COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES

lingue

COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES

Comparative adjectives are forms like younger, more expensive.

Superlative adjectives are forms like youngest, most expensive.

Farther/further and farthest/furthest are both used to talk about distan 111g66b ce. We use further to mean additional in some expression.

She lives three miles farther away from the office than I do.

Further education, further information, further discussion.

Elder and eldest are used with brother, sister, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter.

Jonh's my elder brother. (I have one brother older than me).

Sarah's my eldest sister (I have more than one sister).

Irregular comparison

Good/well - better - best

Bad - worse - worst

Far - farther/further - farthest/furthest

Old - older/elder - oldest/eldest

Little - less - least

Much/many - more - most

Before comparatives, we can use much, far, very much, a little, a bit, a lot/lots, any, no and even.

He's mach/far older thant her.

She's very much happier in the new job.

I feel a litte/a bit better.

These grapes are a lot sweeter than the others.

The train's no quicker than the bus or the train isnt any quicker than the bus.

You look even more beautiful than usual.

COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS

Comparative and superlative adverbs normally have more and most.

Could you drive more slowly?

French is the language he speaks the most easely.

But the following adverbs have -er,-est like adjectives:

Early - earlier - earliest

Fast - faster - fastest

Hard - harder - hardest

Late - later - latest

Near - nearer - nearest

Soon - sooner - soonest

Better, best, worse and worst con be used as adverbs.

AS...AS

We use as...as to say that people or things are equal in some way.

She's as tall as her brother.

Is it as good as you expected?

She speaks French as well as the rest of us.

After not, we can use so...as instead as...as.

He's not so/as successful as his father.

Other useful structures:

I haven't got as much time as I tought.

We need as many poeple as possible.

She earns twice as much money as me/as I do.

He went to the same school as me/as I did.

As slow as a brocken down snail

As dirty as a dustbin lid

As thick as two short planks ( = stupid)

As black as two o'clock in the morning

As ugly as home-made soap

As happy as a dog with two tails

As poor as a church mouse

As croocked as a dog's hind leg

As croocked as a barrel of fish hooks

As nervous as a brick wall

As brave as the first man who ate an oyster

As cold as an ex-wife's heart

As big as the little end of nothing

As welcome as a wet shoe

As noisy as two skeletons dancing on a tin roof

As dark as the inside of a wolf

As scarce as hen's teeth

As exciting as watching paint dry