Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages

COMPARISONS
o The ways to form adjectives/adverbs of the comparative and
superlative degree
- Add “er/est” after the adjectives/adverbs in the following cases:
+ Adjectives/adverbs of one syllable
EX: wise – wiser – wisest
cold – colder – coldest
+ Adjectives/adverbs of two syllables ending in “y, ow, er, le”
EX: pretty – prettier – prettiest
narrow – narrower – narrowest
clever – cleverer – cleverest
noble – nobler – noblest
+ Adjectives/adverbs of two syllables with the stress falling on the second one.
EX: polite – politer – politest
severe – severer – severest
- Add “more/most” before the adjectives/adverbs of other cases and of 3
or more syllables
EX: handsome – more handsome – most handsome
beautiful – more beautiful – most beautiful
Note:
- If the one-syllable adjectives/adverbs end in “vowel+ consonant (except:
h, w, x, y)” , double the consonant before adding “er/est”
EX: fat – fatter - fattest
- If adjectives/adverbs end in “consonant + y”, we change “y” to “i” and
add “er/est”
EX: happy – happier – happiest
- If adjectives/adverbs end in “vowel + y”, we just add “er/est”
EX: gay – gayer – gayest
- If adjectives end in the suffixes of “-ed, -ing, -ful, -ish, -ous” and past
participles used as adjectives, we add “more/most” before them to form
the comparative and superlative degree.
EX: interesting – more interesting – most interesting
bent – more bent – most bent

o Irregular Forms of Comparison

Positive form Comparative form Superlative form
Good
Well (adj) Better Best
Well (adv)
Bad
Worse Worst
Badly
Many
More Most
Much
Little Less Least
Old Elder (preferably used in family) Eldest
 Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages

Older (other cases) Oldest

Farther ( for distance) Farthest
Far Further (implying abstract Furthest
meaning)
Later Latest
Late
Latter (order) Last

o Adjectives/Adverbs of two forms of comparative and superlative

degree
quiet, pleasant, common, early, often

o Structures of Positive Degree

Pattern 1

S + Be/ Vl + as + adjective + as + N/NP/O/Clause

EX: He is as tall as me.

Note: We can use “so” in place of “as” in negative statements:
EX: You aren’t so tall as her.
Pattern 2

S + Be/ Vl + times + as + adjective + as + N/NP/O/Clause

EX: Salt Lake is five times as salty as any oceans.

Pattern 3

S + V (V+O) + as + adverb + as + N/NP/O/Clause

EX: I run as fast as you do.

I will practice English as hard as you will.
Pattern 4

S + V (V+O) + times + as + adverb + as + N/NP/O/Clause

EX: A plane can fly three times as fast as a helicopter can.

o Structures of Comparative Degree

Pattern 1
adj-er
S + Be/ Vl + + than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adj
 Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages

EX: You look taller than me.

Pattern 2

adv-er
S+V+ + than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adv
EX: She can type faster than me.
Pattern 3

adj-er
S + Be/ Vl + period of time + + than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adj

EX: She is twelve years younger than her husband.

Pattern 4
adv-er
S + V + times + + than + N/NP/O/Clause
more-adv

EX: A computer can work 500,000 times faster than a person.

- The comparative and superlative in noun phrases:

Adj-er
More Adj + Noun
The most Adj
EX: This is a more difficult question.
He is the last person to leave.
Pattern 5
adj-er + and + adj-er
S + Be/Vl +
more + and + more adj

EX: It is getting darker and darker.

She looks more and more beautiful.
Pattern 5
adv-er + and + adv-er
S+V+
more + and + more adv

EX: They are learning more and more actively.

 Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages

o Structures of Superlative Degree

Pattern 1

adj-est
S + Be/ Vl + the + + singular Noun + of all/in + NP
most-adj
Pattern 2
adj-est
S + Be/ Vl + the + + of all + plural Noun
most-adj

EX: English is the most international language of all.

English is the most international of all languages.
Pattern 3
adv-est
S + V + (O) + the + +…
most-adv
EX: He likes football the most.
Pattern 4

adi-est
S + Vt + the + + Noun
most-adj

EX: He ate the biggest cake yesterday.

Pattern 5

adj-est
S1 + Be/ Vl + the + + Noun + that + S2 + has/have + ever + PP
most-adj

EX: Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist that England has ever had.

o Double Comparisons
- the + adj-er, the + adj-er
- the + more + adj, the + more + adj
- the + adv-er, the + adv-er
- the + more + adv, the + more + adv
- the + adj-er, the + more + adj
- the + more + adj, the + adj-er
- the + adv-er, the + more + adv
- the + more + adv, the + adv-er
 Prepared by Tran Anh Thong – Department of Foreign Languages

EX: the sooner, the better

the more intelligent, the lazier
adj-er/adv-er adj-er/adv-er
- the + + …, the + +…
more + adj/more + adv more + adj/more + adv
adj-er
- the + +N+V+…
more + adj
adj-er
- the + +N+S+V+…
more + adj
adj-er
- the + + S + Be/Vl + …
more + adj
adv-er
- the + + S + Vi/Vt+O + …
more + adv
EX: the more goods are produced, the cheaper they are.
the more you travel, the more you learn.
o Other forms of Comparison
- the former – the latter
EX: I walk with a boy and a girl. The former is my friend, the latter is my sister.
- other + plural Noun + than + N/Pronoun
EX: I have no other friends than you.
- rather than + N/Pronoun
EX: I like that blouse rather than this one.
- had better (not) + Vo + … + than + Vo + …
EX: You had better learn English than do nothing.
- would rather (not) + Vo + … than Vo + …
EX: She would rather go to work than wash dishes.