# Spring is warmer than winter

# The weather is warmer

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A cat is less big than a dog. My old phone is less modern than my new phone. Winter is less warm than summer. This book is less interesting than that movie. A bicycle is less fast than a car. | An apple is as healthy as an orange. Walking is as good for health as running. Tea is as popular in the UK as coffee in Italy. A fish is as quick in water as a bird in the air. This lesson is as important as the last one.
A lion is stronger than a cat. This test is easier than the previous one. A train is faster than a bike. A car is bigger than a bicycle. An elephant is heavier than a horse. | An aeroplane is more comfortable than a bus. This painting is more beautiful than that one. London is more expensive than Lisbon. A novel is more interesting than a short story. Chocolate is more delicious than broccoli.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. The Nile is the longest river on Earth. A cheetah is the fastest land animal. January is usually the coldest month in the UK. A rabbit is one of the cutest pets. | The Great Wall of China is the most impressive ancient structure. Shakespeare is the most famous English playwright. "War and Peace" is one of the most complicated novels. The Amazon Rainforest is the most diverse ecosystem. English is the most widely spoken language in the world.

#
DEGREES of ADJECTIVES

## Adjectives can have three different forms: POSITIVE / COMPARATIVE (Inferiority - Equality - Superiority) / SUPERLATIVE

## POSITIVE

The POSITIVE form of an adjective is the adjective itself as it can be found in the dictionary.
Es la forma simple del adjetivo.

There are two kinds of adjectives according to their length:
Los dividimos en dos grupos, según su longitud.

SHORT ADJECTIVES (CORTOS)

- One syllable adj (de una síl.): tall, long, wise, large, fat, thin
- Two syllable adj ending in "Y" (de dos síl. que acaben en "Y"): easy, happy

LONG ADJECTIVES (LARGOS)

- The rest of two syllable adj (resto de dos síl.): crowded, tired, peaceful
- Three or more syllable adj (de tres o más síl.): generous, important, intelligent, comfortable

We use the positive form of adjectives to describe someone’s or something’s qualities:
La forma positiva se usa para describir las cualidades de algo o alguien.

- Mary is a tall girl. (una chica alta)
- Tom is a wise person. (una persona sabia)
- The exam was easy. (un examen fácil)
- The shop was crowded. (una tienda llena de gente)
- My father is very generous. (un padre generoso)
- Michael is an intelligent boy. (un chico inteligente)

## COMPARATIVE of INFERIORITY

If A is inferior to B, we use the “Inferiority” form.

LESS + adjective + THAN
menos ... que

- Yesterday I was less tired than today. (Ayer estaba menos cansado que hoy)
- The exam was less easy than the exercises. (El examen fue menos fácil que los ejercicios)
- His reaction was less intelligent than hers. (Su reacción fue menos inteligente que la de ella)
- The meeting was less important than the congress. (La reunión fue menos importante que el congreso)

## COMPARATIVE of EQUALITY

If A is equal to B, we use the “Equality” form.

AS + adjective + AS
tan ... como

- Mary is as tall as Peter. (Mary es tan alta como Peter)
- The exam was as easy as the first one. (El examen fue tan fácil como el primero)
- My mum is as generous as my dad. (Mi madre es tan generosa como mi padre)
- The meeting was as important as last year’s. (La reunión fue tan importante como el congreso)

## COMPARATIVE of SUPERIORITY

If A is superior to B, we use the “Superiority” form..

This type of comparative has two different structures depending on the length of the adjective:

#### SHORT ADJECTIVES

Adjective-ER + THAN
más ... que

- - - Mary is taller than Peter. (Mary es más alta que Peter)
    - My hair is longer than your hair. (Mi pelo es más largo que el tuyo)
    - Max is wiser than his brother. (Max es más sabio que su hermano)
    - Tom’s garden is larger than mine. (El jardín de Tom es más grande que el mío)
    - The cat is fatter than the dog. (El gato está más gordo que el perro)
    - John is happier today than he was yesterday. (John está más feliz hoy que ayer)

#### LONG ADJECTIVES

MORE + Adjective + THAN
más ... que

- - - London is more crowded than Madrid. (Londres está más poblada que Madrid)
    - The players are more tired than last season. (Los jugadores están más cansados que antes)
    - This place is more peaceful than the beach. (Este lugar es más tranquilo que la playa)
    - John is more generous than his sister. (John es más generoso que su hermana)
    - The congress is more important than the meeting. (El congreso es más importante que la reunión)
    - Your answer was more intelligent than hers. (Tu respuesta fue más inteligente que la de ella)
    - Travelling by train is more comfortable than travelling by car. (Viajar en tren es más cómodo que en coche)

## SUPERLATIVE

A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or highest degree of a quality. We use a superlative adjective to describe the extreme quality of one thing or person in a group of things or people.
El superlativo es el grado del adjetivo con el que decimos que una persona o cosa es la más con respecto a todas las demás.

#### SHORT ADJECTIVES

THE + Adjective-EST
el/la más ...

- Mary is the tallest of all the students. (Mary es la más alta de todos los alumnos)
- Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard. (La historia de Max es la más larga que he escuchado)
- Tom is the wise st person I know. (Tom es la persona más sabia que conozco)
- Tom’s garden is the largest in the street. (El jardín de Tom es el más grande de la calle)
- This is the fattest cat I’ve ever seen. (Este es el gato más gordo que he visto)
- John is the happiest boy in the world. (John es la persona más feliz del mundo)

#### LONG ADJECTIVES

THE MOST + Adjective
el/la más ...

- Tokyo is the most crowded city in Asia. (Tokyo es la ciudad más poblada de Asia)
- Ronaldo was the most tired player after the match. (Ronaldo era el jugador más cansado)
- Bolonia is the most peaceful beach in Andalucia. (Bolonia es la playa más tranquila de Andalucía)
- John is the most generous of all the people I know. (John es el más generoso que conozco)
- Health is the most important thing in life. (La salud es lo más importante en la vida)
- Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met. (Mary es la persona más inteligente que conozco)
- Travelling by train is the most comfortable way to go to Seville. (Viajar en tren es la forma más cómoda de ir a Sevilla)

## IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

We say that an adjective is IRREGULAR when it doesn’t make the comparative and superlative forms in the normal or regular -er/-est of more/most way.
Decimos que un adjetivo es "irregular" cuando no forma el comparativo de superioridad ni el superlativo según las reglas anteriores (-er/-est--more/most).

The most common are:

Positive | Comparative (of Sup) | Superlative
Good | Better than (gooder) | The best (goodest)
Bad | Worse than (badder) | The worst (baddest)
Far | Farther than (farrer) | The farthest (farrest)
Old (members of a family) | Elder than (older) | The eldest (oldest)

- Italian food is better than American food. (La comida italiana es mejor que la americana)
- My dog is the best dog in the world. (Mi perro es el mejor del mundo)
- My English is worse than yours. (Mi inglés es peor que el tuyo)
- Of all the students in the class Max is the worst. (De todos los alumnos, Max es el peor)
- Your house is farther from the school than ours. (Tu casa está más lejos de la escuela que la nuestra)
- Tom took the farthest seat from the door. (Tom cogió el asiento más alejado de la puerta)
- Let me introduce Ann. She’s my elder sister. (Te presento a Ann, mi hermana mayor)
- Jack is the eldest of four brothers. (Jack es el mayor de cuatro hermanos)

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