Comparative Forms

Regular forms
Adjectives Adjective Comparative Superlative
1. Of one syllable, add-(e)r/-(e)st small smaller (than) the smallest (of/in)
to form their comparative & hot hotter (than) the hottest (of/in)
superlative forms. safe safer (than) the safest (of/in)
2. Of two syllables ending in friendly friendlier (than) the friendliest (of/in)
-ly, -y, -w, also add -er/-est. busy busier (than) the busiest (of/in)
shallow shallower (than) the shallowest (of/in)
3. Of two or more syllables, serious more serious (than) the most serious (of/in)
take more/most. amazing more amazing (than) the most amazing (of/in)

Regular forms
Adverbs Adverb Comparative Superlative
1. Adverbs having the same forms as long longer (than) (the) longest
their adjectives add -er/-est. fast faster (than) (the) fastest
early earlier (than) (the) earliest
2. Two syllables or compound adverbs often more often (than) (the) most often
(adjectives+-ly, e.g. careful-carefully) slowly more slowly (than) (the) most slowly
take more/most. quickly more quickly (than) (the) most quickly

Irregular forms
Adjectives/Adverbs Comparative Superlative
good/ well better best
bad/badly worse worst
much/ many/ a lot of more most
little less least
few fewer fewest
far farther/further farther/furthest

Types of Comparison Examples

1. as … (adj/adv) … as She speaks as calmly as usual.
not so/as as … (adj/adv) … as It is not so/as hot as it was yesterday.
such a(n)/so … as This is not such an exciting film as the last one.
2. twice/three times /half/ etc as … Their house is three times as big as ours.
(adj/adv) … as His watch cost half as much as mine.
3. the same as Your violin is the same as the one I’ve bought.
4. less … (adj/adv) … than The red sofa is less expensive than the blue one,
the least … (adj/adv) … of/in but the black one is the least expensive of all.
 5. the + comparative … , the + comparative The earlier you start, the sooner you’ll finish.
6. comparative + and + comparative Their life is getting better and better.

PRACTICE

Exercise A
Complete the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives/ adverbs.
Adjective/ Adverb Comparative Superlative
e.g. high higher highest
1. loud
2. large
3. thin
4. heavy
5. quiet
6. quietly
7. intelligently
8. dependent
9. good/well
10. difficult

Exercise B
Choose the correct option for each of the following sentences.
e.g. He worked more efficiently than I did. (efficiently, more efficiently, most efficiently)
1. Her promotion was the __________ moment of her life. (proud, prouder, proudest)
2. Hawaii is _________ from Hong Kong than Japan. (far, farther, farthest)
3. This ring is too _________ for me. (small, smaller, smallest)
4. It is _________ to ask for help than solve the problem by yourself. (easy, easier, easiest)
5. Grace’s work is __________, but Joan’s is __________. (good, better, best)
6. August is __________ than any other month. (hot, hotter, hottest)
7. Do you support his __________ proposal? (late, later, latest)
8. Prevention is __________ than cure. (good, better, best)
9. He may be the __________ man in Hong Kong. (rich, richer, richest)
10. This pair of glasses is as __________ as that pair. (fashionable, more fashionable, most
fashionable)

Exercise C
Fill in each blank with the correct form – adjective/ adverb, comparative or superlative.
e.g. The manager is the most powerful man here. (powerful)
 1. Iron is _______________ than other metals. (useful)
2. My English teacher is as _______________ as Andy Lau. (handsome)
3. His Chinese is getting _____________ and _______________. (bad)
4. The _______________ he gets, the _______________ he becomes. (old, wise)
5. Ann does not swim so _______________ as her coach claims. (quickly)
6. Which is _______________, grammar or vocabulary? (important)
1. Staying at home is _______________ than going on holiday abroad. (comfortable)
2. The _______________ money you spend, the _______________ you can save. (little, much)
3. The new job is the _______________ one that I have had. (challenging)
4. This mini-bus driver is much _______________ than any other driver. (kind)

Exercise D
There is one mistake in each sentence. Underline the mistakes and correct them.
‘X’: extra word; ‘^’: missing word; ____: wrong word
e.g. Tommy is the most(X) cleverest boy in the class. ( X )
Tommy is (^ the) cleverest boy in the class. ( ^ )
Tommy is the clever (cleverest) boy in the class. ( __ )
1. This is cheaper of the two pens. ( ^ )
2. He is speaking more slowly and more slowly. ( X )
3. Ms Lee is very shorter than her daughter. ( __ )
4. The weather of Hong Kong is different from that of Canada’s. ( __ )
5. Mary is much more nervous Jane. ( ^ )
6. Her face turned more as white as a sheet when she heard what he said. ( X )
7. Police in Sydney are investigating the death of a younger German tourist. ( __ )
8. The more you smoke, more dangerous it is to your health. ( ^ )
9. To be frank, this was the most easiest test in this term. ( X )
10. She is the best singer of the two, but she is not the best in Hong Kong. ( __ )

Exercise E
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given, without changing the meaning.
e.g. No one else in the team plays better than he does. (best)
He plays the best in the team.
1. No other dancer is as graceful as she is in the play. (most graceful)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Susan dresses more smartly than Emily. (less smartly)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Tom is noisier than his brothers. (as noisy as)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. If you try harder, you will do better. (the harder)
 _________________________________________________________________________
5. Wealth is not as good as health. (better)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Mr. Chan is younger than he looks. (old)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. It got darker and the situation became worse. (the darker)
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Sandy does not study so diligently as she did in the past. (less diligently)
_________________________________________________________________________
9. His father is the most capable man in the office. (as capable as)
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Losing weight is not so easy as putting on weight. (difficult)
_________________________________________________________________________