Presenting the product

Tabla de contenido

Introducción ................................................................................................................... 1

Mapa conceptual ........................................................................................................... 1

1. Describing people and things .................................................................................. 2

Adjectives order........................................................................................................... 3

2. Comparatives and superlatives ............................................................................... 4

Comparative adverbs .................................................................................................. 5
Completing comparisons ............................................................................................. 6
Comparisons with as… as ........................................................................................... 6
Comparison with less and not as… as ........................................................................ 7
Superlative adjectives and adverbs ............................................................................. 8

Referencias .................................................................................................................. 10
 Introducción

En las campañas publicitarias y páginas web de muchas compañías, tienen como

objetivo no sólo dar a conocer la empresa, sino también mostrar las cualidades y las
ventajas de los productos. Normalmente debe haber un espacio exclusivo para los
clientes, en especial para los de habla inglesa, en los cuales se ofrezca una
comunicación clara, precisa y constante.

Por esta razón, este material de formación contiene información referente al uso de los
adjetivos, de los comparativos y de los superlativos, que permiten realizar descripciones
tanto de los productos, como de las características de la compañía.

Mapa conceptual

En el mapa conceptual que se comparte a continuación, se evidencia la interrelación

temática del contenido que se plantea en este material de formación.

1
 1. Describing people and things

Adjectives are used to modify people, things and places. They can be placed in different
parts of a sentence, and they are not written in plural:

They can be placed after the verb to be. For example:

• The house is big.

• My friends are cool.

• This new product is cheap.

They can be placed before a noun. For example:

• A good person.

• The new products.

• My favorite song.

Many adjectives are classified according to the function of the word. For instance, there
are adjectives describing size, color, material, opinion, origin, age, shape, among others.

• Size: small, large, huge, little, big, among others.

• Color: red, black, white, pink, yellow, among others.

• Material: cotton, wood, gold, iron, among others.

• Opinion: interesting, beautiful, funny, boring, among others.

• Origin: American, Canadian, Colombian, European, among others.

• Age: old, new, young, middle-aged, five-year-old, among others.

• Shape: round, square, among others.

2
• Also, other words can function as adjectives, for instance:

Articles: a, an, the.

Please, give me a banana. I’d like the one with the green stem.

• Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, their, its, our.

This is my new house.

• Demonstrative adjectives: these, those, that, this.

These books belong to that bookshelf.

• Numbers adjectives: six, one, 3, 5, 19, 100.

The coach was pulled by a team of six.

• Indefinite adjectives: any, many, no several, a few.

Do we have any peanut butter?

Adjectives order

Taken as general rule, this is the order in which the adjectives are placed:

Opinion – size – age – shape – color – origin – material – purpose. For instance:

A beautiful, old, Indian carpet

opinion age origin noun

3
 red and
A funny old, Indian carpet
green,

opinion age color origin noun

2. Comparatives and superlatives

Comparative adjectives

• Lydia is taller than Alex.

1. Use a comparative adjective + than to
compare two people, places, or • Gorillas are more intelligent than
things. cows.

You can use a comparative adjective • The bigger house is mine.

+ noun when the comparison is clear
from context. • The more interesting shows are on
cable TV.

• Small: smaller.
2. Add - er to the end of most one –
syllable adjectives to form the • Low: lower.
comparative.
• Large: larger.
Is the adjective ends in - e, add - r.
• Nice: nicer.

• Jack is more serious than Nikki.

3. Use more before most long
adjectives (adjectives that have two
• Do you thing math is more
or more syllables).
important than music?

4
 4. Some two - syllable adjectives are • Quiet quieter / more quiet.
used with either – er or more to form
the comparative. • Simple simpler / more simple.

• Good better bad worse.

5. Some adjetives have an irregular
comparative form.
• Far farther, further.

Words such as a little, a lot, much, and not much, are often used to quantify comparative
adjectives.

Tina is a little taller than Nick.

Comparative adverbs

• Mark works harder than Jeff.

1. Use a comparative adverb + than to
compare two actions. • Carol drives more carefully than
Peter.

• Fast: faster.

• Hard: harder.
2. Add – er to the end of one – syllable
adverbs to form the comparative.
• Long: longer.

• High: higher.

• Quickly, more quickly.

3. Use more before adverbs that end
with – ly.
• Frequently, more frequently.

• Well: better.
4. Some adverbs have an irregular
• Far, farther, further.
comparative form.
• Badly: worse.

5
 Completing comparisons

• Ed is six feet tall. Bob is taller than

him.
1. You can use an object pronoun to
• Object pronoun.
complete a comparison. But in more
formal speaking and writing, use a
• Ed is six feet tall. Bob is taller than
subject pronoun + an auxiliary verb.
he is.

• Subject pronoun + auxiliary.

• Ana runs faster than Pat does.

2. Use an auxiliary verb after than. Do
not repeat the main verb.
• Ana runs faster than Pat runs. (X)

• My car was more expensive than

Ellen’s.
3. A possessive noun or possessive
pronoun can be used after than.
• My car was more expensive than
hers.

4. If the comparison is clear, than and

the second part of the comparison Nowadays, smart phones are cheaper.
are not necessary.

• I work harder than I used to.

5. Be careful! Use than, not then, in a
comparison.
• I work harder then I used to. (X)

Comparisons with as… as

1. Use as + adjective / adverb + as to • Adjective: your car is as old as

compare two people, places, or mine.
things that are the same or equal in

6
 some way. • Adverb: I can run a miles as fast as
you can.

2. To complete a comparison with as… • I dance as well as my brother

as, you can use. (dances).

o A noun (+ verb). • I dance as well as he dances.

o A subject pronoun + verb or an • I dance as well as he does.

auxiliary verb.
• My computer is as old as Rita’s.
o A possessive noun or possessive
pronoun. • My computer is as old as hers.

3. In informal speaking, object • Formal: he’s as tall as I am.

pronouns are often used to complete
comparison with as… as. • Informal: he’s as tall as me.

Comparison with less and not as… as

• My old car was less efficient than

1. The opposite of more is less. Not my new car.
as… as and less have the same
meaning. • My old car was not as efficient as
my new car.

• My apartment is not as big as yours.

2. Use not as… as with one – syllable
adjectives or adverbs.
• Tom doesn’t run as fast as Steven.

3. Use less… than or not as… as with • My son visits less frequently than
adjectives or adverbs that have two my daughter.
or more syllables. The meaning is

7
 the same. • My son doesn’t visit as frequently as
my daughter.

• The food at Joe’s cafe isn’t as good

4. Remember: if the comparison is
clear, the second part of the
comparison is not necessary.
as the food at Chez Claude, but it’s
less expensive.
• The food at Joe’s cafe is less
expensive than the food at Chez
Clause, but isn’t as good.

Superlative adjectives and adverbs

• Ali is the tallest student in our class.

1. Use a superlative adjective to • Prague is the most beautiful city I’ve

compare three or more people, ever seen.
places, or things.
• What’s the most interesting book
you’ve ever read?

• Of all my friends, Alicia calls the

2. Use a superlative adverb to compare most frequently.
the action of three or more people or
things. • My red shoes fit the most
comfortably of all my shoes.

3. Add – est to the end of most one

syllable adjectives or adverbs to • Adjective: I bought the longest
form the superlative. couch in the store.

Use the before superlative • Adverb: Steve works hardest of all

adjectives. It is not as common the students.
before adverbs.

8
 • Maria is the most careful climber of
the group.
4. Use the most before most adjectives
• The Grand Canyon is the most
that have two or more syllables and
amazing sight I’ve ever seen.
adverbs ending in – ly.
• Of all the girls, Brenda sings the
most beautifully.

• Stupid: the stupidest / the most

5. For some two – syllable adjectives
stupid.
and adverbs, either – est or the most
can be used to form the superlative.
• Cruel: the cruelest / the most cruel.

• Good/well: the best.

6. Some superlatives are irregular.
• Bad/badly: the worst.

9
 Referencias

• Capital community college. (s.f.). Adjectives. Consultado el 08 de septiembre de

2016, en http://www.capitalcc.edu/

• National Geographic. (s.f.). Consumer society, comparatives and superlatives.

Estados Unidos: Autor.

Control del documento

Nombre Cargo Dependencia Fecha

Centro de Servicios
Empresariales y
Ismari Herrera Experta Junio de
Autor Turísticos.
Jerez Técnica 2016
Regional
Santander
Guionista - Centro
Leydi Johana Agosto
Adaptación Línea de Agroindustrial
Navarro Ríos de 2016
producción Regional Quindío

10