
4. the most qualified
Why don't young people find our products nearly ______________ those of other manufacturers?
1. so appealing
2. the most appealing
3. as appealing as
4. very appealing as
In general, the purchasers of our products were not ________________ we always assumed they were.
1. as young
2. younger than
3. as young as
4. the youngest
Young people today have incomes at least twice _______________ they did 20 years ago.
1. higher than
2. the highest
3. as high as
4. high
Were you ___________ as discouraged as Peter was with the results of the market study.
1. even
2. just
3. quite a bit
4. one of the
Our benefits plan is nearly __________________ as it can be.
1. more comprehensive
2. so comprehensive
3. the most comprehensive
4. as comprehensive
The situation isn't half __________ as everyone thinks it is.
1. bad
2. as bad
3. worse
4. the worst
We started using another type of copy paper because it was not quite _____________ as the one we were buying.
1. as expensive
2. more expensive
3. expensive
4. most expensive
Charles was _________ as ambitious to succeed as his father was.
1. even
2. just
3. the one
4. a little

WELL	BETTER	THE BEST
BADLY	WORSE	THE WORST
FAR	FARTHER	THE FARTHEST
FAST	FASTER	THE FASTEST
SOON	SOONER	THE SOONEST
CLOSE	CLOSER	THE CLOSEST