3 Making comparisons

3.1 We can use the comparative form* (older, more careful) and the superlative form*
* For the rules (oldest, the most careful) of an adjective when we make comparisons.
about changing
adjectives into their
comparative and
superlative forms,
see Appendix 2. Are you and
Eddie the
same age? No, he’s
Is this the older.
oldest temple
in Hong Kong?
I’m not sure.

Note

O
We can’t compare things of different natures.

T
✗ My house is bigger than Ian.

S
✓ My house is bigger than Ian’s (house).

I
✗ The functions of this phone are better than that one.
✓ This phone has better functions than that one.

A R
3.2 Adverbs can also have a comparative form (faster, more fluently) and a superlative form
(the fastest, the most fluently).

You speak English

very well. How about Many speak it better than me. In fact,
your classmates? of all my classmates, my best friend
Janice speaks it the most fluently.

Do you think Bruce

will break the record?
He is running faster than
the rest of them, but I can’t
tell if he’ll manage to break
the record this time.

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 Making comparisons 3

3.3 We can use more, most, less, least, fewer and fewest to compare quantities in this way:

Comparative form Superlative form

Used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns

John won more medals on Sports Day than any Of all the athletes, John won the most medals.
other athlete. This bottled lemon tea contains the most sugar
This bottled lemon tea contains more sugar than among all the bottled drinks on the market.
that bottled green tea.

Used with plural countable nouns only

Derek has fewer figurines than Alex. Derek has the fewest figurines of the three brothers.

Used with uncountable nouns only

This yogurt contains less fat than many other This yogurt contains the least fat compared to other

O
brands. brands.

T
We also use the following structures when making comparisons:

S
3.4

I
• comparative + than

R
His phone is lighter than mine.
Lina writes more tidily than most of her classmates.

A
• superlative + in/of …
Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain in Hong Kong.
Yolanda has the most beautiful eyes of all her siblings.
• one/some of + superlative + plural noun
Winning the competition was one of the happiest moments of my life.
The book features some of the best short stories published in the last decade.
• (not) as + adjective/adverb + as
This cake is as tasty as that one.
Queenie did not play as well as her opponent.
• superlative + noun + (that) + noun/pronoun + have/has + (ever) + past participle
This is the most boring film (that) I’ve (ever) watched.
It was the best gift (that) I’ve (ever) received.
• the + comparative + subject + verb, the + comparative + subject + verb
The more you practise, the better you get.
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 Note All answers

1 In conversation, the verb after than or as is often left out.

Jimmy worked harder than most of us (did).
Tim can work as fast as Patrick (can).
However, if the omission of the verb makes the meaning of the sentence ambiguous, or can lead to a
different meaning, it must stay.
They promised to finish the job as fast as they could.
✗ They promised to finish the job as fast as they.
He did better than I had expected.
Compare: He did better than I. (= than I did)

2 In conversation, it is acceptable to use an object pronoun (me, us, her, him, them, etc.) after than or as.
Tammy arrived earlier than me.
However, we usually use a subject pronoun (I, we, etc.) with verbs after than or as in a more formal style.
Tammy arrived earlier than I did.

O
His sisters are more talkative than he is.
Sarah eats as much as you do.

T
3 We can use (very) much, a lot, a little, a bit, etc. before a comparative.

S
Today is much colder than yesterday.

I
Could you speak a bit more slowly?

A R
A Complete these sentences using the correct form of the given words.

1 My brother is two years older (old) than I am.

2 The trip to Thailand last month was (bad) experience we’ve ever had.

3 This dress is too small for me. Do you have a (big) size?

4 The three set meals are great but we hoped to have (many) choice.

5 I’m sorry – I got up late. I’ll be there as (fast) as I can.

6 Of the three films in The Hobbit trilogy, Erica likes the last one (much).

7 The Giant Buddha is one of (famous) tourist attractions in Hong

Kong.
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 Making comparisons 3
All answers
8 It’s Sunday, so the shopping malls are (crowded) than usual.

9 I’m spending (little) than usual. I need to save for a trip to Singapore.

10 Why don’t you sit on the sofa? It’s (comfortable).

11 The yellow jacket was not as (expensive) as the blue one.

12 Have you downloaded (late) version of the app? We need an updated

version in order to use the new functions.

13 We had a great experience at the gorgeous Grand Hotel and we hope to stay there
(long) next time.

14 The play was much (good) than I had expected. I enjoyed it

O
(much) than the one I saw last week.

T
15 Some of (talented) musicians in the world will be performing at

S
the festival.

R I
B Choose a word from the margin and use its correct form to complete each of the exchanges below.

A
Use each word once only.

1 A: Do you like playing table tennis?

delicious
B: No, of all sports, I like it (the) least . early
easy
2 A: Is Teresa the tallest girl in our class? far
heavy
B: No, she is not as as Olivia. little
long
3 A: What do you think of the egg tart? much
pretty
B: It’s one of desserts I’ve ever tasted. soon
tall
4 A: Do you need help with your luggage? It looks . wise

B: Thank you, but I can manage it.

5 A: Amy has work experience than the other candidates.

B: But her experience is mostly irrelevant to the position she is applying for.

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 All answers
6 A: When will we receive the books?

B: After we have received payment, we will send you the books as

as possible.

7 A: Did you enjoy your trip?

B: Absolutely. The I stayed there, the more I loved it.

8 A: George has decided to give up smoking.

B: That’s great. It may be decision he’s ever made.

9 A: How did you do in the test?

B: Great! It was much than I had expected.

O
10 A: Which skirt should I pick?

T
B: Both skirts are nice but I think you look in the red one.

IS
11 A: Is Leon the long jump champion at school?

R
B: Yes, he jumps than anyone else.

A
12 A: It’s still . Let’s watch a film before we go home.

B: Sure. Which film do you want to watch?

C Read the information in the table and complete the description using the correct forms of the given
words. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Top bloggers on ConnectUs

Blogger JenniKawaii KittyYumYum EthanWong KakaLo

beauty cooking comics photography

Areas of interest
fashion food humour travelling

Age 17 35 23 21

Number of followers 265 158 189 346 146 778 116 540

Average number of
posts per week
23 10 17 6

Number of sponsors 10 5 12 1

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 Making comparisons 3
All answers

JenniKawaii (1) is the youngest of the top bloggers (be/young/of/the top bloggers) on ConnectUs but

she is also the one with (2) (many/followers). ‘I see my age as an advantage

because most users on ConnectUs (3) (be/young) as I am, so I know the trends

they folllow,’ she says. She also (4) (post/frequently) than all the other top

bloggers. I’m happy to share my hobbies and interests with other people,’ she explained in an interview.

KittyYumYum is a Hong Kong food blogger based in Italy. She has been living in Italy for a few years.

‘(5)

O
(moving to Italy/be/tough/challenge/that/I/ever/face) in my life,’ she said. ‘I came to a completely new place

T
and I couldn’t speak the language.’ Surprisingly, the move has given Kitty (6)

IS
(one of/good/opportunities) of her life to develop her career.

R
(7)
(EthanWong/be/one of/popular/

A
comic artists) in Hong Kong and has worked with many brands. Although (8)

(he/have/many/followers) as JenniKawaii and KittyYumYum, he has attracted

(9)
(large/number of sponsors) among the top bloggers.

‘I only promote brands in my comics if I think their products are good,’ he said.

(10)
(KakaLo/post/little/often) of all the top bloggers.

‘(11) (it/take/long/time) to write high quality

content,’ she says. Of all the top bloggers, she has (12) (few/sponsors).

‘(13) (I/want/my/blog/be/personal) than

commercial, and I hope that by writing more about myself and things I care about, (14)

(my blog/attract/many/followers) in the future.’

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 All answers
D Complete the video script by underlining the correct words/phrases given in brackets.

INT. CLASSROOM – DAY

The camera pans across a classroom. A dozen students sit in the room. Someone has
written ‘Writers Circle’ in big, capital letters on the blackboard. TOM, JANET,
ANDREW and VIOLA are standing in front of the group. JANET starts to speak as the
camera zooms in.

JANET
Welcome to the Writers Circle! Writing is one of (1) ( better / the best / good ) ways to ignite
your creativity. It also encourages you to observe (2) ( the most often / more often / often ) than
you are used to, to feel (3) ( the deepest / deeper / deep ) than you usually do and to think harder
about what is happening around you.

O
ANDREW

T
What can I do if I really can’t think of anything to write?

S
TOM

I
Well, you should choose a topic first. It’s not (4)
( the hardest / harder / as hard as ) you might think.
You don’t have to look for something extraordinary. Even (5) ( the most complicated / the simplest /

R
simpler ) things in daily life can be topics for writing: a cat, a flower, or the beautiful

A
sunset you see on your way home.

JANET
That’s quite true. Suppose you decide to write about a cat. You can first describe how it looks and
moves. Then you can talk about why you think cats are (6) ( the most special / more special / special )
than other animals. They move (7) ( the most gracefully / more gracefully / gracefully ) than dogs,
for example, which makes them look like kings or queens. Finally you can tell readers that the cat
you love (8) ( most / more / least ) in the world is your own cat, because it always stays by your side
when you’re doing homework. See? Now you have written a short piece about cats.

VIOLA (thoughtfully)
Hmm, it does sound easy enough.

TOM
Indeed. Once you’ve decided on a topic and started with it, you’ll find yourself writing
(9)
( the most smoothly / more smoothly / smoothly ) than you expect. If you want to find out
(10)
( most / more / least ) about creative writing, you are welcome to join the Writers Circle! We have
regular meetings and we invite writers to hold workshops to help students improve their writing
skills. Check out our club’s noticeboard and website to learn (11) ( most / more / least ) about us!

32 FADE OUT.
 Making comparisons 3
All answers
E Complete Riley’s email by writing the correct forms of the words given in brackets.

Hi Jacob!

How are you? I hope you’re recovering quickly from the broken
leg and can play football again soon.

This year our school held its Swimming Gala a month (1) ____ (1) earlier

(early) than usual. It took place at Victoria Park Swimming Pool.

There was a (2) ____ (large) turnout of participating students than (2)

last year and (3) ____ (many) new records were set. I think it was (3)

(4)
____ (successful) swimming gala our school has ever held. Ming- (4)

O
hin Wong was (5) ____ (big) winner this year. He won three medals (5)

but he had expected to achieve even (6) ____ (impressive) results. (6)

S T
I think Ming-hin’s success was well-deserved. He practises (7) ____ (7)

I
(frequently) than anyone else in the swimming team and now he’s
one of (8) ____ (outstanding) young swimmers in Hong Kong. He (8)

R
is going to represent our school in a competition next month. I

A
hope he can do as (9) ____ (well) as he did in the Swimming Gala. (9)

I also took part in the Swimming Gala. I joined the 400m freestyle
event. I didn’t swim as (10) ____ (fast) as Ming-hin, of course. I (10)

only won a silver medal, but it was (11) ____ (fantastic) moment in (11)

sport I’ve ever had. To me, participating is (12) ____ (important) (12)

than winning.

I like swimming much (13) ____ (much) than other sports. Olympic (13)

medallist Michael Phelps is my idol. He has won (14) ____ (many) (14)

Olympic medals in swimming history and has set many world

records. I think he is without doubt (15) ____ (great) swimmer of (15)

all time.

What other sports do you like besides football? Write back (16) ____ (16)

(soon).

Cheers
Riley

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 All answers

Using the language

To make comparisons, we often use the comparative form (e.g., happier, more diligent, faster, more
fluently) and the superlative form (e.g., the happiest, the most diligent, the fastest, the most fluently)
of adjectives and adverbs. We can also use different sentence structures, such as those we have
studied in this unit to make comparisons. We make comparisons in, for example, a promotional
text to show new offers from a company and how they compare with offers in the past. We can
also use them in a competition report to describe results or to compare the performances of
different individuals or organizations. Look at the examples below. Note the uses of forms and
structures for making comparisons in bold.

Promotional text (excerpt)

The Season has been one of the best luxury hotels in the world since its launch in 1959.

O
After a major renovation in 2017, The Season now offers more spacious rooms and suites,
the most up-to-date facilities in the city and simply the finest service available anywhere.

T
We can assure that you will receive the most delightful experience of your life should you

S
choose to book a room with us.

Report (excerpt)

R I
A
Class 5B has won the most awards in the Drama Competition this year, including Most Liked
Drama and Best Director. Although Class 4D did not do as well as 5B onstage, the judges all
agreed that they had produced one of the most touching scripts they’d ever read.

Your teacher asks you to write a competition report to practise making comparisons. Begin with
the words below. Do not write more than 120 words.

This year,

34