Adjectives

Comparison of Adjectives
a) Adjectives have the following degrees of comparison:
• positive: short, beautiful;
• comparative:
- of superiority: shorter (than), more beautiful (than)
- of inferiority: not as short as, not as beautiful as, less
beautiful (than);
- of equality: as short as, as beautiful as.
• superlative:
- absolute: very short; very beautiful;
- relative: the shortest, the most beautiful.
 Comparison of Adjectives
a) The synthetical comparison: adjective + -er (comparative
of superiority)and the ending –est (relative superlative)
- used for:
• monosyllabic adjectives:
tall – taller – the tallest, fine – finer – the finest,
dry – drier – the driest, big - bigger –biggest.
• disyllabic adjectives ending in –y, -ow, -er, syllabic [l]:
pretty – prettier – the prettiest
narrow – narrower – the narrowest
clever – cleverer – the cleverest
simple – simpler – the simplest
• other disyllabic adjectives: quiet – quieter – the quietest
 Comparison of Adjectives
a) The analytical comparison: more + adjective
(comparative of superiority)and (the) most + adjective
(relative superlative)

- used for:
• plurisyllabic adjectives:
rapid – more rapid – the most rapid
interesting – more interesting – the most interesting
 Irregular Comparison
Adjective Comparative Superlative

Good Better The best

Bad / ill Worse The worst
Old Older The oldest
Elder (* for family relationships) The eldest
Far Farther (physical distance) The farthest (physical distance)

Further (both physical and abstract The furthest (both physical and
relations) abstract relations)
Little Less / lesser The least
Much / many More The most
Fore Former (“of an earlier period” / The foremost (“chief”)
“the first of the two”)

Late Later / latter (“the second of the The latest (“the most recent”)
two”) The last (“final”)
 Irregular Comparison
Adjective Comparative Superlative

Near Nearer The nearest

In Inner (“towards the middle”) Inmost / innermost (“most
private”)
Out Outer (“further from the Outermost (“furthest from
inside or center”) the inside or center”)
Up Upper (“higher in place / Upmost / uppermost (“the
position”) highest in place or
position”)
 Special constructions with the comparative and the
superlative:
• Two comparatives connected by and (“din ce in ce mai” / “tot mai”):
• She was more and more beautiful every day.
• The nights are colder and colder.

• Two comparatives preceded by the, each at the beginning of the

sentence (“cu cat mai …. cu atat mai”):
• The longer the days (are), the shorter the nights (become).

• A comparative with the, having a superlative value, can be used

when two things are compared:
• Ann is the shyer of the two sisters.

• A superlative without the may express a quality in a very high

degree:
• His article is most interesting.
 Exercise
• Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the adjective
written in italics and so that the meaning stays the same:
1. They won’t play tennis if the court is wet.
They won’t play tennis if the court isn’t dry.
2. It would be nice to be able to speak several languages.
I would like very much to be able to speak several languages.
3. It’s typical of Brenda to turn up late!
Brenda always turn up late.
4. It would be impossible to turn her down.
You cannot turn her down!
5. An entrance examination was compulsory at our university.
We had to pass an entrance examination to get admited to university.
6. The power of the media is so great that it can make an official resign.
Such power has the media that ot can make an official resign.
 Exercise
• Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the
adjective written in italics and so that the meaning stays
the same:

7. It’s not common for a woman to drive a truck in this

country.
Seldom you can see a woman driving a truck in this
country.
8. It’s possible that Helen has missed the morning bus.
Helen may have missed the morning bus.
9. It’s pointless to argue over such a trifle.
There is no use to argue over such a trifle.
 Exercise
• Complete the sentences with the appropriate comparative or
superlative form of the adjective and the appropriate form of the
verb in brackets:
1. This is the strangest (strange) story I have ever heard (to hear).
2. Two weeks ago I heard (to hear) something more definite
(definite) about the affair.
3. When I’m going to be the richest (to be) (rich) man in the world, I
will remember you.
4. January is the hottest (to be) (hot) month in South Africa.
5. We have been observing (to observe) you for the latest (late) few
days.
6. After those matters have been settled (to settle), there remained
three further (far) important points for consideration.
 Exercise
• Complete the sentences with the appropriate comparative or
superlative form of the adjective and the appropriate form of the
verb in brackets:
7. My elder (old) brother will be (to be) twenty-five next week.

8. He ate less (to eat) (little) chocolate than he used to.

9. Last summer I read (to read) Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles and
Jude the Obscure, but I liked the former (fore) novel much more.

10. I think I won’t buy (not to buy) that house because the nearest
(near) town to it is twenty miles away.
 Exercise
• Choose the correct answer:
1. A Roman silver denarius was the rarest coin in his collection.
a) The most rare
b) The more rare
c) The rarest
d) The rarer.

2. The party was in full swing when her eldest daughter arrived
unexpectedly.
a) Eldest
b) Oldest
c) Biggest
d) Smallest.
 Exercise
• Choose the correct answer:
3. This had been the worst mining accident in the region in the last thirty
years.
a) The baddest
b) The badder
c) The worse
d) The worst

4. The stranger hired one of the cheep upper rooms.

a) Upper
b) Uppest
c) Up
d) Upest
 Exercise
• Choose the correct answer:
5. A cold is one of the most common illnesses.
a) The commonest
b) The commoner
c) The most common
d) The more common

6. The young bride didn’t look very happy.

a) Happier
b) Happy
c) Happiest
d) Happily
 Exercise
• Choose the correct answer:
7. He is one of the finest living tenors.
a) Alive
b) Live
c) Living
d) Lively

8. Lillian doesn’t feel well ; she has been coughing and sneezing all day.
a) Good
b) Badly
c) Bad
d) Well
 Exercise
• Choose the correct answer:
9. Several spectators got very angry on the half-hour delay.
a) At
b) Of
c) With
d) On

10. Old Thomas was happy even if he lived all alone in that house.
a) Alone
b) Solitary
c) Lonely
d) Lone