Degrees of Comparison

short words: -er, -est	big – bigger – the biggest thin – thinner – the thinnest short – shorter – the shortest
words ending in – y: -ier, -iest	easy – easier – the easiest happy – happier – the happiest heavy – heavier – the heaviest
long words: more, the most	important – more important – the most important general – more general – the most general
both ways for some adjectives (stupid, gentle, friendly, cruel, common, pleasant, quiet, shallow)	simpler – the simplest simple more simple- the most simple narrower – the narrowest narrow more narrow – the most narrow cleverer – the cleverest clever more clever – the most clever
real right wrong	real - more real - the most real right - more right - the most right wrong - more wrong - the most wrong
a bit/ a littlе + comparative (немного)	a bit	bigger older more difficult	than
much/ a lot/ far + comparative (намного, гораздо)	It’s much cheaper. – Это намного дешевле. The film is far better than the book. – Фильм гораздо лучше, чем книга.
By far + superlative (гораздо)	He is by far the best student in the class. – Он гораздо лучше, чем все остальные студенты.

Ex. 1. Analyze these sentences and compare the adjectives given there. Translate them into Russian.

1. He has a difficult test. I have a more difficult test. Her test is the most difficult of all. 2. Your problem is easy. His problem is easier than yours. That student’s problem is the easiest. 3. This definition is too simple. There is a more simple (simpler) definition. That is the most simple (simplest) definition of all. 4. My explanation of this task is wrong. My friend’s explanation of this task is more wrong than mine. I think that his explanation is the most wrong explanation I have ever heard. 5. Jill is 25. Gary is 24 ½ . Jill is a bit older than Gary. 6. France isn’t very big. Canada is much bigger than France. 7. That film is interesting. I consider it is by far the most interesting film I have ever seen. 8. This method is complicated. The new one is much more complicated. It is the most complicated method that I remember.

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives:

good / well – хороший/хорошо bad / badly – плохой/плохо much / many - много little - мало far – далекий/далеко late – поздний/поздно old – старый near – близкий/ близко

better – лучший/лучше worse – худший/хуже more – больше/более less – меньше/менее farther– дальше further– дальше, дополнительный, добавочный later – более поздний/позже latter – последний (из упомянутых) older – более старше elder – старше в семье nearer nearer

best – самый лучший worst – самый худший most – наибольшее количество least – наименьшее количество farthest – самый дальний furthest – самый дальний, дальше всего the latest (there may be more to come) – самый поздний, но не последний the last (final, before this) – последний, окончательный the oldest – самый старший (о возрасте) the eldest - старший в семье the nearest (о расстоянии) the next (порядок)

Ex. 2. Analyze these sentences and compare the adjectives given there. Translate them into Russian.

1. This example is not quite good. You ought to find a better one. I do not think it is the best example that you can give. 2. The result of their exam is bad. It is much worse than we expected. In fact, it is the worst in many years. 3. I have little free time. Mary has less free time than me. Jane has the least free time. 4. My house is far from the University. The hostel is farther from the University. I saw them in the farthest corner of the park. Please, send the books back without further delay. 5. Peter has 5 notebooks. Mary has more notebooks. She has 10. John has the most books. He has 15. 6. He came home later than usual. Have you heard the latest news? The last train leaves in half an hour. 7. My elder brother is 5 years older than me. My grandmother is the oldest in our family. Her eldest son is my father. 8. The nearest café is in a five - minute walk from here. The next news bulletin comes in 10 minutes.