LA COMPARACIÓN

COMPARATIVO SUPERLATIVO
comparamos 2 cosas comparamos 3 o + cosas
ADJETIVOS CORTOS
- 1 sílaba ........ -ER than The .......-EST
- 2 sílabas terminados en y
ADJETIVOS LARGOS
more ....... than the most .......
- 2 sílabas o más
ADJETIVOS IRREGULARES
bad worse the worst
good better the best
little less the least
much more the most
far further the furthest

Reglas -ER/-EST:
1. Adjetivos acabados en -e añaden solo -R/-ST.

safe - safer - the safest nice - nicer - the nicest

2. Adjetivos acabados en consonante + vocal + consonante (CVC) doblan la última

consonante.

hot - hotter - the hottest big - bigger - the biggest

3. Adjetivos acabados en -Y cambian a -IER/-IEST.

happy - happier - the happiest funny - funnier - the funniest

OTRAS COMPARACIONES

INFERIORIDAD
COMPARATIVO SUPERLATIVO
LESS ........ than the LEAST ........
IGUALDAD
(not) AS ......... AS
 created by Marta Tabozzi – www.mycaelab.com

COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES

PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT!

1. Complete the table below.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

Popular
Hot
Difficult
Young
Slim
Interesting
Sad
Bad
Easy
Strong
Cold
Pretty
Intelligent
Good
Quiet
Narrow
Old
Far
Tall
High
Cheap
Dangerous
Poor
Clever
Happy
Delicious
Cheap
Big
Boring
Lucky
Large
Enjoyable
Precious
Fast
Thin
Dangerous
Quick
1
 created by Marta Tabozzi – www.mycaelab.com
Hard
Expensive
Wide
Beautiful
Rich
Deep
Fat
Modern
Silly
Small
Noisy
Light
Amazing
Busy
Famous
Simple
Funny
Important
Short
Crazy
Nervous
Spicy
Handsome
Early
Nice
Generous
Weak
Ugly
Exciting
Slow
Dirty
Friendly
Useful
Dark
Wet
Heavy
Warm

2
STAGE 3 GRAMMAR NAME Score

4 Comparative adjectives
Comparative adjectives Adjetivos comparativos 3 Escribe frases completas con is. Usa la
Para formar adjetivos comparativos, se añade -er o forma comparativa de los adjetivos y than.
-r a la mayoría de adjetivos: small – smaller
Si el adjetivo acaba en vocal + consonante, se
dobla la consonante: big – bigger skateboard
Si acaba en consonante + -y, esta se cambia por -i:
noisy – noisier
Si el adjetivo tiene 2 o más sílabas, se pone more
delante: beautiful – more beautiful
Adjetivos irregulares: good – better, bad – worse mobile phone
Para comparar dos cosas, se usa un adjetivo
comparativo + than.
I’m taller than you.
Dogs are more intelligent than rabbits.
computer

1 Completa la tabla.
comparative comparative
adjective adjective the mobile phone / small / skateboard
adjective adjective
The mobile phone is smaller than
quiet quieter
the skateboard.
small (1) modern (4)
1 the skateboard / dangerous / the mobile
big (2) good (5)
phone
happy (3) bad (6)


2 the computer / expensive / the skateboard
2 Completa las frases. Usa la forma
comparativa de los adjetivos entre
paréntesis y than.
3 the skateboard / bad / the mobile phone
Paul is younger than (young) Jim.
1 Vigo (small) Valencia.
2 Rugby is (dangerous) 4 the computer / quiet / the mobile phone
basketball.
3 Computer games are
(expensive) books. 5 the mobile phone / good / the skateboard
4 Sarah is (happy) Lucy.
5 My exam results are
(good) yours. 6 the computer / big / the mobile phone
6 This pasta is (bad) the
pizza.

Vocabulario clave
bad  malo/a   basketball  baloncesto   big  grande   book(s)  libro(s)   classroom  aula   computer  ordenador
computer game(s)  juego(s) de ordenador   dangerous  peligroso/a   exam result(s)  nota(s) de examen
expensive  caro/a   good  bueno/a   happy  feliz   library  biblioteca   mobile phone  móvil
modern  moderno/a   quiet  silencioso/a   rugby  rugby   sister  hermana   skateboard  monopatín  
small  pequeño/a   young  joven

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 1000+ Activities

STAGE 3 grammar NAME Score

4  Superlative adjectives

Superlative adjectives Adjetivos superlativos

2 Mira la información sobre los tres coches.
Escribe frases con la forma superlativa de
Para formar adjetivos superlativos, se añade -est o
los adjetivos.
-st a la mayoría de adjetivo cortos:
young – the youngest
Si el adjetivo acaba en vocal + consonante, se
dobla la consonante: big – the biggest   Jumbo
Si acaba en consonante + -y, esta se cambia por -i:
noisy – the noisiest
Si un adjetivo tiene 2 o más sílabas, se pone the
most delante: expensive – the most expensive   D-Lux
Adjetivos irregulares: good – the best, bad – the worst

1 Une las tres partes de cada frase. Luego

escribe las frases completas.   Zoom

are the
smallest Jumbo D-Lux Zoom
Russia is the longest animals. big
The Nile are the fastest river. fast
Chihuahuas is the biggest drink.
expensive
Dolphins dogs.
are the most my opinion
Champagne intelligent country.
Cheetahs is the most animals. big / car
expensive The Jumbo is the biggest car.
1 small / car

Russia is the biggest country.

1 2 fast / car

2
3 3 slow / car

4
5 4 expensive / car

5 good / car

6 bad / car

Vocabulario clave
animal(s)  animal(es)   bad  malo/a   big  grande   car  coche   champagne  champán
cheetah(s)  guepardo(s)   country  país   dog(s)  perro(s)   dolphin(s)  delfín(es)   drink  bebida
expensive  caro/a   fast  rápido/a   good  bueno/a   intelligent  inteligente   long  largo/a   Nile  Nilo
noisy  ruidoso/a   opinion  opinión   quiet  silencioso/a   river  río   Russia  Rusia   slow  lento/a
small  pequeño/a   the best  el/la mejor   the worst  el/la peor

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 1000+ Activities

• Read the information.

Use Form
• We use the comparative form of • To form the comparative of short
adjectives to compare two people or adjectives, we add -er (than):
things: fast" faster (than)
I'm taller than Emma. clever" cleverer (than)
• We use the superlative form of • To form the superlative of short
adjectives to compare three or more adjectives, we use the + -est:
people or things: fast •• the fastest
rim is the tallest boy in our class. clever" the cleverest

e Complete the table.

~ look at the spelling rules on page 141.

'\
Adjective Comparative Superlative

strong .str:on.g~r..... ................. Look! ------.,.

thin .......... ...... . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . Adjectives ending in -e:
nice" nicer
ugly . .. ... ..... . ...............
Adjectives ending in vowel
small . .. . .. . . . ... . . .. . . ................
+ consonant:
big ................. . ............. ..
big" bigger
fast ............... .. . ............. .. Adjectives ending in consonant
pretty ................. ................. + -y:
nice ...... ........... . ............ .... heavy" heavier
fat ...... ........... .. . ... . ..... ...

e Complete with the comparative. Then do the quiz.

General knowledge quiz

Are these statements true or false?
1 Neptune is ..sl710.t./.er,.t~ctn Jupiter. (small) True / False
2 Hot water is cold water. (heavy) True / False
3 The Mississippi River is . the Nile River. (long) True / False
4 Mount Kilimanjaro is Mount Everest. (high) True / False
5 New York City is Los Angeles. (big) True / False
6 Some human bones are........ steel. (strong) True / False
7 Gold is silver. (cheap) True / False
8 Europe is ... Asia. (large) True / False
 ~
1 .T~e..srn.a.U.es~ bird in the world is
only 5.5 cm long. [small)
2 The blue whale is .
animal in the world. [large)
3 It is also animal in
the world. [loud)
4 fish in the world is the Indo-Pacific sailfish. [fast)
5 The seahorse is fish. [slow)
6 spider in the world can eat birds! [big)
7 Howler monkeys are . land animals. [noisy)
8 snake in the world was a python. It was almost
ten metres long. [long)

e Look at the table and write sentences.

Age Height Weight

Peter 12 1.00 m 00 kg
Lucy 10 1.52 m 40 kg
Harry 12 1.70 m 05 kg
Beth 1I 1.02m 50 kg
'-..
I Peter / Lucy (old)
2 Peter / Harry (short)
3 Harry / Peter (heavy)
4 Beth / Harry (young)
5 Lucy / Beth (thin)
o Beth / Lucy (tall)
7 (old)
8 (short)
9 (heavy)
10 (young)
I I (thin)
12 (tall)

G Complete the questions. Then write true answers.

I Who is .the ..tCllle.st pupil in your class? (tall)
2 Are you your teacher? (young)
3 Is Chinese English? (easy)
4 Who is person in your family? (old)
5 Is your room than your mum and dad's? (big)
o Which is room in your house? (nice)
o Read the information.

Form • To form the superlative of long adjectives,

• To form the comparative of long we use the most + adjective:
adjectives, we use more + adjective beautiful ~ the most beautiful
(+ than): expensive ~ the most expensive
beautiful ~ more beautiful (than) • These adjectives are irregular:
expensive ~ more expensive (than) good ~ better ~ the best
bad ~ worse ~ the worst

G Complete the table.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

beautiful more beautiful
..................... .....................

expensive ..................... .....................

interesting ...................... . ....................

exciting ..................... . ....................

wonderful ..................... .....................

G Compare the pets .

•

I Snakes. (lre. rn~re..d.al1g~roLJs

..t~(ln dogs. Tarantulas............. . of all.
2 Sharks. .. .. goldfish. Dolphins.................. . of all.
3 Dogs.. . .. ... .. hamsters. Cats... of all.
4 Goldfish are........................ iguanas. Parrots are.............................. .. ..... of all.
SCots. .......................................... hamsters. Horses........................................... of all.
b Collies poodles. Alsatians of all.
 Writing practice

e Complete with the correct form of the comparative or the superlative.

Pet Corner
Here are two letters from Pet Lovers.
We're waiting for yours, too!

Hi! Hello TeenUnk!

My name's Debbie and I've got a goldfish. I'm Ruth and I'm eleven years old. I've got
Its name's Goldie. It's two pets! A parrot and a dog. My parrot,
1 [quiet) pet in the Cookie, is 5 [noisy) bird
world! Actually, I wanted a piranha fish in the neighborhood! He sings all day!
but they are 2 . He's B [intelligent) than
[dangerous) than goldfish. They bite! a canary but he's 7 .

Also, Go/die is 3 (small) [ugly), too!

than a cat or a dog and my mum likes My dog, Missy, is B .

that because we have a small house, [good) dog in the world. She's also
too. A goldfish is 4 . 9 [dirty) dog in the
[clean) than a hamster, so I can keep it world! She hates having a bath!
in my room! I think she's 10 .
I love Goldie! [beautiful) dog in the world!
Debbie Lowe [7)

49 Write.
Write a letter to TeenLink. Write about the pet you have or the pet you would like to have. Use
the letters in Exercise 12 as a model.

eeceeeee eeee eeee eeeeee eeee

Hi!
My name'5 .
 1 Complete the table. - 2 Compare the cars. Write sentences with
than.
A.djective Comparative Superlative

=:st faster fastest

'appy happier happiest

::ll 1 2

3 easier 4 Mr Allen's car

::JW 5 6 ~ small Mr Allen's car is smaller than Mrs Todd's

-
7 8 fattest car.
.
-::::avy 9 10 ~ quiet Mrs Todd 's car is {{uieter than Mr Allen's
.
car.
~
11 biggest
1 old _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
:. r-:y 12 , 13
- -i

-- 14 15 I
I
2 fa st _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __
-=,~ d 16 17
_8 ~er Iwidest 3 big

4 new

( (
I)
5 slow

(jj) ~ 6 wide

7 dirty

8 clean _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Unit 6
3 Compare the animals. Write sentences 3 snai l cat (fast)
with than.

p-.-O~ 4 whole fish (long)

~~
~ mouse cat (big)
A cat is bigger than a mouse. 5 snake crocodile (thin)

~,A 5
))!l1J Complete the sentences about Trig and his
1 bear dog (heavy) .
friends Use the comparative form of the
words in the box and than.

At
I Old young small toll heavy I
~

~2
~,\~\ ~ Mike Pete Trig Kate
2 monkey gorilla (strong) ??
Age 14 11 11

Weight S6kg 40kg S4kg 3Skg

._ ~i ~
"
..
.. Height 1.Slm 1.4Sm O.SOm 1.60m

3 snail cot (fast) ~ Mike is older than Pete and younger than
Kate.
1 Mike is _ __ _ _ Pete and Trig and
~ _ _ _ _ _ than Kate.
fish (long)
2 Pete is _ __ _ _ Mike and Kate and
_ _ _ _ _ Mike and Kate.
3 Trig is _ __ _ _ Mike, Pete and Kate.

4 Kate is Mike and Pete and

5 sna ke crocodile (thin)
_ __ __ Pete, Trig and Mike.
5 Mike is _ _ _ _ _ Pete, Kate and Trig.
4 Now write sentences with not as ... as.
6 Complete the text about the friends in
~ mouse cot (big) exercise 5. Use the superlative form of old,
A mouse is not as big as a cat. young, small, tall and heavy.

1 bear dog (heavy) Trig is the smallest. Pete is 1_ _ _ _ _ . (We

don't know how old Trig is!) Kate is
2_ _ _ _ _ an d 3 _ _ _ __ . Mike is
2 monkey gorilla (strong)
4

, Unit 6
 ~
7 Complete the facts crbout the countries 8 ~ Complete the words.
and places. Use the superlative fo rm of the
~ Trig is fat, but Nick is thin.
words in brackets.
~ The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in 1 I can 't carry this box. It's very
h_ _ _ _
the world. (large)
2 Which is the tallest b in New
1 Mount Everest is
mountain in the world. (high) York?
5
2 The Atacama Desert is 3 I can't move the piano. I'm not very
s_ _ _ _
desert in the world. (dry)
4 Asi a is a very l continent.
3 Columbia is country
SHow h is Mount Everest? Do you
in the world. (wet)
continent in kn ow?
4 Asia is
the world. (large) 9Q Partner activity
S The Nile is river In Read what Jenny and Nick say. Then take
the world. (long) turns to ask and answer similar questi ons
with your partner. Use the ideas in the
6 Antarctica is
box or your own ideas.
continent in the world. (cold)
the biggest shop
7 The Sahara Desert is the oldest buildi ng
desert in the world. (big) the tallest bu ilding
t he nicest place to buy sweets
8 The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is
building in the Nick Which is the tallest building in
Merton?
world. (tall)
Jenny I think it's the new hotel in Wilton
Street.
Nick I think the church is taller than the
hotel.

,_ """'1""_ Visit Trig's website for more practice!

&] TEACHERS: now down load the worksheet

for this unit.

Unit 6
1 Complete the table. -

Adjective Comparative Superlative

interesting more iHterestiHg most iHterestiHg

good better best

[beautiful 1 2

13 worse 4
I
useful 5 6

boring 7 8

9 further 10
'"
11 more comfortable 12

13 14 most important
~
.

What do you think? Write sentences with 3 Complete the text. Use the superlative
more ... than. form of the words in brackets.
~ trains, buses (comfortable) Jenny thinks that history is the most
TraiHs are more comfortable thaH buses. iHterestiHg (interesting) subject at school. Nick

~ comics, books (expensive) thinks that PE is the 1_ _ __ _ _ __

(good) subject. He thinks that maths is th e

Books are more ex~eHsive thaH comics.
2 (boring) su bj ect. It's
1 maths, music (useful)
his 3 (bad) subject,
too. Jenny and Amanda like math s. They
2 school, holidays (boring) think it's one of the 4_ __ _ _ _ __

(interesting) subjects. Tom thinks tha t

3 dogs, cats (intelligent) maths is the 5 (difficult)
subject. He likes science more than maths.

'+ geography, science (interesting)

Trig should learn English. He knows it's the
6 (useful) thing to
learn, but he thinks that skateboarding is the
.) .ru nny stories, animal stories (good)
7 (exciting) thing to do.

- - "ateboards, bikes (dangerous)

Unit 7
OBPG unit 70–90 FP.qxd 08/09/05 06:48 Page 154

71 Comparative adjectives
1 Look at the way we compare things: � long adjectives (two syllables or more):
adjective comparative
famous more famous
difficult more difficult
careful more careful
expensive more expensive
� adjectives ending with -y:
happy happier
hungry hungrier
The Plaza Hotel is cheaper than the Excelsior. � irregular adjectives:
The Excelsior Hotel is bigger than the Plaza. good better
The Excelsior is more expensive than the bad worse
Plaza.
The Plaza Hotel is smaller than the Excelsior. (For more information, see Appendix 4,
page 245)
2 Cheaper and more expensive are comparative
adjectives. We form them like this: 3 To compare things, we use a comparative
adjective + than:
� short adjectives (one syllable): Tom is richer than Paul.
adjective comparative Paris is more beautiful than London.
old older My new car is better than my old one.
long longer
nice nicer
new newer
slow slower
fat fatter
hot hotter
big bigger

Practice
A Write the comparative form of these adjectives.
� cold colder 13 long
1 big 14 hungry
2 careful 15 nice
3 expensive 16 happy
4 good 17 difficult
5 fat 18 old
6 famous 19 beautiful
7 new 20 friendly
8 modern 21 hot
9 young 22 wonderful
10 cheap 23 bad
11 delicious 24 small
12 rich 25 sad
EE fr
FR
Gram
om

PAGE 154 • ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS to g mar

o!

Oxford Practice Grammar Basic PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

OBPG unit 70–90 FP.qxd 15/08/05 14:28 Page 155

EE fr
FR
Gram

om
to g mar
o!
B Write comparative sentences about the pictures using than and the words
in brackets ( ). Use the Present Simple.
� 1 2 3

4 5 6 7

� (be/tall) Tom is taller than Sam.

1 (be/cold)
2 (be/hungry)
3 (be/small)
4 (be/happy)
5 (be/young)
6 (be/rich)
7 (be/friendly)

C Look at the information about two boats, the Queen Anne and the King John.
BOATS LENGTH AREA TOP SPEED YEAR MADE PRICE
Queen Anne 14 metres 40 metres2 35 knots 2005 £9,000
King John 9 metres 23 metres2 30 knots 1997 £3,500

Now put words from the box in the sentences.

King John (x2) bigger slower is than

Queen Anne (x2) longer expensive more

� The Queen Anne is bigger than the King John.

1 The King John is smaller the Queen Anne.
2 The Queen Anne is modern than the King John.
3 The King John older than the Queen Anne.
4 The is faster than the .
5 The Queen Anne is more than the King John.
6 The King John is than the Queen Anne.
7 The is cheaper than the .
8 The Queen Anne is than the King John.

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS • PAGE 155

Oxford Practice Grammar Basic PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

 Comparison of adjectives, adverbs of manner

A Complete the sentences with the correct comparative form of the adjective in brackets.

stronger than
1 An elephant is ............................................ (strong) a kangaroo.
2 Our teacher is ............................................ (beautiful) that film star.
3 A school is ............................................ (noisy) a hospital.
4 Jane’s hair is ............................................ (long) yours.
5 John’s work is ............................................ (good) Mary’s.
6 Yesterday was ............................................ (hot) today.
7 This book is ............................................ (interesting) that one.
8 Athletes are usually ............................................ (famous) scientists.

B Write sentences about the pictures. Use the superlative form of the adjective.

1 2 3 4 5

1 the girl / tall / of the three The girl is the tallest of the three.
..................................................................................................................
2 the pyramid / ancient / of the three ..................................................................................................
3 this athlete / good / athlete in the world ..........................................................................................
4 February / short / month / in the year ................................................................................................
5 the red apple / sweet / apple in the bowl ........................................................................................

C Circle the correct word.

1 I think Albert Einstein was the brilliant / more brilliant / most brilliant scientist in the world.
2 I am a good / better / best swimmer than my brother.
3 Mum is the busy / busier / busiest person in the family.
4 What is the most expensive / more expensive / expensive car in the world?
5 London is rainy / rainier / rainiest than Athens.
6 The book was frightening / more frightening / most frightening than the film.

D Write adverbs for the adjectives. E Circle the correct word.

Adjective Adverb 1 The dog is eating hungry / hungrily .

1 dangerous dangerously
...................... 2 Is she drinking the hot coffee slow / slowly?
2 nice ...................... 3 Sue is a nice / nicely person.
3 fast ...................... 4 Tom plays tennis good / well.
4 happy ...................... 5 The music was very loud / loudly.
5 good ...................... 6 The old lady spoke soft / softly.
6 quiet ......................
ESO 2 Photocopiable © B Burlington Books
 IES Libertas. Torrevieja. Departamento de Inglés

adjectives: comparative and superlative

1. Complete the chart with the comparatives and superlatives:

Adjective Comparative Superlative

long longer than the longest
fast faster than
pretty the prettiest
beautiful more beautiful than
ugly uglier than
thin the thinnest
fashionable more fashionable than

2. Write the comparative:

a. old older f. good
b. strong g. large
c. happy h. serious
d. modern i. pretty
e. important j. bad
3. Complete the sentences with a superlative:
a. This building is very old. It’s the oldest building in the town.
b. It was a very happy day. It was of my life.
c. It’s a very good film. It’s I’ve seen.
d. It was a very bad mistake. It was in my life.
e. It was a very cold day. It was of the year.
f. She’s a popular singer. She’s in the country.
g. He’s a very boring person. He’s I know.
h. This house is very big. It is I’ve lived in.
i. My cousin is very tall. He is I have.
j. Laura is a very pretty girl. She is I know.
4. Choose the correct answer:
a. Tom’s car is as big as / the biggest his friend’s.
b. Who is shorter than / the shortest person in your family?
c. Who is more independent than / the most independent person you know?
d. These sofas are more comfortable than / the most comfortable ours.
e. My brother is taller than / the tallest in the class.
f. Is Jason’s dog older than / the oldest yours?
g. Who is the best / better than singer in the world?
3º E.S.O. 1
 IES Libertas. Torrevieja. Departamento de Inglés

h. We are younger than / the youngest the rest of the class.

i. My hair is the straightest / straighter than your hair.
j. He is more popular / the most popular singer in the world.
5. Write the sentences in the correct order:
a. taller / than / Gary / Rick / is.
Gary is taller than Rick.
b. trousers / John / got / has / new / light.

c. Mary / clothes / likes / bigger

d. an / expensive / Rick / wearing / coat / is

e. the / Carol / has / scarf / got / shortest

f. the / student / he / tallest / is

g. actress / Mary / the / was / popular / most

h. He / the / was / footballer / best

i. plays / than / better / you / Mary

j. father / is / your / than / stronger / mine

6. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:
a. Carol is as good (good) as you at sport.
b. We like wearing the (late) fashion.
c. These trousers are ____________________ (comfortable) than those jeans.
d. She is ______________________ (happy) now than he was last year.
e. You are the ________________________ (pretty) girl in class.
f. My grandma is _______________________ (old) than my grandpa.
g. The red dress is the ______________________ (attractive) in the shop.
h. I always tell the _______________________ (fun) jokes.
i. Your hair is ____________________ (curly) than my hair.
j. My hair is ______________________ (short) than yours.

3º E.S.O. 2