NEW WORLD NUMBER ONE
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Comparison with adjectives + erlest | | sole the nos tats lagsssleege yas ioe an oe
We use ev/est with nearly all one-syllable adjectives. Note the spelling ; a 4
changes. (See Appendix 2 for more information on spelling rules.) Adjective + er + est Adjective +7 + st small smaller smallest nice nicer nicest slow slower slowest large larger largest Adjective + doubled consonant +er — + est
big + bigger biggest
hot +t hotter — hottest
His house 1s smaller than hers.
Mexico City ts the largest city in the world.
Today 1s the hottest day of the year.
Comparison with more/most or less/least + adjective
We use more/most or less/least for all adjectives with three syllables or more. We also use these forms for all adjectives ending in img or ed, eg pleasing/pleased, tiring/tired, worrying/worried and embarrassing/
embarrassed.
Cars are more reliable now than they were 20 years ago.
She’s the most beautiful girl in the world!
I'm less tived than I was yesterday. It’s the least tiring job.
168
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We can also use these forms for all adjectives with two syllables.
Jack 1s the most lazy boy I know.
John’s work 1s less careful than it should be.
We can also use more/most and less/least like fewer/fewest to talk about quantity.
Comparison with two-syllable adjectives
You can use more/most and less/least for all adjectives with two syllables. But we often use e7/est with two-syllable adjectives.
The road is more narrow/narrower here.
He’s the most lazyNaziest boy in the class.
We often use er/est with these very common two-syllable adjectives:
clever, cruel, gentle, narrow, pleasant, polite, quiet, simple, stupid, tired.
Ann 1s politer than her sister.
Tom 1s the cleverest boy in the class.
We also often use ev/est with two-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant + y, eg dirty, easy, funny, happy, lazy, lovely, pretty, silly, sunny and tidy. They change like this: dirty + ter/test > dirtier/dirtiest.
Jack is the laztest boy I know.
Question 2 1s easter than question 1.
Comparison of adverbs
We use a comparative form of an adverb (adverb + er or more + adverb) to compare two actions. We use a superlative form of an adverb (adverb + est or most + adverb) when one of a group does something beyond the others, eg ... accelerates the most quickly.
Many adverbs have the form adjective + /y, eg quickly, slowly and nicely. (See Unit 70 for more information on adjectives, adverbs and adverb formation.) Just like longer adjectives, these /y adverbs take the forms more/most and less/least.
Rob works more quickly than Steve.
Jane sings the most beautifully in the class.
Some adverbs look like short adjectives which take ev/est, eg deep, early, fast, hard, high, late, long and near. Just like these short adjectives, these adverbs usually take the forms ev/est.
The Rebel goes faster than the Gazelle.
I arrived the earliest at the meeting.
Note the irregular forms.
Adjective Adverb Comparative Superlative
good well better best
bad badly worse worst
far far farther/further _ farthest/furthest This yeur’s results are better than last year’s.
My headache is getting worse.
We can’t go any farther tonight.
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Exercises
1 Write the er and est forms.
Adjective er form est form
1 short shorter shortest
2 pretty epreliier prettiest
3 long ee
4 ugly 5 large 6 big 7 small 8 nice 9 cool 10 easy 11 stemple 12 fine 13 thin 14 hot
2 Write the correct ev forms of the
underlined adjectives.
Example: Bill has a large car. It’s even larger than my brother’s.
1 Yesterday’s test was easy — much than last month’s.
2 Question 2 was simple. It was certainly than question 1.
My cousin ts nice — a lot than my brother.
4 It’s been hot today, and it'll be even tomorrow.
5 The job took a long time. It took than I thought.
3 Write the est forms. Use these adjectives.
early, fit, funny, late, narrow, quick
Example: There’s a train at 5.30 am. That’s the earliest one.
1 This 1s the 2 Which ts the
model. It’s just come ont.
way to Parts, please?
3 We’re coming to the part of the river now. Here it’s only five metres wide.
Rod 1s the member of the team. He’s been training very hard.
He was the
couldn’t stop laughing.
man I’ve ever heard. I
Complete the radio adverts with regular er
and est forms. Use these adjectives.
easy, fast, fine, fit, low, white
Example: SPEED CLEAN was always the fastest home cleaner. Now it’s taster than ever before. It does the job in seconds.
You'll be in just three days with the HOME EXERCISER. And after a month you'll be the
you've ever been in your Itfe.
There’s no watch in the world than the perfect TIME PERFECTA. Remember, we've been
makers of the watches in the world for 30 years.
You'll find the prices in town at GOOD WAY SUPERMARKETS. And that’s a promise. If you can find prices anywhere else, we'll give you your money back.
GLEAM CREAM cleans your teeth than
white. For the GLEAM CREAM.
, cleanest teeth of all, choose
Do you hate all those video controls? Well, now TELE-SELECT is here. It’s the
world to use. Just talk to it. Tell it the time, the channel and the film to record, and TELE-SELECT does the rest.
What could be
thing in the
than that?
Complete the conversations. Use more/most, less/least or fewer/fewest.
Example: ®@ I’ve just moved to a bigger apartment in the same building.
O Do you have to pay more_ rent?
@ Yes, it’s the biggest in the building, so it costs the most.
@ Bob seems to get richer, but meaner every day. I can’t stand iim these days.
O Yes, he’s got money than ever before, but
he’s got friends!
ee
2 @ Pmstill hungry. Is thereany 7 Complete the statements with a verb and O But you've already had the out of comparative adverb.
everybody. Don’t be so greedy!
Examples: Ann is a quicker worker than Sue.
Ann works more guickly than Sue.
3 @ This motor-bike is certainly quite cheap. It costs than all the other models weve looked at.
; 1 Grandad 1s a slower driver than his me.
O Pve read that it also costs the to run out
of all the bikes this size. And I’ve also heard that it has Grandad than me.
the mechanical problems. 2 Stephen Prince is a more exciting writer than Sid Shelley.
@ But if there’s a mechanical problem, spare parts are very expensive. In fact, they cost the out of all the models in the 750cc class.
Write the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives.
Example: No language ts easy to learn, but Italian is less difficult than I thought. In fact it’s
the least difficult language Dve ever studied. (difficult)
Joe ts doing well at art college. He isn’t the
student in his year, but he’s than 90% of the other students. (talented)
Why do you always have to buy the
thing in the shop? Couldn't you choose something
(expensive)
I think rock climbing 1s even
than deep sea diving. In fact, I think 1t’s one of the do. (dangerous)
Uncut diamonds are than
diamonds that are cut. A diamond that was recently sold for $975,000 is the
world at the moment. (valuable)
I don’t like Robin Black’s new book as much as his last
one. It’s In fact, I think
it’s the book he’s ever
written. (interesting)
outdoor activities you can
one in the
Stephen Prince than Sid Shelley.
Don 1s a lighter sleeper than his brother.
Don than his brother.
Ron 1s always an earlier arrival at work than Bob.
Ron always at work than Bob.
Joe 1s a less intelligent football player than Steve.
Joe than Steve.
Write statements with superlative adverbs.
We tested three washing machines — the Crystal, the Wash-Tech and the Snowline. Here are the results.
Examples: (Snowline/wash/+ good/Crystal/wash/
- effective)
The Snowline washed the best. and the Crystal washed the least
effectively.
(Crystal/perform /+ reliable / Wash-Tech/perform/
- reliable)
( Wash-Tech/run/- economical/Crystal/run/+ cheap)
(Crystal/ finish /+ fast/Snowline/finish/- quick)
4 Hill finished faster than Rosst.
Fantastic!
Nigel Hill ts first on Number 32! And Carlo Rossi 1s second. So Hill ts
the new champion — the fastest man in
the world on two wheels!
Sentence patterns with comparatives
A comparative sentence compares two things. When we mention both things, we link them with than.
All 1s faster than Rossi. A CD lasts longer than a cassette.
When we compare with an adjective, we do not always mention both things.
@ Which is your jacket? =O The bigger one.
Sentence patterns with superlatives We usually use the before superlative adjectives.
Paul is the tallest person here.
We do not often use the before superlative adverbs. Compare the following.
@ Which 1s the best song? =O I like Sad Heart best.
We can use 7” or of after a superlative. Use im to talk about places and groups. Use of'to talk about other things, including numbers.
I’m the tallest boy in the class.
July 1s the warmest month of the year.
Sentence patterns with (not) as ... as
Use as... as to say that two things or actions are equal.
Paul ts as tall as his father now. I drive as well as Tom.
Use not as... as (or not so ... as) to say that two things or actions are not equal.
English isw’t as difficult as Maths. (Maths is harder than English.) He can’t work as quickly as I can. (1 can work faster than he can.)
Comparison and object pronouns
After a comparative with than or as... as, we often talk about another person. If we use a name we can do it in these two ways.
I drove faster than Carlo did. I drove faster than Carlo.
If we use a pronoun, the subject pronoun + auxiliary verb change to an object pronoun.
I drove faster than he did. > I drove faster than him.
He can’t run as quickly as I can. > He can’t run as quickly as me.
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