Bucco-Lechat, C. (2013). Athletics World Championships [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/IJzZOv
Conscious or unconsciously we are always comparing. Sometimes we express that something or someone is superior, i.e. your car is newer, my career is more difficult, his girlfriend is more beautiful, my soccer team is better.
You cannot say Saul “El Canelo” Alvarez is more boxer than Julio Cesar. Instead, we say “El Canelo” is taller, stronger, faster, or more intelligent. But we cannot say not more boxer, to compare we always use adjectives and adverbs.
At the end of this section, you will be able to use adjectives and adverbs to compare two subjects, using the adjectives and adverbs. You can also make a comparison among three or more subjects using the superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs.
Do you know what an adjective is? What is an adverb? What their difference is ? if you don´t have the answer to these questions, do not worry. In this topic, you will be able to know the answer and the reason behind them.
Moreover, you will know three ways of answering when you compare subjects. You may wonder why there are three different results. Keep in mind, that when you compare two subjects, you can have three different outcomes. That is equality, inferiority, and superiority.
On the other hand, you will differentiate short and long adjectives and adverbs. You will use them in statements to compare characteristics between the two subjects.
Finally, you will use them to indicate that a subject is at the top or the lowest end when you compare it among a group of subjects using adjectives in their superlative forms.
You will practice the four skills using comparatives and superlatives.
Reading- If you like soccer, you will enjoy the reading about the “The Maracanazo” one of the most surprising stories of the World Cup. An incredible tournament that ended as the saddest day in the history of Brazil, but also a lesson of courage of eleven Uruguayans among 200,000 Brazilians.
Listening -You will listen to the problems a student has when she has to choose a school sport and the advice her parents give her.
Writing -Once you know how to use comparatives and superlatives, you will have the opportunity to write about the sports you like using comparatives and superlatives.
Speaking- Almost everyone likes sports. It could be running, swimming, baseball, tennis, box, soccer or any other sport. When you love a sport, you go to the stadium, watch it on television, play internet games or go to competition events. Here, you will have the chance to talk about the sports events that were unforgettable and very exciting for you.
By the end of this topic you will:
Make statements correctly with adjectives and adverbs in their comparative and superlative form, through the comparison of characteristics of people, objects, places and activities to establish relationships of equality, superiority and inferiority.
When you want to compare people, things or animals you use adjectives or adverbs.
Evdcoldeportes (2008). Suggested activity: heron[photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/VQ6PFg
1 | The two things, animal or persons are equal. |
2 | One of the two elements, animal or person, is inferior in the characteristic in which they are compared. |
3 | One of the two elements, animal or person, is superior in the characteristic in which they are compared. |
When you want to say that things are equal in some way, you use the following structures:
If you want to express this structure in an affirmative way, you use the form:
If you want to express this structure in a negative way, you use the form:
It is time to practice!
When you compare two things, animals or people and you want to express that one is inferior. You must put the word “less” before the adjective. The structure is as follows:
Examples:
It is time to practice!
When you compare two things, animals or people and you want to express that one is inferior. You must put the word “less” before the adjective. The structure is as follows:
Exceptions
There are some adjectives of two syllables which are considered as long adjectives:
When you compare two things, animals or persons and you want to express the superiority of one of them, you must add –er to the short adjectives (adjectives or adverbs that have one or two syllables).
Examples:
Do you like box?
Do you know some boxers?
Who are the boxers in the following picture?
They are two of the best boxers in the world, the one on the left is the Philippine boxer Manny “The Pac Man” Pacquiao and the one on the right is the Mexican Juan Manuel “The Dynamite” Marquez.
In your opinion, who is better?
Let’s compare them in the following aspects:
Characteristic | Manny Pacquiao | Juan Manuel Marquez |
---|---|---|
Nationality | Philippine | Mexican |
Age | 38 | 44 |
Height (cm) | 166 | 170 |
Weight (pounds) | 147 | 146 |
Rich (million of dollars) | 500 | 100 |
Fast | ||
Ugly |
Let’s see how you can compare them.
Characteristic | Question | Comparison |
---|---|---|
Old | Who is older Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez? | Juan Manuel Marquez is older than Manny Pacquiao |
Tall | Who is taller Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez? | Juan Manuel Marquez is taller than Manny Pacquiao |
Heavy | Who is heavier Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez? | Manny Pacquiao is heavier than Juan Manuel Marquez |
Rich | Who is richer Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez? | Manny Pacquiao is richer than Juan Manuel Marquez |
As you notice you only add –er to the short adjective to show superiority in the characteristic you are comparing.
Exceptions: There are some adjectives which don’t follow this rule:
Adjective | Comparative form |
---|---|
Good | better than |
Well | better than |
Bad | worse than |
Far | farther than |
Little | less than |
Few | less than |
Examples:
Note: Notice the following situations:
When you compare two things, animals or people and you want to express the superiority of one of them; you say or write “more” before the long adjective (adjectives or adverbs that have three or more syllables).
Examples:
What is the most popular sport in Mexico?
Who are the best players?
One of the most popular sports in the world is football soccer or simply soccer.
Two of the most famous soccer players are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi plays in the Barcelona and Messi in the Real Madrid. They both play in Spain.
Let´s compare them in the following aspects:
Characteristic | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
---|---|---|
Nationality | Argentinian | Portuguese |
Elegant | ||
Famous | ||
Handsome | ||
Important | ||
Intelligent | ||
Talented |
Let´s see how you can compare them.
Characteristic | Question | Comparison |
---|---|---|
Elegant | Who is more elegant Messi or Ronaldo? | Ronaldo is more elegant than Messi. |
Handsome | Who is more handsome Messi or Ronaldo? | Ronaldo is more handsome than Messi. |
Famous | Who is more famous Messi or Ronaldo? | Messi is more famous than Ronaldo. |
Important | Who is more important Messi or Ronaldo? | Messi is more important than Ronaldo |
Intelligent | Who is more intelligent Messi or Ronaldo? | Messi is more intelligent than Ronaldo. |
Messi or Ronaldo? |
Notice that you only say or write more before the long adjective to show superiority in the characteristics that you are comparing.
Few two-syllable adjectives follow the long adjectives rule:
handsome |
more handsome |
|
common |
more common |
|
boring |
more boring |
|
crowded |
more crowded |
|
careful |
more careful |
Now, let’s practice with this exercise.
When comparing three or more things, animals, people or groups and you want to express the superiority of one of them you use superlatives.
When you use the superlatives, you have to consider if the comparing adjective is long or short.
When you compare three or more things, animal or persons or groups and you want to express the superiority of one of them, you must add –est to the short adjectives (the adjectives or adverbs that have one or two syllables).
Examples:
Sports require practice and skill and only a handful of people are determined to reach the top. Some athletes are paid a large sum to stay above the rest. Sponsorship, contracts and personal benefits all help to build the wealth of an athlete.
Do you think athletes get a good salary?
Who is richer an athlete or a professional person-a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer-?
Who is your favorite athlete?
Take a look at the following list and see what the net value of the best athletes are.
Name | Profession | Age (years) | Net worth (million) | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Jordan | Retired basketball player | 54 | $1140 | United States |
Michael Schumacher | Retired racing driver | 48 | $800 | Germany |
Vince McMahon | Retired professional wrestler | 71 | $750 | United States |
Eldrick Tont Tiger Woods | Professional golfer | 41 | $640 | United States |
Roger Staubach | Retired American football quarterback | 75 | $600 | United States |
Let’s compare them.
Characteristic | Question | Comparison |
---|---|---|
Old | Who is the oldest person in this group? | Roger Staubachis the oldest person in this group |
Young | Who is the youngest person in this group? | Tiger Woods is the youngest person in this group |
Wealthy | Who is the wealthiest person in this group? | Michael Jordan is the wealthiest person in this group |
As you notice you only add –est to the short adjective to show superiority in the characteristic you are comparing.
Exceptions, there are some adjectives which don’t follow this rule:
Adjective | Comparative form |
---|---|
Good | the best |
Well | the best |
Bad | the worst |
Far | farthest |
Little | the least |
Few | the least |
Examples:
Note: Pay attention to the following situations:
When you compare three or more things, animals or persons or groups and you want to express superiority of one of them; you say or write “the most” before the long adjective (adjectives or adverbs that have three or more syllables).
Examples:
Ian is a student who wants to play a sport, but he does not know yet which one. So he conducted a survey with his friends about the characteristics of sports to select one of them.
The results are the following.
Sport | Dangerous | Modern | Interesting | Expensive | Important |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jogging | |||||
Car races | |||||
Soccer | |||||
Swimming |
Let’s compare them.
Characteristic | Question | Comparison |
---|---|---|
Dangerous | What is the most dangerous sport of these four? | Car races is the most dangerous sport of them. |
Modern | What is the most modern sport of these four? | Car races is the most modern sport of them. |
Interesting | What is the most interesting sport of these four? | Soccer is the most interesting sport of them. |
Expensive | What is the most expensive sport of these four? | Car races is the most expensive sport of them. |
Important | What is the most important sport of these four? | Soccer is the most important sport of them. |
Notice you only put “the most” before the long adjective to show superiority in the characteristics you are comparing.
There are few two-syllable adjectives that follow the rule for long adjectives:
handsome |
the most handsome |
|
common |
the most common |
|
boring |
the most boring |
|
crowded |
the most crowded |
|
careful |
the most careful |
It is the moment to practice!
In the following chat there is a summary of the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives and adverbs.
Click on the sections on the left side to read the corresponding information.
Comparatives | Superlatives | |
---|---|---|
Definition | Comparatives are used to compare two things, animals, persons or similar groups and to emphasize the equality, inferiority, superiority of the term compared to another |
For comparisons of three or more things, animals, persons or groups, you must use the superlative. The superlative designates extremes: the best, the biggest, the worst, the last, etc. |
Equality | Short and long adjectives: as... adjective... as Jannet runs as fast as Mary Leonel Messi is as skilled as Cristiano Ronaldo |
It doesn´t exist |
Inferiority |
Short and long adjectives: less+ adjective + than… Alice is less strong than Sharon Barcelona soccer team is less competitive than Santos team. |
Short and long adjectives: the least + adjective This is the least successful athlete I know. |
Superiority |
Short adjectives: adjective+ -er than… Mike is taller than George. Long adjectives: more+ adjective + than… Baseball is more popular than soccer in USA. |
Short adjectives: the + adjective –est Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world Long adjectives: the most + adjective: “El Canelo” Alvarez is the most outstanding boxer in Mexico. |
Here is a list of common adjective and adverbs in their comparative and superlative forms and exceptions.
Click the buttons!
Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
---|---|---|
Big | bigger than | the biggest |
Busy | busier than | the busiest |
Black | blacker than | the blackest |
Clean | cleaner than | the cleanest |
Cold | colder than | the coldest |
Dirty | dirtier than | the dirtiest |
Early | earlier than | the earliest |
Easy | easier than | the easiest |
Fast | faster than | the fastest |
Fine | finer than | the finest |
Full | fuller than | the fullest |
Happy | happier than | the happiest |
Hard | harder than | the hardest |
Hot | hotter than | the hottest |
Kind | kinder than | the kindest |
Large | larger than | the largest |
Late | later than | the latest |
Long | longer than | the longest |
Narrow | narrower than | the narrowest |
Near | nearer than | the nearest |
Nice | nicer than | the nicest |
Simple | simpler than | the simplest |
Slow | slower than | the slowest |
EXEMPTIONS | ||
---|---|---|
Good | better than | the best |
Well | better than | the best |
Bad | worse than | the worst |
Far | farther than | farthest |
Little | less than | the least |
Few | less than | the least |
Activity 1
Before reading the text “The Maracanazo in Brazil 1950”, answer these questions:
In this activity, you will read a text about a sickness which affects 3.5 billion of healthy people around the world every four years: the soccer fever.
There have been 20 World Cup Tournaments from 1930 to 2014. The most successful team has been Brazil which has won five titles. It is the only team that has been in every tournament.
Brazil’s soccer team has given the greatest satisfaction to its fans by wining five championships. However, it also gave them the most painful defeat in 1950 in Brazil!
You will read about how “The Maracanazo” started.
When you finish, read the questions and answer them with complete sentences.
Activity 2
Read carefully the text “The Maracanazo in Brazil 1950” again. And choose the right option T for true or F for false.
Activity3
Andrea has just entered the preparatory school at the UNAM. There were many sports such as boxing, swimming and basketball. She had to choose only one sport, so she decided on the subject of Physical Education.
She likes the three sports; she doesn´t know which sport is the best for her, so she is talking to her parents to advise her.
Listen to the conversation between Andrea and her parents. Based on the information, write an X in the chart in the place where you can do or see those activities.
Activity 4
Most people like sport. Which sports prompt you go to the stadium, arena, bar or joint with your friends? Or make to stay in your living room drinking sodas, or beer and eating snacks? Soccer, basketball, box, volleyball?
What characteristics do they have to have your favourite? Why do those sports excite you and make you scream?
Read the following example: I really love soccer. My favourite team is “Los Pumas”. I usually go on Sundays with my friends. I love going to the stadium to see them play. At the stadium, you can buy different snacks and beverages. The stadium is usually full because this team has many fans in Mexico City.
Activity 5
During your life, you have seen games, matches, races or fights that were very exciting. These events made you very happy or very sad. The days of the events you could not sleep as a result of the excitement of the activities you saw.
Those sport events did not change your life, but they still thrill you. Now it is your opportunity to talk about the games or matches of any sport you attended or watched and liked very much.
Say why they were special. Remember to use as many comparatives and superlatives as you can.
Record yourself with your mobile phone for about two minutes – audio or video. Read the rubrics to know what it is expected from you.
Listen to the example provided.
Example
Read the rubric to know what is expected from you.
After record your activity, save it to your computer.
Exercise 1
This time you will learn about one of the most famous Philippine boxers; Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao. A generous person that uses his money to help poor people.
An admirable person who was homeless and who soon might be the president of his country.
Read the text carefully and write the following comparatives and superlatives in the correct position according to the context.