Comparatives and Superlatives – Intermediary
Choosing between comparatives and superlatives - Intermediate Level
Comparing two people, places, things, etc.
My car is a bit older than yours.
London is more expensive than Edinburgh.
This test is less difficult than the last one.
Olive oil is for you than butter.
The new sofa isn’t as comfortable as the old one.
I don’t have as many books as I used to.
1 We use comparative adjectives + than to compare two people, places, things, etc.
- Regular comparative adjectives:
- spelling rules
old- older
big – bigger
easy* easier
modern – more modern
difficult – more difficult
- Irregular comparative adjectives:
good – better
bad – worse
far – further / farther
- One-syllable adjectives ending in -ed:
bored – more bored
stressed – more stressed
tired – more tired
2 We can also use (not) as + adjective + as to make comparisons.
Object pronouns (me, him, etc.) after than and as
After “than” or “as” we can use an object pronoun (me, him, her, etc.)
or a subject pronoun (l, he, she, etc.) + auxiliary verb.
She’s taller than me. OR She’s taller than I am.
NOT She’s taller than I.
They’re not as busy as us. OR They’re not as busy as we are.
NOT They’re as busy as we.
the same as
We use the same as to say that two people, places, things,
etc. are identical.
Her dress is the same as mine.
Comparing two actions
- My father drives faster than me.
He walks more slowly than I do.
Liverpool played worse today than last week.
2. Max doesn’t speak English as well as his wife.
I don’t earn as much as my boss.
1. We use comparative adverbs to compare two actions.
Regular comparative adverbs: spelling rules:
fast – faster
slowly – more slowly
carefully – more carefully
Irregular comparatives:
well – better
badly — worse
2. We can also use (not) as + adverb + as to make comparisons.
superlatives
Kevin is the tallest player in the team.
Oslo is the most expensive capital city in Europe.
The small bag is the least expensive.
Lucy is the best student in the class.
Who dresses the most stylishly in your family?
That’s the worst we’ve ever played.
- We use superlative adjectives and adverbs to compare
people, things, or actions with all of their group.
- We form superlatives like comparatives, but we use -est
instead of -er and the most / least instead of more / less.
- We normally use the before superlatives, but we can also use
possessive adjectives, e.g. my best friend, their most famous
song.
- We often use a superlative with the present perfect + ever.
It’s the best book I’ve ever read.
“in” after superlatives
Use in (NOT of) before places after a superlative.
It’s the longest bridge in the world. NOT “of the world”
It’s the best beach in England. NOT “of England”
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