3. The Adjective and the Adverb Comparison of adjectives

There are three forms of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative.

Positive Form

Use the positive form of the adjective if the comparison contains one of the following expressions:

as … as (Jane is as tall as John)

not as … as / not so … as (John is not as tall as Arnie)

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (-er/-est)

one-syllable adjectives (clean, new, cheap)

two-syllable adjectives ending in -y or -er (easy, happy, pretty, dirty, clever)

positive form clean

comparative form cleaner

superlative form (the) cleanest

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (more/most)

adjectives of three or more syllables (and two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y/-er)

positive form difficult

comparative form more difficult

superlative form (the) most difficult

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (irregular comparisons)

Good - better - best bad / ill - worse - worst little (amount) - less - least little (size) - smaller - smallest much / many - more - most far (place + time) - furthe - furthest far (place) - farther - farthest

late (time) - later - latest late (order) - latter - last near (place) - nearer - nearest near (order) - next old (people and things) - older - oldest old (people) - elder - eldest

Form and Comparison of Adverbs

Form

In general: adjective + -ly (adjective – adverb = slow – slowly)

Comparison of adverbs

There are three forms: positive, comparative, superlative.

Comparison with -er/-est

all adverbs with one syllable

the adverb: early

positive form hard

comparative form harder

superlative form (the) hardest

Comparison with more - most

adverbs ending on -ly (not: early)

positive form carefully

comparative form more carefully

superlative form (the) most carefully

Irregular adverb

well - better - best badly - worse - worst much - more - most

little - less - least late - later - last far - farther/further - farthest/furthest

Adjective or Adverb

Adjectives are used to modify nouns The dog is loud.

Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs The dog barks loudly.

Linking Verbs

Some verbs can only be used with adjectives, others might change their meaning when used with an adverb (look – look good (= appearance) – look well (= healthy); feel – feel good (= state of health/mind) – feel well (= have a good sense of touch).

Grammar Exercises. The Adjective and the adverb

Exercise 1. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).

1) My house is (big) _____ than yours. 2) This flower is (beautiful) _____ than that one. 3) This is the (interesting) _____ book I have ever read. 4) Non-smokers usually live (long) _____ than smokers. 5) Which is the (dangerous) _____ animal in the world? 6) A holiday by the sea is (good) _____ than a holiday in the mountains. 7) It is strange but often a coke is (expensive) _____ than a beer. 8) Who is the (rich) _____ woman on earth? 9) The weather this summer is even (bad) _____ than last summer. 10) He was the (clever) _____ thief of all.

Exercise 2. Fill in the comparison with as ... as.

1) John is (tall) _____ Glen. 2) Janet is (beautiful) _____ Jeniffer. 3) You are (crazy) _____ my sister. 4) We can run (fast) _____ they can. 5) My mom is (not / strict) _____ your mum. 6) Your mobile phone is (not / trendy) _____ mine. 7) Matrix II was (not / interesting) _____ Matrix I. 8) This yoghurt (not / taste / good) _____ the one I bought yesterday. 9) I can do (many / press-ups) _____ you. 10) I (not / earn / much / money) _____ you do.

Exercise 3. Find the adjective in the first sentence and fill the gap with the adverb.

1) Joanne is happy. She smiles _____. 2) The boy is loud. He shouts _____. 3) Her English is fluent. She speaks English _____. 4) Our mum was angry. She spoke to us _____. 5) My neighbour is a careless driver. He drives _____. 6) The painter is awful. He paints _____. 7) Jim is a wonderful piano player. He plays the piano _____. 8) This girl is very quiet. She often sneaks out of the house _____. 9) She is a good dancer. She dances really _____. 10) This exercise is simple. You _____ have to put one word in each space.

Exercise 4. Fill in the correct form of the adjective or adverb.

1) Once upon a time there were three little pigs who wanted to see the world. When they left home, their mum gave them some advice: Whatever you do, do it the (good) _____ you can. 2) So the three pigs wandered through the world and were the (happy) _____ pigs you've ever seen. 3) They were playing (funny) _____ games all summer long, but then came autumn and each pig wanted to build a house. 4) The first pig was not only the (small) _____ but also the (lazy) _____ of the pigs. 5) He (quick) _____ built a house out of straw. 6) The second pig made his house out of wood which was a bit (difficult) _____ than building a straw house. 7) The third pig followed his mum's advice and built a strong house out of bricks, which was the (difficult) _____ house to build. 8) The pig worked very (hard) _____, but finally got his house ready before winter. 9) During the cold winter months, the three little pigs lived (extreme) _____ (good) _____ in their houses. 10) They (regular) _____ visited one another and had the (wonderful) _____ time of their lives.

Exercise 5. Fill in the correct adverb form (comparative or superlative) of the adjectives in brackets.

1) I speak English (fluent) _____ now than last year. 2) She greeted me (polite) _____ of all. 3) She smiled (happy) _____ than before. 4) This girl dances (graceful) _____ of all. 5) Could you write (clear) _____? 6) Planes can fly (high) _____ than birds. 7) He had an accident last year. Now, he drives (careful) _____ than before. 8) Jim can run (fast) _____ than John. 9) Our team played (bad) _____ of all. 10) He worked (hard) _____ than ever before.