THIS WEEK

THE SMARTEST GIANT IN TOWN

➢ GRAMMAR:• comparative adjectives and adverbs (5A)

• superlatives (5B)

• quantifiers (5C)

5A 5B 5C

COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES 5A

We use comparative and superlative adjectives and

adverbs to compare people or things.

Making comparatives

1) One syllable adjectives and adverbs

• add -er for comparative and -est for superlative

cheap - cheaper - cheapest fast - faster - fastestgreat - greater – greatest

• if the adjective or adverb ends in -e, then just add -r or -st

nice - nicer – nicest safe - safer - safestrude - ruder - rudest

• if the adjective ends in a vowel + consonant, double the

last letter before adding -er/-est, unless it ends in -w.

big - bigger – biggest hot - hotter - hottestnew - newer - newest

5B

COMPARATIVES and SUPERLATIVES 5A

2) Adjectives/adverbs with three or more syllables

• use more in the comparative and most in the superlative.

expensive - more expensive - most expensivefluently - more fluently - most fluently

3) Adjectives/adverbs with two syllables

• in many cases the comparative and superlative can be

formed either by adding -er/-est or by using more/most.

quiet - quieter/more quiet - quietest/most quiet

common - commoner/more common - commonest/most common

• for two syllable adjectives/adverbs that end in -y: change

the y to i before adding -er/-est.

happy - happier - happiest

busy - busier - busiest

early - earlier - earliest

5B

COMPARATIVES: (+) 5A

COMPARATIVES: (+)

COMPARATIVES: (=) AS … AS

COMPARATIVES: (=) AS MUCH/MANY … AS

COMPARATIVES: (-) LESS / FEWER … THAN

QUANTIFIERS (1):MANY, MUCH,A LOT / LOTS (OF)

• We use MUCH and MANY mainly in questions and negative sentences• [?] Were there many children at the party? • [-] I don’t have many students. It’s a small class.• [?] Is there much unemployment in that area?• [-] I haven’t got much change.

You can use them in affirmative sentences too, in more formal registers• [+] Many politicians have suffered at the hands of the popular press. • [+] There is much concern about drug addiction in the US.

• We use A LOT (OF), LOTS OF in positive and negative sentences and questions:• [+ U] I went shopping and spent a lot of money.• [- U] Can you hurry up? I don’t have a lot of time.• [? C] Are there a lot of good players at your tennis club?• [- C] There weren’t a lot of students yesterday• [? U] Have you eaten lots of chocolate?• [+ C] We’ve got lots of things to do.

Unit 5C ex. 3 p.40

see also:CAMBRIDGE GRAMMAR

QUANTIFIERS (2) – TOO MUCH / TOO MANY / TOO

GB ex. 5C a-b p.135

A LITTLE, A FEW

LITTLE, FEW

OVER TO YOU

• Units 5A, 5B, 5C (pp. 36-41)

• Grammar bank pp. 134-135

• (extra) BBC Learning unit on comparatives and superlatives

HOMEWORK

• exercises in next slide

• read the book «A Squash and a

Squeeze» (J. Donaldson) and pay

attention to the different verb tenses

used. Note down at least one

representative example for each tense,

and try to explain why they are used.