This document provides information on forming comparatives and superlatives in English. It discusses the formations for adjectives and adverbs with one syllable, adjectives and adverbs ending in "y", irregular forms, comparing nouns indicating quantity, comparative expressions, and sample conversation questions involving comparisons. Rules and examples are given for different parts of speech.

1. Comparatives/superlatives
Adjectives with 1
syllable Adverbs with 1 syllable
• Big • Fast
• Bigger • Faster
• The biggest • The fastest
The biggest mountain in the Alonso/Webber drives
world is ……..
faster.
• Cheap
• Slow
• Cheaper
• The cheapest • Slower
• The slowest
Rob Novis 2013

2. Adjectives ending in Y Adverbs ending in ly
• Easily
• Easy
• More easily
• Easier
• The most easily
• The easiest
I can learn more easily by
English is easier than
listening to classical
Italian.
music.
• Angrily
• Angry
• More angrily
• Angrier
• The most angrily
• The angriest
Rob Novis 2013

3. Adjectives with two or Adverbs with two or more
more syllables syllables
• Intelligent • Humanely
• More intelligent (pietosamente)
• The most intelligent • More humanely
• The most humanely
Rob Novis 2013

4. Irregular adjectives Irregular adverbs
• Good
• Good
• Better
• The best • Better
• The best
• Bad
• Worse He drives better than
• The worst me.
• Far • Bad
• Farther further • Worse
• The farthest the furthest
• The worst
• Little
fun
He drives worse than
• Less
more fun
• The least
the most fun me.
Rob Novis 2013

5. X = X Modena =
Reggio
equality
As + adjective ( no X = -X Modena = -
change) + as Milan
• Modena isn’t… (rich)
• As rich as
• Modena is ….. (rich)
• …as rich as Reggio. • Modena isn’t as rich as
Milan.
• Milan is richer than
• Modena is as rich as
Modena.
Reggio.
Rob Novis 2013

6. intensifiers
Big amounts Small amounts
• Not anything like … • Slightly
• Significantly higher/ • Nearly as …. As
lower • A little
• Far more difficult/ • Marginally
slower
• Much less friendly
• Not nearly as
• Much better
• Not anything like
• Way (informal)
Rob Novis 2013

7. Comparing nouns indicates
quantity
MORE LESS
• I have more • I have less time than in
responsibilities than the past.
Mike. • There is less crime in
• There are more people Modena than in Reggio.
in Carpi than in Soliera.
Rob Novis 2013

8. Comparatives expressions
• On the one hand…. But • It looks very similar
on the other hand to….but what’s
• The good news is… but different is….
the bad news is • It might seem….but in
• Wheras before, we fact it’s
now… • One benefit is
that….though a
drawback might be…
Rob Novis 2013

9. conversation
• Are people today luckier than they were 50 years ago?
• Will tomorrow be more interesting than yesterday?
• Are you smarter than your parents? In what way(s)?
• Does life get more complicated the older you become?
• Would you like to be more beautiful / more handsome
than you are now or more intelligent than now?
• Is the world safer now than it was before 9-11?
• Is there anything more delicious than your mother’s
cooking?
• What is healthier: eating good food or getting lots of
exercise?
• Which is worse: a virus attacking your computer or a
virus attacking your body?
• What would you like to be better at than anyone else in
the world? Why?
Rob Novis 2013