jueves, 15 de diciembre de 2011

Comparative Forms

Here you have a summary of what we have seen in class. Remember that although this grammar point is not in this lesson of aour text book, we have alredy seen it in class. At the end you have links with exercises to do. I hope this will be helpful.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS
The comparative (and superlative) is formed depending on how many syllables the adjectives or adverbs have. Look at the chart below:
·         The comparative form:   -ER THAN     or     MORE + adjective+ THAN
She is taller than me                           He isn’t more handsome than Peter                               That dog was funnier
The box is more beautiful than mine                              My car is more expensive than yours

1 syllable
2 syllables
3 syllables
Old  -- older (than me)
Fat  --- fatter (than Susan)
Nice  ---nicer (than Tony)
Adjectives ending in-Y
Funny  ---  funnier than TV
Lovely  ---  lovelier than mine
Expensive  ---  more expensive than this one
Beautiful  ---  more beautiful than yours
Easily done  ---  more easily done than hers

The rest of 2-syllable adjectives
handsome --- more handsome
Boring  ---  more boring than TV

·         The superlative form:   -EST IN     or     THE MOST + adjective+ IN
They are the most important people in the room                         This is the easiest exercise in the test

1 syllable
2 syllables
3 syllables
Old  --- the oldest
Fat  --- the fattest
Nice  --- the nicest
Adjectives ending in-Y
Funny  ---  the funniest in TV
Lovely  ---  the loveliest
Expensive  ---  the most expensive in the shop
Beautiful  ---  the most beautiful in my house
Easily done  ---  the most easily done in my job

The rest of 2-syllable adjectives
handsome --- the most handsome
Boring  --- the most boring

Spelling rules
1)  If the adjective ends in CONSONANT + STRESSED VOWEL + CONSONANT = you double the consonant. For example:  
big  ---  bigger ; the biggest     or     thin  ---  thinner ; the thinnest
2)  If the adjective ends in –E, you drop the –E and add –ER or –EST .E. g :  white  ---  whiter ; the whitest
3)  If the adjective ends in –Y and you add –ER you have to change it into –IER, or –IEST like in the following examples: 
pretty  ---  prettier ; the prettiest                       easy  ---  easier; the easiest

Inferiority form: LESS and THE LEAST
This form is not very frequent but you can use it in certain occasions; the forms LESS and THE LEAST is the same for all the adjectives and adverbs because it doesn’t change. For example:
My car is bigger but less expensive and less fast than my father’s           She’s the least shy of all my children

Comparison with AS ..... AS
You use this form to say that two things or people have the same quality; e.g.: Susan is as tall as Mary

Exercises
·         http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/regcom.htm : an explanation with exercises
·         http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/adjektive_steig.htm :  a large explanation and some pages for exercises 
·         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fleok757P90 : a video explaining comparatives
·         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwwrF0UBQQ&feature=player_embedded#at=40 : a simple video with comparatives
·         http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/45.html : a bit longer but still easy to do
·         http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson12/05.html : this page is in Spanish and at the end you can go to the following exercise with superlative adjectives or click this: http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curso/lesson12/06.html
·         http://www.autoenglish.org/gr.comp.i.htm : it has the three forms of comparative

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