Concetti Chiave
- Comparative adjectives like "younger" and superlatives like "youngest" are used to compare differences in quality or quantity.
- Irregular comparisons often involve unique forms, such as "good" becoming "better" and "best."
- Modifiers like "much" and "far" can be used before comparatives to intensify the degree of comparison.
- Comparative and superlative adverbs often use "more" and "most," but some adverbs take "-er" and "-est" endings, similar to adjectives.
- The structure "as...as" is used to indicate equality, with variations like "not so...as" for negation.
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Comparative adjectives are forms like younger or more expensive.Superlative adjectives are forms like youngest, most expensive.
Farther/further and farthest/furthest are both used to talk about distance. We use further to mean additional in some expression.
Some examples could be:
She lives three miles farther away from the office than I do.
Further education, further information, further discussion.
Elder and eldest in family context could be used in this way: elder and eldest are used with brother, sister, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter.
Jonh’s my elder brother. (I have one brother older than me).
Sarah’s my eldest sister (I have more than one sister).
Irregular comparison
Good/well – better – bestBad – worse – worst
Far – farther/further – farthest/furthest
Old – older/elder – oldest/eldest
Little – less – least
Much/many – more – most
Modifiers before comparatives
Before comparatives, we can use much, far, very much, a little, a bit, a lot/lots, any, no and even.He’s mach/far older than her.
She’s very much happier in the new job.
I feel a litte/a bit better.
These grapes are a lot sweeter than the others.
The train’s no quicker than the bus or the train isnt any quicker than the bus.
You look even more beautiful than usual.
Comparative and superlative adverbs
Comparative and superlative adverbs normally have more and most.Could you drive more slowly?
French is the language he speaks the most easely.
But the following adverbs have –er,-est like adjectives:
Early – earlier – earliest
Fast – faster – fastest
Hard – harder – hardest
Late – later – latest
Near – nearer – nearest
Soon – sooner – soonest
Better, best, worse and worst con be used as adverbs.
Using as...as for equality
AS...ASWe use as...as to say that people or things are equal in some way.
She’s as tall as her brother.
Is it as good as you expected?
She speaks French as well as the rest of us.
After not, we can use so...as instead as...as.
He’s not so/as successful as his father.
Other useful structures
I haven’t got as much time as I tought.We need as many poeple as possible.
She earns twice as much money as me/as I do.
He went to the same school as me/as I did.
Colorful similes
As slow as a brocken down snailAs dirty as a dustbin lid
As thick as two short planks ( = stupid)
As black as two o’clock in the morning
As ugly as home-made soap
As happy as a dog with two tails
As poor as a church mouse
As croocked as a dog’s hind leg
As croocked as a barrel of fish hooks
As nervous as a brick wall
As brave as the first man who ate an oyster
As cold as an ex-wife’s heart
As big as the little end of nothing
As welcome as a wet shoe
As noisy as two skeletons dancing on a tin roof
As dark as the inside of a wolf
As scarce as hen’s teeth
As exciting as watching paint dry
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the key differences between comparative and superlative adjectives?
- How are "farther" and "further" used differently in English?
- In what context are "elder" and "eldest" used, and how do they differ from "older" and "oldest"?
- What modifiers can be used before comparative adjectives, and how do they affect the meaning?
- How is the structure "as...as" used to express equality, and what is an alternative structure after "not"?
Comparative adjectives, such as "younger" or "more expensive," are used to compare two things, while superlative adjectives, like "youngest" or "most expensive," are used to describe the extreme quality among three or more items.
Both "farther" and "further" refer to distance, but "further" can also mean additional, as in expressions like "further education" or "further information."
"Elder" and "eldest" are used in family contexts, such as "elder brother" or "eldest sister," to indicate seniority among siblings, whereas "older" and "oldest" are more general.
Modifiers like "much," "far," "very much," "a little," "a bit," "a lot," "any," "no," and "even" can be used before comparatives to intensify or diminish the degree of comparison, such as "much older" or "a bit better."
The structure "as...as" is used to indicate equality, as in "as tall as her brother." After "not," "so...as" can be used instead, such as "not so successful as his father."
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