Adjectives and Adverbs: Comparative and Superlatives Flashcards
Comparatives: ER, MORE, LESS THAT.
We add ER to adjectives and adverbs to make comparatives.
But, we say MORE+Adjective:
One syllable adjectives: bored, creased, pleased, worn.
With: fun, real, right, wrong.
When comparing two qualities.
Use MORE to emphasize the comparison: Dark, clear, cold, deep, fair, rough, soft, true.
After I’ve ironed my shirt it looked more creased than before.
I couldn’t be more wrong.
I think he was more mad than brave.
I thought it was more green than blue.
It’s more dark in cellar.
Some adjectives are commonly used with MORE/LESS:
participle adjectives: worried, boring.
Adjectives ending in ful or less: careful, careless.
With: afraid, alert, alike, alone, ashamed, aware, active, cautious, certain, complex, direct, eager, exact, formal, frequent, modern, special, recent.
Most adjectives ending in y, ow, er, ure use the ER form.
Some adjectives have a comparative or superlative meaning. Can use MORE/LESS for emphasis.
Superlatives:
We usually use THE, a possessive form (‘s), or a possessive pronoun BEFORE a superlative adjective. Informal we leave THE out.
We can’t leave THE out when we say what a group of things is being compared.
When MOST is used without THE, it means VERY.
After a superlative, we use OF + a plural noun.
When we mean the context or location, we use IN+singular noun.
It was (the) cheapest.
Which was the most expensive?
They were the cheapest ones I could find.
I checked the form most carefully but didn’t notice the mistake.
Adam’s the oldest of my three brothers.
It was the tallest tree in the forest.
