Grammar: Comparative Adjectives (Part 2)

Ok, here’s the second part for Monday evening’s class!

If you want to make a comparative stronger to a greater degree, you can add the following before the adjective:

much

a lot

far

Study these examples from the four different categories of adjectives:

1. The Airbus 360 is much / a lot / far bigger than a Cessna airplane.

2. It is much / a lot / far rainier in the Amazon forest than in the Sahara desert.

3. His injuries after the car accident were much / a lot / far more serious than they previously thought.

4. The economic crisis is much / a lot / far worse than two years ago.

If you want to make a comparative stronger but to a lesser degree, you can add the following before the adjective:

a little

slightly

a bit

Study these examples from the four different categories of adjectives:

1. The last flat we looked at was 90m² and this one is 88m². It is a little / slightly / a bit smaller.

2. That joke was only a little / slightly / a bit funnier than the last one you told!

3. I think this exercise was a little / slightly / a bit more difficult.

4. Haguenau is a little/ slightly/ a bit farther from Strasbourg than Bischwiller.

If you want to say that the two things are the same then you use: as……as

Study these examples. Note that the adjective doesn’t change!!

1. A mountain range as large as the Alps has been found under the Arctic ice.

2. Today is just as sunny as yesterday.

3. It is hard to choose which shirt I want but I can’t buy both. The blue shirt is as expensive as the black one.

4. They are both delicious. This Muscat is as good as that Chardonnay.

You can also state a comparative difference with: not as….as

For example:

1. The Queen of England isn’ as rich as J.K. Rowling ( = J.K. Rowling is richer than the Queen of England.)

2. Berlin isn’t as populated as Paris. ( = Paris is more populated than Berlin.)