Comparatives & Superlatives

When we want to talk about the differences between things or the ways they are the same, we use the comparative.  The construction of comparatives is quite easy to remember.

Start with your adjective.  There are 3 main changes to think about:  er, ier, more/less

Let’s examine:

small – smaller

little – littler

happy – happier

comfortable – more comfortable, less comfortable

 

Small is a one-syllable word.  With most one-syllable words, we add er

Quiet is a two-syllable word.  We can also add er.

Happy is a two-syllable word and it ends in -y…so, we have to change that -y to i before we add er

Comfortable is a three-syllable word.  “Comfortabler” sounds stupid, right?  So, instead, add more/less

Don’t forget about the irregular forms like good – better and bad – worse.  We use the word than to connect the things we are comparing.

 

The superlative is used when we want to talk about one thing and its position or rank.

I love Toronto.  I think Toronto is a very friendly city.  I think Toronto is friendlier than Vancouver.  I think Toronto is the friendliest city in Canada.

Notice how we use ‘the’ with the superlative?  We do this because we are talking about one thing (one city, one idea, one bar, etc.) or one group of things (one class of students, one group of friends, etc)

Again, start with your adjective.  There are 3 main changes: est, iest, the most/the least

small – smallest

quiet – quietest

happy – happiest

comfortable – the most comfortable, the least comfortable

 

There is more information about this topic, but this should get you started for now!

 

Writing Task 1: Graphs and Charts

For writing task 1, you may have to summarize the main points of a graph or chart.  The best language to use is a wide selection of comparatives and superlatives and adverbs of degree.  If you are not sure means, check our Grammar section!

**Remember, you are only summarizing the information given.  Do not add irrelevant information like the fact that you like tea or agree with money being spent on computers!**

 

An example:

 

Considerably more money is spent on computers than on books.

A great deal less rice  is consumed in Western countries than in Asian and South American countries.

The country that drinks the most tea, by far, is India.

 

These constructions, and constructions like these, will help you successfully pass the writing task.

Passives

The passive construction is:

be + past participle

We use the passive in academic writing, formal writing, business writing and when using higher levels of English.  It is polite, non-accusative and is also important when we want to focus on the object.

Let’s examine.

You saw your brother break a cup.  You want to tell your mom.  You will not use the passive because you want your brother to get into trouble!  You would say…”Mooommmm!  Johnny broke the cup”  In this sentence, Johnny is the subject, the cup is the object.  You don’t want to be polite.

BUT!

You are waiting for an important email.  You expected it 2 hours ago.  In this situation, you would use the passive.  You send an email to your co-worker, gently reminding them that you are still waiting.  You ask politely…..”Has that email been sent yet?”  This is a much nicer way than saying…Have you sent it yet?  Our focus is on the email, not the person who should have sent it.

In the above situation, we would use the present perfect and the passive.  Notice how we change the form of ‘be’ to match our verb form?

IELTS Listening

When doing the listening exam, make sure you stay with the recording.  Don’t get behind!  Before the listening starts, find your key words and listen for them.  Once you hear them or their synonym…move on to the next question!

Don’t worry about spelling and punctuation during the recording>  Write down enough information for yourself to understand and leave that question.  You have 10 minutes to transfer, check and correct your answers after the recording has stopped.

IELTS Writing Practice

Writing is sooo hard!  And having to do it on an exam that is really important is even worse!   Poor students!

When completing the process writing, make sure you use the passive construction when possible.  Not sure what the passive is?  Check our Grammar section for an explanation.