Quick and handy grammar review articles Descriptive, Comparative, Superlative, and Equative Forms. 2

Table of Contents Quick and handy grammar review articles Descriptive, Comparative, Superlative, and Equative Forms. 2 Exercise 1: Descriptive Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 5 Exercise 2: Comparative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 6 Exercise 3: Comparative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 7 Exercise 4: Superlative Adjectives - Form a sentence with the following parts. 8 Exercise 5: Equative and Non-equative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 9 Exercise 6: Irregular Adjectives - Identify all the words in the following sentences. 10 Exercise 7: Irregular Adjectives - Identify all the words in the following sentences. 11 Exercise 8: Comparison Chart 1: Analyze the following chart. 12 Exercise 9: Comparison Chart 2: Analyze the following chart. 13 Answer Key 14 Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 1

Quick and Handy Grammar Review Adjectives: Descriptive, Comparative, Superlative, and Equative Forms Adjectives have four forms. The descriptive form is used to describe one noun or pronoun. Remember that adjectives are placed either immediately before the noun or after a form of the verb to be The excited travelers visited a beautiful park. The suntanned lifeguard protected the young swimmers. The Australian woman was tall and slender. It is dangerous to climb a mountain in the winter. The comparative form is used to compare two nouns or pronouns. For one-syllable adjectives and for twosyllable adjectives that end in y, add er. (Change the y to i and add er: [happy happier]). For one-syllable adjectives that end in consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC), double the consonant and add er [big bigger]. For adjectives that end in e, just add an r to form the comparative [fine finer]. For longer adjectives (two syllables or more), use more + adjective. The adjectives are followed by than in the comparative form. Leyla is shorter than her sister. Claudio is happier than his manager. Jack s car is bigger than mine. Helene is more optimistic than Nancy. The superlative form of the adjective is used to compare at least three nouns or pronouns. For short adjectives, add the + est. For longer adjectives (more than two syllables), use the + most + adjective. The adjectives are usually followed by the pronoun in. Ruta is the youngest engineer in the firm. Ronnie is the strongest player in the league. Giovanna is the most intelligent student in the class. That pizza is the tastiest in town. [tasty: change the y to i and add est] The equative form and the non-equative form are used to express equality or inequality. Use as + adjective + as or not as + adjective + as to create this form. Martin is as fast as Juan. Jean-Claude is as thin as his father. Reba is not as tall as Angela. Abu Dabi is not as crowded as Seoul. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 2

Quick and Handy Grammar Review Adjectives Continued: Irregular Forms Forms of good descriptive: good comparative: better superlative: the best equative: as good as non-equative: not as good as Daniel is a good swimmer. Olga is a better dancer than Leila. Sheila is the best singer in the choir. He is as good as his brother in soccer. The Nile Restaurant is not as good as The Four Seasons. Forms of bad descriptive: bad comparative: worse superlative: the worst equative: as bad as non-equative: not as bad as The weather last weekend was bad. The new quarterback is worse than the old one. That is the worst book I have ever read. The New York Rangers are as bad as the New Jersey Devils. These cookies are not as bad as that cake. Forms of many [used with count nouns] descriptive: many comparative: more than superlative: the most equative: as many as non-equative: not as many as There are many beaches on the Riviera. Istanbul has more mosques than Bagdad. Seattle has the most coffee shops in America. New York has as many pizza places as Naples. There are not as many chairs in Room 316 as in Room 321. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 3

Quick and Handy Grammar Review Adjectives Continued: Forms of much [used with non-count nouns] descriptive: much comparative: more than superlative: the most equative: as much as non-equative: not as much as Henry drinks much tea. Barbara drinks more coffee than Bruce. Little Billy drinks the most milk in the family. Yelma uses as much sugar as Marta. I don t use as much salt as I used to. Forms of few [used with count nouns] descriptive: few comparative: fewer than superlative: the fewest equative: as few as non-equative: not as few as There are few people in that restaurant. Xavier has fewer friends than Tanya. Houston has the fewest Chinese restaurants of any southern city. There are as few parks in Pompeii as in Herculanum. There are not as few holes in the street as there used to be. Forms of little [used with non-count nouns] descriptive: little comparative: less than superlative: the least equative: as little as non-equative: not as little as John drinks little beer. Ashley eats less than her brother Seth. Terrance drinks the least coffee in the office. She uses as little sugar as she can. Bob does not eat as little as he did five years ago. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 4

Exercise 1: Descriptive Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Angela gets A s on all her examinations. She is very. 2. When Carl walks in the room, everyone stares at him because he is very. 3. Mario weighs 360 pounds. He is really. 4. On the other hand, his 21-year-old sister weighs 89 pounds. She is. 5. Everyone falls asleep in Prof. Balongi s class because he is so. 6. Paris is the number one tourist city in the world because it is so. 7. Students are afraid of coming late to Prof. Jackson s class because she is very. 8. I hate people who are. They never open their wallets. 9. My sister is incredibly. She shares with everybody. 10. Mark is very. He always comes on time. 11. Maria is an student. She gets the grades in the class. 12. Helga s car is. She just bought it last week. 13. However, Germaine s car is. It is from 2001. 14. Those shoes are so that I cannot afford them. 15. Go ahead! Buy another pretzel. It is so, only 50 cents. 16. Ronaldo is a soccer player, not so good and not so bad. 17. That package is really. It probably weighs 100 pounds. 18. Your couch is very. I love to sit on it. 19. Nancy s living room is so that it looks like a soccer field. 20. It is very in here. Please turn on the light. 21. The lion is a animal. It lives in Tanzania. 22. My mother is really. Nothing bothers her. 23. My father gets when we do not listen to him. 24. If you want to get a raise, you must be a worker. 25. Carlita must be. She never misses class. 26. It is very to swim in the Mississippi River. 27. It is to watch movies about penguins in Antarctica. 28. Alberta is a province filled with mountains and lakes. 29. It seldom rains in Los Angeles. It is a city. 30. That city is very. There is almost no crime. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 5

Exercise 2: Comparative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. Bill is 55 years old. Bob is 51 years old. 1. Bill is Bob. 2. Bob is Bill. The black boots cost $125. The brown boots cost $99. 3. The black boots are the brown boots. 4. The brown boots are the black boots. Sheila is 5 6 tall. Marsha is 5 1. 5. Sheila is Marsha. 6. Marsha is Sheila. The Second Stain is interesting. The Nanny Trap is incredibly boring. 7. The Second Stain is than The Nanny Trap. 8. The Nanny Trap is The Second Stain. The August weather in Washington D.C. is hot. The August weather in Quebec is cool. 9. The August weather in Washington D.C. is Quebec. 10. The August weather in Quebec is in Washington D.C. Brad Pitt is a famous actor. Harvey Klinger is an unknown actor. 11. Brad Pitt is than Harvey Klinger. 12. Harvey Klinger is Brad Pitt. The Champs Elysees in Paris is a wide street. Trinity Street in Brooklyn is narrow. 13. The Champs Elysees is Trinity Street. 14. Trinity Street is the Champs Elysees. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 6

Mount Everest is 29,029 feet high. K2 is 28,251 feet high. 15. Mount Everest is K2. 16. K2 is than Everest. Family Guy is a silly cartoon show. Law and Order is a serious program. 17. Family Guy is Law and Order. 18. Law and Order is Family Guy. Fido is a friendly dog. Guru is a ferocious dog. 19. Fido is Guru. 20. Guru is Fido. Exercise 3: Comparative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Emma s house is (big) than Susan s. 2. This rose is (beautiful) than that daisy. 3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is (interesting) than Brokeback Mountain. 4. People who don t smoke have (long) lives than those who don t smoke. 5. The tiger is (dangerous) than the elephant. 6. A vacation at the beach is (relaxing) than a vacation in a big city. 7. Gucci shoes are (expensive) than Uggs. 8. Donald Trump is (rich) than Michael Jordan. 9. The weather in Qatar is (hot) than in Bejing. 10. Senator Hudson is (conservative) than Senator Huxley. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 7

Exercise 4: Superlative Adjectives - Form a sentence with the following parts: 1. My dog / fast / animal / state My dog is the fastest animal in the state. 2. Henrietta / excellent / student / class. 3. Boots / expensive / store 4. August / humid / month / year 5. Babbo / expensive / restaurant / city 6. The Black Eyed Peas / wonderful / band / world 7. Buffalo / cold / city / country 8. Isabella / beautiful / girl / contest 9. Trevor / talented / cook / class 10. The Amazon / deep / river / South America Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 8

Exercise 5: Equative and Non-equative Adjectives - Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Bob is 6 0. Mary is 6 0. Bob is Mary. 2. Italy has excellent wines. France has excellent wines. Italy s wines are French wines. 3. Walter is very handsome. Irving is also very handsome. Walter is Irving. 4. The maple tree is 69 feet high. The sycamore tree is also 69 feet high. The maple tree is the sycamore. 5. The cobra snake in the zoo is 22 feet long. The viper snake is 20 feet long. The cobra is the viper. 6. Barbara gets A s on every history test. James get C s on most history tests. James is as Barbara in History class. 7. The average temperature in Miami is 74o F. The average temperature in Bangkok is 84oF. Miami is Bangkok. 8. Boston is 202 miles from New York. Washington is also 202 miles from New York. Boston is Washington from New York. 9. Coffee in the Berkshire Diner costs $1.65. Coffee in Sal s Inn also costs $1.95. The coffee in the Berkshire Diner is in Sal s Inn. 10. It is very windy in Chicago. It is also very windy in San Francisco. It is in Chicago as in San Francisco. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 9

Exercise 6: Irregular Adjectives - Identify all the words in the following sentences. good bad much many more less little few Betty: excellent cook Brian: fair cook 1. Betty is a cook Brian. 2. Brian is a cook Betty. Won Bo: very good speaker Noriko: not very good speaker 3. Won Bo is a speaker Noriko. 4. Noriko is a speaker Won Bo. Usha: makes fantastic cookies Numia: makes terrible cookies 5. Usha makes cookies Numia. 6. Numia makes cookies Usha. Young Suk drinks 4 cups of tea a day Wonk Eun drinks two cups of tea a day 7. Young Suk drinks tea Wonk Eun. 8. Wonk Eun drinks tea Young Suk. Roberto has three close friends Daisy has five close friends 9. Roberto has close friends Daisy. 10. Daisy has close friends Roberto. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 10

Exercise 7: Irregular Adjectives - Identify all the words in the following sentences. Paolo: 2 goals Robinho: 6 goals Kaka: 11 goals good, better, the best 1. Paolo is a soccer player. 2. Robinho is a soccer player Paolo. 3. Kaka is in the league. Siena: 2 points Empoli: 4 points Venezia: 8 points bad, worse, the worst 4. Siena is in the league, with only 2 points. 5. Empoli is also a team. 6. Empoli is a team than Venezia. Maria: 2 teaspoons of sugar Sarah: 3 teaspoons of sugar Stella: 1 teaspoon of sugar 7. Stella puts sugar in her coffee. 8. Sarah adds sugar in her coffee Maria. 9. Maria puts sugar in her coffee Sarah. 10. Stella puts amount of sugar in her coffee. 11. Sarah puts amount of sugar in her coffee. 12. Maria adds sugar Stella. Daniela: 12 pairs of shoes Gina: 18 pairs of shoes Kelly: 9 pairs of shoes 13. Gina has pairs of shoes. 14. Gina has shoes Kelly. 15. Kelly has pairs of shoes. 16. Gina has the pairs of shoes. 17. Daniela has pairs of shoes Kelly. 18. Kelly has pairs of shoes Daniela. China: 1.3 billion people India: 1.2 billion people U.S.: 300 million people 19. China has people. 20. India has people the U.S. 21. India has people China. 22. China has people in the world. 23. The U.S. has people of the three countries. 24. The U.S. has people China and India. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 11

Exercise 8: Irregular Adjectives Comparison Chart 1: Analyze the following chart. Isabella 36 years old 5 6 tall very energetic gets A s outgoing Rose 36 years old 5 6 tall Energetic gets C s shy Greta 41 years old 5 4 tall Lazy gets B s very shy Exercise 1: Write 3 sentences with the descriptive form. (i.e. Isabella is. Greta is ) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 2: Write 3 sentences with the comparative form (-er + than, or more + adjective + than) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 3: Write 3 sentences with the superlative form (the + -est, or the most + adjective) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 4: Write 3 sentences with the equative and non-equative form (as + adjective + as; not as + adjective + as [i.e. as tall as; not as lazy as] 1. 2. 3. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 12

Exercise 9: Irregular Adjectives Comparison Chart 2: Analyze the following chart comparing three U.S. states. New Jersey 9,000,000 people Crowded Small Many beaches Few lakes No mountains Wyoming 500,000 people Not crowded Very large No beaches Many lakes High mountains New Hampshire 800,000 people Not crowded Small Some beaches Many lakes Low mountains Exercise 1: Write 3 sentences with the descriptive form. (i.e. New Jersey is. Wyoming has ) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 2: Write 3 sentences with the comparative form (-er + than, or more + adjective + than) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 3: Write 3 sentences with the superlative form (the + -est, or the most + adjective) 1. 2. 3. Exercise 4: Write 3 sentences with the equative and non-equative form (as + adjective + as; not as + adjective + as [i.e. as rich as; not as intelligent as] 1. 2. 3. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 13

Answer Key Exercise 1: Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. (Note: multiple answers may exist.) 1. Angela gets A s on all her examinations. She is very [intelligent]. 2. When Carl walks in the room, everyone stares at him because he is very [handsome]. 3. Mario weighs 360 pounds. He is really [fat], 4. On the other hand, his 21-year-old sister weighs 89 pounds. She is [skinny] 5. Everyone falls asleep in Prof. Balongi s class because he is so [boring]. 6. Paris is the number one tourist city in the world because it is so [beautiful] 7. Students are afraid of coming late to Prof. Jackson s class because she is very [strict] 8. I hate people who are [cheap]. They never open their wallets. 9. My sister is incredibly [generous]. She shares with everybody. 10. Mark is very [punctual]. He always comes on time. 11. Maria is an [excellent] student. She gets the [best] grades in the class. 12. Helga s car is [new]. She just bought it last week. 13. However, Germaine s car is [old]. It is from 2001. 14. Those shoes are so [expensive] that I cannot afford them. 15. Go ahead! Buy another pretzel. It is so [cheap], only 50 cents. 16. Ronaldo is a [mediocre] soccer player, not so good and not so bad. 17. That package is really [heavy]. It probably weighs 100 pounds. 18. Your couch is very [comfortable]. I love to sit on it. 19. Nancy s living room is so [big] that it looks like a soccer field. 20. It is very [dark]. in here. Please turn on the light. 21. The lion is a [wild] animal. It lives in Tanzania. 22. My mother is really [calm]. Nothing bothers her. 23. My father gets [angry] when we do not listen to him. 24. If you want to get a raise, you must be a [diligent] worker. 25. Carlita must be [sick]. She never misses class. 26. It is very [dangerous] to swim in the Mississippi River. 27. It is [interesting] to watch movies about penguins in Antarctica. 28. Alberta is a [beautiful] province filled with mountains and lakes. 29. It seldom rains in Los Angeles. It is a [dry] city. 30. That city is very [safe]. There is almost no crime. Exercise 2: Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Bill is [older than] Bob. 2. Bob is [younger than] Bill. 3. The black boots are [more expensive than] the brown boots. 4. The brown boots are [less expensive than] the black boots. 5. Sheila is [taller than] Marsha. 6. Marsha is [shorter than] Sheila. 7. The Second Stain is [more interesting than] than The Nanny Trap. 8. The Nanny Trap is [less interesting than] The Second Stain. 9. The August weather in Washington D.C. is [hotter than] in Quebec. 10. The August weather in Quebec is [cooler than] in Washington D.C. 11. Brad Pitt is [more famous than] than Harvey Klinger. 12. Harvey Klinger is [less famous than] Brad Pitt. 13. The Champs Elysees is [wider than] Trinity Street. 14. Trinity Street is [narrower than] the Champs Elysees. 15. Mount Everest is [higher than] K2. 16. K2 is [lower than] than Everest. 17. Family Guy is [sillier than] Law and Order. 18. Law and Order is [more serious than] Family Guy. 19. Fido is [friendlier than] Guru. 20. Guru is [more ferocious than] Fido. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 14

Answer Key Continued Exercise 3: Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Emma s house is (big) [bigger] than Susan s. 2. This rose is (beautiful) [more beautiful] than that daisy. 3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is (interesting) [more interesting] than Brokeback Mountain. 4. People who don t smoker have (long) [longer] lives than those who don t smoke. 5. The tiger is (dangerous) [more dangerous] than the elephant. 6. A vacation at the beach is (relaxing) [more relaxing] than a vacation in a big city. 7. Gucci shoes are (expensive) [more expensive] than Uggs. 8. Donald Trump is (rich) [richer] than Michael Jordan. 9. The weather in Qatar is (hot) [hotter]than in Bejing. 10. Senator Hudson is (conservative) [more conservative] than Senator Huxley. Exercise 4: Form a sentence with the following parts. 2. Henrietta is the most excellent student in the class. 3. Those boots are the most expensive ones in the store. 4. August is the most humid month of the year. 5. Babbo is the most expensive restaurant in the city. 6. The Black Eyed Peas is the most wonderful band in the world. 7. Buffalo is the coldest city in the country. 8. Isabella is the most beautiful girl in the contest. 9. Trevor is the most talent cook in the class. 10. The Amazon is the deepest river in South America. Exercise 5: Insert the appropriate adjective in the blank. 1. Bob is 6 0. Mary is 6 0. Bob is [as tall as] Mary. 2. Italy has excellent wines. France has excellent wines. Italy s wines are [as excellent as] French wines. 3. Walter is very handsome. Irving is also very handsome. Walter is [as handsome as] Irving. 4. The maple tree is 69 feet high. The sycamore tree is also 69 feet high. The maple tree is [as tall as] the sycamore. 5. The cobra snake in the zoo is 22 feet long. The viper snake is 20 feet long. The cobra is [longer than] the viper. 6. Barbara gets A s on every history test. James get C s on most history tests. James is [not as good] as Barbara in History class. 7. The average temperature in Miami is 74 o F. The average temperature in Bangkok is 84 o F. Miami is [not as hot as] Bangkok. 8. Boston is 202 miles from New York. Washington is also 202 miles from New York. Boston is [as far as] Washington from New York. 9. Coffee in the Berkshire Diner costs $1.65. Coffee in Sal s Inn also costs $1.95. The coffee in the Berkshire Diner is [not as expensive as] in Sal s Inn. 10. It is very windy in Chicago. It is also very windy in San Francisco. It is [as windy] in Chicago as in San Francisco. Exercise 6: Identify all the words in the following sentences. 1. Betty is a [better] cook [than] Brian. 2. Brian is a [worse] cook [than] Betty. 3. Won Bo is a [better] speaker [than] Noriko. 4. Noriko is a [worse] speaker [than] Won Bo. 5. Usha makes [better] cookies [than] Numia. 6. Numia makes [worse] cookies [than] Usha. 7. Young Suk drinks [more] tea [than] Wonk Eun. 8. Wonk Eun drinks [less] tea [than] Young Suk. 9. Roberto has [more] close friends [than] Daisy. 10. Daisy has [fewer] close friends [than] Roberto. Exercise 7: Identify all the words in the following sentences. 1. Paolo is a [good] soccer player. 2. Robinho is a [better] soccer player [than] Paolo. 3. Kaka is [the best player] in the league. 4. Siena is [the worst team] in the league, with only 2 points. 5. Empoli is also a [bad] team. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 15

Answer Key Continued 6. Empoli is a [worse] team than Venezia. 7. Stella puts [a little] sugar in her coffee. 8. Sarah adds [more] sugar in her coffee [than] Maria. 9. Maria puts [less] sugar in her coffee [than] Sarah. 10. Stella puts [the least] amount of sugar in her coffee. 11. Sarah puts [the most] amount of sugar in her coffee. 12. Maria adds [more] sugar [than] Stella. 13. Gina has [the most] pairs of shoes. 14. Gina has [more] shoes [than] Kelly. 15. Kelly has [the least] pairs of shoes. 16. Gina has [the most] pairs of shoes. 17. Daniela has [more] pairs of shoes [than] Kelly. 18. Kelly has [fewer] pairs of shoes [than] Daniela. 19. China has [the most] people. 20. India has [more] people [than] the U.S. 21. India has [fewer] people [than] China. 22. China has [the most] people in the world. 23. The U.S. has [the fewest] people of the three countries. 24. The U.S. has [fewer] people [than] China and India. Exercise 8: Analyze the following chart. Exercise 1: Write 3 sentences with the descriptive form. (i.e. Isabella is. Greta is ) 1. Greta is lazy. 2. Isabella is very energetic. 3. Rose is shy. Exercise 2: Write 3 sentences with the comparative form (-er + than, or more + adjective + than) 1. Isabella is more energetic than Rose. 2. Rose is less outgoing than Isabella. 3. Greta is older than Isabella Exercise 3: Write 3 sentences with the superlative form (the + -est, or the most + adjective) 1. Greta is the oldest girl in the group. 2. Isabella is the smartest girl in the class. 3. Greta is the shyest girl in the group. Exercise 4: Write 3 sentences with the equative and non-equative form (as + adjective + as; not as + adjective + as) 1. Rose is as tall as Isabella. 2. Isabella is as old as Rose. 3. Rose is not as shy as Greta. Exercise 9: Analyze the following chart. Exercise 1: Write 3 sentences with the descriptive form. (i.e. New Jersey is. Wyoming has ) 1. New Jersey is crowded. 2. Wyoming is very large. 3. New Hampshire has many lakes. Exercise 2: Write 3 sentences with the comparative form (-er + than, or more + adjective + than) 1. New Jersey is more crowded than New Hampshire. 2. New Hampshire has more lakes than New Jersey. 3. New Jersey has more beaches than Wyoming. Exercise 3: Write 3 sentences with the superlative form (the + -est, or the most + adjective) 1. Wyoming is the largest state of the three states. 2. New Jersey has the most beaches of the three states. 3. Wyoming has the highest mountains of the three states. Exercise 4: Write 3 sentences with the equative and non-equative form (as + adjective + as; not as + adjective + as) 1. New Hampshire is as small as New Jersey. 2. New Hampshire does not have as many beaches as New Jersey. 3. Wyoming is not as crowded as New Jersey. Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 16