Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Comparative adjectives compare two things. Superlative adjectives
compare more than two things.
Commonly, adjectives that contain only one syllable or end in 'y' use 'er' to
form comparatives and 'est' to form superlatives. For adjectives ending in y,
change the 'y' to 'i' before adding the 'er' or 'est'.
old – older – oldest
young – younger – youngest
pretty – prettier – prettiest
long – longer – longest
short – shorter – shortest
bright – brighter – brightest
close – closer – closest
happy – happier - happiest
Adjectives with two or more syllables DO NOT change but instead
add more to form comparatives and most to form superlatives.
respectable – more respectable – most respectable
beautiful – more beautiful – most beautiful
preferable – more preferable – most preferable
hardworking – more hardworking – most hardworking
Some adjectives have different forms of comparatives and superlatives.
good – better – best
bad – worse – worst
little – less – least
much (many) – more – most
far – further - furthest
The word than typically appears in comparative sentences.
Amy is smarter than Betty.
Chad is stronger than Dan.
Greg is more diligent than his brother.
I have more apples than he.
She likes him more than me.
Superlatives are typically accompanied by the word the.
Tom is the oldest man in town.
Paul is the tallest boy in the neighborhood.
That shade of blue is the most beautiful color.
This is the longest song that I have ever heard.
[Quiz 8.1]
Write the appropriate comparative or superlative form of the word cold in
each blank.
Yesterday was a cold day. Today is than yesterday. Tomorrow will
be the day yet.
[Quiz 8.2]
Which of the following sentences is incorrect?
1)Mary is shorter than Jane.
2)The moon is more closer to the earth than the sun.
3)I have the best score on the exam.
[Quiz 8.3]
Fill in the blanks.
1)My friend has a pretty purse, but I have a one.
2)The weather is yet to come!
3)Today's sunshine is beautiful than yesterday's.
Simple Tense
Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb
tenses: present, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple,
progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses.
Present Past Future
Simple finish finished will finish
was/were
Progressive am/is/are finishing will be finishing
finishing
Perfect have/has finished had finished will have finished
Perfect have/has been had been will have been
Progressive finishing finishing finishing
Things to remember about simple tense:
a. Present tense is the original verb form.
b. Past tense has a few patterns.
c. Future tense needs will (shall) + verb.
run
I run a marathon twice a year. (present)
I ran a marathon last year. (past)
I will run a marathon next year. (future)
eat
I eat lunch in my office.
I ate lunch an hour ago.
I will eat lunch in one hour.
see
I see a movie once a week.
I saw a movie yesterday.
I will see a movie tomorrow.
know
I know it.
I knew it the day before yesterday.
I will know it by tomorrow.
learn
I learn English.
I learned English the last two years.
I will learn English next year.
cook
I cook my supper every night.
I cooked our dinner already.
I will cook breakfast tomorrow.
[Quiz 10.1]
Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb forms.
1)I a song at the concert yesterday.
2)He a letter to his girlfriend tomorrow.
3)I to the library to borrow some books this weekend.
Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs form their past and past participle by adding ed (d).
Base Verb Past Past Participle
Learn learned learned
Study studied studied
Cook cooked cooked
Solve solved solved
ask asked asked
watch watched watched
listen listened listened
Irregular verbs do not have definite rules, but there are a few patterns.
Base Verb Past Past Participle
grow Grew Grown
know Knew Known
begin began Begun
draw Drew Drawn
drive drove Driven
fly Flew Flown
give Gave Given
speak spoke Spoken
swim Swam swum
go Went gone
take Took taken
find found found
spend spent spent
teach taught taught
pay Paid paid
feel Felt felt
buy bought bought
meet Met met
have Had had
feed Fed fed
keep Kept kept
cut Cut cut
hit Hit hit
set Set set
shut Shut shut
fit Fit fit
[Quiz 13.1]
Find the past and past participle forms of the following verbs using your
dictionary:
bring
drink
think
tell
eat
make
beat
Capitalization
Capitalization means using a capital letter (for example, A instead of a). The use
of capital letters helps readers read your writing without confusion.
Always capitalize the following:
The first word in a sentence.
I grew up in India.
She left a message on my phone.
The pronoun I.
This country is where I dreamed of.
The first letter of a proper noun (specific name).
David wants to play soccer with us.
This letter is from Chang.
I graduated from the University of New York.
I like Coca-Cola.
She likes Godiva chocolates.
The first letter of months, days, and holidays (but not seasons).
Today is June 8, 2011.
Susie’s birthday is this Thursday.
The shops are closed on Easter.
This summer is going to be very hot.
The first letter of nationalities, religions, races of people, and languages.
We often eat Italian food.
I want to master many languages, such as Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and
Russian.
There is one Christian church in my town.
The first letter in a person’s title.
This is Dr. Simon.
I got it from Mr. Tom.
Geographic areas: cities, states, countries, mountains, oceans, rivers, etc.
My destination is Paris, France.
Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Historical periods.
The Renaissance began in the 14th century.
The Qing Dynasty is the last dynasty in China.
The first letter of each major word in the title of a book, movie, article, etc.
Tolstoy’s War and Peace is my favorite novel.
I found the article “How to Write a Good Cover Letter” in this magazine.
[Quiz 30.1]
Correctly write each sentence using proper capitalization.
1)i was born in shanghai, china, but grew up in the united states.
2)mrs. ohana gave me the bible.
3)if you walk two more blocks, you will be able to see mt. rocky.
4)my family will have a summer vacation in hawaii.
5)I didn’t want to cook tonight, so I just ordered thai food for dinner.
