Lesson
We can compare
a: Two objects or sets
¨A = ¨B
A is as big as B.
¨A بB
A is bigger than B
¨A بB ¨C
A is bigger than the rest
b: More than two objects or sets
¨A ¨B ¨C ¨D
A is the biggest.
When they are asking or talking about preferences, people usually say ‘Which do you like best?’ even if there are only two objects.
Form
We form the comparative (two objects compared) and superlative (more than two objects compared) in one of two ways:
a. Add -er or -est to the adjective.
b. Put more or most before the adjective.
With -er and -estThe following kinds of adjective form the comparative and superlative by adding -er and -est:
1. With one syllable
small-smaller-smallest
dry-drier-driest
green-greener-greenest
brave-braver-bravest
near-nearer-nearest
2. With two syllables
I) ending in an unstressed vowel -y, -ly and -ow
e.g.
happy èhappier è happiest *** lively è livelier è liveliest yellow è yellower è yellowest
ii) ending in -le -er or -ure
e.g.
simple è simpler è simplest *** clever è cleverer è cleverest matureèmaturer è maturest
Notes:
Adjectives with spelling CONSONANT/SINGLE VOWEL/CONSONANT double the last consonant:
sad-sadder-saddest thin-thinner-thinnest fat-fatter-fattest
The irregular adjectives are:
good-better-best *** much-more-most *** bad-worse-worst *** little-less-least
When talking about people’s health, use better as the comparative form of well, and worse as the comparative form of ill:
e.g.
He has been ill but he is getting better. He is not well, and in fact he is getting worse.
With more and most
The following kinds of adjective form the comparative and superlative with more and most:
I) Adjectives with endings such as -ful, -less, -al, -ic, -ate -ish, -ed, -ing, -ous, -ive, -ent, -ory/-ary, -(i)an, -ist, -able/-ible
useful - more useful - most useful *** vital - more vital - most vital *** private - more private - most private *** amused - more amused - most amused *** serious - more serious - most serious *** recent - more recent - most recent *** hopeless - more hopeless - most hopeless *** public - more public - most public *** foolish - more foolish - most foolish *** boring - more boring - most boring *** expensive - more expensive - most expensive
ii) other common adjectives such as foreign, serious
iii) all adjectives of more than two syllablespeculiar - more peculiar - most peculiar *** cowardly - more cowardly - most cowardly *** horrible - more horrible-most horrible
Use of the comparative and superlative forms
a. To say that one object has more of a quality than another object:
e.g.
Pluto is more distant than Mars. Tokyo is a bigger city than Kyoto. It is more interesting to visit a place than simply to read about it.
If you want to say: B á A instead of A ñ B , you can do it in one of three ways:
I) with the construction NOT SO/AS . . . AS :
B is not as big as A or B is not so big as A.
Mars is not so/as distant as Pluto.
ii) with an adjective of opposite meaning :
B is smaller than A.
Kyoto is smaller than Tokyo.
iii) with the words less and least, which are the opposite of more and most:
Restaurant A is less crowded than restaurant B.
Item A is the least expensive of all the items.
Only use this form with less/least when you want to say all the objects are X, but some are less X than others. In the example above, both restaurants are crowded, but A is less crowded than B; all the items. Are expensive but A is the least expensive.
b. To describe something which is increasing (more and more) or decreasing (less and less)?
People are getting more and more worried about the economic situation. In spite of my diet, I seem to be getting fatter and fatter! As I get older, I find I am getting less and less interested in politics.
c. To describe how one thing increases or decreases in relation to another. The pattern for this is:
THE MORE A , THE MORE B -ER -ER
e.g.
The bigger your income, the more you spend.
This construction is used with adverbs as much as with adjectives.
e.g.
The sooner you finish, the sooner you can go home.
The possessive form of nouns
The possessive form is used mainly with people, groups of people (including countries) and animals to show their relationship to someone or something. Possession is only one of the relationships which this form describes.
For example:
Michael -- some books which belong to him = They are Michael’s books.
Anna -- she goes to this school = This is Anna’s school.
The boss -- an idea which he has had = It is the boss’s idea.
The boys -- this is the bedroom where they sleep = The boy’s bedroom.U.S.A.
Nuclear missiles = USA’s nuclear Missiles.
Notes:
Compound nouns and short noun phrases usually add ’s:
mother-in-law -- his mother-in-law’s
opinion sergeant major -- a sergeant major’s duties
the Duke of Edinburgh -- the Duke of Edinburgh’s latest speech
Names ending in -s
There are a few first names which end in -s (e.g. Thomas) and quite a lot of surnames or family names (e.g. Davies, Edwards, Jones, Marks) which end in -s. In speaking we indicate the possessive by adding the sound [iz] to the end of the name:
Thomas [_t_mes] [t_mesiz] Jones [_dzounzl [_dzounziz]Although the written form may be either ’s, or ’ and we advise you to write ’s: Thomas’s, Jones’s, etc. The possessive form is also used with some expressions of time, and in a few fixed expressions: It can also be used with ships, boats and other vehicles (e.g. the ship's crew, a car’s top speed), but we advise you to use the construction THE X OF THE / A Y to describe the relationship between things (i.e., not people), as in the crew of the ship and the top speed of a car.
Reminder:
With things, possession is often expressed by compound nouns of the pattern NOUN + NOUN, e.g., bedclothes (= the clothes of the bed), doorbell (= the bell of the door), television screen (= the screen of the television).
Note: Use the of- construction (THE X OF THE Y) with people in cases where you might be misunderstood. For example:This is a photograph of the house I like.
is easier to understand than
This is the house’s photograph I like. (which could mean that I like the photograph rather than the house!) Or This is the house I like’s photograph. (Which is ungrammatical and unclear).
Expressions like “at the grocer’s” We often refer to shops, restaurants, colleges, etc., by the name of the owner, or the founder:
Examples
I bought it at Woolworth’s. I must go to the doctor’s at four o’clock. He was at Ibn Malik’s. We had dinner at Lugi’s last night. (POSSESSIVE )
