Comparatives and Superlatives Syllables in English l We

Comparatives and Superlatives

Syllables in English! l We take into account how many sounds we make when pronouncing the word: - Happy: 5 letters, 2 syllables. - Screech: 7 letters, 1 syllable!

Short words l Words with: - One syllable - Two syllables ending in –y Original form Comparative Superlative …- (e)r than The …- (e)st Cleaner than The cleanest Dirty Dirtier than The dirtiest

Be careful with! l One-syllable word ending in -e: we only need to add -r with comparatives and -st with superlatives: large > larger / largest l One-syllable word ending in consonant - vowel consonant: last consonant is doubled. big > bigger / biggest. l Two-syllables words ending in -y change the y into an -iwhen we add the comparative or superlative suffixes. Easy > easier / easiest

Long words l Words with: - Two syllables ending in –y - Three syllables or more. Original form Comparative Superlative More … than The most … Modern More modern than The most modern Difficult More difficult than The most difficult

Irregular adjectives l Some adjectives change totally in their comparative and superlative forms. Original form Comparative Superlative Good Better than The best Bad Worse than The worst Far Further than The furthest

Irregular adjectives l Others, in particular situations: - Old: its irregular forms elder and eldest are only used before a noun when talking about the members of the same family. My eldest sister is five years older than me

Remember! l You shouldn’t forget to use: - Than: in a comparative structure: Alice is taller than me. - The: before a superlative: Alice is the tallest.

Overview! ADJECTIVE DEGREES Words with… Positive Comparative Superlative One syllable Two syllables -y Clean Dirty Cleaner than Dirtier than The cleanest The dirtiest Modern Difficult More modern than More difficult than The most modern The most difficult Good Bad Far Better than Worse than Further than The best The worst The furthest Two syllables –y 3 or more syllables Irregular forms