This document discusses comparatives and superlatives in English. It explains that comparatives are used to compare two objects or qualities, using structures like "X is more A than Y". Superlatives compare three or more objects or qualities and indicate the extreme, using forms like "X is the most A". It also discusses the differences between less/fewer and more/most, as well as common learner errors like omitting inflections or using the wrong forms.

1. Universidad de Santiago de Chile
Facultad de Humanidades
Departamento de Lingüística
Licenciatura en Educación en Inglés
COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
COMPARATIVES
Comparison: human ability which allwos us to put things in different degrees
stablishing differences or similarities.
When comparing two “objects” we use the comparative construction in order to put
them at to specific points anywhere on a scale (degrees: height, weight, knowledge, etc.).
For this purpose we can use nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, taking the following
basic structure:
Is/has MORE
X A than Y
other verbs LESS
This is analized as a complex sentence with a complementizer, which is a subordinator, in
the middle.
Verbs: That book costs more than that one (does)
Transformational rules:
Copy s/t: That book –Pres [+3 +s] more
than that one –Pres [+3 +s] do
Ellipsis: That book –Pres [+3+s] cost
more than that one.
Morphology: that book costs more than
that one.
Nouns: Jack has more money than Harry (does/has) Transformational rules:
Copy s/t: Jack –pres [+3+s] have more
money than Harry –pres [+3+s] have/do.
Ellipsis: Jack –pres [+3+s] have more
money than Harry.
Morphology: John has more money than
Harry.

2. Adverbs: Peter reads faster than john (does/reads) Transformational rules:
Copy s/t: Peter –Pres [+3+s] read more
fast than John –Pres [+3+s] do/read
Ellipsis: Peter –Pres [+3+s] read more
fast than John
Morphology: Peter reads faster than
John
Adjectives: John is taller than Mary (is) Transformational rules:
Copy s/t: John –Pres [+3+s] be more tall
than Mary –Pres [+3+s] be.
Ellipsis: John –Pres [+3+s] be more tall
than Mary.
Morphology: John is taller than Mary.
SUPERLATIVES
Comparison established between three or more objects, persons, or properties
ranked first or last on a scale (the exrtemes of this). It does not indicate a higher degree than
the comparative, but gives other point of view. On the other hand it behaves exactly like the
comparative.
NOTE: It doesn’t matter the amount of object being compared, you can use either the
comparative or the superlative form. There is not a rule for this.
Example:
Clem is the tallest boy in my class.
Transformational rules:
Copy s/t: Clem –Pres [+3+s] be
the most tall boy in my class.
Morphology: Clem in the tallest
boy in my class.

3. When a pronoun follows than and takes object form there is not verb phrase,
therefore than has a prepositional force:
LESS V/S FEWER
LESS: UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS (there’s a strong tendency in native speaker to
use less with plural countable nouns)
FEWER: PLURAL COUNTABLE NOUNS
MORE (-ER) V/S FEWER – MOST (-EST) V/S LEAST
Both comparative and superlatives constructions can express negative comparison
(using the negative form fewer and least), but since there is an adjective/adverb polarity
(positive and negative), the negative form is less used in any given language. Look at the
following diagram:
There is a strong tendency both in superlative and comparatives constructions to use
the unmarked form (he is the shortest - he is the least tall * He is shorter than John - he is
less tall than John). This is just a matter of tendencies in language.
ESL/EFL LEARNER`S PROBLEMS
- Omition of the inflection and maybe the copula.
- Change the word than or use it in a wrogn way.
- Use more/most where the –er/-est inflection is required, or vice versa.
- Use the regular pattern where the irregular is needed.
- Doble marking of the comparative/superlative.
- The superlative may be harder to learn than the comparative because of their
symilar form.
- In most ESL/EFL textbooks comparatives and superlatives are usualy presented in
tha same chapter, which tend to confuse students when using them.