Comparisons [EET Grammar Points]

Adverbial clauses of Comparison

Adverb clauses of degree or comparison answer the question how much, how little or how many. The chief conjunctions
used to introduce adverb clauses of degree are as, as…as, so…as and than.
 She is older than her husband. She is as intelligent as she is beautiful.
 You are later than I expected. She is not so intelligent as her sister.
The correlative the…the may also be considered as a conjunction introducing adverb clauses of degree.
 The older you grow the wiser you become. The more he earns the more he spends.
In adverb clauses of degree or comparison, the verb is often understood and not expressed.
 I earn as much as you (do). I can sing as well as he (does).
 She is as tall as he (is). Nobody knows her better than I (do).
Compare:
 I can sing as well as him. OR I can sing as well as he does. (More natural than ‘I can sing as well as he’.)
 Nobody knows her better than me. OR Nobody knows her better than I do. (More natural than ‘Nobody knows her
better than I.)
Positive Degree (Equality)
To compare people, places, events or things, when there is no difference
Structure
Affirmative: S + V + as + ADJ/ADV + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Positive: S + V + not + so/as + ADJ/ADV + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Eg: Peter is 24 years old. John is 24 years old. Peter is as old as John.
I can run as fast as he can; I cannot run so/as fast as he can
Population of Ho Chi Minh city isn't as much as that of Bangkok.
S + be/become + as + ADJ + a/an + Noun + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
S + be/become + such+ a/an + ADJ + Noun + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Eg: This isn’t as comfortable a hotel as the last one we stayed in
This isn’t such a comfortable hotel as the last one we stayed in

ADJ/ADV

S + V + intensifier + as many/much noun as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)

little/few

Intensifier: half, twice, three times, four times,…; a third (1/3), two-thirds (2/3), five-eighths (5/8), one tenth (1/10)…
Eg: She reads twice as many books as I do; Petrol is three times as expensive as it was a few years ago
S + be/become + intensifier + the + dimension Noun + of + Object

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Eg: Chicken is about a third as expensive as steak = Chicken is about a third the price of steak
dimension Noun: height, depth, length, width, thickness, weight, speed,…

S + V + the same (+noun) + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)

Eg: My house is the same height as his. (=My house is as high as his). She has the same weight as me/I do

adjectives nouns
heavy, light weight
wide, narrow width
deep, shallow depth
long, short length
big, small size
as many + plural noun +

as much + uncountable noun +

S+V+ as few + plural noun + as + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)

as little + uncountable noun +

ADV + as adv/adj +

S+V+ as many/few as + plural noun + …

S+V+ as much/little as + uncountable noun + …

ADV: just, nearly, every bit, …

Eg: They have as many children as us; There are as few houses in his village as in mine; You've heard as much news as
I have; They've got as little water as we have.
I used to smoke as many as 40 cigarettes a day
Comparative
To compare people, places, events or things, when there is some difference
Structure
Short Adjective: S + V + ADJ/ADV + “-er” + than + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Long Adjective: S + V + more/less + ADJ/ADV + than + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Eg:
She is taller than I/me; This boy is more/less intelligent than that one.
He is smarter than anybody else in the class. No one in the class is smarter than him

Superlative
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 Comparisons [EET Grammar Points]
Structure
Short Adjective: S + V + the + ADJ/ADV + “-est” + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Long Adjective: S + V + the most + ADJ/ADV + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)

Eg:
She is the tallest girl in the village. He is the most intelligent boy in class.
------------------------------------------------

We use -er/-est with the following adjectives:

1. Adjectives with one syllable

positive comparative superlative positive comparative superlative

clean cleaner the cleanest sad sadder the saddest

big bigger the biggest

2. Adjectives with two syllables and the following endings:

2.1 Adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y

positive comparative superlative positive comparative superlative

dirty dirtier the dirtiest happy happier the happiest

easy easier the easiest pretty prettier the prettiest

2.2 Adjectives with two syllables, ending in “–er, –le, –ow”

positive comparative superlative positive comparative superlative

clever cleverer the cleverest narrow narrower the narrowest

simple simpler the simplest

2.3 Adjectives equal and over two syllables

positive comparative superlative

difficult more difficult the most difficult

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 Comparisons [EET Grammar Points]

3. Irregular adjectives

positive comparative superlative comment

No one in the class is better than him

good/well better the best
=> He is the best student in the class

bad/badly worse the worst

many/much more the most

little less the least

little smaller the smallest

4. Special adjectives

Some adjectives have two possible forms of comparison (-er/est and more/most).

positive comparative superlative

clever cleverer / more clever the cleverest / most clever

common commoner / more common the commonest / most common

likely likelier / more likely the likeliest / most likely

pleasant pleasanter / more pleasant the pleasantest / most pleasant

polite politer / more polite the politest / most polite

quiet quieter / more quiet the quietest / most quiet

simple simpler / more simple the simplest / most simple

stupid stupider / more stupid the stupidest / most stupid

subtle subtler / more subtle the subtlest / most subtle

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 Comparisons [EET Grammar Points]
sure surer / more sure the surest / most sure

good-looking better-looking/more good-looking the best-looking/the most good-looking

well-paid

5. Difference in meaning with adjectives:

positive comparative superlative comment

farther the farthest distance

far
further the furthest distance; time; more information

later the latest

late
latter the last

older the oldest people and things

old
elder the eldest people (family), used as adj, not comparative

nearer the nearest distance

near
x the next order

Special Comparison Structure

1. S + V + more/fewer + Plural Noun + than + S (+V)
Eg: She reads more books than she did last year
2. S + V + much/less + Uncountable Noun + than + S (+V)
Eg: I have got less energy than I used to have
3. S + V + intensifier + comparative + than + Noun/Pronoun/S (+V)
Intensifier: much, far, a lot, a little,…
Eg: Harry’s watch is much more expensive than mine; I got a little later than usual
5. Double comparison
With the same adjective:
Short adjective: S + V + ADJ/ADV + “-er” + and + adj + “-er”
Long adjective: S + V + more and more + ADJ/ADV
Eg: The weather gets colder and colder. His daughter becomes more and more intelligent.

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 Comparisons [EET Grammar Points]
He becomes less and less interested in piano
With the different adjective:
The + comparative + S + V, the + comparative + S + V.
Eg: The richer she is, the more selfish she becomes. The more intelligent he is, the lazier he becomes
The + more + S + V, the + comparative + S + V
Eg: The more we study, the more stupid we feel; The more English vocabulary we know, the better we can speak.
Be careful with:
Incorrect: His drawings are as perfect as his instructor. Correct: His drawings are as perfect as his instructor’s.
Incorrect: The salary of a professor is higher than a secretary.
Correct: The salary of a professor is higher than that of a secretary.
Incorrect: The duties of a policeman are more dangerous than a teacher.
Correct: The duties of a policeman are more dangerous than those of a teacher.
Deana is the shortest of the three sisters; One of the greatest tennis players in the world is Johnson.
What is the longest river in the world? We stayed at the cheapest hotel in the town
That is the best film I've ever seen.
The shorter (it is), the better (it is); The closer to the Earth’s pole (is), the greater the gravitational force (is).
Harvey is the smarter of the two boys; Of the two shirts, this one is the prettier
John is the tallest boy in the family; Deana is the shortest of the three sisters.
These shoes are the least expensive of all; Of the three shirts, this one is the prettiest.
Most=Very: He is most generous; It is a most important problem; Thank you for the money. It was most generous
of you

Adjectives without comparison: perfect, unique, extreme, supreme, top, absolute, prime, primary,
matchless, full, empty, square, round, circular, triangle, wooden, yearly, daily, monthly,…

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