CHAPTER VI

PROBLEMS WITH THE

COMPARATIVE AND

SUPERLATIVE

3 KINDS OF DEGREE OF

COMPARISON

A. Positive Degree

B. Comparative Degree

C. Superlative Degree

A. POSITIVE DEGREE (EQUAL

COMPARISON)

as adjective as

as adverb as

the same

the same Noun

as

be+like

the same as

as adjective as

EXAMPLE:

Raul is 20 years old. Sam is also 20.

Raul is as old as Sam (is)

Raul is not as old as Sam (is)

not so old as

as adverb as

EXAMPLE:

Raul runs quickly. Sam runs quickly

Raul runs as quickly as Sam (runs)

Raul doesn’t run as quickly as Sam (runs)

so quickly as

the same

EXAMPLE:

Raul and Sam have the same books

Their books are the same

the same as

EXAMPLE:

Raul is tall. Sam is the same as Raul (is)

(Raul itu tinggi. Sam seperti dia)

Raul runs fast. Sam runs the same as Raul

(runs)

(Raul berlari cepat. Sam berlari seperti dia)

the same Noun as

EXAMPLE:

Raul is the same height as Sam (is)

(Raul itu beratnya sama dengan Sam)

Raul runs the same speed as Sam (runs)

(Raul berlari sama cepatnya dengan Sam)

be like/ be alikenoun + be like + noun

noun + noun + be alike

EXAMPLE:

My house is like your house

My house and your house are alike

COMPARATIVE DEGREE

Comparative compares two things, and it is

followed by “than”

The comparative is formed with either –er or

more

-er is used when the word is one syllable

adjective, ex: old – older, tall – taller, young

– younger, etc

EXAMPLE:

America is larger than Singapore

Semeru is higher than Merapi

More is used when the word is two or more

syllable adjectives, ex : famous – more

famous, beautiful – more beautiful, nervous

– more nervous, etc

EXAMPLE:

I have more comfortable shoes than

yours

My sister is more beautiful than Paris

Hilton

-er also can be used for two syllable

adjectives that end in –y, and the –y is

changed to –i, ex: happy – happier, pretty –

prettier, crazy – crazier, etc

EXAMPLE:

Today I feel happier than yesterday

She looks prettier than before

SUPERLATIVE DEGREE

Superlative compares three or more things,

and it begins with “the”

The superlative is formed with either –est or

most

-est is used when the word is one syllable

adjective, ex: cheap – the cheapest, high –

the highest, small – the smallest, etc

EXAMPLE:

She is the smartest students in the class

He is the oldest of all four brothers

Most is used when the word is two or more

syllable adjectives, ex : handsome – the most

handsome, famous – the most famous,

beautiful – the most beautiful, diligent – the

most diligent, etc

EXAMPLE:

My mother is the most beautiful woman in

the world

It is the most difficult test I have ever done

SOME RULES AND

EXCEPTIONS OF

COMPARATIVE AND

SUPERLATIVE

FORM

.

When a one syllable adjective ends in one

vowel+a consonant, double the consonant and

add -er/-est

big – bigger – biggest

hot – hotter – hottest

EXAMPLE:

When an adjectives ends in two vowels+a

consonant, DO NOT double the consonant

cool – cooler – coolest

fool – fooler – foolest

Rule 1

Some two syllable adjectives use –er/-est or

more/most (able, angry, clever, common,

cruel, friendly, gentle, handsome, narrow,

pleasant, polite, quiet, simple, sour)

EXAMPLE:

Raul is handsomer than Tono

Raul is more handsome than Tono

Tono is the handsomest student in the class

Tono is the most handsome student in the class

Rule 2

The words which end in ‘e’ belong to his group

and take only ‘-r’ in comparative form and ‘-

st’ in superlative form (

EXAMPLE:

- Wise – wiser – the wisest

- Wide – wider – the widest

Mr. Martono is wiser than Mr. John.

Mr. Martono is the wisest lecturer in this

campus.

Rule 3

Irregular adverbs and

adjectivesThe words in this group do not take any

suffix or any other word before them, but

change their spelling and pronunciation

entirely to form new words with the same

meaning

EXAMPLE:

good – better – the best

bad – worse – the worst

old – older/elder – oldest/eldest

well – better – the best

badly – worse – the worst

far – farther/further – the farthest/furthest

Rudi’s drawing is better than Rina’s.

Rudi’s drawing is the best of all students.

Exercise 1

1. The lesson you are studying now is the

most importantest lesson you will have.

2. Fashions this year are shorter and more

colourful than they were last year.

3. The professor indicated that Anthony’s

research paper was more long than the

other students’ papers.

4. Alaska is the coldest than all the states in

the United States.

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5. The workers on the day shift are more

rested than the workers on the night shift.

6. She was more happier this morning than

she had been yesterday.

7. The quarterback on this year’s football

team is more versatile than the

quarterback on last year’s team.

8. I prefer to live in the dormitory that is the

closest to the school.

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Exercise 2

1. The engineers hired this year have more

experience than those hired last year.

2. The graduate assistant informed us that the

first exam is the most difficult of the two.

3. He bought the more powerful stereo

speakers that he could find.

4. The afternoon seminar was much more

interesting than the morning lecture.

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5. The food in this restaurant is the best of the

restaurant we visited last week.

6. The plants that have been sitting in the

sunny window are far healthier than the

other plants.

7. The photocopies are the darkest that they

have ever been.

8. The first journal article is the longest of the

second journal article.

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