Grammar summary  | Unit 5

Comparatives and superlatives Irregular adjectives

Regular adjectives
Adjective Comparative Superlative
good better the best
Adjective Comparative Superlative
bad worse the worst
cheap cheaper the cheapest
many more the most
big bigger the biggest
little less the least
simple simpler the simplest
healthy healthier the healthiest Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms.
expensive more expensive the most The weather was better than we expected.
expensive It’s a worse film than the first one.
He won the most votes of all the candidates.
We add -er to regular, short adjectives to form the comparative. I want to spend the least amount of money possible.
We add -est to regular, short adjectives to form the superlative.
cheap cheaper cheapest Notice that we can also use less and the least with an
adjective.
We add more and most to longer adjectives to form the The Acacia hotel is the least expensive, but it’s also less
comparative and superlative. convenient than the other two hotels.
expensive more expensive most expensive
▶ Exercises 3 and 4
Notice the spelling rules for comparative and superlative
adjectives.
(not) as … as
●● for regular, short adjectives, add -er/-est:
long longer longest We use as + adjective + as to compare two things and say
●● for adjectives ending in -e, add -r/st: they are the same or equal.
large larger largest Ewa is as tall as her sister.
Alaska is as cold as Canada.
●● for adjectives ending in -y (after a consonant), change the -y
to -i and add -er/-est:
We use not as + adjective + as to compare two things and
happy happier happiest,
say that one is less than the other.
healthy healthier healthiest
The Italian restaurant is not as expensive as the French
●● for adjectives ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double restaurant. (= The Italian restaurant is less expensive than
the final consonant and add -er/-est: the French restaurant.)
big bigger biggest She is not as young as she looks!
The film was not as good as the book.
We use the comparative form to compare two things. We
use than after a comparative adjective. more + noun
London is bigger than Paris.
Life in the country is more peaceful than city life. We can also make comparisons with more + noun.
There are more waiters than customers in this restaurant.
We use the superlative form to compare one thing with The bus is cheaper but it takes more time.
three or more other things. We usually use the before a
superlative adjective. the same and different
My school days were the happiest days of my life.
We also use the same … as and different from/to to
The train is the most comfortable way to travel.
compare things.
He’s wearing the same shirt as you.
▶ Exercises 1 and 2
English is different from other languages.
This coat is a different colour to the other one, but they
are the same price as each other.

▶ Exercises 5 and 6

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 EXERCISES 4 Look at the underlined comparatives and superlatives.
Are they correct? If not, correct the mistake.
1 Complete the sentences using the comparative and
superlative form of the adjectives. 1 I’m sorry only two people replied. But two is better than
none.
1 What is the (quick) way to get to
the station from here? 2 What is the more interesting place to visit in the area?

2 Do you have a (cheap) perfume 3 Making your own website is simpler than you think.
than this one? 4 He’s a pessimist. He always expects the worse thing to
3 What do you think is a (rewarding) happen.
career – law or banking? 5 She left work more early than usual.
4 He always chooses the 6 I have the least money than I thought I had.
(expensive) dish on the menu. 7 She is the tallest person in the class.
5 I always pay in cash. It’s (simple) 8 He wasn’t as angry than I expected.
than using a card.
6 Do you think eating a lot of meat is
5 Complete the conversations. Use one word in each space.
(healthy) than eating no meat at all? 1 A: What is 1 the tallest building in the world?
7 It was the (pretty) dress in the B: I think it’s the Burj Al Khalifa in Dubai. It’s certainly
shop. taller 2 the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.
8 That was the (difficult) interview I 2 A: What do you think of the restaurant ‘In Shanghai’ on
have ever had. Bridge Street? Apparently it’s the 3 popular
Chinese restaurant in Manchester.
2 Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
B: Really? The food is good, but it’s not as tasty
1 than / is / gold / less / silver / expensive 4
the food at ‘China Kitchen’.

3 A: Do you still run every day?

2 is / flying economy / than / more / comfortable / flying B: No. I’d like to. I’m not 5 fit as I was in the
business class past. The trouble is I’m too busy with work. I need
6
time for exercise.
A: Yes, I’m in the same situation 7 you.
3 the problem / you / than / difficult / think / more / is
4 A: Do you think it’s 8 difficult for young people to
find a job these days 9 when we were young?
4 of / she’s / daughters / oldest / four / the
B: Yes, I do. But I think the 10 difficult thing for
them is to find somewhere cheap to live in the city.
5 idea / is / your / best / first / always / not / your The rents in London are some of 11 highest
in the world. It’s very different 12 twenty
years ago.
3 best better least less
A: Yes, but London is unusual. Things are 13 as
more most worse worst
bad 14 that everywhere.

Most people think it is 1 better to be rich than to 6 Correct the mistake in each sentence.
be poor. But that is not always true. Winning the lottery 1 New York is more expensive that Paris.
was actually the 2 thing that ever happened
to me! Suddenly I had 3
‘friends’ than I had
ever had before. But they weren’t real friends. They were 2 My wedding day was the happier day of my life.
4
interested in me than in my money. To
make things 5 , my real friends stayed away. 3 I find physics a more easier subject than maths.
I didn’t go crazy with the money. I bought a few new things
– the 6 thing was a new car – but they didn’t 4 It is different than how it was twenty years ago.
really make me any happier. So in the end I gave all the
money to a local children’s hospital. People often ask me if
5 It is the most bad restaurant in the city.
it was a difficult decision. And I say, ‘No, it is probably one
of the 7 difficult decisions I have made and it
also gave me the 8 satisfaction’. 6 The interview went the best than I expected.

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