Comparatives Superlatives

Respuesta correcta: A) bigger

• A) biggerCorrect. A comparative adjective takes the -er ending, and 'than' is supplied by the second part of the sentence.
• B) the biggestWrong. 'The biggest' is a superlative, which compares three or more items rather than two.
• C) bigger than isWrong. 'Bigger than is' misplaces the comparative and adds an extra verb.
• D) bigWrong. 'Big' is the base form and cannot express a comparison on its own.

Respuesta correcta: B) the best

• A) the betterWrong. 'The better' is a comparative form and compares only two items.
• B) the bestCorrect. Good has an irregular superlative, 'the best', formed by adding the definite article.
• C) the goodestWrong. 'The goodest' does not exist; good is irregular.
• D) more goodWrong. 'More good' misapplies the pattern used with longer adjectives such as 'more expensive'.

Respuesta correcta: C) more expensive

• A) most expensiveWrong. 'Most expensive' is the superlative, which compares three or more items.
• B) expensiverWrong. 'Expensiver' adds the -er ending, which is only correct for short adjectives.
• C) more expensiveCorrect. Longer adjectives form the comparative with 'more' plus the base form.
• D) more expensive than isWrong. The extra 'than is' makes the phrase ungrammatical when compared is already implied by the sentence.

Respuesta correcta: D) My bag is as heavy as yours.

• A) My bag is heavier like yours.Wrong. 'Heavier like' has no grammatical basis in English comparison.
• B) My bag is more heavy than yours.Wrong. 'More heavy' uses the wrong form, and 'than' expresses inequality rather than equality.
• C) My bag is so heavy as yours.Wrong. 'So plus adjective plus as' is not a valid construction in standard English.
• D) My bag is as heavy as yours.Correct. 'As plus adjective plus as' expresses that two things are equal in that quality.

Respuesta correcta: A) This plan is twice as fast as the other one.

• A) This plan is twice as fast as the other one.Correct. 'Twice as' plus adjective plus 'as' expresses exactly double the comparative quality.
• B) This plan is twice as fastest as the other one.Wrong. 'Fastest' is a superlative and cannot be used in a two-way comparison.
• C) This plan is twice as faster as the other one.Wrong. 'Faster' is a comparative form and cannot follow 'as'.
• D) This plan is twice as fast than the other one.Wrong. 'As' already carries the comparison, so adding 'than' produces a mixed construction.

Respuesta correcta: B) The trail is farther than the road.

• A) The trail is further than the road.Wrong. 'Further' is used mainly in the sense of additional quantity or advancement rather than physical distance.
• B) The trail is farther than the road.Correct. 'Far' takes the ending -er in this form, giving 'farther' for physical distance.
• C) The trail is the farther than the road.Wrong. 'The farther' is not a valid comparative construction in English.
• D) The trail is farer than the road.Wrong. 'Farer' is not a standard form of the word.

Respuesta correcta: C) This route is much longer than the other one.

• A) This route is longest than the other one.Wrong. 'Longest' is a superlative and cannot be followed by 'than'.
• B) This route is more longer than the other one.Wrong. 'More' cannot be added to a short adjective that already takes the -er ending.
• C) This route is much longer than the other one.Correct. 'Much' intensifies an already comparative form without any change to the adjective itself.
• D) This route is much more long than the other one.Wrong. 'More long' misuses the pattern for long adjectives with a short adjective that takes -er.

Respuesta correcta: D) Peru consumes less tea than any of the three countries.

• A) Peru consumes lesser tea than any of the three countries.Wrong. 'Lesser' is not used with uncountable nouns such as tea.
• B) Peru consumes less tea than any of the three countries is true.Wrong. The clause cannot be completed with 'is true' because the structure already contains the comparison.
• C) Peru consumes the least tea of any of the three countries.Wrong. 'Less' is a comparative form and cannot compare three countries at once.
• D) Peru consumes less tea than any of the three countries.Correct. 'The least' is the superlative of the little family and is required when comparing three or more items.

Respuesta correcta: A) The city is getting more crowded every year.

• A) The city is getting more crowded every year.Correct. 'Getting' plus a comparative expresses a gradual increase, which is the standard pattern for this trend.
• B) The city is getting as more crowded every year.Wrong. 'As more' mixes the equality pattern with a comparative, which is not a valid combination.
• C) The city is getting most crowded every year.Wrong. 'Most crowded' is a superlative and cannot describe an ongoing increase.
• D) The city is getting more crowdeder every year.Wrong. 'Crowdeder' is not a valid form; crowded is a short adjective that takes -er.

Respuesta correcta: B) She goes to the library more often than her brother.

• A) She goes to the library more frequently than her brother.Wrong. 'More often' mixes the adverbial case of 'often' with the comparative pattern used for adverbs ending in -ly.
• B) She goes to the library more often than her brother.Correct. 'More frequently' is the comparative of the adverb 'frequently' and needs the -ly form plus more.
• C) She goes to the library most often than her brother.Wrong. 'Most often' is a superlative and cannot be followed by 'than'.
• D) She goes to the library often more than her brother.Wrong. 'Often more than' misplaces the comparative phrase and breaks the normal word order.

Respuesta correcta: C) He runs faster than I do.

• A) He runs fastest than I do.Wrong. 'Fastest' is a superlative and cannot be followed by 'than'.
• B) He runs more fast than I do.Wrong. 'More fast' is not used because fast is a short adverb that takes -er.
• C) He runs faster than I do.Correct. 'Fast' takes the -er ending in the comparative, so 'faster' is correct before 'than'.
• D) He runs as fast than I do.Wrong. 'As' introduces equality or a condition, so it cannot be combined with 'than'.

Respuesta correcta: D) 'Easy' already takes the -er ending, so adding 'more' doubles the comparative and is ungrammatical.

• A) 'Easier' is a superlative and cannot be compared.Wrong. 'Easier' is a comparative, not a superlative, so the explanation is wrong.
• B) 'More' can only be used with uncountable nouns, which is why it fails here.Wrong. 'More' is not restricted to uncountable nouns; it modifies longer adjectives and adverbs.
• C) 'Easy' is a long adjective and therefore requires 'more' in the comparative.Wrong. 'Easy' is a short adjective and does not require 'more'.
• D) 'Easy' already takes the -er ending, so adding 'more' doubles the comparative and is ungrammatical.Correct. This identifies the exact mechanism of the error, since easy forms its comparative with -er rather than with more.

Respuesta correcta: A) Attendance has dropped considerably since the new timetable.

• A) Attendance has dropped considerably since the new timetable.Correct. 'Considerably' intensifies the past participle 'dropped' to show the size of the decline.
• B) Attendance has dropped considerably more since the new timetable.Wrong. 'Considerably more' would leave 'more' with nothing to modify, since the degree is already stated.
• C) Attendance has drop considerably since the new timetable.Wrong. 'Drop' is the base form and lacks the participle needed after 'has'.
• D) Attendance has dropped more considerably since the new timetable.Wrong. 'More considerably' treats the participle as if it took the 'more' comparative pattern, which it does not.

Respuesta correcta: B) Prices rose as steeply as wages last year.

• A) Prices rose more steeply than wages last year.Wrong. 'More steeply than' would express a difference in degree, which contradicts the point being made.
• B) Prices rose as steeply as wages last year.Correct. 'As steeply as' states that the two quantities rose by the same degree.
• C) Prices rose the steeply than wages last year.Wrong. 'The steeply than' is not a valid construction.
• D) Prices rose as more steeply as wages last year.Wrong. 'As more steeply as' mixes the equality and comparative patterns in one phrase.

Respuesta correcta: C) The train is not more expensive than the bus.

• A) The train is no more expensive than the bus.Wrong. 'Not more expensive than' is grammatically possible but the preferred form in careful writing is 'no more'.
• B) The train is not more expensive than the bus is.Wrong. 'Not more' is understood but is less idiomatic than 'no more' in formal English.
• C) The train is not more expensive than the bus.Correct. 'No more' is the idiomatic negative comparative and states that no additional cost is involved.
• D) The train is not most expensive than the bus.Wrong. 'Not most' uses a superlative in a two-way comparison, which is wrong.

Respuesta correcta: D) Superlatives normally take the definite article because they pick out a unique item from a set.

• A) The article is optional here and the sentence is equally natural without it.Wrong. Omitting the article in a superlative would normally be marked as incorrect in an examination.
• B) The article is required because the sentence uses the word 'in' rather than 'than'.Wrong. The preposition plays no role in whether the superlative takes an article.
• C) The article is required because 'fast' is an irregular adjective.Wrong. Fast is entirely regular and its article has nothing to do with irregularity.
• D) Superlatives normally take the definite article because they pick out a unique item from a set.Correct. This is the standard account of the definite article with superlatives, which identify a single outstanding item.

Respuesta correcta: A) The new route is nearly three times shorter than the old one.

• A) The new route is nearly three times shorter than the old one.Correct. 'Nearly three times shorter' combines a precise ratio with a hedge and is idiomatic in careful English.
• B) The new route is the most short of the old one.Wrong. 'The most short' is not a valid superlative and 'of' follows the wrong noun.
• C) The new route is very short than the old one.Wrong. 'Very short than' mixes an intensifier with a comparative that is not present.
• D) The new route is three times more short than the old one.Wrong. 'Three times more short' double-marks the comparison and is not a standard construction.

Respuesta correcta: B) The two rooms are the same size.

• A) The two rooms are the same sizer.Wrong. 'Sizer' is not an English noun and cannot express this comparison.
• B) The two rooms are the same size.Correct. 'The same size' is the standard nominal comparison used to state that two things match in that quality.
• C) The two rooms are as same size.Wrong. 'As same' mixes the equality pattern with the adjective same, which is redundant and wrong.
• D) The two rooms are same size.Wrong. The article is required before 'same' in this construction.

Respuesta correcta: C) This method is more reliable and more economical than the old one.

• A) This method is most reliable and more economical than the old one.Wrong. 'Most reliable' is a superlative and cannot be part of a comparison with 'than'.
• B) This method is more reliable and economical than the old one.Wrong. Repeating 'more' before the second adjective is not wrong grammatically, but sharing it is the more economical parallel form here.
• C) This method is more reliable and more economical than the old one.Correct. Because both adjectives take 'more', the second can share it, and the comparison structure remains parallel.
• D) This method is more reliable and most economical than the old one.Wrong. 'Most economical' is a superlative, which again cannot appear in a two-way comparison.

Respuesta correcta: D) She works more carefully than he does.

• A) She works as carefully more than he does.Wrong. 'As carefully more' combines the equality and comparative patterns, which is not valid.
• B) She works most carefully than he does.Wrong. 'Most carefully' is a superlative and cannot be followed by 'than'.
• C) She works more careful than he does.Wrong. 'More careful' uses the adjective form where the adverb is required to modify the verb 'works'.
• D) She works more carefully than he does.Correct. 'Carefully' is an adverb ending in -ly, so its comparative takes 'more' before it.