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All A2 questions for “Comparative and Superlative Adjectives – A2 English Grammar”, each with the correct answer and a short explanation. Try the interactive exercises above, then check your answers here.
1. The Amazon is _____ river in South America. It stretches thousands of kilometres.
Answer: the longest
Superlative of long (1 syllable): the + longest. We are talking about the extreme in a group.
2. This laptop is _____ than the one I bought last year.
Answer: more expensive
Comparative of expensive (3 syllables): more expensive than. Comparing two things.
Keep practising with related reading and grammar units at your level.
3. A: Was the film good? B: It was _____ than I expected, actually. I really enjoyed it.
Answer: better
Comparative of good is irregular: better than. Never more good.
4. That was _____ meal I have ever had in my life. Everything was cold.
Answer: the worst
Superlative of bad is irregular: the worst. Never the baddest.
5. My new flat is _____ than my old one but it is further from the city centre.
Answer: bigger
Comparative of big (consonant-vowel-consonant): double g + er = bigger than.
6. She is _____ musician in the orchestra. Everyone agrees.
Answer: the most talented
Superlative of talented (3 syllables): the most talented. The group here is the orchestra.
7. January is usually _____ than December in most European countries.
Answer: colder
Comparative of cold (1 syllable): colder than. Comparing two months.
8. This is _____ beach I have ever visited. The water is so clear.
Answer: the most beautiful
Superlative of beautiful (3 syllables): the most beautiful.
9. My sister is two years _____ than me but people always think I am the older one.
Answer: older
Comparative of old (1 syllable): older than. Comparing two people.
10. The traffic in the city is getting _____ every year. Something needs to change.
Answer: worse
Comparative of bad is irregular: worse than (implied: than before). Never more bad.
11. Out of all my colleagues, Ana works _____. She is always first to arrive and last to leave.
Answer: the hardest
Superlative of hard (1 syllable): the hardest. Out of all colleagues = comparing a group.
1. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: Tokyo is bigger than Paris.
Big (1 syllable, consonant-vowel-consonant): bigger than. No more with short adjectives.
2. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: This is the best coffee I have ever had.
Good is irregular. Superlative = the best. Never the goodest or the most good.
3. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: This film is more boring than the book.
Boring (2 syllables): more boring than. Always than, not that.
4. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: She is the happiest person I know.
Happy ends in -y: change y to i + est = happiest. Always the + superlative.
5. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: My bag is heavier than your bag.
Heavy ends in -y: change y to i + er = heavier than. No more with -y adjectives.
6. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: It is the most expensive restaurant in town.
Expensive (3 syllables): the most expensive. Never add -est to long adjectives.
7. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: His new album is worse than his last one.
Bad is irregular. Comparative = worse than. Never more bad or badder.
8. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: This is the most difficult exercise in the book.
Difficult (3 syllables): the most difficult. Always the before superlatives.
9. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: She runs faster than her sister.
Fast (1 syllable): faster than. No more with short adjectives. No the with comparatives.
10. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: This is the most interesting book I have read this year.
Interesting (4 syllables): the most interesting. Always the before superlatives.
1. Eliud Kipchoge is widely considered _____ (great) marathon runner in history.<br> He runs _____ (fast) than almost any human being who has ever lived.<br> His training sessions are _____ (hard) than most people could ever imagine.<br> Kipchoge believes that running a marathon is _____ (mental) than physical - the mind gives up before the body does.<br> For many fans, his 2019 sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna was _____ (extraordinary) sporting achievement of the century.
Answer: the greatest, faster, harder, more mental, the most extraordinary
Great (1 syllable): the greatest. Fast: faster than. Hard: harder than. Mental (2 syllables): more mental than. Extraordinary (5 syllables): the most extraordinary.
1. than / my / phone / older / yours / is
Answer: My phone is older than yours.
Old (1 syllable): older than. Subject + is + comparative + than + object.
2. the / what / expensive / restaurant / most / is / in / city / the / ?
Answer: What is the most expensive restaurant in the city?
Expensive (3 syllables): the most expensive. Question: What + is + the + superlative + noun?
3. better / coffee / tea / than / is
Answer: Coffee is better than tea.
Good is irregular: better than. Comparing two drinks.
4. city / the / noisiest / is / in / Tokyo / the / world
Answer: Tokyo is the noisiest city in the world.
Noisy ends in -y: change y to i + est = noisiest. The + superlative for the extreme in a group.
5. the / film / was / book / more / than / interesting / the
Answer: The film was more interesting than the book.
Interesting (4 syllables): more interesting than. Comparing two things.
6. is / player / the / best / team / she / the / in
Answer: She is the best player in the team.
Good is irregular: the best. Superlative for the top position in a group.
7. summer / winter / than / is / hotter
Answer: Summer is hotter than winter.
Hot (consonant-vowel-consonant): double t + er = hotter than.
8. the / test / most / was / difficult / year / this
Answer: The test was the most difficult this year.
Difficult (3 syllables): the most difficult. Superlative in context of this year.
9. train / the / plane / faster / is / than / the
Answer: The plane is faster than the train.
Fast (1 syllable): faster than. Comparing two forms of transport.
10. happier / new / I / my / in / am / job / much
Answer: I am much happier in my new job.
Happy ends in -y: happier. Much before comparative = emphasises the difference.
1. You are a friendly English tutor doing a structured speaking drill with an A2 student. The grammar focus is: (1) comparative adjectives + than for comparing two things (bigger than, more expensive than, better than), (2) the + superlative for the most extreme in a group (the biggest, the most expensive, the best), (3) spelling rules: double consonant (bigger, hotter), -y to -i (happier, noisiest), -e + r/st (nicer, the nicest), long adjectives use more/most, (4) irregular forms: good/better/the best, bad/worse/the worst. STRUCTURE: Ask exactly 6 questions, one at a time. Wait for the student's full answer before asking the next one. QUESTIONS TO ASK (in this order): 1. 'Let us start! Compare your city or town with another city you know. Use at least two comparative adjectives.' (Target: My city is smaller than Istanbul but it is cleaner than Istanbul. My city is more modern than the old town. Check: comparative + than, no more with short adjectives like small/clean/big.) 2. 'Great! Now tell me: what is the most interesting place in your country? And what is the most beautiful? Use superlatives.' (Target: The most interesting place is... The most beautiful city is... Check: the + most + long adjective. Flag 'the most beautifulest'.) 3. 'Compare two people you know - a family member or colleague. Use three comparatives.' (Target: My brother is taller than me but I am more organised than him. He is funnier than me. Check comparative forms and than - not that.) 4. 'Now think about food. What is the best food in your country? What is the worst food you have ever eaten? Use irregular comparatives and superlatives.' (Target: The best food is... The worst meal I ever had was... Check: best/worst as irregular superlatives, not the goodest/the baddest.) 5. 'I will give you two things. Compare them using a comparative. Ready? A car and a bicycle.' (Target: A car is faster than a bicycle but a bicycle is cheaper than a car. A car is more comfortable than a bicycle but a bicycle is healthier than a car. Check comparative + than throughout.) 6. 'Final question: tell me about the happiest day of your life or the most exciting thing you have ever done. Use at least one superlative.' (Target: The happiest day of my life was... The most exciting thing I have ever done is... Check the + superlative, spelling of happiest.) FEEDBACK RULES: - Never explain the grammar rule. Recast errors naturally. - If student says 'more big': recast - 'Oh, it is bigger! That must be impressive.' - If student says 'the most tall': recast - 'The tallest building! How high is it?' - If student says 'more good' or 'the goodest': recast - 'The best food! What do you recommend?' - If student says 'more worse' or 'the most bad': recast - 'The worst meal! What was wrong with it?' - If student uses 'that' instead of 'than': recast the sentence naturally with than. - Keep your own language at A2 level. - After all 6 questions, give one genuine specific compliment and say goodbye.
1. Question 1