GRAMMATICAL ACTIVITIES
COMPARISONS
GRAMMAR REFERENCE
Comparative and superlative forms
Use
1. Use the comparative to compare two things.
Fridays are better than Mondays.
2. Use the superlative to compare one thing to many other things.
Saturday is the best day of the week.
3. To say something is the same, use as + adjective + as.
My office is as big as yours.
4. To say something is different use not + as + adjective + as.
This machine isn’t as complicated as the old one.
Form
1. Add –er or –est to one-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives.
cheap cheaper the cheapest
quiet quieter the quietest
If an adjective ends in –y, change the –y to an –i and add –er or –est.
easy easier the easiest
2. Double a consonant after a vowel at the end of short adjectives.
hot hotter the hottest
big bigger the biggest
3. Some adjectives are irregular.
good better the best
bad worse the worst
4. Add more/less and most/least to adjectives of two or more syllables.
expensive more expensive the most expensive
difficult less difficult the least difficult
5. Add than after the comparative to compare two things/people.
The Sales Manager is more popular than the Financial Manager.
Note: In the superlative form, you can also use my, our, their, etc. instead of the.
It was our most successful year.
1. Work with a partner. Why do people shop online? Make a list of reasons.
2. Listen (1) and underline the correct words in italics to complete sentences 1 – 5.
1. Online retailers offer the cheapest / most expensive products.
2. Online stores have the most / least flexible hours.
3. It’s not as difficult / easy to compare products in physical stores.
4. Internet shopping offers a more limited / wider choice than in-store shopping.
5. Online retailers offer better / less detailed information about a product.
3. Complete the shoppers’ answers with the correct form of the adjective in brackets. Then
listen (2) again and check your answers.
A. I get _more professional_ (professional) advice in a shop than online. The staff in a
store have a ____________ (good) knowledge of the products.
B. I know the prices aren’t ____________ (low) as online, but it’s the ____________
(quick) way to get the product I want.
C. The ____________ (important) thing for me is to see and touch the products. It’s
____________ (easy) to make the right choice.
D. It’s ____________ (difficult) to return or exchange items than when you buy online.
It’s also the ____________ (expensive) way because you don’t pay for postage.
E. The postal service isn’t ____________ (reliable) now. Delivery times are
____________ (long) and a lot of packages are lost.
4. Work with a partner. Talk about your preference for 1 – 4 below. Give examples and
explain your reasons, using comparative and superlative forms.
Example: I prefer looking for products online because it’s quicker and easier to compare
them.
1. Looking for and evaluating products. Online, in physical stores or both?
2. Buying new products. Online, in physical stores or both?
3. Buying second-hand products. Directly from the seller or online?
4. Reporting a problem with a product By phone, by email, by letter or on the
bought online. website?
