What are comparative adjectives? Take a look at these sentences: Martin is old. He s older than his sister. Neptune is big. It s bigger than Earth. Apple iphones are expensive. They re more expensive than most other phones. Old, big and expensive are adjectives. Older, bigger and more expensive are their comparative forms. What are superlative adjectives? For examples of superlative forms, let s look at these sentences: Jack is the oldest person in the village. Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. The Beatles are probably the most popular band of all time. The oldest, the biggest and the most popular are superlative forms. www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 1.
Rules for forming comparatives and superlatives Short adjectives (one syllable) adjective : old, long comparative : older, longer superlative : the oldest, the longest Adjectives ending in one vowel + one consonant adjective : big, hot comparative : bi gg er, ho tt er superlative : the bi gg est, the ho tt est Two-syllable adjectives ending in - y adjective : ugly, noisy comparative : uglier, noisier superlative : the ugliest, the noisiest Longer adjectives (with two or more syllables) adjective : important, expensive comparative : more important, more expensive superlative : the most important, the most expensive www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 2.
With some two-syllable adjectives both - er and - est endings and more / most are possible. adjective : polite, common comparative : more polite/politer, more common/commoner superlative : the most polite/the politest, the most common/the commonest With some two-syllable adjectives only an - er or - est ending is possible. adjective : narrow, simple, clever comparative : narrower, simpler, cleverer superlative : the narrowest, the simplest, the cleverest Notable exceptions good better the best bad worse the worst far further/farther the furthest/farthest www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 3.
Some comparative adjectives and their opposites Adjective comparative Opposite adjective comparative old older cheap cheaper slow slower hot hotter warm warmer rich richer large larger high higher interesting more interesting safe safer comfortable more comfortable strong stronger wide wider clever cleverer deep deeper good better near nearer happy happier young younger expensive more expensive fast faster cold colder cool cooler poor poorer small smaller low lower boring more boring dangerous more dangerous uncomfortable more uncomfortable weak weaker narrow narrower stupid more stupid shallow shallower bad worse far further, farther unhappy more unhappy, unhappier Online version of this worksheet: https://goo.gl/b2khqm www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 4.
Practice exercise: elementary, pre-intermediate level In this exercise you will practise the comparative forms of adjectives ( bigger, older, better, etc). Exercise instructions Fill each gap with the comparative form of the adjective in brackets: 1. Our house is (big) than theirs. 2. I'm (tall) than my brother. 3. Tortoises live (long) than cats. 4. Electrical goods are usually (cheap) in America than in Britain. 5. Electrical goods are usually (expensive) in Britain than in America. 6. Adele is a (good) singer than Madonna. 7. I think studying mathematics is (difficult) than learning English. 8. Switzerland is much (small) than Germany. 9. My brother is thirty and I am twenty-five I am (young) than him. 10. Oxford is quite near to London, but Liverpool is (far). www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 5.
Key 1. Our house is (big) bigger than theirs. 2. I'm (tall) tall than my brother. 3. Tortoises live (long) longer than cats. 4. Electrical goods are usually (cheap) cheaper in America than in Britain. 5. Electrical goods are usually (expensive) more expensive in Britain than in America. 6. Adele is a (good) better singer than Madonna. 7. I think studying mathematics is (difficult) more difficult than learning English. 8. Switzerland is much (small) smaller than Germany. 9. My brother is thirty and I am twenty-five I am (young) younger than him. 10. Oxford is quite near to London, but Liverpool is (far) further/farther. Online version of this exercise: https://goo.gl/17zhto More downloads: speakspeak.com/downloads www.speakspeak.com English grammar and exercises 6.