I. Introduction to Comparatives

1.0 Structure

Underline the comparative forms in the following paragraphs.

When I went back to visit the city I grew up in, I was surprised by the things that had changed and by the things that had not changed.  First of all, I went to visit the house I grew up in.  The new owner had made it bigger, and it looked newer because he had renovated it.  The new owner must have seen me standing there looking at the house for a long time, so he came out to talk to me.  I explained that it was the old house I used to live in, and, surprisingly, he invited me in to see the changes he had made.

Some things had not changed.  The living room was in the same place as it had been, and it was just as cozy as it had been.  Likewise, the kitchen was the same, except that it had new appliances—the stove and fridge were newer, but the cupboards were just as old as they had always been.

Some things had changed, however.  The new owner had made some rooms bigger and added some new rooms to better accommodate guests.  There was less space in the yard because of the added rooms.  The whole house felt more spacious, and because he had added some new bigger windows, the rooms inside were brighter, and they felt less gloomy.

All in all, I think he made the new house better.  But I missed the house I grew up in.  To me, my old house had a greater connection to my childhood.

2.0 Comparatives for Showing Similarities and Differences

In the paragraphs below, underline the comparative forms that show differences or similarities.

You can tell that Kenji and Daisuke are definitely brothers because they share many of the same traits; however, they are also different in many ways.

First of all, they look almost the same, but Daisuke is a little taller than Kenji.  Daisuke has a slightly wider face than Kenji, but Kenji’s face is a little longer.  Daisuke is the older brother, while Kenji is the younger brother.  So, it is not surprising that Daisuke works harder and takes charge more than Kenji.  Kenji is of course a little less serious than Daisuke.

Kenji likes to hang out with his friends more than Daisuke does.  Kenzie has longer hair than Daisuke, and his clothes are a little more fashionable; however, Daisuke is just as friendly as Kenji.  They both enjoy sports, but one likes football, while the other likes baseball.  These are both team sports.  When it comes to individual sports, Daisuke likes sports that require a high degree of discipline, like cross-country running.  Kenji, however, likes sports that allow him to meet other people, so he likes golf.

2.2 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

1. Write the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives.  Remember that some may use ‘more/less’ or ‘the most/the least’ or may have irregular forms.  Practice using ‘less’ and ‘least’ for some of your answers.
   1. capable                                                                 
   2. good                                                                 
   3. kind                                                                 
   4. bad                                                                 
   5. honest                                                                 
   6. fortunate                                                             
   7. silly                                                                 
   8. constructive                                                         
   9. little                                                                 
   10. noisy                                                                 
   11. able                                                                 
   12. considerate                                                         
   13. magical                                                                 
   14. cold                                                                 
   15. much                                                                 
   16. clever                                                                
   17. huge                                                                 
   18. busy                                                                 

    

2. Fill in the blanks using either the comparative or superlative form of the adjective that is given.
    
   1. Although Min was two years                                           (young) than her brother, when Min was twelve years old, she was                                           (tall) than her brother.
   2. Do you know who the                                           (rich) man in the world is?
   3. In mathematics, 5a > 3b means ‘5a’ is                                           (great) than ‘3b’.
   4. The                                           (tall) animal is the giraffe.
   5. Feng is                                           (generous) person that I know.  He is always paying for others when they eat out together.  On the other hand, maybe he is also                                           (wealthy).
   6. When I was a child, the                                           (constructive) person in giving feedback on my math assignments was my mother.  What she said was never helpful because she actually knew                                           (little) about math than I did.
   7. Although my younger brother was                                           (small) than my older brother, he was                                           (noisy) and                                           (loud).
   8. Although the durian fruit is probably the                                           (smell) fruit in the world, many people consider it to be the                                           (tasty).
   9. In comparison to Italian, learning Japanese is considered to be much                                           (difficult) for Europeans to learn.
   10. Do you think that shrimp tastes                                           (good) than fish?

2.3 Adverbs

1. Write the comparative and superlative forms of the following adverbs.
   1. completely                                                         
   2. forcefully                                                            
   3. carefully                                                             
   4. well                                                                 
   5. candidly                                                             
   6. lazily                                                                 
   7. easily                                                                 
   8. fast                                                                 
   9. quick                                                                 
   10. carelessly                                                             
   11. hard                                                                 
   12. noisily                                                                 
   13. ably                                                                 
   14. considerately                                                     
   15. rare                                                                 
   16. bad                                                                 
   17. cleverly                                                                 
   18. eagerly                                                                 
   19. anxiously                                                             

    

2. Fill in the blanks using either the comparative or superlative form of the adverb that is given.
    
   1. He did his work                                           (able) than his coworkers.
   2. Of all the people in the class, his calculations in accounting were done                                           (carelessly).
   3. Because he practiced the piano                                           (eagerly) than most other kids, he soon reached a professional level of playing.
   4. Because she often spoke                                           (casually) than most of the people at work, sometimes people thought that she was not very professional.
   5. When he cleaned his room as a child, he often did it                                           (quickly) than of all his brothers and sisters.
   6. In comparison with math, I found that I learned languages                                           (easily).
   7. Diamonds are                                           (rarely) found than gold.
   8. Of all the people playing tennis in the tournament, Hua played                                           (good), and she won the competition.
   9. In the first decade of the 21st century, Usain Bolt ran                                           (quickly) of any person alive.
   10. Because Yasmin did her work                                           (completely) than her brother, her teacher often treated her more kindly.

2.4 Using ‘Than’ in Comparisons with Adverbs and Adjectives

1. Combine the following sentences into one sentence.  Use ‘than + aux verb or main verb’ in the sentence you write.  Follow the two different patterns given above.
    
   Example: My jokes are funny.  My brother’s jokes are funnier.
   • My brother’s jokes are funnier than mine.
   • My brother’s jokes are funnier than mine are.

    

   1. To me, dogs are scary.  Bears are scarier.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      
   2. Algebra is hard.  Trigonometry is harder.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      
   3. Skating is exciting.  Skiing is more exciting.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      
   4. Meeting with my supervisor is stressful.  Meeting with the CEO is more stressful.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      
   5. My older brother is kind.  My younger brother is even more kind.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      

    

2. Complete the sentences below using the information given above it.  Use ‘does’ in your sentence.
    
   Example: Pia works hard.  Anong works harder.
   • Anong works harder than Pia does.

    

   1. Juan tells funny jokes.  Carlos tells funnier jokes.
      Carlos tells funnier jokes                                                                 .
   2. My father talks very loudly.  (But) My uncle talks more loudly.
      My father talks very loudly                                                                 .
   3. My bicycle needs repairs.  My car needs even more repairs.
      My car needs even more repairs                                                                 .
   4. The financial planner works carefully.  The accountant works more carefully.
      The accountant works more carefully                                                                 .
   5. My biology instructor gives hard assignments.  My anatomy instructor gives harder assignments.
      My anatomy instructor gives harder assignments                                                                 .

2.5 Using ‘As + As’ for Things that are the Same

Write sentences comparing the two people, things, or animals listed.  Then, use the adjective and comparative word that reflects the meaning in (parentheses).
 
Example: John, Susan, friendly (same):

• John is as friendly as Susan is.

2.6 Comparing Quantities (How Much There Is of Something) Using More, Less, and Fewer

1. Look at the following nouns and make short sentences.  Decide whether or not they are count or non-count nouns.  Then, use either ‘more’, ‘fewer’, or ‘less’ to compare them.   In this exercise, we use > for ‘more than’ and < for ‘less than’.  The first thing mentioned is what you should start with in your sentence.  If there is a mixture of count and non-count nouns, the noun for which you use ‘more’, ‘less’ and ‘fewer’ should be considered as the noun that determines which word of quantity you use (more, less, or fewer).  You should also add -s/-es to the noun if it is countable.
    
   Example: apple > orange
   • There are more apples than oranges.  (countable)

    

   1. water < milk
                                                                                                                                      
   2. machines > people (at the factory)
                                                                                                                                      
   3. thunder < clouds
                                                                                                                                      
   4. furniture < rooms to put them in
                                                                                                                                      
   5. milk < coffee
                                                                                                                                      
   6. anger > peace
                                                                                                                                      
   7. country < language
                                                                                                                                      
   8. grapes < people to eat them
                                                                                                                                      

    

2. Create sentences using ‘more’, ‘less’ and ‘fewer’.  First, decide whether the nouns are count or non-count and decide which comparison word to use.  Then, guess or predict which of the pair of words has the greater quantity in the world.  Finally, use one of the additional words and phrases given below to write a sentence or sentences.  Try to use all the following three sentence patterns.
    
   Examples:
   • The world has many lakes.  There are fewer oceans.  (two separate clauses)
   • There is more salt water in the world than fresh water.  (use one clause with two things being compared using ‘than’)
   • The world has more salt water than fresh water.  (use one of the things being compared as the subject of the sentence—use one clause with two things being compared using ‘than’)

    

   1. butterflies/mosquitoes (in the world)
                                                                                                                                      
   2. locusts/plants (during some years, in some countries)
                                                                                                                                      
   3. rice/wheat/in North America/in China (with two clauses, use the coordinating conjunction showing contrast—’but’)
                                                                                                                                      
   4. amount of land/Canada/Russia
                                                                                                                                      
   5. lions/tigers/in the world
                                                                                                                                      
   6. times of war, times of peace/in general/in history
                                                                                                                                      
   7. people in India/people in China
                                                                                                                                      
   8. usage of French/usage of English/in Canada
                                                                                                                                      
   9. Chinese speakers/English speakers
                                                                                                                                      
   10. Write three of your own sentences
                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                       

2.7 Degrees of Comparison: Strengthening Comparatives

Form sentences from the following words or phrase, adding comparative words to them.  While you are doing it, also add words to strengthen them.  You can use the words below to strengthen or add nuance to the comparatives.

• a little
• somewhat (weak)
• a bit (weak)
• much, a lot (strong)
• far (very strong)
• even (by a degree better)
• absolutely (highest degree)

Example:
Einstein/I/intelligent
Einstein was a lot more intelligent than I am.