Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Adjetivos monossílabos.

Para fazer a forma comparativa e a forma superlativa de adjetivos monossílabos acrescentamos  –er  para a forma comparativa e – est para a forma superlativa.

Adjetivos monossílabos Normal	Forma comparativa	Forma superlativa
tall	taller	tallest
old	older	oldest
long	longer	longest

Mary is taller than Max.

Mary is the tallest of all the students.

Max is older than John.

Of the three students, Max is the oldest.

My hair is longer than your hair.

Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.

Se o adjetivo monossílabo termina em -e, apenas acrescentamos  –r  para a forma comparativa e –st para a forma superlativa.

Adjetivos monossílabos terminados em -e
Normal	Comparativo	Superlativo
large	larger	largest
wise	wiser	wisest

Mary's car is larger than Max's car.

Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.

Max is wiser than his brother.

Max is the wisest person I know.

Se o adjetivo monossílabo termina em CVC, dobra a consoante e acrescenta  -er para a forma comparativa; e dobra a consoante e acrescenta -est para a formar o superlativo.

Adjetivos monossílabos terminados em CVC
Normal	Comparativo	Superlativo
big	bigger	biggest
thin	thinner	thinnest
fat	fatter	fattest

My dog is bigger than your dog.

My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.

Max is thinner than John.

Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.

My mother is fatter than your mother.

Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.

Adjetivos dissílabos

Com mais de duas sílabas a forma comparative é feita usando MORE e a superlativa usando MOST.

Adjetivo Dissílabo
Normal	Forma comparativa	Forma Superlativa
peaceful	more peaceful	most peaceful
pleasant	more pleasant	most pleasant
careful	more careful	most careful
thoughtful	more thoughtful	most thoughtful

This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.

Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.

Max is more careful than Mike.

Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.

Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.

Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.

Adjetivo dissílabo terminado em –Y, troca o –Y por  -IER para o comparativo e por -IEST para a forma superlative.

Dissílabo terminado em -y
Normal	Forma Comparativa	Forma Superlativa
happy	happier	happiest
angry	angrier	angriest
busy	busier	busiest

John is happier today than he was yesterday.

John is the happiest boy in the world.

Max is angrier than Mary.

Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest.

Mary is busier than Max.

Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.

Adjetivos dissílabos terminados em –er, -le, ou –ow recebem –er e –est para forma a forma comparativa e superlativo.

Normal Forma Comparativa Forma Superlativa narrow narrower narrowest gentle gentler gentlest

The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.

This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.

Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectivos com três ou mais sílabas.

Para adjectivos com três ou mais sílabas, o comparativo é feito com MORE e o superlativo com MOST.

Normal	Forma Comparativa	Forma Superlativa
generous	more generous	most generous
important	more important	most important

John is more generous than Jack.

John is the most generous of all the people I know.

Health is more important than money.

Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.

Women are more intelligent than men.

Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

Excessão.

Irregular adjectives.

Adjetivo Irregular	Forma Comparativa	Forma Superlativa
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
far	farther	farthest
little	less	least
many	more	most

Italian food is better than American food.

My dog is the best dog in the world.

My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.

Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

Adjetivos dissílabos que podem seguir as duas regras. Estes adjetivos podem ser usados com -er e -est e com more e most.

Normal	Forma Comparativa	Forma Superlativa
clever	cleverer	cleverest
clever	more clever	most clever
gentle	gentler	gentlest
gentle	more gentle	most gentle
friendly	friendlier	friendliest
friendly	more friendly	most friendly
quiet	quieter	quietest
quiet	more quiet	most quiet
simple	simpler	simplest
simple	more simple	most simple

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.

Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.

Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.

Comparativo de igualdade:

Para compararmos duas coisas de forma igualitária devemos usar a expressão: (as + adjetivo + as) e em orações negativas o primeiro as pode ser substituído por so.

Ex.: She is as tall as Jane. (Ela é tão alta quanto Jane.)
Ex.: She isn’t so tall as Jane. (Ela não é tão alta quanto Jane.)

Comparativo de inferioridade:

Usamos quando queremos demonstrar a inferioridade de uma coisa em relação à outra, usamos a expressão: (less + adjetivo + than).

Ex.: Peter is less intelligent than Susan.

Ex.: John is less fat than Paulo.