Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages
COMPARISONS
o The ways to form adjectives/adverbs of the comparative and
superlative degree
- Add “er/est” after the adjectives/adverbs in the following cases:
+ Adjectives/adverbs of one syllable
EX: wise – wiser – wisest
cold – colder – coldest
+ Adjectives/adverbs of two syllables ending in “y, ow, er, le”
EX: pretty – prettier – prettiest
narrow – narrower – narrowest
clever – cleverer – cleverest
noble – nobler – noblest
+ Adjectives/adverbs of two syllables with the stress falling on the second one.
EX: polite – politer – politest
severe – severer – severest
- Add “more/most” before the adjectives/adverbs of other cases and of 3
or more syllables
EX: handsome – more handsome – most handsome
beautiful – more beautiful – most beautiful
Note:
- If the one-syllable adjectives/adverbs end in “vowel+ consonant (except:
h, w, x, y)” , double the consonant before adding “er/est”
EX: fat – fatter - fattest
- If adjectives/adverbs end in “consonant + y”, we change “y” to “i” and
add “er/est”
EX: happy – happier – happiest
- If adjectives/adverbs end in “vowel + y”, we just add “er/est”
EX: gay – gayer – gayest
- If adjectives end in the suffixes of “-ed, -ing, -ful, -ish, -ous” and past
participles used as adjectives, we add “more/most” before them to form
the comparative and superlative degree.
EX: interesting – more interesting – most interesting
bent – more bent – most bent
o Irregular Forms of Comparison
Positive form
Comparative form
Good
Well (adj)
Better
Well (adv)
Bad
Worse
Badly
Many
More
Much
Little
Less
Old
Elder (preferably used in family)
Superlative form
Best
Worst
Most
Least
Eldest
Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages
Far
Late
Older (other cases)
Farther ( for distance)
Further
(implying
meaning)
Later
Latter (order)
Oldest
Farthest
abstract Furthest
Latest
Last
o Adjectives/Adverbs of two forms of comparative and superlative
degree
quiet, pleasant, common, early, often
o Structures of Positive Degree
Pattern 1
S + Be/ Vl + as + adjective + as + N/NP/O/Clause
EX: He is as tall as me.
Note: We can use “so” in place of “as” in negative statements:
EX: You aren’t so tall as her.
Pattern 2
S + Be/ Vl + times + as + adjective + as + N/NP/O/Clause
EX: Salt Lake is five times as salty as any oceans.
Pattern 3
S + V (V+O) + as + adverb + as + N/NP/O/Clause
EX: I run as fast as you do.
I will practice English as hard as you will.
Pattern 4
S + V (V+O) + times + as + adverb + as + N/NP/O/Clause
EX: A plane can fly three times as fast as a helicopter can.
o Structures of Comparative Degree
Pattern 1
S + Be/ Vl +
adj-er
more-adj
+ than + N/NP/O/Clause
Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages
EX: You look taller than me.
Pattern 2
adv-er
S+V+
+ than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adv
EX: She can type faster than me.
Pattern 3
S + Be/ Vl + period of time +
adj-er
+ than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adj
EX: She is twelve years younger than her husband.
Pattern 4
adv-er
S + V + times +
+ than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adv
EX: A computer can work 500,000 times faster than a person.
-
The comparative and superlative in noun phrases:
Adj-er
More Adj
+ Noun
The most Adj
EX: This is a more difficult question.
He is the last person to leave.
Pattern 5
adj-er + and + adj-er
S + Be/Vl +
more + and + more adj
EX: It is getting darker and darker.
She looks more and more beautiful.
Pattern 5
adv-er + and + adv-er
S+V+
more + and + more adv
EX: They are learning more and more actively.
Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages
o Structures of Superlative Degree
Pattern 1
adj-est
S + Be/ Vl + the +
+ singular Noun + of all/in + NP
most-adj
Pattern 2
adj-est
S + Be/ Vl + the +
+ of all + plural Noun
most-adj
EX: English is the most international language of all.
English is the most international of all languages.
Pattern 3
adv-est
S + V + (O) + the +
+…
most-adv
EX: He likes football the most.
Pattern 4
S + Vt + the +
adi-est
+ Noun
most-adj
EX: He ate the biggest cake yesterday.
Pattern 5
S1 + Be/ Vl + the +
adj-est
+ Noun + that + S2 + has/have + ever + PP
most-adj
EX: Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist that England has ever had.
o
-
Double Comparisons
the + adj-er, the + adj-er
the + more + adj, the + more + adj
the + adv-er, the + adv-er
the + more + adv, the + more + adv
the + adj-er, the + more + adj
the + more + adj, the + adj-er
the + adv-er, the + more + adv
the + more + adv, the + adv-er
Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages
EX: the sooner, the better
the more intelligent, the lazier
adj-er/adv-er
adj-er/adv-er
- the +
+ …, the +
+…
more + adj/more + adv
more + adj/more + adv
adj-er
- the +
+N+V+…
more + adj
adj-er
- the +
+N+S+V+…
more + adj
adj-er
- the +
+ S + Be/Vl + …
more + adj
adv-er
- the +
+ S + Vi/Vt+O + …
more + adv
EX: the more goods are produced, the cheaper they are.
the more you travel, the more you learn.
o Other forms of Comparison
- the former – the latter
EX: I walk with a boy and a girl. The former is my friend, the latter is my sister.
- other + plural Noun + than + N/Pronoun
EX: I have no other friends than you.
- rather than + N/Pronoun
EX: I like that blouse rather than this one.
- had better (not) + Vo + … + than + Vo + …
EX: You had better learn English than do nothing.
- would rather (not) + Vo + … than Vo + …
EX: She would rather go to work than wash dishes.