COMPARATIVES
UNIT 1
LESSON 1, WEEK 1, PG. 10
1.1. COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
Level: beginner
When we talk about two things, we can "compare" them. We can see if they are the same or different. Perhaps they are the same in some ways and different in other ways. We can use comparative adjectives to describe the differences.
Examples:
She’s taller than me.
He’s happier today than yesterday.
They’re more popular than the Beatles.
👉We use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not three or more things).
In the example below, "bigger" is the comparative form of the adjective "big":
A1 A2
A1 is bigger than A2.
Now, let's whatch this video about the comparatives.
Formation of Comparative Adjectives
There are two ways to make or to "form" a comparative adjective:
- short adjectives: add "-er"
- long adjectives: use "more"
| adjectives: add -er | examples |
|---|---|
| 1-syllable adjectives RULE: add "-er" | old → older fast→ faster |
| 2-syllable adjectives ending in -y RULE: if the adjective ends in -y, change the y to i | easy → easier happy → happier |
| With some 2-syllable adjectives, we can use "-er" OR "more": quiet → quieter/more quiet clever → cleverer/more clever narrow → narrower/more narrow simple → simpler/more simple | |
| Variation: if the adjective ends in -e, just add -r | |
| Variation: if the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, double the last consonant | big → bigger |
| Long adjectives: use more | examples |
|---|---|
| 2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y | modern, pleasant |
| all adjectives of 3 or more syllables | expensive, intellectual |
| RULE: use "more" | modern → more modern expensive → more expensive |
good → better
well (healthy) → better
bad → worse
far → farther/further
We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:
She is two years older than me.
New York is much bigger than Boston.
He is a better player than Ronaldo.
France is a bigger country than Britain.
When we want to describe how something or someone changes we can use two comparatives with and:
The balloon got bigger and bigger.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
Grandfather is looking older and older.
We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another:
The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.
(= When you drive faster, it is more dangerous.)The higher they climbed, the colder it got.
(= When they climbed higher, it got colder.)
HERE YOU HAVE MORE VIDEOS ABOUT COMPARATIVES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj3SbCwQd9I