COMPARATIVE & SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

Adjetivos breves
Si el adjetivo acaba en vocal, se añade -r para el comparativo y -st para el superlativo
large - larger - the largest
Si el adjetivo acaba en consonante, se añade -er para el comparativo y -est para el superlativo.
Small - smaller- the smallest
Si el adjetivo acaba en consonante+vocal+consonante, se duplica la consonante y se añade -er para el comparativo y -est para el superlativo
hot - hotter - the hottest

Adjetivos largos (de más de 2 sílabas)
Cuando el adjetivo tiene dos o más sílabas, va precedido de more en el comparativo y de the most en el superlativo.
beautiful - more beautiful - the most beautiful
Si el adjetivo tiene 2 sílabas y acaba en -y, ésta se transforma en -i antes de añadir -er para el comparativo y -est para el superlativo
easy - easier - the easiest

Adjetivos irregulares
Todos son diferentes y hay que aprenderlos de memoria:
good - better - the best
bad - worse - the worst
Far - further/farther - the furthest/the farthest

Uso
Los adjetivos en grado comparativo se usan para comparar dos cosas o personas entre sí.
Mary is tall, but Helen is taller
Helen is intelligent, but Mary is more intelligent

Recuerda
En las comparaciones se suele usar la partícula than
Helen is taller than Mary/ Mary is more intelligent than Helen

Los superlativos se usan para comparar 3 o más cosas o personas entre sí.
I think science is the most difficult subject
Which is the cheapest camera?

Recuerda
La preposición in sigue con frecuencia al superlativo
The Nile is the longest river in the world
NO The Nile is the longest river of the world
Susan bought the most expensive camera in the shop
NO Susan bought the most expensive camera of the shop

EXERCISES

1 Write sentences. Use the comparative form of the adjectives and than.
1 cats / quiet / dogs
………………………………………………
2 pop music / good / heavy rock
………………………………………………
3 DVDs / expensive / videos
………………………………………………
4 Spain / big / Portugal
………………………………………………
5 Australia / far / Austria
………………………………………………
6 kayaking / exciting / tennis
………………………………………………
7 Serena / successful / her sister Venus
………………………………………………
8 buses / large / cars
………………………………………………

2 Complete the sentences. Use the superlative form of a suitable adjective.
1 In England, February is the……………………… month of the year.
2 June 21st is the ……………………… day of the year.
3 In Spain, August is the ……………………… month of the year.
4 The ……………………… person in the world is 124 years old.
5 The ……………………… man in the world weighed 635 kg.
6 China has the ……………………… population in the world with 1.25 billion people.
7 Tokyo is the ……………………… city in the world; a coffee costs nearly six euros.
8 The Amazon is the ……………………… river in the world; it is sometimes ten kilometres from one side to the other.
9 ‘Macarena’ is the ……………………… Latin recording. It sold more than 10 million copies.
10 Bill Gates is the ……………………… person in the world with $46.6 billion.

3 Complete the text. Use the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.
I’m from a very big family. I’ve got ten brothers and sisters and they’re all (1) ……………………… (old) than me – I’m the (2) ……………………… (young). We play in a band. Andy is the singer because he’s got the (3) ……………………… (good) voice. He’s also the (4) ……………………… (confident) person and loves being on stage. I’m (5) ……………………… (shy) than the others and hide at the back! Tanya is the (6) ……………………… (beautiful) sister and she sings with Andy. Joe is the (7) ……………………… (funny) brother and he makes us laugh when we’re tired or nervous. Jack is the (8) ……………………… (serious) – perhaps because he’s the oldest.
Our manager, Christopher, is the (9) ……………………… (patient) person I know. He’s (10) ……………………… (tolerant) than our dad – and a lot (11) ……………………… (polite)!

4 Correct the mistakes in these sentences.
1 The more popular tourist destination in the world is Paris.
…………………………………………………..
2 The successful football team in Europe is Real Madrid.
…………………………………………………..
3 I think chocolate is more nice than pizza.
…………………………………………………..
4 Mike is more hard-working as his sister.
…………………………………………………..
5 Madrid is the highest capital city of Europe.
…………………………………………………..