ge11-5.6· Unit 5: Adjectives, Adverbs & Clauses· ~13 min

Comparison structures

as...as, not as/so...as, the + comparative...the + comparative, comparative + and + comparative, and too/enough.

Beyond basic comparative and superlative forms, English has several fixed structures for comparing things, and the buraxılış exam tests these patterns closely. To say two things are equal we use as + adjective/adverb + as ('Tom is as tall as his father'); to say they are not equal we use not as/so...as ('This film is not as good as the last one'). To show that two changes happen together we use the double comparative 'the + comparative..., the + comparative': 'The harder you study, the better your results.' To show a continuing change we repeat a comparative with 'and': 'It is getting colder and colder', 'more and more difficult'. We strengthen comparatives with 'much, far, a lot, a bit, slightly' ('much better', 'a bit cheaper'), and we use multiples with 'as...as' ('twice as expensive'). Finally, 'too' means more than is acceptable (too + adjective) while 'enough' means sufficiently (adjective + enough). For example: 'The more you practise, the more confident you become, and soon the exam will not seem so difficult.'

Key terms

Comparative — The form used to compare two things, made with -er (taller) for short adjectives or with more (more expensive) for long ones, and completed with 'than'.
Superlative — The form used to single out one from a whole group, made with -est (tallest) for short adjectives or with most (most expensive) for long ones, and used with 'the'.
as ... as — The equality frame: as + base adjective/adverb + as, used to say two things are equal ('as tall as'); the negative is 'not as/so ... as'.
Double comparative — The 'the + comparative ..., the + comparative' pattern showing parallel change ('The harder you study, the better your results').
Continuing change — A comparative repeated with 'and' to show an ongoing increase or decrease ('colder and colder', 'more and more popular').
Intensifier — A word like much, far, a lot, a bit or slightly placed before a comparative to strengthen or soften it ('much better', 'a bit cheaper'); 'very' cannot do this.
Comparison forms
TypeComparativeSuperlative
Short (-er/-est)taller, biggertallest, biggest
Long (more/most)more expensivemost expensive
Irregular: goodbetterbest
Irregular: badworseworst
Irregular: farfurtherfurthest
Comparison structures
StructureUseExample
as + adj + asEquality (two things the same)She runs as fast as I do.
not as/so + adj + asInequality (less than)This film is not as good as the last one.
the + comp, the + compParallel change in two clausesThe harder you study, the better your results.
much/far + comparativeEmphasis (a big difference)My laptop was much more expensive.
less/the least + adjLower degree / lowest of allThis phone is less expensive; it is the least useful.
✎Building a double comparative
  1. 1Idea: Two changes happen together: more reading leads to more interest.
  2. 2First clause: Start with 'the' + comparative: 'The more I read about astronomy'.
  3. 3Second clause: Also start with 'the' + comparative: 'the more I want to study it'.
  4. 4Result: The more I read about astronomy, the more I want to study it.
✎Choosing as...as vs. than
  1. 1Multiple: To say one thing is a multiple of another, use the 'as...as' frame: 'twice as long as', not 'twice longer than'.
  2. 2Base adjective: Inside 'as...as' keep the base form: 'twice as long as', never 'twice as longer as'.
  3. 3True comparative: A real comparative needs 'than': 'far quicker than the old one', never 'far quicker as'.
  4. 4Result: The project took twice as long as I had estimated, but the new road is far quicker than the old one.
🚫Common mistake

Do not mix -er and more. 'Big' is short, so it is 'bigger', not 'more big'; 'expensive' is long, so it is 'more expensive', never 'expensiver' or 'more expensiver'.

🚫Common mistake

Use 'than' with a comparative ('taller than') and 'the' with a superlative ('the tallest'). Inside the 'as...as' frame use 'as' on both sides — never 'than'.

🚫Common mistake

In the double comparative both halves need 'the': 'The longer you wait, the angrier they become' — not 'Longer you wait...' or '..., angrier they become'. Superlatives (the longest, the most) do not fit this pattern.

⚠️Caution

Strengthen a comparative with much, far, a lot, a bit or slightly — not with 'very'. Say 'much more expensive' or 'a bit easier', never 'very more expensive'. And never double-mark: 'more better' and 'much more easier' are wrong because 'better' and 'easier' are already comparatives.

Rules

  1. 1Equality: as + adjective/adverb + as ('as fast as'); inequality: not as/so + adjective + as ('not so expensive as').
  2. 2Double comparative for parallel change: 'The + comparative..., the + comparative' — 'The older I get, the wiser I become.'
  3. 3Repeated comparative + and + comparative shows a continuing change: 'bigger and bigger', 'more and more popular'.
  4. 4Intensify comparatives with much/far/a lot/a bit/slightly (much taller); use multiples before as...as ('twice as long', 'three times as big').
  5. 5'too + adjective' = more than acceptable (too hot to drink); 'adjective + enough' = sufficiently (old enough to drive).

Practice

15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed