Comparative and Superlative

COMPARATIVE

Para comparar dos cosas, animales o personas se utilizan los adjetivos en grado comparativo.

• El comparativo de SUPERIORIDAD (más… que) se usa para comparar dos cosas, animales o personas cuando una supera a la otra en algún aspecto. Para formarlo hay que fijarse en la longitud del adjetivo:

• Si tiene una sílaba o dos y termina en y, el adjetivo se considera corto y se le añade la terminación –er. Detrás se pone la partícula than. The crocodile is bigger than a lizard.
• En los siguientes casos el adjetivo cambia al añadirle –er:
• Si tiene una sílaba y acaba en vocal + 1 consonante, se dobla la consonante: thinner than.
• Si acaba en consonante + y, se cambia la y por i: crazier than.
• Si acaba en l, se duplica esa letra: smaller than.
• Si acaba en e muda, solo se le añade r: nicer than.
• Si tiene 2 sílabas o más, el adjetivo se considera largo y la comparativa se forma con more + adjetivo + than. Wolfes are more dangerous than zebras.

• El comparativo de INFERIORIDAD se forma con less + adjetivo + than (menos…que). Chimpanzees are less frightening than gorilas.

1. Complete the sentences with the affirmative form of to be and the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Spiders _________________(frightening) snakes.

b)      Bread __________________ (tasty) cake.

c)      The food in Spain ________________ (good) the food in England.

d)      Dogs __________________(nice) cats.

e)      Today, the weather ______________ (bad) yesterday.

f)        It’s too noisy here. Can we go to a ___________________(quiet) place?

g)      The hotel was ___________________(big) than that in which we stayed last year.

h)      Your work is _______________(good) than mine.

i)        The accident could have been ____________________(bad) than it was.

j)        I was _________________________(nervous) in my exam yesterday than Mark.

k)      I’d like to have a ______________(fast) car. The one I have now is really old.

l)        Last week it was really hot. Today is _________________(cold) than then.

SUPERLATIVE

Se usa para comparar más de dos cosas, animales o personas y decir que una destaca sobre las demás. También hay que tener en cuenta la longitud del adjetivo:

• Si es corto, se pone delante the y se le añade la terminación –est según las mismas reglas que para formar el comparativo con –er. This is the cheapest ring in the shop.
• Si es largo, se pone delante the most. The rainforest is the most pleasant place in the zone.
• El superlativo puede ir seguido de las preposiciones in, of y on. Spring is the most colourful season of the year.
• Para indicar que alguien o lago es inferior que el resto en algún aspecto se utiliza la estructura the least + adjetivo. Desert is the least noisy places in the World.

2. Complete the questions with the superlative form of the adjetives in brackets. Then answer the question with the places below.

Russia – The Pacific – Vatican City – Cape York Peninsula – The Nile

a)      What is _____________________(small) country in the world?

b)      What is _____________________(big) country in the world?

c)      What is _____________________ (long) river in the world?

d)      What is _____________________(large) ocean in the world?

e)      What is _____________________(isolated) place in Australia?

3. Write the superiority comparative form of the following adjectives:

Beautiful -  __________________than

Wide - ______________________than

Handsome - __________________than

Lazy - _______________________than

Ugly - _______________________than

Serious - _____________________than

Clever - ______________________than

Funny - ______________________than

Soft - ________________________than

Good - ______________________than 

Hard - ______________________than

Heavy - _____________________than

Loud - _______________________than

Nasty - ______________________than

Expensive - ___________________than

Dirty - _______________________than

4. Complete the sentences using the superiority comparative from of the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Cindy’s hat is _______________ (dark) than mine.

b)      Snakes are __________________(dangerous) than rats.

c)      My old trousers are ________________ (long) than those black ones.

d)      Mark is __________________ (clever) than his brother.

e)      German is ____________________(difficult) than English.

f)        I am ___________________ (strong) than my friend.

g)      The teacher is _________________(tall) than me.

h)      My friend’s eyes are _________________(big) than mine.

i)        He sings ____________________(good) than Betty.

j)        Lucy’s hair is ________________(curly) than yours.

5. Complete the sentences using the superlative form of the adjectives.

a)      It’s very nice house. It’s ________________house in the street.

b)      This is a cheap restaurant. It’s _________________I’ve ever been.

c)      It was a very valuable painting. I’m sure it was __________________painting in the gallery.

d)      She’s a very good player. Her trainer says she is _________________.

e)      He’s very dangerous criminal. The police says he is __________________ in the country.

f)        We should buy him a beautiful present. Last year we gave him _______________gift of all in his birthday.

IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

Al no seguir ninguna regla, hay que aprender sus formas comparativa y superlativa de memoria.

Adjetives	Comparative	Superlative
Good (Bueno/a) Bad (Malo/a) Far (lejano/a) Little (poco/a)	Better Worse Farther / Further Less	Best Worst Farthest / Furthest Least

6. Complete the chart below.

ADJETIVE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
Calm	Calmer than
		The safest
	Happier than
Isolated
Hot
		The best
	Worse than
Pleasant

7. Write sentences with the words below. Use the comparative or superlative form.

a)      Mount Everest / high / mountain in the world. ___________________________

b)      Gymnastics / safe / judo _______________________________________

c)      Mercury / close / planet to the sun ______________________________

d)      Spain / sunny / Norway _____________________________________

8. Complete the sentences with less … than or the least and the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Walking is one of ______________________ types of sport. (difficult)

b)      An adventure holiday is ______________________ a beach holiday. (relaxing)

c)      Female birds are ___________________________ male birds. (colourful)

d)      I think history is ___________________________ subject in school. (interesting).

9. Write sentences to compare the countries below. Use the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in the box. Make affirmative or negative comparisons.

England – Spain – Russia – big – small – cold – interesting – hot – pleasant

a)      _________________________________________________

b)      _________________________________________________

c)      _________________________________________________

d)      ________________________________________________

e)      ________________________________________________

10. .Write comparative and superlative sentences with the words below. Use the affirmative form of to be:

a)      Bikes / slow / cars _________________________________

b)      The cheetah / fast / animal in the world ___________________________

c)      Dolphins / frightening / sharks __________________________________

d)      An orange / round / a lemon ________________________________________

e)      The Mona Lisa / famous / painting in history ____________________________

11. Write the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in these sentences

a)      She was a very intelligent student. She was ___________________ girl in her class.

b)      It’s very old castle. Experts argued it is _________________ in Britain.

c)      I’m going to sleep on the sofa. The floor is ___________________(uncomfortable) than it.

d)      This new job is ________________(important) for me than the last I had.

e)      Living in the countryside is __________________(healthy) than leaving in town.

f)        These instructions were _________________(difficult) ones I have ever read.

(NOT) AS… AS /TOO … / (NOT) … ENOUGH

El comparativo de igualdad se forma con (not) as + adjetivo + as (no tan … como). This table is as heavy as elephant. Mount Aveto is not as high as Mount Everest.

Too va delante del adjetivo e indica que la cualidad expresada por este es excesiva. Significa “demasiado”. These earrings are too expensive for me. En cambio, enough se pone detrás del adjetivo y significa “lo bastante” o “ lo suficientemente”. This bar lively enough for us. Y not + adjetivo + enough significa “ no lo bastante” o “no lo suficientemente”. This place is not peaceful enough to study.

12. Complete the sentences to compare three hotels. Use (not) as … as and the adjectives in brackets.

HOPE HOTEL Opened : 2003 Size : 250 rooms Price: 200€ a night Rating : *****

BLUE SKY HOTEL Opened: 2012 Price: 150€ a night Size: 250€ room Rating: ****

JAY’S HOTEL Opened: 2003 Size: 75 rooms Price: 70€ a night Rating: ***

a)      The price at Jay’s Hotel is __________________(high) at Hope Hotel.

b)      Blue Sky Hotel is __________________ (good) Hope Hotel.

c)      Jay’s Hotel is ______________________(old) Hope Hotel.

d)      Hope Hotel is _________________(new) Blue sky Hotel.

e)      Blue Sky Hotel is ____________________________(big) Hope Hotel.

f)        The price at Hope Hotel is ________________________(low) at Blue Sky Hotel.

13. Complete the sentences with too… or (not) … enough and the adjectives in brackets.

-         Are the trousers long enough for John? No, they are _____________(short).

-         I live near my school. It is  ____________________ (close) to walk.

-         I’m sorry, but I’m _________________(busy) to meet you today.

-         Clare is 18 years old. She is ___________________(old)  to drive a car.

-         We can’t go to the USA on a short holiday because it’s ________________(far).

-         Don’t walk around Central Park at night. It’s __________________(safe).

14. Complete the sentences with the adjectives below and too … or (not) … enough.

Rough    brave     hot    lively   big

• These sandals are _________________. I need a larger size.
• Are you _______________ to go scuba diving?     
• We can’t swim in the sea today because it’s ___________________.
• Let’s sit under that tree. It’s ________________ in the sun.
• There wasn’t any music or dancing at the party. It was ___________________.

15. Rewrite the sentences with the words in brackets.

• Jim and Peter are the same height. (as tall as) ________________________________
• It is too dangerous to dive off this cliff. (safe enough) ________________________________
• The sea isn’t calm enough to go sailing. (too rough) _________________________________
• The field is too small to play football. (big enough) _________________________________
• A calculator is smaller than a laptop. (as large as) _________________________________

16. Translate the sentences in to English.

• Es demasiado aterrador andar por este acantilado _______________________________________
• La costa este está más aislada que la costa oeste.___________________________________
• No es suficientemente seguro entrar en el cañón. _______________________________________
• Estos son los arrecifes de coral más extraordinarios del mundo. ___________________________________________________
• El puerto no es tan bullicioso como la playa. ____________________________________

SOLUCIONES

Soluciones. Comparative and Superlative.

1. Complete the sentences with the affirmative form of to be and the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Spiders are more frightening than snakes.

b)      Bread is tastier than cake.

c)      The food in Spain is better than the food in England.

d)      Dogs are nicer than cats.

e)      Today, the weather is worse than yesterday.

f)        It’s too noisy here. Can we go to a better place?

g)      The hotel was bigger than that in which we stayed last year.

h)      Your work is better than mine.

i)        The accident could have been worse than it was.

j)        I was more nervous  in my exam yesterday than Mark.

k)      I’d like to have a faster car. The one I have now is really old.

l)        Last week it was really hot. Today is colder than then.

2. Complete the questions with the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets. Then answer the question with the places below.

Russia – The Pacific – Vatican City – Cape York Peninsula – The Nile

a)      What is the smallest country in the world? Vatican City

b)      What is the biggest country in the world? Russia

c)      What is the longest  river in the world? The Nile

d)      What is the largest  ocean in the world? The Pacific

e)      What is the most isolated  place in Australia? Cape York Peninsula

3. Write the comparative form of the following adjectives:

Beautiful -  more beautiful than

Wide -  wider than

Handsome - more handsome than

Lazy - lazier than

Ugly - uglier than

Serious - more serious than

Clever - more clever than

Funny - funnier than

Soft - softer than

Good - better than 

Hard - harder than

Heavy - heavier than

Loud - louder than

Nasty - nastier than

Expensive - more expensive than

Dirty - dirtier than

4. Complete the sentences using the superiority comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Cindy’s hat is darker than mine.

b)      Snakes are more dangerous than rats.

c)      My old trousers are longer than those black ones.

d)      Mark is more clever than his brother.

e)      German is more difficult  than English.

f)        I am stronger than my friend.

g)      The teacher is taller than me.

h)      My friend’s eyes are bigger than mine.

i)        He sings better  than Betty.

j)        Lucy’s hair is curlier than yours.

5. Complete the sentences using the superlative form of the adjectives.

a)      It's a very nice house. It’s the nicest house in the street.

b)      This is a cheap restaurant. It’s the cheapest I’ve ever been.

c)      It was a very valuable painting. I’m sure it was the most valuable painting in the gallery.

d)      She’s a very good player. Her trainer says she is the best.

e)      He's a very dangerous criminal. The police say he is the most dangerous in the country.

f)        We should buy him a beautiful present. Last year we gave him the most beautiful gift of all on his birthday.

IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

Al no seguir ninguna regla, hay que aprender sus formas comparativa y superlativa de memoria.

Adjectives	Comparative	Superlative
Good (Bueno/a) Bad (Malo/a) Far (lejano/a) Little (poco/a)	Better Worse Farther / Further Less	Best Worst Farthest / Furthest Least

6. Complete the chart below.

ADJECTIVE	COMPARATIVE	SUPERLATIVE
Calm	Calmer than	The calmest
Safe	safer than	The safest
happy	Happier than	the happiest
Isolated	more isolated than	the most isolated
Hot	hotter than	the hottest
good	better than	The best
bad	Worse than	the worst
Pleasant	more pleasant than	the most pleasant

7. Write sentences with the words below. Use the comparative or superlative form.

a)      Mount Everest / high / mountain in the world. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

b)      Gymnastics / safe / judo . Gymnastics is safer than judo.

c)      Mercury / close / planet to the sun. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.

d)      Spain / sunny / Norway . Spain is sunnier than Norway.

8. Complete the sentences with less … than or the least and the adjectives in brackets.

a)      Walking is one of the least difficult types of sport. 

b)      An adventure holiday is less relaxing than  a beach holiday. 

c)      Female birds are less colourful than male birds. 

d)      I think history is the least interesting  subject in school. 

9. Write sentences to compare the countries below. Use the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in the box. Make affirmative or negative comparisons.

England – Spain – Russia – big – small – cold – interesting – hot – pleasant

a)      England isn’t hotter than Spain.

b)     Spain is smaller than Russia.

c)      Russia is the biggest country.

d)      Spain is the hotter country.

e)     England is less interesting than Russia.

10. Write comparative and superlative sentences with the words below. Use the affirmative form of to be:

a)      Bikes / slow / cars . Bikes are slower than cars.

b)      The cheetah / fast / animal in the world . The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world.

c)      Dolphins / frightening / sharks. Dolphins are more frightening than sharks.

d)      An orange / round / a lemon . An orange is rounder than a lemon.

e)      The Mona Lisa / famous / painting in history. The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in history.

11. Write the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in these sentences

a)      She was a very intelligent student. She was the most intelligent girl in her class.

b)      It's a very old castle. Experts argued it is the oldest in Britain.

c)      I’m going to sleep on the sofa. The floor is more uncomfortable than it.

d)      This new job is more important  for me than the last I had.

e)      Living in the countryside is healthier than living in town.

f)        These instructions were the most difficult ones I have ever read.

12. Complete the sentences to compare three hotels. Use (not) as … as and the adjectives in brackets.

HOPE HOTEL Opened : 2003 Size : 250 rooms Price: 200€ a night Rating : *****

BLUE SKY HOTEL Opened: 2012 Price: 150€ a night Size: 250 room Rating: ****

JAY’S HOTEL Opened: 2003 Size: 75 rooms Price: 70€ a night Rating: ***

a)      The price at Jay’s Hotel is not as high as at Hope Hotel.

b)      Blue Sky Hotel is not as good as  Hope Hotel.

c)      Jay’s Hotel is as old as  Hope Hotel.

d)      Hope Hotel is not as new as Blue sky Hotel.

e)      Blue Sky Hotel is as big as Hope Hotel.

f)        The price at Hope Hotel is not as low as at Blue Sky Hotel.

13. Complete the sentences with too… or (not) … enough and the adjectives in brackets.

•  Are the trousers long enough for John? No, they are too short.

• I live near my school. It is close enough to walk.

•  I’m sorry, but I’m too busy to meet you today.

•  Clare is 18 years old. She is old enough  to drive a car.

• We can’t go to the USA on a short holiday because it’s too far.

• Don’t walk around Central Park at night. It’s not safe enough.

14. Complete the sentences with the adjectives below and too … or (not) … enough.

Rough   brave   hot lively   big

• These sandals are not big enough. I need a larger size.

• Are you brave enough to go scuba diving?     

• We can’t swim in the sea today because it’s too rough.

• Let’s sit under that tree. It’s too hot in the sun.

• There wasn’t any music or dancing at the party. It was not lively enough.

15. Rewrite the sentences with the words in brackets.

• Jim and Peter are the same height. Jim is as tall as Peter.

• It is too dangerous to dive off this cliff. This cliff is not safe enough.

• The sea isn’t calm enough to go sailing. The sea is too rough.

• The field is too small to play football. The field is not big enough.

• A calculator is smaller than a laptop.A calculator is not as large as a laptop.

16. Translate the sentences into English.

• Es demasiado aterrador andar por este acantilado. Is too frightening walk around this cliff.

• La costa este está más aislada que la costa oeste.The East coast is more isolated than the West Coast.

• No es suficientemente seguro entrar en el cañón. Is not safe enough to enter this canyon.

• Estos son los arrecifes de coral más extraordinarios del mundo. There are the most extraordinary Coral Reefs in the world.

• El puerto no es tan bullicioso como la playa. The Port is not as lively as the beach.