Your two people
Name the two people you thought of. One sentence each about what they are like. Then one sentence putting them side by side, however you can manage it.
Three comparisons, three errors. Fix them.
1. She is more tall than me.
2. He is more good at this.
3. She is more patient that him.
Twelve comparisons
Read all twelve before you look at the headings
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| taller | more patient | better |
| older | more generous | worse |
| quieter | more reliable | further |
| funnier | more organised | more fun |
Say every one aloud, and count the syllables in the base adjective, before you answer.
1. How many syllables do the Group A base adjectives have — tall, old, quiet, funny?
2. And the Group B base adjectives — patient, generous, reliable, organised?
3. So what decides between -er and more?
4. Funny has two syllables and takes -er. Patient has two and takes more. What is different?
The whole system
Comparatives
| Adjective | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| one syllable | add -er | tall → taller · old → older |
| one syllable ending consonant | double it, add -er | big → bigger · thin → thinner |
two syllables ending -y | -ier | funny → funnier · easy → easier |
| two or more syllables | more + adjective | patient → more patient |
| irregular | learn them | good → better · bad → worse · far → further |
Row 3 is Units 1 and 3 again. Funny → funnier is the same consonant-plus-y rule as study → studies → studied. You already own it.
And than, not that. Portuguese uses que for both, so this is a pronunciation habit worth building deliberately: tall-er THAN me.
Equality and inequality
| Structure | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
as … as | the same | She is as tall as her brother. |
not as … as | less than | He is not as patient as she is. |
less … than | less than, more formal | He is less patient than she is. |
much / far + comparative | a big difference | She is much taller. |
a bit / slightly + comparative | a small difference | He is a bit older. |
One word per gap. Mix of comparatives, than, and as … as.
My sister is two years than me, and about ten centimetres taller. She is much organised than I am — her flat is always tidy and mine is never. But she is not patient our mother, who waits for everything. I am at cooking than she is, which is the one thing I have. She is a bit at driving, though, and considerably at parking.
Match each adjective to its comparative. Two are irregular and one is the -y rule.
Compare, at speed
Seven comparisons, seven errors. Rewrite each one in full.
1. She is more tall than her sister.
2. He is more good at maths.
3. This is more easy than I thought.
4. She is patienter than me.
5. He is taller that his brother.
6. She is as tall than her mother.
7. My flat is more big than yours.
Put the parts in order to make one comparison.
Your two people, side by side
Task card · Speaking
The two people you thought of last night.
Two minutes comparing them. At least six comparatives, one as … as, and one not as … as.
- Start with the obvious differences — age, height, where they live.
- Then the personality differences, and hedge those.
- Finish with one thing they are equally good at: They are both as… as each other.
Two decisions.
1. One is more careful than the other. Which sentence?
2. They are equally generous. Which?
Which rule slipped
Your teacher counted. Answer before you hear the number.
1. Which error appeared most?
2. Did you use as … as at all?
Before the vocabulary
One question.
1. What decides between -er and more?
Before Lesson 4. Write down every personality adjective you reached for in the last two minutes and could not find in English.
In Portuguese is fine. That list is next lesson — the syllabus gives this unit around 140 word families, and yours is the half worth teaching first.