Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

(Ступені порівняння прикметників та прислівників)

Тип прикметника	Порівняльний ступінь	Найвищий ступінь
Односкладові hot, easy	hotter easier	the hottest the easiest
Двоскладові (на -у, -ow, -le) happy, narrow, simple	happier narrower simpler	the happiest the narrowest the simplest
Багатоскладові interesting	more interesting	the most interesting
Винятки good bad much, many little far	better worse more less farther/further	the best the worst the most the least the farthest/furthest

Примітка 1 Деякі прикметники мають дві форми ступенів порівняння, що відрізняються за значенням:

far	farther, the farthest (віддалений у просторі)
	further, the furthest (віддалений у просторі, подальший, додатковий)
old	older, the oldest (старший за віком)
	elder, the eldest (старший за положенням у родині)

Edinburgh is farther/further away than York. – Едінбург знаходиться далі, ніж Йорк.

For further information, see page 6. – Додаткову інформацію дивитися на сторінці 6.

My elder/older brother has just got married. – Мій старший брат щойно одружився.

He’s the oldest student in our group. – Він найстарший студент у нашій групі.

Примітка 2 Деякі прикметники можуть створювати порівняльний та найвищий ступінь двома способами: common, friendly, happy, lively, lonely, lovely, narrow, pleasant, polite, quiet, true.

Please be politer/more polite to our guests.

This story has a happier/more happy ending.

Порівняльні сполучники та звороти

as ... as... ідіоматичні порівняння: twice as old (as) three times as large (as) half the price of= half as much as half as much (many) than not so (as) ... as – не такий, як the ... the ... – чим ... тим ...

as young as – (такий же) молодий, як as busy as a bee – зайнятий, як бджола удвічі старше (за) утричі більше (ніж) удвічі дешевше удвічі менше younger than ... (молодше ніж ...) This text is not so interesting as that one. The sooner, the better. – Чим скоріше, тим краще.

Remember the expressions:

at least – принаймні most of all – більш усього at best – у найкращому випадку

worst of all – гірше усього best of all – більше (краще) усього so far so good – поки усе гаразд

Примітка 1 Порівняльна ступень прикметників може посилюватися за допомогою прислівників much та far:

much more powerful – набагато міцніший;

far cheaper – набагато (значно) дешевший.

Найвища ступінь порівняння посилюється за допомогою by far:

He is by far the most successful manager in his business. – Він найуспішніший менеджер у цьому бізнесі.

Примітка 2 Most (of) перед іменником має значення: більшість, більша частина.

Most (of the) experiments were made in the laboratory. – Більша частина експериментів проводилась у лабораторії.

Примітка 3 Most без артикля або з неозначеним артиклем, перекладається словами: дуже, надто, надзвичайно:

It is most important. – Це дуже (надзвичайно) важливо.

This is a most interesting fact. – Це дуже (надто) цікавий факт.

Exercise 18 Translate the sentences.

1. Each time we laugh we feel better and more content. 2. She does not work at her English as much as she did last year. 3. Her eyes are as black as coal. 4. It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong. (H. Longfellow) 5. ‘We have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less’. (Diogenes). 6. Mercury is used in thermometers because it expands as it gets hotter. 7. The more, the better. As wet as a fish. As heavy as lead. 8. This flat is less comfortable than ours. 9. The more we study, the more we know. The more we know, the more we forget. The more we forget, the less we know. The less we know, the less we forget. The less we forget, the more we know. So why study? 10. The population of this town will increase sixfold in fewer than ten years. 11. The day yesterday was not so fine as it is today. 12. Good, better, best / Never, never rest / ‘til your good is better, / And your better best.

Exercise 19 Give the comparative and superlative degrees of comparison and translate the adjectives.

Model: old – older – the oldest

Expensive, sunny, comfortable, noisy, cheap, dangerous, far, beautiful, long, nice, little, much, sweet, good, fresh, bad, important, safe, young, near.

Exercise 20 Use the adjective or adverb in brackets either in the comparative or superlative degree. Write a similar true story about yourself.

I am in my first year at the Academy and I think it is one of (important) periods in my life. Of course, it is (difficult) to study at the Academy than at school. I spend (much) of my time at the Academy and have (little) free time for rest or entertainment. But Alex who is one of my (good) friends is even (busy). He lives (far) from the Academy than I do, and has (little) free time. Anyway he finds time to go in for sports, to visit theatres and to read a lot. And at seminars he is always (brilliant).

Exercise 21 Fill in the gaps with the conjunctions as or than.

1. Athens is older ... Rome. 2. I don’t watch television as much ... you. 3. You get up earlier ... I do. 4. Your friend isn’t as clever ... he thinks. 5. France is smaller ... Germany. 6. Mexico isn’t as big ... Canada. 7. He can’t wait longer ... an hour. 8. He knows physics better ... you.

Exercise 22 Compare the two persons using as ... as or not so (as) ... as according to the model.

Model: Bruce was born in 1991. Kevin was also born in 1991. – Kevin is as old as Bruce.

Paul is handsome. Andrew isn’t very handsome. – Andrew is not as handsome as Paul.

1. Sally is 17. Jane is 17 too. Sally ... . 2. This summer is unusually hot. Last summer was just warm. Last summer ... . 3. This text is hard to translate. That text was simpler. This text ... . 4. Tom and Diane have just married. They are both happy. Tom ... . 5. Ann is very pretty. So is Nancy. Nancy ... . 6. Gary’s jokes are smart. So are Dan’s. Dan’s jokes ... 7. My room is bigger than yours. Your room isn’t ... . 8. She got up at 6 a.m. today. I got up at 6.30 a.m. I ... . 9. It is warm today. Tomorrow it will be warm too. Tomorrow it ... .

Exercise 23 Put the adjective in brackets into the corresponding form of comparison. Then give true answers.

1. Which is (big): the Earth or the Moon? 2. Which weighs (much): gold or silver? 3. Is Moscow an (old) capital city than Kiev? 4. What is (important) thing to do when learning a foreign language? 5. Who was (famous) woman Prime Minister in Britain? 6. Which is (large) city in the world? 7. What is (high) speed developed by modern trains? 8. Is wood a (good) conductor of electricity than rubber?

Think of your own questions and ask your partner three such questions.

Exercise 24 Fill in the gaps using the superlative (-est / most / least) or comparative (-er / more / less) degree.

Model: This book is more interesting than the one I read last week.

1. This is the (strange) book I have ever read. 2. We stayed at (expensive) hotel in Berlin. 3. Our room was (comfortable) than we thought it could be. 4. Our motel was (cheap) than all the others in the countryside. 5. It’s a scandal! Felicia isn’t (well paid) as her male colleagues. 6. He’s the (good) salesman we’ve ever employed. 7. The Everest is (high) mountain in the world. It is (high) than any other mountain. 8. It was a terrible day. It was (bad) day of my life. 9. Which is the (short) way to get from the city centre to the Academy? 10. My grandparents had three daughters. My mother was (young) of them. 11. Our new boss is (easy) to deal with than our old one.

Exercise 25 Translate the sentences with most and mostly in different meanings.

більшість; велика кількість; найбільш; дуже;

головним чином; більш за все

1. Most elements exist in different forms. 2. Uranium is mostly used as atomic fuel. 3. Titanium is a most useful construction material. 4. Of all the transportation means railways remain by far the most important. 5. Most of all I was afraid of being late. 6. He is ten at the most. 7. The neutrons and protons represent most of the mass of the atom.

Exercise 26 Translate these sentences.

1. Його волосся біле як сніг. 2. Він мій старший брат. 3. Ми маємо значно більше даних, ніж вони. 4. Які співаки найпопулярніші у вашій країні? 5. Ваша машина не така швидкісна, як моя. 6. Він вдвічі старше своєї дружини. 7. Де найближча зупинка автобусу? 8. Її брат такий же високий, як вона. 9. Ця обручка дорожча за ту. 10. Ми зупинилися у найгіршому готелі. Давайте переїдемо до кращого готелю. 11. Чи не могли б ви порадити найкращий ресторан? 12. Чим довше вона говорила, тим менше я розумів.

Exercise 27 Read a postcard, which a girl wrote to her mother. Write your own card to someone on some occasion using the adjectives in superlative and comparative degrees. Then decide whose card is the funniest, the most interesting and the most original of all.

To my mother,

You are the best mother in the whole world. You are the smartest, the brightest, and the funniest of all mothers. You are the nicest friend I’ve ever known. You are the most wonderful and definitely the least strict. No mum in the world is better than you. You are the greatest mother of all. I love you very, very much!

Love, Sandy

Exercise 28 Compose questions and give true answers.

Model: What / good gift / you have ever received? – What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

1. What / smart person / you have ever known? 2. What / nice place / you have ever seen? 3. What / valuable invention / a man has ever made? 4. What / bad experience / you have ever had? 5. What / interesting book / you have ever read? 6. What / mysterious thing / you have ever heard of?