DEGREES:

Positive: I am short Physics is difficult. Comparative: We use the comparative to compare one person, thing or place with another. - Superiority: I am shorter than my mother. Physics is more difficult than English. - Equality: I am as short as my mother. English is not so difficult as Physics. - Inferiority: My mother is less short than me. English is less difficult than physics. Superlative - Positive + I am the shortest person in this classroom. Physics is the most difficult subject in the curriculum. - Negative - I am the least tall person in this classroom. Physics is the least difficult subject in the curriculum. Adjectives can be: - SHORT: one- syllable adjectives/adverbs: long, short, small, nice, large, hard Two-syllable adjectives/advs. in y, -ow, -le, -er: happy, narrow, simple, clever. - LONG: two-syllable adjectives/adverbs: boring, amazing, quickly, slowly 3 or more syllables: comfortable, interesting, difficult, expensive

THE COMPARISON: SPELLING

SPELLING SHORT ADJECTIVES - Most adjectives/adverbs add ER or EST to form the comparative or the superlative. Tall taller than the tallest Short- shorter than the shortest - Adjectives in e, omit e and add ER, -EST. Nice, nicer than , the nicest Wide, wider than , the widest - Adjectives in cons. + vowel + cons double the final consonant Big- bigger than the biggest Fat- fatter than the fattest - Adjectives in consonant+y, omit y and add ier Happy- happier than the happiest Dirty- dirtier than the dirtiest Early- earlier than the earliest SPELLING LONG ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS They add MORE + ADJ+ than or the MOST + ADJECTIVE/ADVERB to form the comparative or the superlative. Adverbs in LY form the comparative and the superlative using more and most. Boring- more boring than - the most boring Comfortable more comfortable than - the most comfortable Quickly more quickly than - the most quickly

Certain adjectives form their comparative and superlative in both ways: COMMON, CRUEL, PLEASANT, POLITE, STUPID, QUIET IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS Positive Comparative Superlative Good/well better best Bad/badly worse worst Many/much more most Little less least Old older/elder oldest/eldest *1 Far farther/further farthest/furthest *2 *1 Elder/eldest are used to talk about relatives only, with family members: my elder brother, her eldest cousin. We use elder when there are only 2; eldest when there are more than 2. *2 Further/farther (adverb) means longer in distance. His office is further/farther away than mine. Further (adjective) means more: For further information, contact Mr. Smith.

SPECIAL STRUCTURES WITH THE COMPARATIVE

a)A LITTLE/ SLIGHTLY/A BIT + COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVE/ADVERB RATHER /FAR / MUCH / A LOT/ A GREAT DEAL + COMPARATIVE ADJ./ADV Shes far more/less beautiful than her daughter. The Queen is much older than the King. Oxford St. is rather noisier than Kensington Rd. I feel a little/a bit better. b) DOUBLE COMPARATIVE. If something is increasing, we use COMPARATIVE + COMPARATIVE. It means cada vez ms o menos + adj. /adv get/become/run/ drive. + short adjs. Adverbs: - er and er The weather is getting warmer and warmer. He drove faster and faster. Get/become/run/drive + long adjs./advs. : more and more + adj./adv. Life is becoming more and more expensive. She ran more and more slowly. They used to drive less and less carefully c) PARALLEL CHANGE. We use the following structure to talk about a change in one thing causing a change in another. ( cuanto ms. ms.; cuanto menos.. menos .) THE + COMP. ADJ./ADV.+ SUBJECT + VERB , THE + COMP. ADJ. /ADV. + SUBJECT + VERB The cheaper (it is), the better (it is) The more handsome men are, the sillier they are. The earlier you start, the sooner youll be back. d) HALF/TWICE / THREE TIMES/NEARLY/QUITE AS+ ADJECTIVE + AS The green one isnt half as good as the blue one. (La verde no es ni la mitad de buena que la azul) An MP4 is twice as cheap as an Ipod. (Un MP4 es EL doble ms barato que un Ipod) The movie isnt half as good as the book. ( La pelcula no es ni la mitad de buena que el libro)