COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
Comparative adjective + er
Superlative adjective the … + est

Great

Hard + er harder
the hardest

Small
smaller
the smallest

Fast
faster
the fastest

High
higher
the highest

Low
lower
the lowest

greater
the greatest
All one syllable adjectives: add er to adjective (to
form comparatives).
example


Fare clic per modificare stili del testo dello
schemato compete these
It is harder for companies
Secondo
livello
days than it was 20 years ago.
Terzo livello
Quarto livello
Quinto livello
Adjectives ending in y .... + ier

Easy

Healthy - healthier - the healthiest

Steady

- easier
- steadier
-
the easiest
- the steadiest
Even if the adjective is made up of two or
more syllables.
BUT
When

Fare
the adjective
clic per modificare
ends in - er/-ow
stili delwe
testo
adddello
–er.
schema
Secondo livello
Eg: clever ….… cleverer – the cleverest
Terzo livello
Quarto livello
Eg: Narrow ……. narrower
- the narrowest
Quinto livello
Double consonant

Hot – hotter –the hottest

Big – bigger – the biggest

Thin – thinner – the thinnest
When one syllable adjectives end in one vowel
and a consonant: double the consonant
Eg:Companies these days are facing hotter
competition.
Do not double the consonant
When

Fare
one clic
syllable
per modificare
adjectives stili
enddel
withtesto
2 vowels
dello
and one consonant weschema
do not double the
consonant.
Secondo livello
Terzo livello
Eg: great …….greater than……the greatest
Quarto livello
Eg: neat…….neater than……..the neatest
Quinto livello
Irregular adjectives
Comparative -
Superlative

Good – better – the best

Bad – worse – the worst

Far – further – the furthest
Adjectives with more than one
syllable


(something is)… more/less exciting
than...(something else)
More/less powerful than

More/less cynical than

More/less responsive than

The most/ the least efficient

The most/the least careful

The most/the least positive
More/less + adj +than (COMP)
The most/least + adjective (SUP)





Fare clic per modificare stili del testo dello
Good marketing is more important than competitive
schema
prices.
Secondo livello
A newspaper marketing
campaign
Terzo
livello is less effective
than a television campaign.
Quarto livello
Quinto livello
This is the least interesting part of the conference.
The most interesting product I saw at the fair was
from Korea.
Please notice



When
thing/person
we arestili
comparing
is dello
Farethe
clic
per modificare
del testo
understood (obvious) schema
we often omit the «than»
clause.
Secondo livello
Eg: Yes this computer
is definitely
Terzo
livello better. (…..than
the one we looked Quarto
at before)
livello
Quinto livello

Eg: yes this computer is definitely the best. (…….of
all the computers we have looked at).
Alternative ways of comparing things
as..adj..as
COMPARE:

Fare clic per modificare stili del testo dello
schema
My job is as difficult as yours.

Secondo
livello
My job is not as difficult as yours.
Terzo livello
Quarto livello
Which one is equal? Quinto livello


Is my job more difficult?

Or your job more difficult?

Comparing quantity with nouns



We’ve
Fare got
clic as
permany
modificare
employees
stili delintesto
the dello
marketing department
schema
as we have in sales.
Secondo
livello
(countable noun)
Terzo livello
Quarto livello
Quinto
livello in the suburbs
There’s not as much
pollution
as there is in the city centre.
(uncountable noun)
Look at these comparisons:

InFare
Britain
clicFiat
persells
modificare
nearly stili
as many
del testo
cars
dello
as
Ford.
schema
Secondo
livello
A big or small difference?
Terzo livello
Who sells more?Quarto livello
My job is nothingQuinto
like aslivello
difficult as yours.
1.
A big or small difference?
2.
Whose job is more difficult?

1.
2.

Compare
Como
Fare has
clic per
nowhere
modificare
near stili
as many
del testo
factories
dello
as Birmingham. schema
Secondo
livello

Brescia hasn’t anywhere near as many
Terzo livello
banks as Bergamo.
Quarto livello
Quinto livello
Is there a large or small difference?


Which sentence uses the verb in the negative
form?
A large difference:
Canada is far/much bigger than Ireland


Fareofclic
stili del
testo dello
The
north
Italyper
is amodificare
lot richer than
the south

schema
A Porsche is lots/a lot more expensive than a Fiat
Secondo
livello
Punto.
Terzo livello
Quarto livello
A small difference:
Quinto livello

The population of the UK is a little bit bigger than
Italy.

My salary is slightly more than in my previous job.

Complete with one word



This company is much........ exciting than the one you
used
to work
Fare
clic for.
per modificare stili del testo dello
This company is not as schema
competitive ….. the last one.
Indeed it has muchSecondo
less rivals. livello

Terzo
livello
The company is doing
…... this
year. (use good)

Quarto
livello I have ….had.
I think it was the best
work experience
Quinto livello

Your salary is the same ….. mine.

It was the …....film I have ever seen.

The......way to travel is by train. (use safe)


This design has been drawn more ….... (with more
care)
Its rivals have been selling more ….....(with more
Key Complete with one word



This company is much more exciting than the one you used
to Fare
work for.
clic per modificare stili del testo dello
This company is not as competitive
schema as the last one. Indeed it
has much less rivals.Secondo livello

The company is doing Terzo
better this
year. (use good)
livello

I think it was the best Quarto
work experience
livelloI have ever had.


Quinto
Your salary is the same
as mine.livello
It was the best/worst/funniest/saddest... film I have ever
seen.

The safest way to travel is by train. (use safe)

This design has been drawn more carefully (with more care)

Its rivals have been selling more successfully (with more
success)