Comparatives and Superlatives

1
Comparatives and Superlatives

• 20127006 ???
• 20127007 ???

2
Main points (Unit 36)

• Comparatives adjectives are used to compare
  people or things.
• Superlative adjectives are used to say that one
  person or thing has more of a quality than others
  in a group or others of that kind.
• Comparatives adverbs are used in the same way as
  adjectives.

3
1

• You use comparative adjectives to compare one
  person or thing with another, or with the same
  person or thing at another time. After a
  comparative adjective, you often use than.
• EX) She was much older than me.
• 2
• You use a superlative to say that one person or
  thing has more of a quality than others in a
  group or others of that kind.
• EX) He was the tallest person there.

4
3

• You can use comparative and superlative
  adjectives in front of a noun or after link
  verbs.
• Ex)I was a better writer than he was.
• It was the quickest route from Rome to
• Naples.
• Ex)My brother is younger than me.
• This book was the most interesting.

5
4

• You can use adverbs of degree in front of
  comparative adjectives.
• Ex) Now I feel a great deal more confident.
• You can also use adverbs of degree such as
• by far, easily, much or quite in
  front of
• the and superlative adjectives.
• Ex) She was easily the most intelligent person
• in the class

A bit far a great/good deal a
little A lot much rather
slightly
6
4

• Note that you can put very between the and a
  superlative adjective ending in -est.
• Ex) I was of the very highest quality.
• 5
• When you want to say that one situation depends
  on another, you can use the and a comparative
  followed by the and another comparative.
• Ex) The smaller it is, the cheaper it is to
  post.

7
5

• When you want to say that something increases or
  decreases, you can use two comparatives linked by
  and.
• Ex) Cars are becoming more and more
• expensive.
• 6
• After a superlative adjective, you can use a
  prepositional phrase to specify the group you are
  talking about.
• Ex)Henry was the biggest of them.

8
7

• You use the same structures in comparisons using
  adverbs as those given for adjectives
• than after comparative adverbs
• Ex) Prices have been rising faster than
  incomes.
• the and a comparative adverb followed by the
  and another comparative adverb
• Ex) The quicker we finish, the sooner we will
  go home.
• two comparative adverbs linked by and
• Ex) He drove faster and faster till we told him
  to stops.

9
Main points (Unit 37)

• This includes words like. asas, the same(as)
  and like
• You use asas to compare people or things.
• You can also compare people or things by using a
  link verb and a phrase beginning with like.

10
1

• You use as asto compare people or things that
  are similar in some way.
• You use as and an adjective or adverb,
• followed by as and a noun group,
• an adverbial, or a clause.
• Ex) The airport was as crowded as ever.
• 2
• You can make a negative comparison using not
  asas or not so as
• Ex) The food wasnt as good as yesterday.

11
3

• You can use the adverbs almost, just,
  nearly or quite in front of as.as
• Ex)He was almost as fast as his brother.
• In a negative comparison, you can use not
  nearly or not quite before asas
• Ex)The hotel was not quite as good as they
  expected.

12
4

• When you want to say that one thing is very
  similar to something else, you can use the same
  as followed by a noun group, an adverbial, or
  clause.
• Ex)Your bag is the same as main.
• If people or things are very similar or
  identical. You can also say that they are the
  same.
• Ex)Teenage fashions are the same all over the
  world.
• Ex) He did exactly the same as John did.
• You can use the same in front of a noun group,
  with or without as after the noun group.
• Ex)They reached almost the same height.

13

• You can use some adverbs in front of the same
  as or the same.
•  
• Ex) He did exactly the same as John did.
• You can use the same in front of a noun group,
  with or without as after the noun group.
• Ex)They reached almost the same height.

14
5

• You can also compare people or things by using a
  link verb such as be, feel, or seem and a
  phrase beginning with like.
• Ex)He looked like an actor.
• You can use some adverbs in front of like.
• Ex)he looks just like a baby.

a bit a little exactly
just least less more
most quite rather
somewhat very
15
6

• If the noun group after as or. like in any of
  these structures is a pronoun, you use an object
  pronoun or possessive pronoun.
• Ex)Jane was as clever as him.
• 7
• You can also use less and least to make
  comparisons with the opposite meaning to more
  and most
• Ex) They were less fortunate than us.

16

• Practice (unit 36)
• A-3
• Our new house is bigger than the one we used to
  live in.
• B-3
• The game will certainly be much more exciting
  than it was last year.
• D-2
• We had never stayed in a more expensive hotel.
• It was the most expensive hotel we had ever
  stayed in.

17

• Practice (unit 37)
• A-2
• Jeans mother is generous and so is jean.
• Jean is as generous as her mother.
• C-2
• John is six feet tall and so is Henry.
• Theyre the same height.