Степени сравнения наречий (Degrees of comparison of adverbs)

положительная	сравнительная	превосходная
Односложные и некоторые двусложные наречия:
fast (быстро) early (рано)	faster (быстрее) earlier (раньше)	fastest (быстрее всего) earliest (раньше всего)
Двусложные и многосложные наречия
easily (легко) carefully (внимательно, осторожно)	more easily (легче) more carefully (внимательнее, осторожнее)	most easily (легче всего) most carefully (внимательнее/осторожнее всего)
Исключения:
well (хорошо) badly (плохо) little (мало) much (много) far (далеко)	better (лучше) worse (хуже) less (меньше) more (больше) father/further (дальше)	best (лучше всего) worst (хуже всего) least (меньше всего) most (больше всего) farthest/furthest (дальше всего)

Exercises

Exercise 1.Give comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives as in the example:

Big – bigger – the biggest

Big, heavy, short, dirty, clean, near, bad, famous, little, much, clever, good, expensive, cheap, important, pale, hot, beautiful, large, practical, fat, early, pretty, happy, bright, dark, dry, flat, fresh, full, quick, late, nice, reach, sad, thin, thick, wet, weak, early, funny, easy, lazy, ugly, comfortable, quiet, far.

Exercise 2.Translate into Russian.

1) The sun is the most important of all heavenly bodies of our solar system.

2) A man can jump six times higher on the Moon than on the Earth.

3) What is the nearest satellite of the Earth?

4) The storms in the Polar regions are much stronger than those in the central part of the country.

5) The control system is more efficient than that described in that journal.

6) The year on Mars is twice as long as that on the Earth.

7) The sun’s diameter is more than one million kilometers.

8) The atmosphere of the Earth is denser than that of Mars.

9) Mars is smaller, cooler, and less suited to advanced life than the Earth.

10) The territory of the Earth is bigger than that of the Moon.

11) Mars is the nearest neighbor of the Earth.

12) The surface temperature of the sun is about 10000 F, in the interior of the sun the temperatures are much higher, rising to 300000 F.

Exercise 3.Use adjectives in the brakes in comparative or superlative degree.

0)The Trans-Siberian railway is (long) in the world. – The Trans-Siberian railway is the longest in the world.

1) The twenty-second of December is the (short) day of the year.

2) Iron is (useful) of all metals.

3) The Neva is (wide) and (deep) than the Moskva River.

4) Elbrus is the (high) peak in the Caucasian mountains.

5) His plan is (practical) than yours.

6) His plan is (practical) of all.

7) This room is (small) than all the rooms in the house.

8) London is the (large) city in England.

9) Silver is (heavy) than copper.

10) Our house is (low) than yours.

11) This exercise is (good) than the last one.

12) My cigarettes are (bad) than yours.

13) Yesterday was the (hot) day we have had this summer.

14) When the war ended, the reconstruction of Moscow was resumed on a (large) scale than before.

15) The Battle of Stalingrad was the (great) battle of all times.

Exercise 4.Translate adjectives in the brakes into English..

0) Modern London is (больше) than London of the past centuries. – Modern London is bigger than London of the past centuries.

1) Your knowledge of English is (лучше) than mine.

2) The nights in summer are (теплее) and (короче) than those in winter.

3) You can find (самые хорошие) concert-halls, cinemas and shops in the West 4) End of London.

5) What is (самое глубокое) lake in the world?

6) What is (самая длинная) river in the world?

7) What is (самый большой) city in the world ?

8) In a few years Moscow will become one of the (самых красивых) cities of Russia.

9) What is (самая бедная)part in London ?

10) My fountain-pen writes (лучше) than yours.

11) I think my speciality is one of (самых интересных) specialities.

12) Hydrogen is (самое лёгкое) substance.

13) Today oil and gas extraction is becoming (более дорогим) in the world.

14) The lake Baikal is (самое большое) freshwater lake in Europe and Asia.

15) The coefficient of expansion of air is about twenty times (больше) as that of mercury.

Exercise 5.Insert as … as or so … as .and translate the sentences.

0) The temperature today is … high … it was yesterday. – The temperature today is as high as it was yesterday.

1) He is not … old … he looks.

2) He is … strong … his brother.

3) This street is … wide … the next one.

4) The trunk is not … heavy … I expected it to be.

5) His radio set is not … powerful … mine.

6) She is … tall …her sister.

7) In Kislovodsk it is not … hot … in Sochi.

8) The year on Mars is twice … long … that on Earth.

9) The territory of the Kara-Kum desert is … large … that of France and Holland.

Exercise 6 .Use adjectives in the right degree.

0) The (soon), the (good). – The sooner, the better.

1) The (much) you study, the (much) you know.

2) The (soon) you start work, the (soon) you’ll finish it.

3) The (many) English books you read, the (reach) your English vocabulary becomes.

4) The (fast) the objects move, the (great) the air resistance is.

5) The (near) the Earth, the (dense) the atmosphere.

6) The (much) we study nature, the (much) we know about it.

7) The (little) we study, the (little) we know.

8) The (much) we know, the (much) we forget.

Exercise 7. Read proverbs and try to give their Russian equivalents.

0) Old friends and old wine are the best. – Старый друг - лучше новых двух.

1) The more haste, the less speed.

2) Better to do well, than to say well.

3) Better late than never.

4) False friends are worse than open enemies.

5) Four eyes see more (better) than two.

6) Sometimes people live from bad to worse.

7) He laughs best who laughs last.

8) Honesty is the best policy.

9) Better a glorious death than a shameful life.

10) Better die standing than live kneeling.

11) Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.

12) Better be born lucky than rich.

Exercise 8. Translate into English..

0) Земля больше луны. – The Earth is bigger than the Moon.

1) Россия – самая большая страна в мире.

2) Новое здание Московского Университета – одно из самых высоких зданий Москвы.

3) В прошлом году я тратил на английский язык меньше времени, чем в этом году.

4) Большинство моих приятелей – курсанты.

5) Ваш доклад был гораздо интереснее его доклада.