ACTIVITY 2 COMPARATIVES AND

SUPERLATIVES

GOAL: ASK FOR A

RECOMMENDATIONS
PILAR BOLIVAR
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

THE COMPARATIVE AND THE SUPERLATIVE

COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES

Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify
(larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared, in
this pattern:

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

The second item of comparison can be omitted if it is clear from the context (final example
below).

EXAMPLES

My house is larger than hers.

This box is smaller than the one I lost.
Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
The rock flew higher than the roof.
Jim and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Jim" is understood)

SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a
quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a
subject is compared to a group of objects.

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

The group that is being compared with can be omitted if it is clear from the context (final
example below).

EXAMPLES

My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.

This is the smallest box I've ever seen.
Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.

María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas

English teacher
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

We all threw our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. ("of all the rocks" is
understood)
FORMING REGULAR COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

Forming comparatives and superlatives is easy. The form depends on the number of syllables in
the original adjective.

ONE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES

Add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative. If the adjective has a consonant +
single vowel + consonant spelling, the final consonant must be doubled before adding the
ending.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
tall taller tallest
fat fatter fattest
big bigger biggest
sad sadder saddest

TWO SYLLABLES

Adjectives with two syllables can form the comparative either by adding -er or by preceding
the adjective with more. These adjectives form the superlative either by adding -est or by
preceding the adjective with most. In many cases, both forms are used, although one usage
will be more common than the other. If you are not sure whether a two-syllable adjective can
take a comparative or superlative ending, play it safe and use more and most instead. For
adjectives ending in y, change the y to an I before adding the ending.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
happy happier happiest
simple simpler Simplest
busy busier Busiest
tilted More tilted Most tilted
tangled More tangle Most tangled

THREE OR MORE SYLLABLES

Adjectives with three or more syllables form the comparative by putting more in front of the
adjective, and the superlative by putting most in front.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
Important more important most important
Expensive more expensive most expensive

IRREGULAR COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

These very common adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative forms.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
Good Better Best

María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas

English teacher
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

bad worse worst

Little less Least
much more most
far further / farther furthest / farthest

EXAMPLES
Today is the worst day I've had in a long time.
You play tennis better than I do.
This is the least expensive sweater in the store.
This sweater is less expensive than that one.
I ran pretty far yesterday, but I ran even farther today.

Grammar practice

A. Write the comparative (20 points, 2 points each one)

BetterOlder
1. Old _______________ 6. Good________________
Stronger
Larger
2. Strong_____________ 7. Large________________
Happier
More serious
3. Happy _____________ 8. Serious_______________
More
Prettier modern
4. Modern ______________ 9. Pretty________________
More crowded
5. Important ________________
More important 10. Crowded________________

B. Write the opposite (12 points, 2 points each one)

WorseOlder
1. Younger___________________ 4. Better___________________
Farther
Warmer
2. Colder____________________ 5. Nearer__________________
Difficult
Expensive
3. Cheaper___________________ 6. Easier ___________________

C. Complete the sentences. Use the comparative

Example: Helen’s car isn’t very big. She wants a bigger one. (14 points, 1 point each one)
more interesting
1. My job isn’t very interesting. I want to do something ____________________________
taller
2. You’re not very tall. Your brother is ________________________
harder
3. David doesn’t work very hard. I work _______________________
more comfortable
4. My chair isn’t very comfortable. Yours is ______________________________
better
5. Your plan isn’t very good. My plan is ________________________________
nicer
6. These flowers aren’t very nice. The blue ones are____________________________
heavier
7. My bag isn’t very heavy. Your bag is ________________________________ 8. I’m’ not very
more interested
interested in art. I’m ________________________________ in history.
warmer
9. It isn’t very warm today. It was ________________________ yesterday.
better
10. These tomatoes don’t taste very good. The other ones tasted _______________________.
bigger
María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas
English teacher
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

11. Britain isn’t very big. Frances is ________________________________.

more beautiful
12. London isn’t very beautiful. Paris is __________________________________.
sharper one
13. This knife isn’t very sharp. Have you got a ________________________________.

14. People today aren’t very polite. In the past they werepoliter
____________________________.

D. Grammar practice Superlatives

Complete each statement, using the superlative form of the adjective. (18 points, 2 points
each one)

1. the newest
The Aptex is _________________ (new) of our MP3 players.

2. the cheapest
The focus C20 is very inexpensive. It’s ____________________ (cheap) digital camera we
sell.

3. is the easiest
Compared to our other camcorders the Manko 210 is ________________________ (easy
to use).

4. the most popular

The Focus C50 is ___________________________ (popular) digital camera we sell.

5. the lightest
The Vista is _______________________________ (light) camcorder you can buy.

6. the most practical

Our customers say the Song is ______________________________ (practical) MP3 player
available today.

7. You’ll like the Manko 230 MP3 player. It’s the least difficult
________________________________
(difficult) to use.

8. the least expensive

If you don’t want to spend a lot, the Raxx is _________________________________
(expensive) camcorder you can buy.

9. If you want the best but don’t care about cost, the Vista
LS is
the most expensive
______________________________ (expensive) camcorder we have.

E. Complete the conversations. Use the superlative form of the adjectives. (12 points, 2 points
each one)

1. A: All of these cameras are easy to use.

the smallest
B: But which is _________________________ (small).

2. A: All of our ski sweaters are pretty warm.

María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas

English teacher
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

the heaviest
B: But I want a really heavy one. Which brand makes _______________________ (heavy)
ones?

3. A: She wrote at least six books about Italy.

the most interesting
B: I know. But which of her books is ___________________________ (interesting)?

4. A: Do you want to take a taxi, bus, or train to the airport?

the most convenient
B: Which is _____________________________ (convenient)?

5. A: You can study English at any school you want

the most popular
B: All three sound great. But which school is _________________________ (popular)?

6. A: Here are three vacation packages you can choose from.

the most affordable
B: That’s nice. But just tell me which one is _____________________________ (affordable)

Reading.

Read the interviews. Circle true or false about each statement. Find details in the text to
support your answers. (24 points, 6 points each one)

What are your tastes in movies?

My favorite genre is Action. I love Action movies. I’ve seen Iron

Man a hundred times. It was awesome. I also like to watch
movies while I travel. I always load my iPad with lots of movies
and carry it with me. At home, I like the movie channels on TV. I
also enjoy TV series and often search for them on internet.
Damir Rudic Systems administrator, IT, Banja Luka City, Bosnia and
Herzegovina

I’m a big movie fan. I’m into all kinds of movies.-drama,

comedy, action-you name it. When I’m really stressed out,
classical movies help me relax. I also like to watch “oldies”
most of all classical ones. In the past, I collected DVDs, but
now I just buy movies on the internet. It´s really convenient
because you don’t have to change DVDs! I just download
the files onto my laptop.
Jessica Lim Marketing manager, Seoul Korea

I watch movies at the theatres and at home after work. I’ve

got plenty of time to watch movies because instead of
hanging out with friends, I invite them over to watch
movies with me. I love to watch adventure movies at the
theatres but sometimes I prefer DVDs because the sound
quality is better. I download movies and pay a few dollars
per movie as well.
Adam Klagsbrun
Sales representative, New York, USA

María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas

English teacher
(BASICO -PRE-INTERMEDIATE A.2.2) LEVEL IV GROUP 55426

T F
True
1. Mr. Rudic likes TV series. He says: ___________________________________ T F

False
2. Mr. Rudic only watches movies at home. He says: ______________________ T F

False
3. Ms. Lim buys lots of DVDs in stores. She says:_______________________ T F

4. Mr. Klagsbrun always prefers movie theatres to DVDs.

False
He says: __________________________________________________

Bibliography

 Top Noch 1 Pearson

 Grammar in use. Cambridge University.
 https://www.curso-ingles.com/aprender/cursos/nivel-
intermedio/comparativesuperlative/comparatives-and-superlatives 
http://www.wordreference.com

María Del Pilar Bolívar Casas

English teacher