comparison: using comparatives and superlatives

1   The difference between comparatives and superlatives

We use the comparative to compare one person or thing with (an)other person(s) or thing(s).

We use the superlative to compare one person or thing with his/her/its whole group.

• Mary's taller than her three sisters.
  


• Mary's the tallest of the four girls.


• Your accent is worse than mine.
  


• Your accent is the worst in the class.


• Paul is older than Charles.
  Sally is younger than Paul.
  Albert is older than Sally.
  Charles is younger than Sally.
  Paul is younger than Eric.
  Eric is older than Albert.
  Who is the oldest? Who is the youngest?

2. We use than after comparatives.

• The weather's better than yesterday.
  (NOT . . . better as yesterday OR better that yesterday)


• You sing better than me. (OR    . than I do.)

3 We can use double comparatives to say that something is changing.

adjective + -er and adjective + -er
more and more + adjective/adverb

• I'm getting fatter and fatter


• We're going more and more slowly.
  (NOT . . . more slowly and more slowly.)

4 We can use comparatives with the ... the .. . to say that two things change or vary together.

the + comparative + subject + verb,
the + comparative + subject + verb

• The older I get, the happier I am. (NOT Older I get .. .)
  


• The more dangerous it is, the more I like it.
  (NOT The more it is dangerous, . . .)
  


• The more I study, the less I learn.

5 After superlatives, we do not usually use of to refer to a place.

• I'm the happiest man in the world.
  (NOT . . . of the world.)

6 Don't leave out the with superlatives.

• It's the best book I've ever read.
  (NOT It's best book . . .)

7 We can use superlatives without nouns.

• You 're the nicest of all.


• Which one do you think is the best⁷