Comparison of adjectives

Sample sentences

e.g. Working in a factory is more dangerous than working in a chemical laboratory.

e.g. There is a higher risk of accidents in a factory than in a chemical laboratory.

e.g. Flammable materials have a lower flash point and must be handled with more care.

e.g. A bipolar transistor is the most common form of transistor.

e.g. A bit is the smallest unit of binary data.

Form

Many adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative and superlative.

e.g. Manson's factory is noisy. (positive adjective)

e.g. Burton' s factory is noisier than Manson' s. (comparative adjective)

e.g. Denham'sfactory is the noisiest. (superIative adjective)

1. If the positive adjective has one syllable, we form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est:

positive	comparative	superlative
safe clean	safer cleaner	safest cleanest

If we compare two objects, we use than in the comparison:

e.g. Burton’s factory is noisier than Manson’s.

If we compare more than two objects, we use the in the superlative:

e.g. Denham’s factory is the noisiest.

2. If the positive adjective has two syllables and ends in –y, - ow or –le, we form the comparative by adding –er, and the superlative by adding –est:

positive	comparative	superlative
healthy narrow simple	healthier * narrower simpler	the healthiest * the narrowest the simplest

* in two-syllable adjectives ending in –y, the –y changes to –i in the comparative and the superlative

3. For other adjectives with two syllables or more, we form the comparative with more and the superlative with most:

positive	comparative	superlative
dangerous flammable	more dangerous more flammable	the most dangerous the most flammable

4. There is a small group of adjectives with irregular comparative and superlative forms:

positive comparative superlative

good better the best

bad worse the worst

little less the least

much more the most

far farther / further the farthest / the furthest

Ex. 14. Provide the comparative and superlative degrees of the following adjectives.

accurate

pure

stable

hard

heavy

thin

far

impractical

bad

Ex. 15. Five of the sentences below contain a mistake. Find the mistake and correct it.

1. This silk fabric is the best quality we produce.

2. Following the fire, many more people have been affected by smoke as we had originally thought.

3. Pollution of the ground is most serious in area A than in area B.

4. Please wear ear protection because it's noisier here than in the other areas.

5. The locked cabinet contains some of most poisonous chemicals there are.

6. That was the loudest explosion I've ever heard.

7. These chemicals should be kept in good container s than these.

8. Sending the goods by air is certainly the most quick but it's also the most expensive.

Ex. 16. Use the information from the table to complete the sentences below.

Bridge	Type of bridge	Length of span in metres	Built
Humber Bridge, England Golden gate Bridge, USA Verrazano Narrows, USA Quebec Bridge, Canada Firth of Forth Railway Bridge, Scotland Commodore John Barry, USA New River Gorge, USA Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia	Suspension Suspension Suspension Cantilever Cantilever Cantilever Steel arch Steel arch	1410 1280 1298 549 521 501 518 509	1981 1937 1964 1917 1890 1974 1981 1932

The Humber Bridge is the (1) _____ (long) bridge listed in the table above. It is (2) _____ (long) than the Golden Gate Bridge in the USA but it isn't as (3) _____ (oId). The Verrazano Narrows Bridge in the USA is (4) _____ (new) than the Golden Gate Bridge but (5) _____ (oId) than the Humber Bridge. The (6) _____ (long) cantilever bridge is the Quebec Bridge in Canada. It is 28 metres (7) _____ (long) than the Firth of Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland which is over 110 years (8) _____ (oId). The (9) _____ (new) cantilever bridge is the Commodore John Barry which is also the (10) _____ (short). The Sydney Harbour Bridge is (11) _____ (short) and (12) _____ (oId) than the New River Gorge.

Ex. 17. COMPARISONS. Work in small groups. Look at two types of oil recovery. Discuss what you know about each method.

A. Nodding donkey B. Offshore platform

Compare these two ways of recovery by using the following adjectives.

Model: An offshore platform is a more sophisticated way of oil recovery, but it is not as cheap as a nodding donkey.

1. sophisticated

2. dangerous

3. small

4. expensive

5. reliable

6. cheap to run

7. easy to maintain

8. effective

9. traditional

10. simple

11. useful

12. drills deeply

13. modern

14. practical

Ex. 18. ADVERBS OF DEGREE.

We can make comparatives more specific by using an adverb of degree to clarify whether there is a big or small difference between the objects that are being compared.

Adverbs of degree:

1. slightly

2. a bit

3. a little

4. much

5. far

6. much more

7. far more

Work in pairs. Compare the following items for their attributes given in the brackets, using the comparative forms and adverbs of degree.

1. oil – water (viscous)

2. gas – oil (heavy)

3. Saudi Arabia – Venezuela (great volume of reserves)

4. sandstone – shalestone (fine-grained)

5. proved reserves – probable reserves (great)

6. igneous rocks – sedimentary rocks (widespread)

7. whole core – sidewall core (valuable)

Ex. 19. SUPERLATIVES. Look at the following table. Discuss, what you think the pluses and minuses mean. Where should you put pluses in other columns?

	Hard	Expensive	Elastic	Combustible	Versatile
glass	+
rubber	-
wood	+
steel	++
gold	+

Speak about the qualities of these materials, saying which one is the hardest, the most versatile etc.

Ex. 20. Answer the questions below as quickly as possible. Check your answers with a partner. If you disagree, discuss your reasons.

1. Does Russia produce more oil than Saudi Arabia?

2. Is diesel more or less flammable than petrol?

3. Which material is the most versatile: gold, titanium or platinum?

4. Is offshore oil production more difficult than onshore oil production?

5. Which is the most combustible: kerosene, butane or fuel oil?

6. Does the USA produce as much oil as it consumes?

7. Is natural gas more or less difficult to transport than crude oil?

Ex. 21. PROJECT WORK. Field exploration project.

The class should be divided into two groups. Each group is a field development company. Together, prepare detailed information about your field. Cover the following points:

1. when the field was discovered

2. what methods were used to discover hydrocarbons and estimate the reserves

3. what kind of reserves you have

4. who invested in the project

5. what facilities were introduced at the first stage of exploration

6. how many crews are currently engaged and what their functions are

7. plans for further development

You can add any other important information.

Then, you are going to visit each other’s fields. Prepare questions to ask the other group of students questions about their field exploration project.

Make a presentation of your field to another group. The teacher decides which group has developed a better presentation.

Speaking and Communication Skills: Presentation (Part 4)

Ex. 22. In class, discuss the following questions.

1. What types of visual aids can you name?

2. What are the most common types of visual aids used by your lecturers at professional courses?

3. What is the main function of visual aids?

4. What is the principle of commenting on a visual?

Ex. 23. Read the following text and see if you were correct in your ideas from the previous discussion. Also, note down the most important recommendations.