UNIT 5
PART I: COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
COMPARATIVES
SETTING THE CONTEXT
Look at the underlined examples of comparative adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Identify all the other
comparative forms.
Computer technology is changing more rapidly than ever before. Today's computers perform faster and are less expensive than older computers, but there is also another major difference. In the 1950s, computers sometimes needed an entire room to hold them. Today they are much smaller, and they're getting tinier all the time. Laptops and tablets are now very popular. Their sales are increasing because more consumers want portable
machines. Today's computers are also more powerful. They can process more data in a shorter amount of time, and they can do it more accurately. In addition, computers of the past needed repairs more frequently, and they needed a large team of people to maintain them. Today fewer people can maintain a whole network of computers
in different locations. Overall, computers of the past were bigger, less efficient, and less reliable than computers of the present. Who knows what computers of the future will be like?
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A. Circle the correct comparative adjective.
1. Sam gets __________ grades than Molly.
a. gooder
b. better
2. Ella is 5 feet 8 inches tall. Denise is 5 feet 4 inches tall. Ella is
__________ than Denise.
a. more tall
b. taller
3. Julie is successful. Terra is __________ than Julie.
a. more successful
b. successfuller
4. Gabriela has long hair. Ella’s hair is __________ than Gabriela’s hair.
a. more short
b. shorter
5. Living in London is __________ than living in Berlin.
a. more expensive
b. expensiver
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B. Fill in each blank with the correct form. Add than where needed.
Larry: Are you and your twin sister very much alike?
Rita:
Not really. I'm (1)________________________ (tall/she/be), but she (2)________________________
(strong/me/be). She lifts weights four times a week. To be honest she (3)________________________
(fit/I/be). I hate working out!
Larry: Do you play sports together?
Rita:
Sometimes we play tennis, but she's (4)________________________ (good/I/be), so I rarely win!
Larry: That's frustrating!
Rita:
Not, it's fine. We're just good at different things.
Larry: Yes, you are a great student. You're probably (5)________________________ (intelligent/she/be).
Rita:
Oh, I don't know. My grades are very good, and I work (6)________________________ (hard/she/do)
in school. I'm also a quick learner. I learn things (7)________________________ (quick/she/do). But
she's a really good artist. She's definitely (8)________________________ (creative/me).
C. Complete each conversation with the comparative forms of the adjectives, adverbs, or nouns in
parentheses.
Conversation 1
Amy: What do you think? Should I buy the book or the e-book?
Betty: Well, the book is
cheaper
(cheap) than the e-book, but the e-book will last ________________ (long).
Conversation 2
Stefan: Your newspaper is ________________ (thick) than my newspaper.
Josh: It probably just has ________________ (advertisements).
Conversation 3
Carlos: Is André a ________________ (good) tennis player than I am?
Miguel: I’m not sure. He hits the ball ________________ (hard) than you, but you move ________________
(quickly) than he does.
Conversation 4
Mr. Orr: So how is college compared to high school?
Yuji: It’s definitely ________________ (difficult) and the professors give ________________ (homework) than
my teachers did in high school. But it’s getting easier. My grades were ________________ (bad) last
semester than they are this semester.
Conversation 5
Emma: You look like your sister.
Luisa: I know. But we’re very different. She’s ________________ (tall) and ________________ (thin) than me.
Her hair is ________________ (curly) than mine, and she has ________________ (freckles).
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D. Read the two sentences. Then write a comparative sentence with the adjective, adverb, or noun in
parentheses.
1. Texas has an area of 267,277 square miles.
California has an area of 158,869 square miles.
(larger)
Texas has a larger area than California (has/does)
2. Cheetahs can run up to 70 miles per hour.
Greyhounds can run up to 40 miles per hour.
(quickly) ____________________________________________________________________
3. There are exactly 36 inches in a yard.
There are a little more than 39 inches in a meter.
(long) ______________________________________________________________________
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4. Earth travels around the Sun in 365 days.
Mercury travels around the Sun in 88 days.
(slowly) _____________________________________________________________________
5. A kilogram has 1,000 grams.
A pound has 454 grams.
(heavy) _____________________________________________________________________
6. China’s population is more than 1.3 billion.
India’s population is more than 1.2 billion.
(people) ____________________________________________________________________
E. Make each sentence more formal, more informal, or more neutral in tone.
1. My son is taller than me.
(more neutral)
My son is taller than I am.
2. I take more classes than he does.
(more informal) ____________________________________________________________________
3. I always wait longer than them.
(more neutral) ____________________________________________________________________
4. Jack has more experience than I.
(more informal) ____________________________________________________________________
5. He works harder than she does.
(more formal) ____________________________________________________________________
6. He gets more presents than me.
(more neutral) ____________________________________________________________________
7. They have more pets than we do.
(more informal) ____________________________________________________________________
8. She’s more friendly than he is.
(more formal) ____________________________________________________________________
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F. In your notebook, rewrite each sentence in three different ways.
1. Lee works as hard as his sister.
a) Lee works as hard as she.
b) Lee works as hard as she does.
c) Lee works as hard as her.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
We spend as much money as the Swansons.
Rita's son isn't as old as Sheryl's son.
Rick doesn't take as many classes as his brother.
He doesn't have as many stamps as I do.
They play better than Mike and I.
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E. Complete the email with the correct choices.
as sunny as
not as big as
less
more spacious than
faster
more
more windows
Hi Cecilia,
Well, I've finally moved into my new apartment. I was able to move in (1)___________________ than I planned because my brother helped me. This apartment is much (2)___________________ my old apartment. Now I have room for all my things. The only problem is the bedroom. It's (3)___________________ my old one, so
my wardrobe doesn't fit properly. I'm thinking about getting rid of it, so the rood will be (4)___________________.
Would you like to have it?
I'm really happy because I was able to bring all my plants. This place is (5)___________________ my old place, so all my plants will continue to do well. Actually, the natural light is better here than in my old place because I have (6)___________________.
I think I'm going to be very happy here. The old apartment was less expensive than this one, but I don't mind paying (7)___________________. I'm also closer to work now, so I feel (8)___________________ stressed. You'll have to visit me soon.
Hope you're OK.
Marcia
EDIT
F. Find the errors in this paragraph and correct them.
better
My new job is more good than my old one. I am more happyer here. There are several reasons why. For
one thing, we have flextime. That means that we can arrive at work anytime between 7:00 and 10:00 and leave
eight hours later. In general, this company doesn't have as much rules as my old company does. Also, the
building is nicer of the old building, and my office is biger than my old office. There are more windows in this
building than in my old building. The work is more hard than the work at my old job, but I like the challenge of
hard work. I like my new boss more than my old boss. She's less bad tempered than he was, and she's helpfuler.
Finally, I really like my co-workers. They are so much more nice that the people I used to work with. We have a
lot of fun together. The day goes by more quicker. I'm glad that I came here.
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SUPERLATIVES
SETTING THE CONTEXT
G. Look at the examples of superlative adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Underline the rest.
Oceans cover a big portion of the earth's surface. The Pacific is the largest ocean on earth; it covers more than 155 million square kilometers. It is also the deepest ocean with depths over 10,000 meters. The Arctic Ocean
is definitely the most frigid and remains frozen most of the year. Most of the world's oceans generate powerful storms. It is difficult to predict which ocean will generate the most storms or the most powerful ones. The most severe ocean storms are tropical typhoons and hurricanes. These have the strongest winds and the heaviest rains. The most dangerous storm of all is the super­typhoon. Super­typhoons have wind speeds of more than 240 kilometers per hour. The super­typhoon's winds blow the hardest of all tropical storms. Despite these wind speeds, super­typhoons don't always move fast. Slow­moving super­typhoons are often the worst storms. They cause the most damage because they produce the most rainfall.
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H. Complete this chart with the missing forms of each adjective or adverb.
1.
Base form
Comparative Form
Superlative Form
beautifully
more beautifully
the most beautifully
2.
3.
higher
badly
4.
more rapidly
5.
the sleepiest
6.
more famous
7.
early
8.
good
9.
10.
the happiest
more softly
I. Complete the passage with the superlative form of the words in parentheses.
Australia is a unique country. It is (1)___________________ (large) island in the world, and it is part of (2)___________________ (small) continent on earth. Australia also has some of (3)___________________ (unusual) animals. The kangaroo is probably (4)___________________ (famous) Australian animal. Kangaroos are marsupials. This means they keep their young in pouches. They are (5)___________________ (big) marsupials, put their babies are among (6)___________________ (tiny) of all marsupials. Kangaroos are also (7)___________________ (powerful) jumpers in the world. They can jump about 30 feet! The koala bear is another of Australia's animals. The koala ls a marsupial, but many people think it's (8)___________________ (cute) ‘‘bear'' in the world. They also think koalas are among (9)___________________ (lazy) of all animals. They sleep 75 percent of the time. Actually, there's a good reason for this. Koalas have (10)___________________ (slow) metabolism of all marsupials, so they need to conserve energy. Sleeping is (11)___________________ (efficient) way for them to conserve energy. Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, which are not very nutritious. In fact, they have (12)___________________ (bad) diet or all marsupials.
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J. Complete this article with the superlative form of the words in parentheses.
Today’s planetarium show begins with a guided tour of the planets in our solar system. Mercury is (1) the closest (close) planet to the Sun, and it therefore has (2)__________________________ (short) orbiting time (just 88 Earth days to go around the Sun). Mercury is also (3)__________________________ (tiny) planet, now that scientists no longer consider Pluto a planet. From Earth, Venus is (4)__________________________ (bright) planet; Venus is also the planet with (5)________________________ (hot) surface temperature. Earth is (6)__________________________ (dense) planet. Leaving Earth, we come to Mars, (7)__________________________ (red) of all the planets, and then to Saturn and Jupiter. Many people say that Saturn is (8)________________________ (beautiful) planet in the solar system because of its amazing ring system.
Jupiter is (9)__________________________ (massive) planet, with a mass 318 times Earth's, and it has (10)__________________________(great) diameter, 11.2 times Earth's. Jupiter also has (11)__________________________ (intense) magnetic field. Finally, we reach Uranus and Neptune, (12)__________________________ (blue) of all the planets. Neptune is also (13)____________________ (windy) planet, with storms that are five times more powerful than (14)__________________________ (strong) tornadoes on Earth. Unit 5 | 68
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K. Complete this email with the superlative form of the words in parentheses.
From: Rita Smith To: Carol Jones Subject: Thanks! Hi Carol, Thank you so much for the birthday gift! I received many fabulous presents this year, but yours was (1) the most wonderful (wonderful) of all! You can my imagine my smile when I tore off the wrapping and saw (2)_______________________ (late) edition of Guinness World Records®! Only you
could have chosen something so appropriate for the one who was voted "girl with (3)_______________________ (weird) sense of humor" in high school! It may not be (4)_______________________ (serious) reference in the world, but it's certainly one of (5)_______________________ (enjoyable). I love reading about (6)_______________________ (long) surviving headless chicken, (7)______________________ (smelly) flower in the world, and the man with (8)_______________________ (wide) waist! But you know us library science majors! The book appeals to my serious side as well. Did you know that Switzerland has (9)_______________________ (high) use of solar energy in the world and that World War II was (10)_______________________ (bloody) war in history? Again, many thanks for the wonderful surprise. You really are (11)_______________________ (great)! This was one of (12)_______________________ (nice) birthdays I've ever had. Your friend, Rita
L. Use superlative form of each set of words and phrases to complete each question.
1. easy subject
What is the easiest subject
that you have ever studied?
2. interesting book ______________________________ that you have read?
3. unusual person ______________________________ that you know?
4. pretty place ______________________________ that you have been to?
5. bad movie ______________________________ that you have seen?
6. delicious dessert ______________________________ that you have tried?
M. Work with a partner. Imagine that you have a new neighbor. Use the words in parentheses to make
recommendations with superlatives.
1. (beautiful/place)
The most beautiful place in town is UCR campus.
2. (good/restaurant)
___________________________________________________________
3. (dangerous/spots)
__________________________________________________________
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4. (near/supermarket)
5. (popular/mall)
_________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
6. (comfortable/movie theater)
7. (interesting/store)
__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Useful phrases : Asking for Opinions
What do you think?
Do you have any ideas on that?
•
•
•
•
What's your opinion?
How do you feel about that?
Useful phrases : Giving Opinions
•
•
In my opinion...
What I think is...
•
•
If you ask me...
I believe that...
N. Correct the mistakes in the use of superlatives and comparatives. Note: One sentence is correct and
does not need correction.
best
I've had many good teachers, but my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Charles, was the bestest of all. He was also
the more traditional. For example, he required most memorization of poems, state capitols, and other facts. Now, 30 years later, I can still recite the most poems than all my friends. Mr. Charles also taught me
some of the most interesting match concepts that I've ever learned. Not surprisingly, he was the most strictest than all my teachers. So why was he my most god teacher? Because he truly understood children better from anyone else.
WRAP UP
O. Test
Choose the correct word or words to complete each sentence.
1. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean ____
all.
a) than
b) from
c) for
d) of
2. Larry is a good speaker. David speaks ____,
too.
a) well
b) better
c) better than
d) best
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3. Today's test was less ____ than last week's
test.
a) difficult
b) harder
c) easily
d) more difficult
4. We go out to eat ____ than you do.
a) frequently
b) more frequent
c) frequent
d) more frequently
5. Susan types ____ of all the workers.
a) efficient
b) efficiently
c) the most efficiently
d) more efficiently
6. Sally is ____ than Susan. She just really enjoys
people.
a) friendly
b) the most friendly
c) more friendlier
d) friendlier
Choose the correct response to complete each conversation.
7. A: What kinds of books do you like the best?
B: __________
a) Science fiction is the least interesting.
b) Mysteries sell better than biographies.
c) Novels are my favorites.
d) Novels are better than mysteries.
9. A: My new apartment is the most expensive in
the building.
B: __________
a) My apartment is new too.
b) Why is it cheaper?
c) It's also the largest?
d) Why is it more expensive?
8. A: Sonia is smarter than everyone in her class.
B: I disagree. I think __________
a) Paulo is more popular.
b) Paulo is the nicest.
c) Paulo is less smart.
d) Paulo is the most intelligent.
10. A: Which supermarket has the lowest prices?
B: __________
a) Smart Mart is the worst.
b) Bentley's has the fewest sales.
c) Grocery Depot is the cheapest.
d) Bentley's is cheaper than Smart Mart.
Complete each sentence with the comparative or superlative form of the word in parentheses.
11. Your directions are ____________________ (easy) than Jan's.
12. Paul speaks English ____________________ (well) his brother.
13. Your cold is ____________________ (bad) yesterday.
14. She can run ____________________ (fast) I can.
15. Can you type ____________________ (accurate) Maria?
16. Monday is ____________________ (convenient) Friday for me.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. Adjectives with Two Comparative and Superlative Forms
Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
common
commoner
more common
the commonest
the most common
friendly
friendlier
more friendly
the friendliest
the most friendly
handsome
handsomer
more handsome
the handsomest
the most handsome
happy
happier
more happy
the happiest
the most happy
lively
livelier
more lively
the liveliest
the most lively
lovely
lovelier
more lovely
the loveliest
the most lovely
narrow
narrower
more narrow
the narrowest
the most narrow
polite
politer
more polite
the politest
the most polite
quiet
quieter
more quiet
the quietest
the most quiet
2. Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
Adjective
Adverb
Comparative
Superlative
bad
badly
worse
the worst
far
far
farther/further
the farthest/furthest
good
well
better
the best
(a) little
(a) little
less
the least
much/many
much/many
more
the most
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PART II: AUXILIARY VERBS A. Complete the yes/no questions with auxiliary verbs.
1. _______________ Samantha attend school here?
2. _______________ you an international studies
major?
3. _______________ Jacque’s parents speak Urdu?
4. _______________ Dolores have her own
apartment?
5. _______________ Garine and Chaz married?
6. _______________ Marcos climb mountains?
B. Write information questions with these words.
1. of music / do your boys / what type / listen to
_________________________________________________________________
2. that poster / you buy / where did
_________________________________________________________________
3. your / are / who / roommates
_________________________________________________________________
4. when / to the movies / take me / can you
_________________________________________________________________
5. so early / why does / close / the library
_________________________________________________________________
6. to go to / a visa / how can / Canada / I get
_________________________________________________________________
C. Circle the correct auxiliary verb from the options given in parentheses.
1. (May / Can / Does) someone say “good
morning” in German?
2. (Do / Is / Does) he like to drive at night?
3. Where (be / does / is ) Eugene from?
4. How many sweaters ( be / is / does) Josh
wearing?
5. (Do / Am / Has) I look tired?
6. A: Do you like him?
B: Yes, I (have / am / do)!
7. What (do / is / does) the puppy look like?
8. Why (has / are / do) you so upset?
9. Cristine ( has / does / do ) not have to take all
her books with her.
10. (Must / Have to / Do) not tell the child scary
stories.
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