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GERUNDS &

INFINITIVES
AS NOUNS
VERBS FOLLOWED BY…

INFINITIVES GERUNDS
agree expect need refuse admit delay imagine practice
appear forget offer seem advise deny keep quit
be able hope plan start* appreciate discuss mind recommen
begin* know how prefer* tend avoid dislike miss d
can(’t) learn prepare try can’t help enjoy permit regret
afford like* pretend want consider finish postpone risk
choose manage promise would like suggest
decide

*These verbs can also be followed by a gerund


GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES AS NOUNS

The subject of a sentence is More examples are given below.


usually a noun or a pronoun. But • Smoking is injurious to health.
sometimes, to-infinitives and –ing
forms are also used as subjects. • Singing gives me great pleasure.
• Swimming is a good exercise. • Telling lies can get you into deep
trouble.
Here the –ing form ‘swimming’
acts as the subject of the verb ‘is’. In each of the following
sentences, the subject is an –ing
form.
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES AS NOUNS

A to-infinitive can also act as the In more informal situations, it is


subject of a verb. used as the subject and the
• To err is human. infinitive is placed at the end of
the clause.
• To give advice is easy.
• It takes many years to save for
• To follow this advice may be college.
difficult.
• It is important to have good
• To swim in that sea may be health.
dangerous.
• To drive very fast here is not
advisable.
THERE IS /
THERE ARE

 To show that someone,


something or a group of
people or things are in an
especific place
INTERROGATION
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
AND SHORT ANSWER
There was There wasn’t Was/ Were there …?
There were There weren’t Yes, there was/were.
No there wasn’t/weren’t
There will be There won’t Will there be…?
Yes, there will be.

There is going to be There isn’t


No, there won’t be.
Is/Are there going to be…?
THERE IS/
There are going to be There aren’t Yes, there is/ are.
No, there isn’t/ aren’t
THERE ARE
There can be There can’t be Can there be…?
Yes, there can be.
No, there can’t be.
There should be There shouldn’t be Should there be…?
Yes, there should be.
No, there shouldn’t be.
POSSESSIVE
PRONOUNS
WHOSE

Is a possessive pronoun like "his," "her" and


"our." We use "whose" to find out which
person something belongs to.
Examples:
• Whose camera is this?
• Whose dog is barking outside?
• Whose cell phone keeps ringing?
ONE, ONES
We use one (singular) and ones (plural) to
avoid unnecessary repetition.
• See those two girls? Helen is the tall one and Jane is the
short one.
• See those two girls. Helen is the one on the left.
• Let’s look at the photographs. The ones you took in
Paris.

We often use them after Which ... in questions:


• You can borrow a book. Which one do you want?
There are lots of books here. Which ones are yours?
Person Place Thing
All everyone everywhere everything Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a
everybody specific person, place, or thing. In English,
Part someone somewhere something there is a particular group of indefinite
(positive) somebody pronouns formed with a quantifier or
Part anyone anywhere anything distributive preceeded by any, some,
(negative) anybody every and no.
None no one nowhere nothing
nobody
We can use own as a determiner after a possessive determiner (e.g. my, her, our) or after a
possessive noun phrase with ’s:

• I never sleep well in hotels. I always sleep best in my own bed at home.
• That garden wall is all Jason’s own work. He spent several weekends building it.

We can use own as a pronoun after a possessive determiner (e.g. my, his, their). We often use it
in the pattern noun + of + possessive determiner + own:

• This is my wife’s laptop. My own is being repaired.


• Did you have a flat of your own when you were a student, or did you share?
ARTICULO DEFINIDO
[ðə] [ði:]
The word "the" is one of the most the following word starts the following word starts
common words in English. It is the only with a spoken consonant with a spoken vowel
definite article. Nouns in English are
preceded by the definite article when •the girl •the English girl
the speaker believes that the listener
already knows what he is referring to. •the book •the orange book
•the school •the old school
If the following word begins with
a consonant, we speak [ðə], if the Compare the following words
following word begins with a vowel, we
speak [ði:] Here [j] is pronounced at Here [ʌ] is pronounced at
the beginning of the word the beginning of the word
→ the unit → the uncle
WITHOUT THE DEFINITE ARTICLE WITH THE DEFINITE ARTICLE – THE
general words (indefinite) general words (definite)
•Life is too short. •I've read a book on the life of Bill Clinton.
•I like flowers. •I like the flowers in your garden.

EXAMPLES names of people on the singular, relatives


•Peter and John live in London.
•Aunt Mary lives in Los Angeles.
family names in the plural
•The Smiths live in Chicago.

public buildings, institutions, means of


public buildings, institutions, means of
transport (definite)
transport (indefinite)
•The school that Mandy goes to is old.
•Mandy doesn't like school.
•The bus to Dresden leaves at 7.40.
•We go to school by bus.
•The round church in Klingenthal is
•Some people go to church on Sundays.
famous.
names of countries in the singular,
names of countries in the plural, mountain
summits of mountains, continents, towns
ranges, regions
•Germany
•the United States of America
•France
•the Netherlands
•Mount Whitney
•the Alps
•Europe
•the Middle East
•Cairo
•the west of Australia
•New York
single islands groups of islands
•Corfu •the Bahamas
•Bermuda •the British Isles
•Sicily •the Canaries

EXAMPLES names with of-phrase, names in plural,


well-known buildings, oceans, seas, rivers,
musical instruments, newspapers
parks, lakes, streets •the Statue of Liberty
•Central Park •the Tower (of London)
•Hyde Park •the Great Lakes
•Lake Michigan •the Empire State Building
•Loch Ness •the Isle of Wight
•42nd Street •the Atlantic (Ocean)
•Oxford Street •the Mediterranean (Sea)
•the Nile
•the piano
•the Times
•months, days of the week (indefinite) •months, days of the week (definite)
•The weekend is over on Monday morning. •I always remember the Monday when I
•July and August are the most popular had an accident.
months for holidays. •The August of 2001 was hot and dry.
EXAMPLES
We use the seasons of the year (spring, Sometimes we use the article and sometimes
summer, autumn, winter) with or without the we do not. It often depends on the context.
definite article. Watch the following example:
in summer The student goes to school.
in the summer The mother goes to the school.
The American English word fall is always used In the first sentence we do not use the definite
with the definite article the. article, in the second we do. The student goes
to school for its primary purpose, so we do not
use the article.
The mother might talk to a teacher, for
example. She visits the school for a different
reason. That's why we use the definite
article the in the second sentence.
ARTICULO INDEFINIDO A/AN
the following word the following word
The indefinite article a is the same
starts with a starts with a
for all genders.
spoken consonant spoken vowel
•a boy
•a girl
•a cat •a boy •an aunt
•a school •an old school
The indefinite article has no plural •a girl •an American girl
form.
•a boy → boys Mind the pronunciation of the following word.

We use an if the following word The first sound we The first sound we
starts with a spoken vowel. speak is [j], so we speak is [ʌ], so we
use a → a unit use an → anuncle
USES OF THE
INDEFINITE ARTICLE
before phrases of time and with a noun complement
measurements (per
week/weekly) He is a good boy.
We have English 4 times a week. before phrases of nationality
I go on holiday twice a year. Bruce Springsteen is an American.
Our car can do 220 half/quite
kilometres an hour.
We need half a pound of sugar.
Tomatoes are $2 a kilo.
This is quite a good story.
before phrases of jobs
My father is a car mechanic.
USES OF THE
INDEFINITE ARTICLE
With some expressions of quantity What a beauty
I have a little money What a shame
We painted a few chairs It is a pity
Expresions that includes a/an
With expresions that have many All of a sudden
A good many apples are bruised An average of
Many an Apple is bruised As a matter of fact
At a loss
with abstract sustantives In a hurry
A wonderful time In a position
A miserable time In a while
Put an end to.
EXCEPTIONS
Little/few

When •I have little money


something is
insufficient •There are few chairs
Make and Do
DO
When we are speaking
about things in general. To
We use the 'Do' is often
describe an action without
verb 'do' when used when
saying exactly what the
someone performs referring to
action is. This form is often
an action, activity work of any
used with the words
or task. kind.
'something, nothing,
anything, everything, etc.'
*these activities do not usually produce a physical object.
Make and Do
MAKE
We use the 'Make' is often
Emphasises more
verb 'make' for used when
the product or
constructing, referring to
outcome of an
building or preparing food
action
creating of any kind.

* these activities usually create something that you can touch.


M
Present perfect simple

Present Perfect Continuous


o 5
Present perfect + adverbs of frequency d
Wh- questions with present perfect u y
Get with adverbs of time
l
o 6
Present Perfect Simple
The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that stopped recently,
but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.
Structure of Present Perfect

I/ you / we / they he / she / it


Affirmative sentences Subject+ have+ past participle+…. Subject+ has+ past participle+….

Negative sentences Subject+ have+ not+ past participle+…. Subject+ has+ not+ past participle+….

Questions Have+ subject+ past participle+….+? Has+ subject+ past participle+….+?

Short Answers Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ have Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ has
Negative: No,+ subject+ have+ not Negative: No,+ subject+ has+ not

*In the negative sentences we can use the word never: We have never cut her hair
Present Perfect Simple. Use
Puts emphasis on the result. Finished action that has an
Example: influence on the present.
Example:
• She has written five letters.
•I have lost my key.

Action that is still going on.


Example: Action that has taken place
once, never or several times
•School has not started yet. before the moment of
speaking. Example:
Action that stopped recently. •I have never been to
Example: Australia.
•She has cooked dinner.
Present Perfect Continuous
We use the Present Perfect You can also use the Present Perfect
Continuous to show that something Continuous WITHOUT a duration such
started in the past and has continued as "for two weeks." Without the
up until now. "For five minutes," "for duration, the tense has a more general
two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are meaning of "lately." We often use the
all durations which can be used with words "lately" or "recently" to
the Present Perfect Continuous. emphasize this meaning.
Examples: Examples:
They have been talking for the last Recently, I have been feeling really
hour. tired.
She has been working at that company She has been watching too much
for three years. television lately.
Have you been exercising lately?
Present Perfect Continuous. Structure

I/ you / we / they he / she / it


Affirmative sentences Subject+ have+ been+ verb ing+…. Subject+ has+ been+ verb ing+….

Negative sentences Subject+ have+ not+ been+ verb ing+…. Subject+ has+ not+ been+ verb ing+….

Questions Have+ subject+ been+ verb ing+…+? Has+ subject+ been+ verb ing+….+?

Short Answers Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ have Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ has
Negative: No,+ subject+ have+ not Negative: No,+ subject+ has+ not
Present
Perfect with
Time
Expressions
Present
Perfect with
Time
Expressions
Present
Perfect with
Time
Expressions
Wh- Questions with Present Perfect
SIMPLE CONTINUOUS
Wh-question+ have/has+ subject+ past Wh- question+ have/has+ subject+been+verb
participle+…+? ing+…+?

where have I left my umbrella? What have I been doing?


what have you done today? Where have you been running?
why has he gone already? What has he been studying?
where has she been in the UK? Why has she been working today?
why has it rained so much this summer? How long has it been raining?
what have we done? How long have we been watching this film?
where have they learned English before? How long have they been living here?
Get + Adverbs of place
Get in line
Get out • Express movement to a place
Get across • Can you help me get across the street

Get here

• When the place has a name we use the preposition “to”


Get to • Will the plane get to New York on time?

• To show that we are entering in a small vehicle


Get in • Bob is getting in his car
Get + Adverbs of place

Get out of • To express that we left the small vehicle


• Bill is getting out of his car

Get on • When we are entering on a biggest vehicle


• Jack is getting on the bus

Get off • To express that we stepped out the biggest vehicle


• Joe is getting off the bus
MODULOS 7 Y 8

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE


PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
QUESTION WORDS WITH PAST PERFECT
USE OF THE VERB GET WITH OBJECTS
◦ The past perfect simple express an action taking place before a certain
time in the past.

ALL SUBJECTS
Affirmative sentences Subject+ had+ past participle+….

Negative sentences Subject+ had+ not+ past participle+….

Questions Had+ subject+ past participle+….+?

Short Answers Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ had


Negative: No,+ subject+ had+ not
Action taking place before a certain Like present perfect, we use it with some
time in the past (putting emphasis only verbs for actions that started in the past
on the fact, not the duration). Example: and kept taking place for a specific time
in past. Example
◦ Before I came here, I had spoken to
Jack ◦ She had only owned one car
before she bought her new BMW.
Actions taking place before a especific
time in the past. Example:
◦ I had already woken up when the
alarm clock rang at 7am.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

◦ Shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another time in the past.

ALL SUBJECTS
Affirmative sentences Subject+ had+ been+ verb ing+….

Negative sentences Subject+ had+ not+ been+ verb ing+….

Questions Had+ subject+ been+ verb ing+….+?

Short Answers Affirmative: Yes, + subject+ had


Negative: No,+ subject+ had+ not
PAST PERFECT CONTINOUS
To express an activity that was in
progress close in time to another
When we were doing something and activity or time in the past. Example:
another action interrupted us.
Example: ◦ She was all wet because she had
been jogging in the rain.
◦ I’d been working for hours
when I fell asleep at my desk. ◦ They were angry because they’d
been waiting for me for hours
◦ Frank bought a new car. He’d
been looking for one since last year.
QUESTION WORDS WITH PAST PERFECT

SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

Q.W.+ HAD+ SUBJECT+ Q.W.+ HAD+ SUBJECT+


PAST PARTICIPLE+…+? BEEN+ VERB ING+…+ ?
• When had I come? • Where had I been working?
• Why had you eaten? • How long had you been sleeping?
• Where had she gone? • What had she been reading?
• When had it rained? • How long had he been watching
• Why had he studied? TV?
• How had we met? • How long had it been raining?
• When had they left? • What had we been drinking?
• Why had they been eating?
USE OF
THE VERB
GET WITH
OBJECTS
USE OF
THE VERB
GET WITH
OBJECTS
 VERBS FOLLOWED BY
MODULOS INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS
 QUESTIONS WITH VERBS

9 Y 10 FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVE
GERUNDS
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
VERBS FOLLOWED BY
INFINITVES OR GERUNDS
For INFINITIVES, the negative is verb + not + infinitive.
In English, if you want to follow a verb ■ They decided not to make pizza.
with another action, you must use a
gerund or infinitive. For example: For GERUNDS, the negative is verb + not + -ing.

■ We resumed talking. (gerund – verb ■ Imagine not having pizza! I eat it all the time.
+ ing) Questions
■ I want to see a movie. (infinitive – to
+ base verb)
There are certain verbs that can only be
followed by one or the other, and these
verbs must be memorized.
VERBS THAT CAN BE
FOLLOWED BY GERUNDS
 enjoy: I enjoyed living in France.
 fancy: I fancy seeing a film tonight.
 discuss: We discussed going on holiday together.
 dislike: I dislike waiting for buses.
 finish: We've finished preparing for the meeting.
 mind: I don't mind coming early.
 suggest: He suggested staying at the Grand Hotel.
 recommend: They recommended meeting earlier.
 keep: He kept working, although he felt ill.
 avoid: She avoided talking to her boss.
VERBS THAT CAN BE
FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVES
 agree: She agreed to give a presentation at the meeting.
 ask*: I asked to leave early / I asked him to leave early.
 decide: We decided to go out for dinner.
 help*: He helped to clean the kitchen / he helped his flatmate to clean the kitchen.
 plan: She plans to buy a new flat next year.
 hope: I hope to pass the exam.
 learn: They are learning to sing.
 want*: I want to come to the party / I want him to come to the party.
 would like*: I would like to see her tonight / I would like you to see her tonight.
 promise: We promised not to be late.

 *We can use an object before the infinitive with these verbs.
 (Note that 'help' can also be followed by the infinitive without 'to' with no difference in meaning: 'I helped to carry it' = 'I helped carry it'.)
Verbs followed by a gerund or infinitive with
little to no change in meaning:
■ Example: It started to rain. / It started raining.

 begin  love
 can’t bear  prefer
 can’t stand  propose
 continue  start
 hate
 like
Verbs
followed by
a gerund or
infinitive
with a
change in
meaning
Verbs
followed by
a gerund or
infinitive
with a
change in
meaning
PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL
1st Myself Ourselves
2nd Yourself Yourselves

Herself
Himself
3rd Themselves
Itself
Oneself
Use of reflexive pronouns
As a direct object when the object is the We only use reflexives with these verbs
same as the subject of the verb: for emphasis:
 He dressed himself in spite of his
injuries.
 I am teaching myself to play the piano. She’s old enough to wash herself.
 Be careful with that knife. You might
cut yourself.
As indirect object when the indirect
object is the same as the subject of the
We can use a reflexive pronoun as direct verb:
object with most transitive verbs, but  Would you like to pour yourself a
these are the most common: drink.
amuse blame cut dry  We’ve brought ourselves something to
enjoy help hurt introduce kill eat.
prepare satisfy teach
Use of reflexive pronouns
As the object of a preposition when the object refers to Emphasise the person or thing we are referring to:
the subject of the clause:  Kendal itself is quite a small town.

 They had to cook for themselves.


Especially if we are talking about someone very
 He was feeling very sorry for himself.
famous:
 Sir Paul McCartney himself sang the final song.

With the preposition by when we want to show that


someone did something alone and/or without any help: We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the
clause when we are using it for emphasis:
 He lived by himself in an enormous house.
 I baked the bread myself.
 She walked home by herself.
 She mended the car herself
 The children got dressed by themselves.

 I prepared the whole meal by myself.


MODULO 12

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

ADVERBS OF PLACE
INTERROGATIVE
We use interrogative pronouns to affirm, deny or

PRONOUNS
ask perception, knowledge or memory about a
circumstance of someone or an action.

VERBS THAT EXPRESS PERCEPTION, KNOWLEDGE OR MEMORY


Ask Concider Decide Discover Explain
Figure out Find out Forget Guess Hear
Imagine Know Learn Observe Perceive
Remember See Tell Understand Wonder
INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
Affirmative
INTERROGATIVE
PRONOUNS Subject+ verb+ interrogative pronoun+ infinitive verb
She knows whom to ask
Who
Whom Negative
Whose Subject+ negative verb+ interrogative pronoun+ infinitive
verb
What I can’t decide what to wear
Which Question
Where
Auxiliar+ subject+ interrogative pronoun+ infinitive verb
How Do you know where to go?
How many Have you decide which to buy?
Has your cat forgotten how to catch mice?
When
Are you considering where to go?
INTERROGATIVE
To affirm, deny or ask if we are requesting

PRONOUNS
information about an action to someone that isn’t
the subject.

VERBS
Advise Ask
Inform Show
Tell Teach
INTERROGATIVE Affirmation

PRONOUNS
• The man told the children which path to follow
• I told her where to go
Negation
• I didn’t advise Helen which pattern to choose
• I didn’t ask her where to go
Question
• Is the instructor teaching Bobby how to swim?
ADVERBS OF PLACE
ADVERBS OF DEGREE AND INTENSIFIERS

1. To show degree about qualities or characteristics of


someone
Tell us about  Especial intensifiers
the intensity or Very, about, almost, just, quite, well, too.
degree of a  Intensifiers or modifiers + an adjective
characteristic Perfectly, slightly, barely
or a way to  Adverbs of degree
do something. Very, absolutely, highly, quite, too.
Security: certainly, definetly, obviously
Uncertainty: posible, probable
Razonable degree: fairly, rather
Scarce degree: barely, hardly
ADVERBS OF DEGREE AND INTENSIFIERS

Examples: All adverbs go before the adjective,


except enough:
 His grandmother is very thin
 Please wait, the cake is almost ready He is old enough to vote
 An emerald is quite expensive
 The box is too small for Mary’s doll
It goes after the adjective that modifies
 The frame on the left is perfectly round
 Their voices were barely audible
 Jhon was absolutely right
ADVERBS OF DEGREE AND INTENSIFIERS

Examples:
TO SHOW DEGREE ABOUT  This line is moving very slow
THE WAY TO DO AN ACTION  Obviously, he shut the door too hard
 I have almost completely finished icing the cake
Especial  They drove back rather slowly
•Very, too, almost, rather , quite,
intensifiers enough.  She’s expressing her ideas quite forcefully
or modifiers  Ted didn’t run rapidly enough so Bob was safe at second
base

Adverbs  You certainly arranged the flowers beautifully.


•Certainly, decidedly, definitely,
ending in evidently, exceedingly, fairly,  She has decidedly answered correctly
obviously, positively, really-.
–ly  Se has evidently answered correctly
 We matched all the pieces fairly well
MODULO

14
WORDS USED TO EXPRESS
SHADES OF COLORS

QUANTITATIVE EXPRESSIONS

ADJECTIVES THAT CAN BE


MISTAKEN FOR ADVERBS
WORDS USED TO EXPRESS SHADES OF COLORS

We use adjectives to describe shades of colors.

• Light, dark, pale, deep, soft, solid

When describing the colors of things we can add "-ish", to


say that it is a hue of the color.
• Grayish, bluish, reddish

We can add a sustantive to indicate where the color was


taken
• Prussian blue, baltic blue, mexican pink, french gray, etc.

We can add the object which the color is taken

• almond green, olive green, cobalt blue, etc.


CUANTITAVE EXPRESSIONS
CUANTITAVE EXPRESSIONS
ADJECTIVES THAT CAN BE
MISTAKEN FOR ADVERBS
M 1
HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE/
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES O 5
D
U Y
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
L
O 1
SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVE S 6
HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE/
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
To make the comparative form of adjectives There are some spelling changes. If there is one
and the superlative form, first we need to know vowel followed by one consonant at the end of
how many syllables are in the adjective. the adjective, we often double the consonant.
• ADJECTIVES WITH ONE SYLLABLE
Usually if an adjective has only one syllable, we wet → wetter / wettest
add 'er' to make the comparative form. We add big → bigger / biggest
'est' to make the superlative form: hot → hotter / hottest
clean → cleaner / cleanest thin → thinner / thinnest
cold → colder / coldest If the adjective ends in 'y', this often changes to
small → smaller / smallest 'i'.
young → younger / youngest
tall → taller / tallest dry → drier / driest
HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE/
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
If the adjective ends in 'e', we don't add There are a few adjectives that we have to
another 'e', just 'r'. use 'more' or 'most' with, even though they
only have one syllable. We CAN'T add 'er' or
'est'.
nice → nicer / nicest
large → larger / largest
fun → more fun / most fun (NOT funner /
funnest)
Even when the adjective has only one real → more real / most real (NOT realer /
syllable, it's still not wrong to use 'more' or realest)
'most'. It's possible to say 'more wet' or right → more right / most right (NOT
'most tall'. This isn't incorrect. righter / rightest)
wrong → more wrong / most wrong (NOT
wronger / wrongest)
HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE/
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES
•ADJECTIVES WITH TWO SYLLABLES
Adjectives with two syllables that end in 'y'
For adjectives with two syllables we usually can add 'er' or 'est' (y generally
generally use 'more' or 'most'. changes to i). It's also fine to use 'more' or
'most'.
careful → more careful / most careful
bored → more bored / most bored dirty → dirtier / dirtiest
But some two syllable adjectives can take pretty → prettier / prettiest
'er' or 'est'. It's also fine to use 'more' (for the happy → happier / happiest
comparative) or 'most' (for the superlative). ugly → uglier / ugliest

clever → cleverer / cleverest


simple → simpler / simplest
narrow → narrower / narrowest
quiet → quieter / quietest
HOW TO FORM SUPERLATIVE/
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES

ADJECTIVES WITH MORE THAN


IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES
TWO SYLLABLES
can only make their comparative by using There are also some irregular
'more' and their superlative by using 'most'. adjectives. We just need to learn
• beautiful → more beautiful / most these forms.
beautiful
• good → better → best
• intelligent → more intelligent / most
intelligent • bad → worse → worst
• interesting → more interesting / most • far → further → furthest
interesting
• little → less → least
• expensive → more expensive / most
expensive • much → more → most
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES

THINGS OR PEOPLE THAT ARE ONE THING OR PERSON IS MORE


THE SAME THAN ANOTHER THING OR PERSON

First, we can use 'as ... as' with a normal We can say that something is more than another thing
adjective (not a comparative) to say by using a comparative adjective with 'than’.
two things are the same:  Luke is taller than Lucy.
• John is as tall as Luke (= they are the  Your book is more interesting than my book.
same height).
We can make the comparison stronger by using 'far' or
• We have as many books as them 'much' or 'a lot' before the adjective. We can make it less
strong by using 'a little' or 'a bit'.
We can use 'not as ... as' to say that two
things are not the same.  Your book is much more interesting than my book.
 Amanda is a lot younger than Julie.
• Paris is not as big as London (=
London is bigger than Paris).  This exercise is a little more difficult than that
exercise
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES

ONE THING OR PERSON IS MORE THAN


ANOTHER THING OR PERSON *We can say that someone or
something is similar or different by
We can say that one thing or person is less than
another thing by using 'less ... than': using ‘the same as, like and different
from’
• Scotland is less big than France.
• The square on the right is the same
• Lucy is less tall than Luke.
as the one on the left
• My book is less interesting than your book
• A camel is different from a
To show something is changing, we can use dromedary
'comparative and comparative' or 'more and more
adjective'. • Jhon is like his father
• That child is getting taller and taller.
• The climate is getting hotter and hotter.
SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

• She's the most beautiful girl I've ever


We use a superlative to say that a seen.
thing or person is the most of a
group. When we use a superlative • It's the best café in London.
adjective ('the tallest student') before • John and Lisa are the most intelligent
the noun, we generally use it with students here.
'the'. This is because there's only one • This bowl is the biggest one.
(or one group) of the thing we are Remember, we don't use 'the' when
talking about. There is one student there is a possessive:
who is the tallest in the class, and
• He's my best student.
because it's clear to the listener which
one we mean, we usually use 'the': • That's our most important goal.
SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

It's possible to drop 'the' when the adjective is used later in the sentence, rather than
directly before the noun. We can choose either 'the' or 'no article', with no change in
meaning:
• She is (the) most beautiful.
• This café is (the) best.
• John and Lisa are (the) most intelligent.
• This bowl is (the) biggest.

This is not possible when the adjective comes directly before the noun:
• He is fastest swimmer.Х
• He is THE fastest swimmer√

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