Comparatives and Superlatives

- er; - est
One-syllable adjectives:
cheap-cheaper
thin-thinner
nice - nicer
Two-syllable adjectives that end in – y:
lucky-luckier
easy-easier

more; most
Two- or more-syllables adjectives:
serious – more serious
comfortable – more comfortable
Adverbs that end in – ly:
slowly – more slowly
quietly – more quietly
Adjectives that end in – ing, - ful, - ed, - less:
tiring – more tiring
hopeful-more hopeful.
One-syllable adjectives when we say that one description is more accurate than another:
It’s more red than orange.
Real, right, wrong, like:
You couldn’t be more right. He is more like his mother than his father.

-er or more
clever, narrow, quiet, shallow, simple, friendly:
quieter – more quiet
friendlier – more friendly.
The opposites of two-syllable adjectives ending in –y:
unhappy – unhappier\more unhappy
untidy-untidier\more untidy
Compound adjectives:
-good-looking – more good-looking\better-looking
-well-known – more well-known\better-known
One-syllable adjectives when not followed by “than”:
The road’s getting steadily more steep\steeper.

Irregular Forms
good\well – better
bad\badly\ill – worse
far- farther\ further

Intensifiers
much, a lot, far, a bit, a little, slightly:
Don’t go by train. It’s a lot more expensive.
any, no:
Do you feel any better?
just as, nearly as, not nearly as\so, not quite as\so, nothing like as\so, every bit as, almost as, almost exactly as, half as:
Europe is not nearly as big as Siberia.
With superlatives, we can use much, by far, quite, almost, nearly, practically and easily:
This is much the most expensive of them.
She is by far the youngest.

Double Comparatives
Better and better\ more and more:
Your English is getting better and better.
Cathy got more and more bored in her job.
The… the…
The sooner we leave, the earlier we will arrive.
The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.

as much as\as many as…
His paintings can sell for as much as half a million dollars.
It was not so much his appearance that I liked as his personality.
She didn’t so much as say “Thank you” (not even).
It’s as easy to do it now as (to) leave it till tomorrow.

Older vs Elder
Older:
David looks older than he really is.
My sister is older than me.
Elder or Older:
- My elder\ older sister is a TV producer.

Farther vs Further
Further or farther:
It’s a long way from here to the park – further\farther than I thought.
Further:
- Let me know if you hear any further news. (any more)

as…as\so….as
as….as or so….as…
Richard is not so\as old as he looks.
It’s not warm, but it isn’t so\as cold as yesterday.
as….as
I got here as fast as I could.
Can you send me the money as soon as possible?

twice\three times as….
Petrol is twice as expensive as it was a few years ago.
Their house is about three times as big as ours.

the same as
David is the same age as James.
Laura’s salary is the same as mine.

than me\than I am
You are taller than I am\ me.
He’s not clever as she is\her.
They have more money than we have\us.
I can’t run as fast as he can\him.

“most” instead of “very”
In formal style:
That’s most kind of you.
You’re most welcome.

the faster of the two
When a group has only two members, we use a comparative with a superlative meaning:
Both cars peform well, but XG2SL is the faster of the two.
Superlative is also possible:
I’ll give you the biggest steak of the two. I am not hungry.

all\none\so much + comparative
All the better, all the more:
‘We can stay an extra three days.’ ‘All the better.’
‘Susie isn’t eating this evening.’ ‘Good. All the more for us.’
None the wiser, so much the worse:
I listened to everything he said, but ended up none the wiser.
‘Jake doesn’t want to go on holiday with us.’ ‘So much the worse for him.’

very + superlatives
Note the special use of very to emphasize superlatives and first, next and last:
Bring out your very best wine – Michael’s coming to dinner.
You’re the very first person I’ve spoken today.
This is your very last chance.