Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
| Type | Examples | Comparative | Superlative |
| One-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives | old, nice, happy | + -er | + -est |
| older, nicer, happier | the oldest, the nicest, the happiest | ||
| Longer adjectives and other two- syllable adjectives | famous, expensive | more, less | the most, the least |
| more famous, less expensive | the most famous, the least expensive | ||
| Irregular adjectives | good, bad, far | better, worse, farther/further | the best, the worst, the farthest/furthest |
| Adverbs | quickly carefully | more, less | the most, the least |
| more quickly, less carefully | the most quickly, the least carefully | ||
| Irregular adverbs | well, badly, far | better, worse, farther/further | the best, the worst, the farthest/furthest |
We use than with comparatives: Im older than my brother. This phone is more expensive than the others. Tom drives more slowly than me/than I do.
We can use superlatives in these patterns:
(one of) the + superlative: Its the best film Ive seen. Hes one of the best singers of his generation. Its one of the most interesting books shes written.
the second/third + superlative: Its the second/third most expensive hotel in the world.
Look at the table showing the results of a survey of students in a class and complete the sentences. Use the comparative.
| go shopping | interested in clothes | like computer games | concerned with looks | using technology | saving money | |
| Boys | ||||||
| Girls |
0 Girls go shopping.......... more often.................... than boys. (often)
1 Boys are.............................. in clothes than girls. (interested)
2 Computer games are.............................. with boys than with girls. (popular)
3 Boys are.............................. with their appearance than girls. (concerned)
4 Boys learn to use technology.............................. than girls. (quickly)
5 Girls are.............................. at saving money than boys. (good)
Complete the sentences. Use the superlative.
0 Its a fantastic book! Its............. the best................. book Ive read for ages! (good)
1 Football is the second.............................. sport for young people. Lots of people get injured playing it. (dangerous)
2 Helen, Rachel and I all speak Italian, but Helen speaks it............................... Shes very good at it. (fluently)
3 I had a horrible time. It was one of.............................. matches Ive had this season. (enjoyable)
4 Of the three of us, lack works............................... He loves this job. (hard)
5 I knew she wasnt going to help me. When I asked people for help, she answered...............................(enthusiastically)
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, using the word in bold. Use between two and five words.
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0 Everyone in my groups older than me. the
Im.............................. in my group.
1 Everyone I know is more sporty than Jamie. least
Jamie is.............................. person that I know.
2 Shes a more careful driver than her sister. carefully
She drives.............................. her sister.
3 Jo and Ted are the best at singing in the group, but Jos better than Ted. second
Teds.............................. singer in the group.
4 Kelly reacts to problems less calmly than the rest of us. the
Kelly reacts to problems.............................. of us all.
5 Kirsty is more cautious than me. less
Im.............................. Kirsty.
6 Everyone in our class behaves more maturely than Tim. immaturely
Tim behaves.............................. in our class.
4. Put the adjectives in brackets into the comparative or superlative form, adding any necessary words.
1. A: Did you enjoy the film?
B: Not at all. It was______________ (bad) film Ive ever seen.
2. A: Craig is very intelligent.
B: Yes. Hes ______________ (clever) student in our class.
3. A: How much did you pay for that woollen hat?
B: £3. It was______________ (cheap) one I could find.
4. A: Did you enjoy your holiday?
B. Oh. yes. It was ______________ (good) holiday Ive had in years.
5. A: Did you like the red shirt you tried on?
B: Yes, but it was far ______________ (expensive) the white one.
6. A: Whales are ______________ (big) dolphins.
B: I know. They are huge!
7. A: What time is______________ (early) train to Oxford in the morning?
B: The first train leaves at 6 am.
5. Fill the gaps with the adjectives in brackets in correct form:
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson are two of 1) ______________ (famous) celebrity sisters in the USA. Both sing and act, and both are popular TV personalities. Jessica is three years 2) ______________ (old) than her sister. She became famous a few years 3) ______________ (early) than Ashlee when she starred in her own reality TV series with her husband Nick. Ashlee began her career as a dancer and has recently become one of 4) ______________ (successful) acts in pop music. The Simpson sisters look very similar, although Ashlee is around 10 centimetres 5) ______________ (tall) than Jessica. The girls have different personalities, too. Ashlee is well known for being an outgoing person while Jessica is much 6) ______________ (shy) than her sister. Fans continue to disagree over which sister is more talented but what is clear is that both girls have many exciting years ahead of them!
6. Choose correct forms from the box to complete the sentences:
| arent | isnt | m | s | m not |
| am | are | re | is | are |
1. Lucien and Marie-Claire____________our agents in Bordeaux.
2. Mrs Turner____________a programmer in Leeds.
3. My boss and I____________from Frankfurt.
4. Where____________your new assistant from?
5. Youre in Poland, but you _____________ in Warsaw.
6. Excuse me____________you the new technician?
7. I____________Swiss, but my company____________Italian.
8. Dorota and Cezariusz____________Polish. Their office____________in Poznan.
9. Im Russian, but I _____________ from Moscow.
10.Her name is Sophia, but she _____________ Italian.
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7. Write short answers to the questions:
1. Is Akos from Turkey?
____________ Hes from Hungary.
2. Are you in Production too, Maria?
____________ Im the assistant production manager.
3. Am I in room 243 tomorrow?
____________ Youre in 112.
4. Am I late for the meeting?
____________ But just by five minutes, so dont worry.
5. Is Linda English too?
____________ Shes from Australia.
6. Is the new sales assistant French?
____________ Hes from Lyons.
7. Are you from Switzerland, Brigitte?
____________ Im from Belgium.
8. Are you and Lucille in Marketing?
____________ Were both in Finance.
2 Places and movement
Present simple or present continuous?
Compare the uses of the present simple and present continuous:
| We use the present simple: | We use the present continuous: |
| for habitual and repeated events/actions: It rainsa lot here. | for actions in progress at the moment of speaking: Oh no! It's raining! |
| with adverbs of frequency (e.g. always, never), to say how often something happens: I always get upat 6 a.m. | with always, to show that something happens often and is surprising or annoying: Im always losingmy keys! |
| for situations/states that are true at the present time or usually true (permanent): 1 livein Berlin. My brother goesto college in York. | for situations/states that are true for a limited period (temporary): Im livingIn Hamburg at the moment.He's doinga work placement this month. |
| for facts that are always true: The sun risesin the east. | for situations/states that are changing: Our summers are gettinghotter. |
