LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

UNIT 5
Comparison with Adjectives

Similarities and Differences

Comparison with Adverbs

Superlatives

Focus 1

Comparison with Adjectives

Comparative form of adjectives

Regular comparatives

There are two regular forms of adjectives in English.

1. For adjectives with one syllable or those ending in –y:X is ___-er than Y.

example adjective comparative Rule

This area is safer than that one. safe safer than For adjectives ending in –e,
add –r.
The one-bedroom apartment is big bigger than For adjectives that end in
biggerthan the studio. consonant-vowel-
consonant, double the
consonant, add –er.
The studio is noisierthan the one noisy noisier than For adjectives ending in –y,
bedroom. change the –y to i add –er.
The studio is smallerthan the one- small smaller than For all others, add –er.
bedroom.

2. For adjectives with two or more syllables: x is (more/less) ____ than Y.

example adjective comparative Rule

The studio is economical more economical than
moreeconomical than the
Use more or less
one-bedroom.
before the adjective.
The studio is lessexpensive expensive less expensive than
than the one-bedroom.

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NOTES:

Some adjectives with two syllables can take–er or more/less:quiet – quieter or more quiet.

In formal English we say: Joe is taller than I (am).

In informal English we sometimes say: Joe is taller than me.

Irregular comparatives
examples explanations
This neighbourhood is better than that one. The comparative forms of good, bad,
This year’s winter was worse than last year’s. and far are irregular.
The one-bedroom is farther away from the bus stop good - betterbad - worse far - farther
than the studio is.
This flat is much better than that one. Use much to make a comparison
This flat is much larger than the other one. stronger.
Farther is used for physical distance; furtherfor both physical and metaphysical distance.

Exercise 5.1.1

Write the comparative form of each adjective + than in parentheses.

Example: A cat is (big) bigger thana mouse.

1. a. A tiger is (large) ____________________ a cat.

b. It is (dangerous) ____________________ a cat.

2. a. outgoing people are (nervous) ____________________ shy people.

b. They are (comfortable) ____________________ in social situations.

3. a. The weather in Spain is (hot) ____________________ the weather in Sweden.

b. Food in hot countries is (spicy) ____________________ food in cold countries.

4. a. Dog lovers say cats are (intelligent) ____________________ dogs.

b. Cat lovers think cats are (good) ____________________ dogs.

5. Today wasn’t a very good day.

a. We hope tomorrow will be (good) ____________________ today.

b. We hope it will be (exciting) ____________________ today.

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Exercise 5.1.2

Fill in the blanks with the comparative form of the adjective.

Jane: Kevin, I found these two ads in the newspaper. There’s a studio and a one-bedroom. I think
the one-bedroom sounds nice. What do you think?

Kevin: Well, the one-bedroom is (1) (large) ____ than the studio, but the studio is (2) (cheap) ____.
How can you afford to pay $750 a month for rent?

Jane: I know the one-bedroom is (3) (expensive) _______ but I have furniture. The one-bedroom is
(4) (big) _______ and it will be much (5) (comfortable) ___ Besides, maybe I’ll have a
roommate, and I’ll need a (6) (spacious) ______ apartment. Right?

Kevin: Well, maybe, but the studio is in the center of town. You’ll be (7) (close) ______ to
transportation, stores, the library, and the college.

Jane: You’re much (8) (practical) ___ than I am. But the studio is over a video store, so it will be (9)
(noisy) ___ than the one-bedroom.

Kevin: Listen –the studio is small, but it’s much (10) (cozy) ________ than the one-bedroom.

Jane: True, but the one-bedroom will be much (11) (safe) _________ for me than the studio.

Kevin: It seems to me your mind is made up.

Jane: Yes, it is. By the way, Kevin, I’m going to see the one-bedroom later today.

Exercise 5.1.3

Yoko wants to study in the US. She knows about an English program in Brattleboro, a small
town in Vermont. She also knows about a program in Los Angeles, California. She needs to decide
where she wants to live. Here is some information about the two places.

Brattleboro, Vermont Los Angeles, California

1. Rent for a one-bed apt. $450 a month $ 1,000 a month
2. Population 12,000 3 million
3. Weather cold in winter warm in winter
hot in summer hot in summer
4. Public transportation not good good
5. Quality of life
a. the environment clean not so clean
b. the crime rate low high
c. lifestyle relaxed busy
d. the streets quiet noisy

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Make comparative statements about Brattleboro and Los Angeles.

1. crime rate (low/high)

The crime rate is lower in Brattleboro than in Los Angeles.

2. (populated) ________________________________________________________

3. (cheap/expensive)__________________________________________________

4. public transportation (good/bad)_______________________________________

5. winters (cold)______________________________________________________

6. (dangerous/safe)___________________________________________________

7. (clean/dirty)_______________________________________________________

8. (quiet/noisy)______________________________________________________

9. (relaxed/busy)_____________________________________________________

10. In your opinion, which place is better for Yoko? Why?______________________

Questions with comparative adjectives

examples
Is the one-bedroom more expensive than the studio?
Are studios better than apartments?
Are studios less practical than one bedroom apartments?
Who is older, you or your brother?
Which is more difficult, English or Chinese?
Whose apartment is more comfortable, yours or hers?

Focus2

Expressing Similarities and Differences with as … as

examples
Mark is as tall as Sam.
Tokyo is as crowded asHong Kong.
Mark isn’t as tall as Steve.
(= Steve is taller than Mark.)
The studio isn’t as expensive as the one-
bedroom.
explanations
To say two things are equal or the same, use
as + adjective + as.
To say there is a difference between two
things, use not as + adjective + as.

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Exercise 5.2.4

Here is a dialogue between Tommy and his mother. Write the correct form of the
comparative in the blanks. Use –er, more than, less than, and as … as.

Mother: Tommy, I don’t want you to buy a motorcycle. A car is (1) more convenient than
(convenient) a motorcycle and it’s (2) _____________________ (practical), too.

Tommy: It’s more practical, but a car isn’t (3) __ (economical) a motorcycle. And a
motorcycle’s (4) ____ (cheap) a car.

Mother: Listen, there are a lot of crazy people out there on the streets. A car is (5) ____ (safe)
a motorcycle.

Tommy: Mom, I’m a good driver. I’m (6) _________ (good) you are. Besides that, it’s (7)
______________ (easy) to park a motorcycle in the city than it is to park a car.

Mother: Well, you’re right. But I’m still your mother and you live in my house, so you will do
as I say! When you are (8) ______ (old), you can do whatever you want.

Tommy: But Mom, I won’t look (9) _____________________ (cool) my friends.

Mother: Maybe their mothers aren’t (10) __ (nervous) I am, or (11) _ (concerned) I am.

Exercise 5.2.5

Use the following adjectives to compare the worn basketball shoes of Bob, the
basketball player, and the flashy high-heel shoes of Felicia, the fashion model.

comfortable dressy old expensive casual new big

Bob’s shoes are more comfortable than Felicia’s shoes.

Bob likes comedy movies and Felicia likes romances. Use the following adjectives to
compare the movies.

emotional funny exciting silly sensitive sad

Exercise 5.2.6

This is my hometown, Skagway, Alaska. It is a small, isolated town – only 700 people live
there, but the people are very friendly because they all know each other.Skagway is a historic town.
In1898, Skagway was a gold rush town. At that time 20,000 people lived there. Most of the buildings
from that time are still standing. Every summer thousands of tourists visit Skagway to see a gold rush
town and to see the spectacular beauty of the surrounding mountains. In the winter Skagway doesn’t
have many tourists. It is very cold, wet, snowy, and windy, but in the summer the weather is

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pleasant. Because Skagway is near the Arctic Circle, the summer days are long. Sometimes the sun
never sets at all.

Using the cues, write sentences comparing your hometown to Skagway.

good winter weatherThe winter weather in Iaşi is better than in Skagway.

old touristic snowy historic

far beautiful windy wet

large cold long days bad winter weather

Focus 3

Comparison with Adverbs

Task. Comparing men and women: Check (√) Yes, No or Maybe.

Yes No Maybe
1. Do women work harder than men?
2. Do men drive more safely than men?
3. Do women communicate better than men?
4. Do men dance more gracefully than women?
5. Do women take care of children more patiently than men?
6. Do man express their feelings more openly than women?
7. Do women learn math more easily than men?
8. Do men spend money more freely than women?
9. Do women learn languages more easily than men?
10. Do men think more clearly in emergencies than women?

Comparative forms of adverbs

example adverb/comparative Rule
Women live longer than men. long longer than short adverbs: add –er +
than.
Do women drive moresafely than safely more/less For adverbs with two or
men? safely than more syllables, use
Do men drive lesscarefullythan carefully more/ less more/less + adverb + than.
women? carefully than
Eugene and Carol eat out much often more/less With adverbs of frequency,
more often than Warren and often than use more/less + adverb +
Harriet. than.

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Do women cook betterthan men? well better than

Do boys do worse in school than badly worse than With irregular adverbs, use
girls? the irregular form + than.
Can a man throw a ball farther far farther than
than a woman?

Comparative sentences
examples
Jason can climb higher than his brother
(can).
She’s better in school than I (am).
I type faster than my friend (does).
We speak Spanish better than they (do).
I type faster than she (does).
I type faster than her.
explanations
Sometimes, the auxiliary verb, for example can,
be, or will, follows the subject after than.
If there is no be or auxiliary verb, you can use
do.
In formal English, the subject pronoun follows
than. In informal English, the object pronoun
(me, you, him, her, us, them) follows than.

Exercise 5.3.7

Go back to Focus 3 Task and underline the comparatives with adverbs.

Expressing similarities and differences

Examples explanations
A woman can work as hard as a man. To show similarities, as + adverb + as.
A man can dance as gracefully as a woman.
He doesn’t speak as clearly as I (do).
= I speak more clearly than he (does). To show differences, not as+adverb+as.
= He speaks less clearly than I (do).

Exercise 5.3.8

Sally and Bill are applying for a job as director of an art company. Decide who is
better for the job. Make comparative statements about each person.

Sally works as hard as Bill.

Bill draws better than Sally/Sally doesn’t draw as well as Bill.

Work habits Sally Bill

1. works hard X X
2. draws well X
3. thinks creatively X X

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4. communicates openly X
5. plans carefully X
6. works well with others X X
7. acts calmly in emergencies X
8. solves problems fairly X
9. writes clearly X X
10. works fast X

Exercise 5.3.9

You want to compare Sally and Bill. Write some questions to ask about them.

Example: Does Sally work as hard as Bill?

Does Bill draw better than Sally?

Exercise 5.3.10

Answer these questions in writing before you read the text below:

1. Do you think boys and girls grow up differently?

2. In what ways do they grow up differently?

3. Do you think boys and girls talk to each other differently?

4. In what ways do you think boys and girls play differently?

Boys and girls grow up in different worlds. Studies show that boys and girls act very
differently. When boys and girls play, they don’t play together. Some of their activities are similar,
but their favourite games are different. Also, the language they use in games is different. Boys
usually play outside in large groups. The group has a leader. The leader gives orders. There are
winners and losers. Boys brag about how good they are at something and argue about who is the
best. Girls, on the other hand, play in small groups or pairs. The most important thing for a girl is her
best friend. Closeness is very important. Girls like to sit together and talk. In their games, like jump
rope, everyone gets a turn. In their activities, such as playing with their dolls, there are no winners or
losers. Girls don’t brag about how good they are at something. They don’t give orders. They usually
make suggestions.

What information is the same as yours? What information is different?

Exercise 5.3.11

With the information from the reading, check the statements True or False.

True False

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1. Boys and girls play differently.

2. Boys and girls usually play with each other.
3. Girls act more aggressively than boys.
4. Girls play more competitively than boys do.
5. Boys brag how good they are at something more frequently than girls.
6. Girls talk to each other more intimately than boys do.
7. Girls give suggestions more frequently than boys.
8. Boys play more cooperatively than girls do.

Exercise 5.3.12

Write statements to compare boys and girls. Use more/less/as … as.

Example: 1. build things more creatively

Boys build things more creatively than girls.

Girls build things as creatively as boys (do).

2.score high on math tests 5.act independently 8.make friends quickly

3.run fast 6.learn languages easily 9.study hard

4.act aggressively 7.solve problems peacefully 10.express feelings openly

Focus 4 Superlatives
Task: General Knowledge Quiz. Check the correct answer.

1. What is the largest ocean?

a. Pacific b. Atlantic c. Indian
2. What’s the most valuable painting in the world?
a. Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” b. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”
c. Rembrandt’s “Self Portrait”
3. What’s the most widely spoken language in the world?
a. English b.Spanish c. Chinese
4. What’s the hottest place in the world?
a. Libya b. Israel c. Ethiopia
5. What’s the tallest office building in the world?
a. Sears Tower, Chicago b.World Trade Center, NY
c. Petronas Tower, Kuala Lumpur
6. What’s the most crowded city in the world?
a. Shanghai b. Mexico City c. Tokyo
7. What’s the most expensive university in the United States?
a. Harvard b. Yale c. M.I.T.

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8. What’s the wettest place in the world?

a. Hawaii b. India c. Jamaica
9. What’s the most nutritious fruit?
a. banana b. avocado c. orange
10. What’s the hardest gem?
a. ruby b. diamond c. emerald

Superlatives
Examples explanations
The tallest building in the world is the
PetronasTower. Superlatives compare one thing or
The least expensive food on the menu is a hamburger. person to all the others in a
Rosa writes the most carefully of all. group.
Dr. Demeter is the most respected teacher at the
school. Use prepositional phrases after
M.I.T. is the most expensive university in the US. superlatives to identify the group.
Helen performs the best of all the dancers.

Exercise 5.4.13

Go back to the opening task. Underline the superlative forms in the questions.

Example: What is the largest ocean?

Regular forms
adjective/ superlativef
examples adverb orm rule
The SearsTower in Chicago is the tall the tallest One-syllable adjectives or
tallest building in the United adverbs: the +
States. adjective/adverb +
My grandfather worked the hard the hardest -est.
hardest of his three brothers.
Jupiter is the largest planet. large the largest Adjectives/Adverbs ending in
I get up the latest in my family. –e: add
late the latest –st.
The hottest place in the world is hot the hottest One-syllable adjectives,
Ethiopia. ending in consonant-vowel-
consonant: double the final
consonant, add –est.
The easiest subject for me is easy the easiest Two-syllable
geography. adjectives/adverbs ending in –
early the earliest y: change –y to –i: add –est.
She arrived the earliest.
The most nutritious fruit is the nutritious the most
avocado. nutritious adjectives/adverbs with two or

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The least expensive food on the expensive the least more syllables: use the +
menu is a hamburger. expensive most/least.
Of all his friends, he drives the carefully the most
most carefully. carefully
She danced the leastgracefully of gracefully the least
all the students. gracefully

Irregular forms
examples adjective adverb superlative
The college has thebest professors. good well the best
That was theworst movie I saw last year. bad badly the worst
He ran thefarthest. far far the farthest

Exercise 5.4.14

Match the information in the two columns below.

C__ 1.the longest river A. Quebec

___ 2. the tallest mountain B. the Prime Minister
___ 3. the longest waterfall C. the MilkRiver
___ 4. the largest lake D. the CN tower
___ 5. the biggest city E. Mount Logan
___ 6. the tallest building F. Toronto
___ 7. the oldest city G. the United States
___ 8. the highest governmentofficial H. Alert, the Northwest Territories
___ 9. the town that is the farthest north I. Lake Superior
___ 10. the earliest European explorer J. Della Falls
___ 11. the biggest trading partner K. Jacques Cartier

Exercise 5.4.15

Write the superlative form of the adjective/adverb in parentheses in the blanks.

Example: (cold) Antarctica is the coldest place on earth.
1. _________________ (large) cucumber weighed sixty-six pounds.
2. ________ (popular) tourist attraction in the United States is Disney-world in Florida.
3. _________________ (successful) pop group of all time is the Beatles.
4. __________________ (heavy) baby at birth was a boy. He was born in Italy in 1955.
5. ______ (fat) person was a man in New York City. He weighed almost 1,200 pounds.
6. _________________ (prolific) painter was Pablo Picasso.
7. _________________ (long) attack of hiccups lasted sixty-seven years.
8. _________________ (big) omelette was made of 54,763 eggs with 531 pounds of cheese in
Las Vegas, Nevada in 1986.
9. _________________ (hot) city in the United States is Key West, Florida.
10. Mexico City is now the world’s _________________ (fast) growing city.

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Focus 5

One of the + superlative + plural noun

examples
(a) Bach was one of the greatest
composers of all time.
(b) He is one of the least popular
students in the school.
explanation
One of the + superlative + plural noun is common
with the superlative form. Example (a) means that
there are several composers we think of as the
greatest composers of all time. Bach is one of them.

Exercise 5.5.16

Useone of the + superlative + plural noun and the words in parentheses.

1. That’s one of the most expensive cars you can buy. (expensive car)
2. In my opinion, wrestling is ____________________ you can play. (exciting sport)
3. That was ________________________________ of my life. (proud moment)
4. That was ________________________________ in the city. (expensive hotel)
5. Drinking and driving is ___________________________ you can do. (bad thing)
6. The chocolate ice cream is ______________________ on the menu. (good desert)
7. Dr. Jones is ________________________________ in the hospital. (fine doctor)
8. Louis Armstrong was ___________________ in America. (great jazz musicians)

Exercise 5.5.17

Make sentences with one of the + superlative + plural noun.

1. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

1.a beautiful city in the world 5.a dangerous disease of our time

2.an interesting place (the city you are living in) 6.a serious problem in the world

3.a good restaurant (in the city you are in) 7.a popular food (in the country you come from)

4.a famous leader in the world today 8.a funny show on television

Exercise 5.5.18

Using the information in 5.4.14 to write five sentences about Canada.

Example: The Milk River is the longest river in Canada.

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Reading 5
Why Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Read the text and do the exercises that follow.

Our unserious side is being taken seriously by doctors. Laughing helps you fight
illness.A group of adults are lying on the floor listening to a recording of ’The Laughing
Policeman’. At first there’s only the odd nervous giggle, but suddenly the laughter spreads
around the room. Doctors are starting to believe that laughter not only improves your state of
mind, but actually affects your entire physical well-being.Britain’s first laughter therapist,
Robert Holden says, “Instinctively we know that laughter helps us feel healthy and alive.
Each time we laugh we feel better and more content.”Research suggests that children
laugh on average about 400 times a day, but by the time they reach adulthood this has been
reduced to about fifteen times. A psychiatrist from California studied the effects of laughter
on the body. He got patients to watch Laurel and Hardy films, and monitored their blood
pressure, heart rate and muscle tone. He found that laughter speeds up the heart rate, increases
blood pressure and quickens breathing. He has proved that laughter produces endorphins –
chemicals in the body that relieve pain. Researchers from Texas tested this and found that if
they produced pain in the students, those who had listened to a humorous tape could tolerate
the discomfort for much longer.Patch Adams is a doctor and a performing clown in Virginia.
“There’s evidence to suggest that laughter stimulates the immune system, yet hospitals and
clinics have a depressing atmosphere.”

Exercise 5.1
Match the words from the article to their definition on the right.

1. to giggle a. to reduce or lessen pain or some other unpleasant feeling

2. to monitor b. funny, amusing
3. to relieve c.how the body defends itself against things that enter it and cause disease
4. research d. the treatment of illness of the mind or body
5. humorous e. to watch, listen to or examine what is happening
6. to stimulate f. to make something more active or develop more quickly
7. immune system g. to laugh in a silly, childish way
8. therapy h. detailed study of a subject to find out something new

Exercise 5.2

Fill in the gaps in the sentences with an appropriate part of the body.

1. He retired last year and now he has lots of time on his ________________ .
2. Don’t put words in my ________________. That isn’t what I was going to say.
3. What’s his name? Oh, how frustrating, it’s on the tip of my ________________.
4. I’ve got a terribly sweet ________________ - I love sweets and chocolates.
5. He’s got a ________________ - coming round here after everything he said!

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Exercise 5.3

Choose the correct alternative in each sentence.

1. There were lots of people waiting to see the doctor in her theatre/ward/surgery.
2. I’ve got a terrible pain/sore/hurt in my left leg.
3. The doctor gave me this receipt/prescription/recipe for some painkillers.
4. This cut should heal/cure/recover soon.
5. You are very hot. Let me take your heat/fever/temperature.
6. I fell over and twisted/turned/slipped my ankle.
7. Before you go on holiday, you are going to need some punctures/stabs/injections.
8. She’s got a very sore/raw/rough throat and won’t be able to sing.
9. The ambulance men carried him away on a bed/stretcher/hammock.
10. It took him a long time to get over/by/off his illness.
11. She was covered in spots/freckles/bruises after she fell down the stairs.
12. Have we got any Sellotape/plasters/blu-tac? I’ve cut my finger.

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