ADJECTIVES WITH –ED AND –ING There are many adjectives that can be formed with –ed or –ing.   adjectives with –ed express how the person feels about something She was terrified as Dracula approached her. adjectives with –ing are used to describe the person or thing which produces the feeling: There’s a surprising article in today’s newspaper. (I felt surprised when I read it.) Not all of these types of adjectives have both forms, e.g. elated but not elating.

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES Add –er and –est with: one-syllable adjectives: Diana is fitter that last year. two-syllable adjectives ending in ‘-y’ and ‘-ly’ (happy, friendly): My brother is the friendliest person in my family. These adjectives form irregular comparisons:  good – better – best bad – worse - worst much – more – most many – more - most little – less – least far – farther/further – farthest/furthest old – elder – eldest (for brothers and sisters)  

Spelling when there is just one vowel before one final consonant, the final consonant is doubled: hot – hotter, fat – fatter (BUT clean – cleaner, safe – safer) final ‘-y’ becomes ‘I’: easy – easier, healthy – healthier   To say two things are the same, use as + adjective + as: She finds doing aerobics as interesting as playing team sports. To say that one thing is less than another, use: not so/as + adjective + as: Window shopping is not so/as enjoyable as clubbing. less/least + adjective: Playing chess is less healthy than playing team sports. Clubbing is the least healthy.

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS Add –er and –est with: one-syllable adverbs, e.g. hard, fast, straight: My mum works harder than my dad. Use more and most with: two-syllable adverbs including adverbs ending in ‘-ly’: Maria read the text more quickly than Susanna. She visits me more often than in the past. These adverbs form irregular comparison: well – better – best badly – worse – worst 

To say two things are the same, use as + adverb + as: Julia finished the exercise as quickly as Mark. To say that we do one thing differently from another, use not so/as + adverb + as: Sophie doesn’t speak Spanish so/as well as Gordon.

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS Comparative forms adjective/adverb + -er Tennis is cheaper than golf. + than more + adjective/adverb Golf is more expensive than tennis. Superlative forms the + adjective/adverb + -est Chess is one of the cheapest hobbies the most + adjective/adverb Playing team sports is the most sociable free time activity.