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Comparatives and superlatives

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.

Objective

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.

Content
Comparatives and superlatives.

When you want to compare people, things or animals you use adjectives or adverbs.

Difference between an adjective and an adverb.

When you compare two things, animals or persons, you can have three results:


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.

Let´s see one by one.

Comparatives of equality

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:

  • Peter is as fast as Mary.

  • Thomas is as experienced as George

  • Jack is as old as Bill

  • Alice runs as slow as Evelyn

  • Harry is as strong as Jacob

  • Charlie is as intelligent as Henry

If you want to express this structure in a negative way, you use the form:

  • A: Is James as agile as harry?
    B: No, James is not as agile as Harry.

  • A: Is jack as powerful as Oliver?
    B: No, Jack is not as powerful as Oliver.

  • A: Is Scarlett as heavy as Ava?
    B: No, Scarlett is not as heavy as Ava.

  • A: Is Emily as intelligent as Abigail?
    B: Emily is not as intelligent as Abigail

  • A: Is William as fast as Joshua?
    B: No, William is not as fast as Joshua

It is time to practice!

Comparatives and superlatives.


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:

  • A: Is Harry less tall than George?
    B: Yes, Harry is less tall than George

  • A: Is Abigail less intelligent than you?
    B: Yes, Abigail is less intelligent than me

  • A: Is Manny Pacquiao less aggressive than “El Canelo” Alvarez?
    B: Yes Pacquiao is less aggressive than “The Canelo” Alvarez.

  • A: Is the boxer Mariana Juarez “Barbi” less brawny than the Zulina Munoz “the Wolf”?
    B: Yes, Marina Juarez is less brawny than Zulina Munoz.

  • A: Is the swimmer Simone Manuel less famous than Michael Phelps?
    B: Yes, Simone Manuel is less famous than Michael Phelps


It is time to practice!

Comparison of inferiority


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:


  • Handsome
  • Common
  • Boring
  • Crowded
  • Careful

Comparison of superiority with short 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:

  • The weights I lift are heavier than yours
  • This stadium is colder than the Los Angeles stadium
  • Your bicycle is slower than his bicycle
  • Tom is stronger than Jonathan
  • A horse is faster than a dog.

Do you like box?

Do you know some boxers?

Who are the boxers in the following picture?

Boxer on the scale MaxPixel (ND). Boxer Manny Pacquiao [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/pWs5Zx
Boxer fighting Mcwilliams, I. (2009). Boxer Juan Manual Márquez [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/EauOg3

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:

  • (Good) My soccer team is better than your team.
  • (Well) I played better today than yesterday.
  • (Bad) The team had a worse result today than in the last game.
  • (Far) The Azteca stadium is farther from our house than the Blue stadium
  • (Little) I have less money than you to buy the soccer tickets
  • (Few) America team has less players than Santos team

Note: Notice the following situations:

  • When comparing if an adjective has only one syllable and follows the “consonant-vowel-consonant” order, the last consonant is doubled. For example big-bigger, fat-fatter, hot-hotter.

  • If two-syllable adjectives end in -y: change the -y to –ier. For example happy-happier, busy- busier, dirty- dirtier, easy-easier.

Comparison of superiority with long adjectives


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:

  • My car has 650 HP, it’s more powerful than yours.
  • Michael Phelps is more talented than that swimmer, he will win.
  • Julio Cesar Chavez is more skillful and powerful than his rival, He can’t lose.
  • This Barcelona’s rival is more dangerous than the last team they played with; I hope they win.
  • This defeat has caused more damage than losing the championship.

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.


Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Schertzer, F. (2011). Portugal vs Argentina [photo].Taken from https://goo.gl/6j6aFM

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.


Superlatives


Runner reaching the finish lineShen, M. (2008). Taipei Marathon: Winner of Men's 42K. [photo].Taken from https://goo.gl/iysJyM

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.

Superlatives with short adjectives


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:

  • The black horse was the lowest horse in the race.
  • Tom is the tallest player in the basketball team.
  • This is the cheapest race bicycle I could find.
  • Michael Jordan is the richest sport man in the world.
  • Usain Bolt is the fastest person in the world, he ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds.

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.

Jordan and his trophiesGtrbolivar (2015). Trophies of Olympiacos B.C. in the club's museum [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/GLyAQq

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:

  • (Good) Michael Phelps is the best swimmer in the world; he won 28 medals in the Olympic Games.
  • (Well) Ronaldo played the best game of his life last night.
  • (Bad) Yesterday, it was the worst fight of his life, he lost.
  • (Far) We have the farthest seat to the soccer field.
  • (Little) Mary has the least opportunity to win the tournament.
  • (Few) The Barcelona is the team with the least players in Spain.

Note: Pay attention to the following situations:

  • When an adjective has only one syllable and has this order “consonant-vowel-consonant” the last consonant is doubled in the superlative form, examples: big-biggest, fat-fattest, hot-hottest.
  • Two-syllable adjectives that end in -y: change the -y to –iest. For example happy-happiest, busy- busiest, dirty- dirtiest, easy-easiest.

Superlatives with long adjectives


Runner reaching the finish lineShen, M. (2008). Taipei Marathon: Winner of Men's 42K. [photo].Taken from https://goo.gl/iysJyM

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:

  • The real Madrid is the most successful soccer team in Spain.
  • This is the most interesting soccer game I have seen.
  • Susan is the most disciplined athlete I know.
  • Mike Tyson was the most outstanding boxer in the world.
  • Lionel Messi is the most arrogant soccer player in Europe.

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!


Conclusion


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 + adjectiveest
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

Reading


Activity 1

The Maracanazo.

Before reading the text “The Maracanazo in Brazil 1950”, answer these questions:

  • What is the most popular sport in the world?
  • How many fans does soccer have?
  • What is the best soccer national team in the world?
  • What is “The Maracanazo?

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.

Reading


Activity 2

The Maracanazo. Second part

Read carefully the text “The Maracanazo in Brazil 1950” again. And choose the right option T for true or F for false.

Listening


Activity3

Make your choice dear

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.


Writing

Activity 4

I am a fan


Boxer on the scale Public Affairs (2014). Super Bowl [photo].Taken from https://goo.gl/q6EIH6

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.

speaking

Activity 5

Those days of thrilling sports

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.

Self assesment


Exercise 1

The Pacman


Stamp of the Philippine Philippine Postal Corporation (2008). Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao [photo].Taken from https://goo.gl/QlO4w1

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.




References


Basic References

  • Fuscoe K. (2010) Attitude Student’s Book 2. Mexico. DF.: MacMillan.
  • McCarthy M (2005) Touchstone 3. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Raskin J. (2010) Future English for results 3. New York: Pearson Longman.
  • Richards J. (2006) Interchange 3. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Saslow J. (2011) Top Notch 3. New York: Pearson Longman.
  • Soars L. (2003) American Headway 3. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Soars L. (2009) American 2. New York: Oxford University Press./li>

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