Let’s review some comparative grammar structures in English.
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs
We use the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs to make comparisons.
Comparative
- Vancouver is a lot colder than Mexico City.
- I really want to plan my next vacation more carefully than I did my last one.
- Travelling in winter is less popular than travelling in the summer.
Superlatives
- Carnival is the most popular festival in Brazil. Everybody loves it!
- The biggest mistake I ever made was not going to university right after high school.
- What’s the easiest way to learn about your culture?
Superlatives can also be used with phrases like one of, some of, or among.
- Some of my best friends and I are planning to rent a cabin this summer to have a reunion.
- One of the silliest festivals in the world is the Baby-jumping Festival in Spain.
- She is among the most talented violinists of her generation. It’s amazing to listen to her play.
As + Adjective / Adverb + As
We use this to say that two things are equal or the same. We can modify our comparisons using words like almost or nearly.
- The temperatures this summer have been as hot as they were last year.
- We don’t take Christmas nearly as seriously as we did when we were kids.
- I hope I can bake a cake that’s almost as delicious as yours are.
- People decorate their houses as beautifully as they can to celebrate the holiday.
These can also be used with not to express that two things are not equal.
- Getting a lot of presents is not as important as spending time with family and friends.
- My grandfather does not walk nearly as quickly as he used to, but he still gets around okay.