domingo, 24 de abril de 2016

Unit 3 Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparative and superlative adjetives:

Regular adjectives with one syllable
A
Adjective          Comparative     Superlative
Tall                   Taller                the tallest                      Adjectives ending in two vowels or two
Long                 longer               the longest                    consonants and a consonant, add
                                                                                    -er /-est
Great                greater              the greatest
B
Large                Larger               the largest
Nice                  nicer                 the nicest                      Adjectives ending in –e, add –r /-st
C
Big                   Bigger              the biggest
Fat                   fatter                the fattest                     Adjectives ending in consonant+vowel+
Sad                  sadder              the saddest                   consonant, double he consonant and
Wet                  wetter               the wettest                    add –er /-est

Regular adjectives with more than one syllable
A
Adjective          Comparative     Superlative
Heavy               heavier              the heaviest                  Adjectives ending in –y change y to i
Happy              Happier              the Happiest                and add –er /-est
B
Modern             more modern    the modernst                             Most longer adjectives use more
Important          more important    the most important                  and the most
C
Common           more common/        the most common/              some two-syllable adjectives can
                        commoner               commonest                        form their comp. and .by
Eg. Clever, Pleasant, Gentle, Tired, Simple,                                adding  –er/-est or with
Shallow (not very deep, superficial)                                            more and most

Irregular adjectives
Adjective          Comparative                 Superlative
Good                better                            the best
Bad                  worse                           the worst                       *For people in a family:
Old                   *elder/older                   *the eldest/the oldest     Ram is my elder brother
Far                   further/farther                the furthest/the farthest


In Context
A The more/-er + than
I’m taller than my brother                                    me, him, us, them,… if the pronoun after than
My brother´s more serious than me                    is not followed by a verb.
I’m more intelligent than him/ he is                      I, he, we, they,… if the pronoun after than is
                                                                        followed by a verb.
B The most/-est
I´m the tallest student in the class
My sister´s the most intelligent student in the school

C Less + than/ the least
That film was less interesting than the last one I saw
It was the least interesting film I´ve seen all year

Qualifying comparative adjetives
• Cars are considerably faster and far more        To refer to big differences: far, a lot, m
  comfortable than bicycles                                much, considerably, not nearly   as…as,…

•The weather is a bit hotter than it was                To refer to small differences: a bit, yesterday                                                                                                                                                                                         a little, slightly.

• It’s no warmer than it was yesterday                 to refer to no differences: Just, no.
  It´s just as cold today as it was yesterday


Adverbs

1)         Regular and irregular adverbs
                       

Adverb
Comparative
Superlative
Regular adverbs


slowly
more slowly
the most slowly
Irregular adverbs


well
better
the best
badly
worse
the worst
little
less
the least
much
more
the most
Adverbs which are the same as adjetives


fast
faster
the fastest
hard
harder
the hardest
far
farther / further
the farthest / the furthest
long
longer
the longest
loud
louder
the loudest
straight
straighter
the straightest


2)         The + comparative + the
This construction links two actions or situations – when one thing happens, another thing follows.

•           adjective…adjective
The harder a job is, the more rewarding I find it.

•           adverb…adverb
The sooner we start, the quicker we´ll finish.

•           adjective… adverb, or adverb… adjective
The easier a job is, the more quickly I do it.

•           more (+ noun) …. more (+ noun)
The more money Jack earned, the more clothes he bought.

•           less (+ clause) …less (+ uncountable noun) / fewer (+ plural countable noun)
The less Bob earned, the less food / the fewer holidays he could afford.

•           more (+ clause)… less (+ clause)
The more you sleep, the less you do.

Other combinations of these patterns are possible:
The harder Joe worked, the more he earned.
The more he ate, the fatter he got.

NOTES
a)         Neither of the two clauses in the + comparative + the sentences make   sense without the other.
b)         In writing, a comma is used to separate the two clauses.
c)         Both clauses need a verb.
d)         In some expressions with better, no verbs are needed.
Jim: When shall I come round to see you?
Tim: The sooner, the better.



Other comparative constructions

1)         as… as
It can be used with adjectives or adverbs to make comparisons between two things or people.
I’m as tall as my brother.

In negative sentences so can be used instead of the first as.
Cats aren’t so friendly as dogs.

2)         Comparative + and + comparative
It can be used with adjectives or adverbs to refer to a trend.

As the exams approached, I worked harder and harder.
Over the last twenty years, televisions have become less and less expensive.

3)         Extreme adjectives

Ordinary         Extreme
cold                freezing
angrynn         furious
hungry           starving

Most adjectives can be used with very or really and in the comparative form with even for emphasis.
Yesterday I was very cold, but today is even colder.

NOTE: really is more informal than very.
Extreme adjectives cannot be preceded by very or in the comparative by even. You must use absolutely or really.
I was absolutely / really furious.

NOTE: You cannot use absolutely with ordinary adjectives.



No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario