Comparatives and superlatives

Alida A. Lindia
 Comparatives

* We use the comparatives to compare two people or

two things
* Peter is tall, but Mary is taller than Peter.

* Your house is big, but my house is bigger than yours.

 COMPARATIVES
* Il comparativo degli aggettivi con una sola sillaba si forma
aggiungendo -er all’aggettivo. Ex. tall-taller; clean-cleaner
* Se un aggettivo finisce già in -e si aggiunge solo la -r.
Ex. Nice-nicer
* Se un aggettivo termina in una sola consonante preceduta da
una sola vocale, la consonante raddoppia e si aggiunge -er.
Ex. Big-Bigger; thin- thinner
* Se un aggettivo termina in -y, anche se ha due sillabe, segue
la regola dei monosillabici, la y diventa i e si aggiunge -er.
Ex. Happy-Happier.
 COMPARATIVES

* Se invece un aggettivo ha due o più sillabe (e

non termina in y), NON si aggiunge -er, ma si usa
la parola MORE prima dell’aggettivo.
* Ex. beautiful—more beautiful
* modern—more modern
 EXAMPLES
* Peter is younger than Kate, but Kate is more
intelligent.
* Jane is richer than Paula, but Paula has got a bigger
house.

Grado positivo Comparativo

Cold colder
Hot hotter
Interesting more interesting
Large larger
Boring more boring
Tired more tired
Heavy heavier
 SUPERLATIVES
* We use the superlatives to compare more than
two things.
* Ex. Mary is the tallest of all her classmates.
* Mary is the tallest girl in her class.
* Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the
world.
* Mount Everest is the highest of all the mountains.
* Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Italy.
 SUPERLATIVES
* Il superlativo degli aggettivi si forma mettendo l’articolo the
prima dell’aggettivo e aggiungendo -est all’aggettivo. Ex. Mary
is the shortest girl in her family.
* Le regole del comparativo valgono per il superlativo:
* Quindi,
* a) se l’aggettivo monosillabico termina in -e si aggiunge solo -st;
* b) se l’aggettivo termina in una sola consonante preceduta da
una sola vocale, la consonante raddoppia;
* c) se l’aggettivo termina in -y, la y si trasforma in -i e si aggiunge -
est
* Examples: a) Large- the largest; b)thin-the thinnest; c) happy-the
happiest ma Mary’s tallest sister is Joan. Your slimmest friend
 SUPERLATIVES

* Se un aggettivo ha due o più sillabe, NON si aggiunge

-est, ma, come per i comparativi, si usa la parola most.
* Examples:
* beautiful-the most beautiful;
* intelligent-the most intelligent.
 Comparatives and
Superlatives:Summing up!

•Adjective +er
Short •The adjective+est

•More + adjective
Long •The most + adjective
 Comparatives and Superlatives
* Examples:
* Tall taller the tallest
* Expensive more expensive the most
expensive
* Big bigger the biggest
* Happy happier the happiest
* Large larger the largest
Comparatives and Superlatives
* Irregular forms

* Good better the best

* Bad worse the worst
farther the farthest
* Far
further the furthest