Unit 9
Comparisons and Superlatives
Making an Adjective Stronger or Weaker
Review the following chart:
not at all < not very < a little < somewhat < rather < pretty < very < extremely
The tickets are not at all cheap.
That area is not very safe.
The car is a little expensive.
The food is somewhat spicy.
It’s a rather large class.
It’s a pretty long trip.
They’re very good books.
It’s an extremely hard course.
exercise 9-1
Fill in the blanks with the word from the previous list that best completes each sentence.
1. My sister’s job is to feed the neighbor’s cats. Her job is __________________________ easy.
2. My friend bought a car for $100. His car was __________________________ expensive.
3. Our neighbor has a dog that barks all night. Our neighbor’s dog is __________________________ noisy.
4. Their house is near the metro station and the bus stop. Their house is in a __________________________ convenient location.
5. She invited about fifty people to her house for a celebration. She had a __________________________ large party.
exercise 9-2
Now complete the following sentences with the same types of expressions.
1. My job is ______________________ easy.
2. My shoes ______________________ were expensive.
3. My neighbor’s dog is ______________________ friendly.
4. My house is in a ______________________ convenient location.
5. My dinner last night was ______________________ salty.
Expressing Negative Effects
The word too before an adjective indicates that the adjective is so strong that it has a negative effect:
That car is too expensive. (I can’t buy it.)
He is too rich. (He values money over people.)
They were too tired. (They couldn’t work.)
The party was too noisy. (The police came and sent everybody home.)
exercise 9-3
After each sentence with too, write a possible negative effect.
1. The food was too cold. ______________________________________________________________
2. It was too rainy. ______________________________________________________________
3. I ate too much cake. ______________________________________________________________
4. She was driving too fast. ______________________________________________________________
5. The shoes are too small. ______________________________________________________________
exercise 9-4
Write five sentences that describe yourself or people you know. Use five of these expressions: not at all, a little, somewhat, rather, pretty, very, extremely, too.
1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________
Making Comparisons with Adjectives
Nouns are compared with other nouns by the strength of their adjectives. An adjective made stronger is followed by the word than in a comparison.
One-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives that have only one syllable are made stronger by adding the suffix -er:
She is taller than her sister.
He is faster than the other runner.
These tickets were cheaper than those.
It is colder in the north than in the south.
exercise 9-5
Write the stronger form of each of the following adjectives.
Adjectives that have one syllable and that end in -e are made stronger by adding -r:
He is nicer than his brother.
They are cuter than they were before.
exercise 9-6
Write the stronger form of each of the following adjectives.
A few one-syllable adjectives end in -w, -x, or -y. These are made stronger by adding -er:
Other adjectives of one syllable that end in a consonant-vowel-consonant are made stronger by repeating the final consonant and adding -er:
She is bigger than he is.
I think she’s thinner than she was before.
exercise 9-7
Write the stronger form of each of the following adjectives.
The comparative (stronger) forms of good and bad are irregular:
That was a good movie, but this one is better.
She had bad luck, and now it is worse.
exercise 9-8
Use good, bad, better, or worse to complete the sentences.
1. Today’s weather is __________________. Yesterday’s was __________________.
2. The job I have is __________________. It is than the one I had before.
3. The condition of my room is __________________. It is than it was last week.
4. Today I feel __________________. I feel than I did yesterday.
Two-Syllable Adjectives
A lot of adjectives have two syllables and end in -y. They are made stronger by changing the y to i and adding -er:
He is happier now.
I hope it will be sunnier tomorrow.
That movie is funnier than the last one we saw.
exercise 9-9
Write the stronger form of each of the following adjectives.
A few adjectives that have two syllables are made stronger by adding -r (if they end in -e) or -er:
This street is narrower than that one.
This exercise is simpler than the other one.
exercise 9-10
Fill in each blank with the comparative form of the best adjective from the previous list.
1. It was noisy last night, but now it is _________________________________.
2. The last problem was complicated. This one is _________________________________.
3. The streets in that town are ______________________________ than the avenues in the city.
4. At first he was too rough with the puppy, but now he is _________________________________.
5. The first king was cruel, and this one is _________________________________.
6. This little girl has a baby sister who is than she is.
Most adjectives that have two or more syllables are made stronger by placing the word more before them:
exercise 9-11
Write the comparative form of each adjective. Some will end in -er; others will have more before them.
Making Adjectives Weaker
All adjectives can be made weaker by placing the words not as before them:
This apple is not as good as the other one.
Those dresses are not as pretty as these.
These shoes are not as comfortable as my old ones.
In a comparison a stronger adjective is followed by than; a weaker adjective is followed by as:
This desk is sturdier than that one.
That chair is not as comfortable as this one.
exercise 9-12
In each blank, make the adjective in parentheses stronger or weaker, as appropriate.
1. I bought this dress because it was (pretty) _________________________ the others in the shop.
2. He took the shoes back to the store because they were (comfortable) _________________________ his old ones.
3. I didn’t go back to that restaurant because the food was (good) _________________________ I had expected.
4. We stayed a long time at the party, because it was (good) _________________________ the last one.
5. The new car is nice, but it’s (big) _________________________ the old one.
Expressing Superlatives
Superlative adjectives indicate that a noun has more of the adjective’s quality than two or more other nouns:
Adjectives that end in -er in the comparative form end in -est in the superlative form:
The superlative forms of good and bad are irregular:
exercise 9-13
Write the superlative form of each adjective.
exercise 9-14
Choose five of the superlatives in the answers to Exercise 9-13 to describe five people you know.
1. ____________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________
Adjectives that are preceded by more in their comparative form are preceded by most in their superlative form:
exercise 9-15
Write the superlative form of each adjective.
exercise 9-16
Choose five of the superlatives in the answers to Exercise 9-15 to describe five people you know or things you have.
1. ___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________