comparativi e superlativi

 COMPARATIVO DI UGUAGLIANZA
▪ AGGETTIVI: as + aggettivo / avverbio + as
XXX is as tall as YYY.
XXX doesn’t speak English as fluently as her brother (does).
That man isn’t as / so rich as they say. / (più formale) He’s not as / so rich a man as they say.
It’s just as quick to walk across the city centre as to go by car. (see p. 382 New Omn.)
Eating fresh fruit is as good for you as taking vitamin pills.
▪ SOSTANTIVI: as + much + uncountable + as
/
as + many + sost. plur.+ as
There isn’t as much traffic as yesterday.
We don’t know as many people as you (do).
▪ VERBI: verbo + as + much + as
I don’t smoke as much as you (do).
▪ il doppio / triplo / tre volte più… :
twice / three times … as + aggettivo + as / comparativo maggioranza
The building is three times as high as that block of flats. / 3 times higher than that block...
Notes:
She's got the same hairstyle as her mother. / His job isn't the same as mine.
I would have done the same thing that / as you did.
He’s not such a genius as they say. / He’s not such a rich man as they say.
 COMPARATIVO DI MAGGIORANZA:
1)
A) AGGETTIVI MONOSILLABICI
B) AGGETTIVI BISILLABICI –Y
C) AVVERBI che hanno la stessa forma degli aggettivi [near / late / high / hard / early / fast / low / straight]
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↓
↓
AGG. / AVV. + -ER +THAN
XXX is prettier than all her schoolfriends.
XXX gets up earlier than me.
comparatives are for two things (“comparative” has the sound “pair” in it)
superlatives are for more than two things
 SUPERLATIVO RELATIVO:
A) / B) / C)
↓
↓
↓
THE AGG. / AVV. + -EST +
after a superlative we use OF (also AMONG) when the thing/person being compared belongs to the same category as
the object of the comparison, otherwise we use IN
He’s the fastest of the competitors. || in the race.
He’s the tallest of the soldiers.
|| in the army.
She’s the brightest of my sisters.
|| in my family.
She's the fastest player of them all. || in the team.
He is the laziest of my students.
|| in my class.
He's the best of the lot.
That is the tallest structure of any structure in the world.
I am the tallest of all the family members
The Ferrari is the fastest car of all.
Mary is the least quiet of my children.
Sheila is the nicest of my friends.
we use OF for a period of time
The best/busiest/worst day/meal of the week
The best/hardest time of the day
The darkest night of the month
we use IN with places
I'm the happiest man in the world.
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in G.B.
That restaurant is the best in town.
Who is the best teacher in the school?
we use ON with islands / Earth / expressions (on record / on TV / on the market etc.)
This is the cheapest car on the market
the highest temperature on record
This is the coldest place on Earth.
we can also use a relative clause:
You are the prettiest girl (that) I know.
Note: it is not correct to use the superlative when only two persons/things are being compared:
He’s the youngest of the two brothers.
Roger is the elder of the two brothers
Comparatives and superlative forms can function as nouns with the definite article:
The tallest will stand on the right.
The younger of the two brothers was the most intelligent in the class.
2)
A) AGGETTIVI BISILLABICI -E / -ER / -OW
B) UN- (2prefix) + AGGETTIVI BISILLABICI –Y
C) COMMON / CRUEL / LIKELY / NARROW / PLEASANT / QUIET / SIMPLE / STUPID :

AGG. + -ER
+ THAN
This exercise is simpler than that one.

||
MORE + AGG. + THAN
This exercise is more simple than that one.
 SUPERLATIVO RELATIVO:
A) / B) / C)
↓
↓
↓
THE [AGG. / AVV.] + -EST / THE MOST + AGG. / AVV.
+ OF / AMONG / ON / IN / THAT
3)
TUTTI GLI ALTRI AGGETTIVI
AVVERBI  -LY (cheaply, carefully, slowly etc…)
↓
↓
↓
MORE + AGG. / AVV. + THAN
The lesson was even more boring than I expected.
I analysed the problem more carefully to find a solution.
 SUPERLATIVO RELATIVO:
THE MOST + AGG. / AVV.
+ OF / AMONG / ON / IN / THAT
 COMPARATIVI IRREGOLARI
good + well - better - the best
bad + badly - worse - the worst
little - less - the least
much + many - more - the most
far - farther - the farthest [distance] ↭ far - further - the furthest [distance + additional / extra]
Further testing will be necessary
old - older - the oldest ↭ old - elder - the eldest [members of the same family]
[my elder son / XXX is the eldest brother || than  older than: Rosalind is older than Martin]
late - later - the latest [the most recent: the latest news was broadcast 5 minutes ago]
↭
the last [the final one: the last news report is at…]
near - nearer - the nearest [distance]↭ the next [time / sequence]: the nearest hotel is… / the next train is at… /
the former = the first of two things or people mentioned / the latter = the second of two things
 SOSTANTIVI SINGOLARI o PLURALI
MORE + SOSTANTIVO + THAN
You've certainly got more money than me.
This library has more books than the one in my school.
THE MOST
He’s certainly got the most money in the world.
There will be a pizza party with the class that read the most books.
 VERBI
MORE + THAN
XXX eats more than me [than I do: formal], yet she is so slim.
THE MOST
XXX eats the most in my family.
Notes:
▫ most (Ø article): la maggior parte di / il maggior numero [I like most fruit]
▫ most + of + articolo / possessivo / dimostrativo / pronome personale: most of the night / most of my friends…
▫ posizione: I've got a smaller house than my cousin:
▫ di più (tempo): longer
▫ superior / inferior / prior + TO
 COMPARATIVO DI MINORANZA
AGGETTIVI / AVVERBI / SOSTANTIVI SINGOLARI / NUMBER / NUMERALI / VERBI
↓
↓
↓
(…) + LESS (…) THAN
XXX is less optimistic than YYY
The number of women attending the meeting was less than usual.
The film didn't last less than 3 hours.
SOSTANTIVI PLURALI
↓
↓
↓
FEWER + SP + THAN
XXX made fewer mistakes than YYY.
 SUPERLATIVO DI MINORANZA
AGGETTIVI / AVVERBI / SOSTANTIVI SINGOLARI / NUMBER / VERBI
↓
↓
↓
THE LEAST
What's the least expensive way to get to…?
Which organism has the least number of chromosomes?
SOSTANTIVI PLURALI
↓
↓
↓
THE FEWEST
She made the fewest mistakes in the exam.
 AVVERBI USATI CON COMPARATIVI
EVEN
She’s still very thin, but years ago she was even thinner.
A LITTLE / A BIT / SLIGHTLY
I want to stay just a bit longer.
I’d like you to pay a little more attention to what I’m saying.
This kind of facts occur slightly more than once every three years.
A FEW (sostantivi plurali)
I have a few more questions.
RATHER / QUITE / MUCH / FAR / A LOT / A GOOD DEAL / A GREAT DEAL
President Davis's opinion of you is rather higher than Mrs. Chesnut's.
I have to do something quite more interesting in this period.
You're much / far / a lot thinner than me.
She's much / far / a lot less charming than her mother.
XXX drinks much / far / a lot more coffee than me.
The project will cost much / far / a lot more than it will bring in.
I saw him a good deal more than I would have wished.
That accident had a great deal more impact on me.
MANY / FAR (sostantivi plurali)
XXX has got many / far more CDs than YYY.
XXX has got far (many) fewer CDs than YYY.
 AVVERBI USATI CON SUPERLATIVI
BY FAR / MUCH / EASILY / QUITE
He's by far the most attractive boy I've ever met.
You’re easily the cleverest person I know.
Shorts are much the best for running in, whatever the weather.
He was much the best known of the band.
This figure is by far the most money CNN has ever paid for an anchor.
Saving Private Ryan is quite the most violent and weapons-filled film I have ever seen.
He is the one who attended by far the fewest number of training sessions.
This region as a whole is by far the least free in the world.
AUMENTO / DIMINUIZIONE PROGRESSIVA
due comparativi legati da AND [ital.: sempre più]
Towns are getting bigger and bigger while villages are getting smaller and smaller.
More and more people are giving up smoking.
CAMBIAMENTI COLLEGATI TRA LORO
THE + comparativo + THE + altro comparativo
THE MORE… THE MORE [ital.: più…più…]
The harder she works, the happier she is.
The more he earns, the more he spends.
THE + comparativo + THE BETTER [ital.: più… meglio è]
I want a cheap holiday: the cheaper the better.
Notes:
very + adj. in -est: This is the very latest news.
any / no = per niente / affatto: I can't walk any farther. / My room is no larger than yours.
Traduzione di “il più… possibile”: comparativo di uguaglianza + possible / can / could
Come back as soon as possible / you can.
I did it as well as I could.
There’s nothing nicer than sleeping late on a rainy day.
We preferred to walk rather than take a taxi. (see p. 382 New Omn.)
He suggested camping rather than staying at cheap hotels.