Comparatives and Superlatives of

Adjectives
One-Syllable Adjectives
♦ We add –er and –est to one-syllable adjectives.
clean cleaner the cleanest
John is older THAN Nick.
small smaller the smallest These speakers are the cheapest in the shop.

♦ If a one-syllable adjective ends in –e, we only add –r and –st.

wide wider the widest
large larger the largest 
               
                           


♦ If a one-syllable adjective ends in a single vowel plus a single consonant, we double the
final consonant before adding –er and –est.
big bigger the biggest        
thin thinner the thinnest    
 
       

♦ One-syllable adjectives that end in a consonant plus y change the y to i and add –er.
dry drier the driest

Two-Syllable Adjectives
♦ For two-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant + y, we change the y to i and add –er and –
est.
happy happier the happiest
easy easier the easiest Now I feel the happiest person in the world.
She was happier when she worked as a computer
programmer.

♦ For two-syllable adjectives that do not end in a consonant plus y, we use more plus the
adjective to form the comparative and the most to form the superlative.
careful more careful the most
careful Fred’s new laptop is the most modern on the market.
modern more the most I’m going to buy a more modern PC.
modern modern

Adjectives of Three or More Syllable

♦ We use more plus the adjective to form the comparative and the most to form the
superlative.
comfortable more the most
comfortable comfortable Mark more experienced than the other applicants.
interesting more interesting the most Mark was the most experienced of the applicants.
interesting

Irregular Comparatives
♦ A few adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
bad worse the worst
good better the best Mary is a good student but Susan is better.
far farther the
farthest

Inferiority
♦ Adjectives that use more and the most can also use less and the least.
expensive less expensive the least expensive
Fred’s mobile phone is less expensive than Bill’s.
Fred bought the least expensive mobile phone in the
shop.
 Equality
♦ When things have equal characteristics we use as+adjective+as.
The book is as good as the movie.
We use the word than after the comparative if we mention the person or thing

Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).

1. My house is (big) than yours.

2. This flower is (beautiful) than that one.
3. This is the (interesting) book I have ever read.
4. Non-smokers usually live (long) than smokers.
5. Which is the (dangerous) animal in the world?
6. A holiday by the sea is (good) than a holiday in the mountains.
7. It is strange but often a coke is (expensive) than a beer.
8. Who is the (rich) woman on earth?
9. The weather this summer is even (bad) than last summer.
10. He was the (clever) thief of all.

Completa con la forma comparativa o superlativa del adjetivo escrito entre paréntesis.

1. This computer is (new) than your computer.

2. Lisa is (old) than George.

3. George is (young) than Lisa.

4. Lucy is (young) in the class.

5. That car is (expensive) than this car.

6. That car is (expensive) in the market.

7. Your car is (fast) than this car.

8. Your car is (fast) in the race.

9. This house is (big) than my house!

10. This house is (big) in the neighbourhood.

Complete the sentences using the comparative or the superlative forms.

1. Microcomputers were (small).........the systems used by most businesses

2. A workstation has a (powerful)................processor for performing special tasks
3. Mainframes used to be (big)...............computers in the early days of computing
4. (good)..........know supercomputers are built by Cray
5. Palmtops are (small).......... a paperback novel
6. The handheld computers is a slightly (heavy)..............version of the palmtop.
7. Wearable computers are certainly (small)..............all computers!
8. Crazy supercomputers handle the world's (large)...........engineering problems .
9. The size of computers has become (small).................while the power has become(great)............
10. Palmtops are (commonly)..............know as PDAs.

Model Processo Screen Weigh Specificati Price

r Size t on
Dell Inspiron Intel Atom 10.2 inch 1,51 kg 1 Gb RAM £228.9
Mini 10 N455 9
1024 x 620 250 Gb Hard
pixel Drive
resolution

Sony VAIO M Intel Atom 10.1 inch 1,4 kg 1 Gb RAM £252.9

Series N470 LED Backlit 9
250 Gb Hard
1024 x Drive
600 pixel
resolution

ASUS Eee Intel Atom 12.1 inch 1,45 kg 2 Gb RAM £258.5

1005PE N450 Anti-glare 0
250 Gb Hard
1366 x Drive
768 pixel
resolution

http://www.pc-site.co.uk/compare-netbooks

Compare the three netbooks. Write sentences using these adjectives:

♦ POWERFUL PROCESSOR
♦ EXPENSIVE
♦ FAST
♦ BIG SCREEN
♦ THIN
♦ HEAVY
♦ POPULAR
♦ GOOD RESOLUTION
♦ BEAUTIFUL