Bài giảng COMPARISON & EXERCISES

COMPARISON A - Comparison with -er/-est clean - cleaner - (the) cleanest We use -er/-est with the following adjectives: 1) adjectives with one syllable clean cleaner cleanest new newer newest cheap cheaper cheapest 2) adjectives with two syllables and the following endings: 2 - 1) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y dirty dirtier dirtiest easy easier easiest happy happier happiest pretty prettier prettiest 2 - 2) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -er clever cleverer cleverest 2 - 3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -le simple simpler simplest 2 - 4) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -ow narrow narrower narrowest Spelling of the adjectives using the endings -er/-est large larger largest leave out the silent -e big bigger biggest Double the consonant after short vowel sad sadder saddest dirty dirtier dirtiest Change -y to -i (consonant before -y) shy shyer shyest Here -y is not changed to -i. (although consonant before -y) PAGE 1 COMPARISON B - Comparison with more - most difficult - more difficult - (the) most difficult all adjectives with more than one syllable (except some adjectives with two syllables - see 2 - 1 to 2 - 4) C - Irregular adjectives good better best bad worse worst much more most uncountable nouns many more most countable nouns little less least little smaller smallest D - Special adjectives Some ajdectives have two possible forms of comparison. common commoner / more common commonest / most common likely likelier / more likely likeliest / most likely pleasant pleasanter / more pleasant pleasantest / most pleasant polite politer / more polite politest / most polite simple simpler / more simple simplest / most simple stupid stupider / more stupid stupidest / most stupid subtle subtler / more subtle subtlest sure surer / more sure surest / most sure Difference in meaning with adjectives: far farther farthest distance further furthest distance or time late later latest latter x x last old older oldest people and things PAGE 2 COMPARISON elder eldest people (family) near nearer nearest distance x next order Ghi chú: Các cách so sánh của tính từ đều áp dụng được cho trạng từ (adverbs). Để tiện lợi hơn, trong phần này chúng tôi gọi chung là tính từ. Khi đưa vào so sánh tính từ có ba mức độ: mức độ nguyên thể (positive degree), mức độ so sánh (comparative degree) và mức độ cực cấp (superlative degree). Các hình thức so sánh hơn, bằng, kém, đều dựa trên các mức độ này. Người Việt Nam khi học tiếng Anh quen gọi là thể so sánh hơn, so sánh bằng, so sánh kém và so sánh nhất. Cách gọi này có khi không thích hợp vì không thể so sánh một người hay vật ở tình trạng “nhất” được. Tuy nhiên cách gọi này đã quá quen thuộc nên chúng tôi cũng tạm thời sắp xếp theo các cách gọi ấy. Trong các dạng so sánh ta còn có khái niệm tính từ dài và tính từ ngắn. Tính từ ngắn (short adjectives) là tính từ một vần (syllable) và những tính từ hai vần nhưng tận cùng bằng phụ âm + Y. Tính từ dài (long adjectives) là những tính từ hai vần còn lại và các tính từ từ ba vần trở lên. I. Thay đổi hình thức khi thêm ER hay EST 1. Tính từ tận cùng bằng phụ âm + Y: Chuyển Y thành I trước khi thêm ER/EST. Ví dụ: happy - happier/happiest; dirty - dirtier/dirtiest nhưng grey - greyer/greyest; gay - gayer/gayest 2. Tính từ tận cùng bằng 1 nguyên âm + 1 phụ âm: Gấp đôi phụ âm cuối trước khi thêm ER/EST. Ví dụ: thin - thinner/thinnest; big - bigger/biggest PAGE 3 COMPARISON nhưng green - greener/greenest 3. Tính từ tận cùng bằng E: Bỏ E trước khi thêm ER/EST: ripe - riper/ripest ; white - whiter/whitest. II. Thể so sánh hơn (Comparison of Superiority) Tính từ ngắn: adj. + ER (than) Tính từ dài: more adj. (than) long - longer ; beautiful - more beautiful Harry is older than William. Alice is more careful than her brother. III. Thể so sánh bằng (Comparison of Equality) Bằng: as adjective as Không bằng: not so (as) adjective as This garden is as large as ours. (Khu vườn này lớn bằng khu vuờn của chúng tôi.) She is as careful as her sister. (Cô ấy cẩn thận hơn chị cô ấy) It is not so (as) hot as it was yesterday. (Trời không nóng bằng ngày hôm qua) David is not so (as) careful as Kathy. (David không cẩn thận bằng Kathy.) IV. Thể so sánh kém (Comparison of Inferiority) less adjective (than) PAGE 4 COMPARISON It is less cold today than it was yesterday. Ngày hôm nay ít lạnh hơn ngày hôm qua. Tuy nhiên, trong tiếng Anh người ta thường ít sử dụng cấu trúc so sánh kém này. Thay vào đó, người ta dùng cấu trúc so sánh bằng. Ví dụ: Thay vì nói: This table is less long than that one. Người ta nói: This table is not so (as) long as that one. V. Thể so sánh cực cấp (Superlative) Tính từ ngắn: the adj.+ EST Tính từ dài: the most adjective clear - the clearest; sweet - the sweetest interesting - the most interesting; splendid - the most splendid VI. Các tính từ (trạng từ) đặc biệt Positive Comparative Superlative good/well better best bad/ill worse worst little less (lesser) least near nearer nearest (next) many/much more most far farther (further) farthest (furthest) late later (latter) latest (last) old older (elder) oldest (eldest) (out) outer (utter) outmost (utmost) - PAGE 5 COMPARISON outermost (uttermost) (up) upper uppermost (in) inner inmost, innermost (fore) former foremost, first VII. Thể so sánh kép (Double Comparative) Khi cần diễn tả những ý nghĩ như “càng…. càng…” người ta dùng thể so sánh kép (double comparative). Thể so sánh kép được tạo thành tùy theo số lượng ý mà ta muốn diễn đạt. Nếu chỉ có một ý ta dùng: Đối với tính từ ngắn: (adjective) and (adjective) It is getting hotter and hotter. (Trời càng ngày càng nóng) His voice became weaker and weaker. (Giọng nói của anh ta càng ngày càng yếu) Đối với tính từ dài: more and more adjective The storm became more and more violent. (Cơn bão càng ngày càng dũ dội) The lessons are getting more and more difficult. (Bài học càng ngày càng khó) Nếu có hai ý ta dùng The (adjective)…, the (adjective)…. cho cả tính từ ngắn lẫn tính từ dài. (Lưu ý rằng trong các cấu trúc trên (adjective) có nghĩa là tính từ ở thể so sánh hơn). The sooner this is done, the better it is. (Chuyện này làm càng sớm càng tốt) The older the boy is, the wiser he is. (Thằng bé càng lớn càng thông thái) VIII. Ghi chú về các thể so sánh của tính từ PAGE 6 COMPARISON 1. Well là một trạng từ (adverb). Tuy vậy nó lại là một tính từ vị ngữ (predicative adjective) trong các thành ngữ như: I am very well, He looks/feels well. 2. In, up, out là những trạng từ (adverbs). Tuy thế dạng so sánh hơn và so sánh cực cấp của các từ này lại là các tính từ. Vì thế trong ngữ pháp hiện đại các dạng này được xem như có liên quan rất ít đến từ gốc của nó. 3. Lesser là dạng so sánh hơn đã cổ, chỉ thấy trong thi ca. 4. Nearest đề cập đến khoảng cách trong khi next nói đến thứ tự trước sau. 5. Farther/farthest đề cập đến khoảng cách không gian trong khi further/furthest - dù có thể dùng thay cho farther/farthest - cũng có nghĩa là “hơn nữa, thêm vào”. 6. Older/oldest có thể dùng cả cho người lẫn cho vật. Elder và eldest chỉ dùng cho các thành viên trong một gia đình và chỉ dùng như một tính từ thuộc tính (attributive adjectives). My elder brother is three years older than me. 7. Latter có nghĩa là “cái / vật / người thứ hai trong hai người/vật”. Nó phản nghĩa với former. He studied French and German. The former language he speaks very well, but the latter one only imperfectly. Last có nghĩa là “sau chót, sau cùng”. He’s the last student that came this morning. Latest có nghĩa là “gần đây nhất, cái sau cùng tính đến hiện tại”. The latest news. 8. Khi có hai người hay hai vật được đưa ra so sánh, ta dùng thể so sánh hơn. Dù vậy, trong một số trường hợp văn nói người ta cũng dùng thể so sánh nhất cho hai người hay vật. The comparative form of an adjective or adverb shows the difference between two objects. The superlative form of an adjective or adverb expresses the extreme quality of one thing in a group of things. a. Forming regular adjectives PAGE 7 COMPARISON Adjectives Comparative Superlative One syllable Add –er Add –est light neat fast lighter neater faster lightest neatest fastest Only one syllable, ending in E Add –r Add –st wide fine cute wider finer cuter widest finest cutest One syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end. Double the consonant, and add –er Double the consonant, and add –est hot big fat sad hotter bigger fatter sadder hottest biggest fattest saddest Two syllables, ending in Y Change y to i, then ad – er Change y to i, then ad– est happy silly lonely happier sillier lonelier happiest silliest loneliest Two syllables or more, not ending in Y Use “more” before the adjective Use “most” before the adjective modern interesting beautiful more modern more interesting more beautiful most modern most interesting most beautiful Some two syllables add “-er’ or “-est’ and “more” or “most” before the adjective clever cleverer/ more clever cleverest/ most clever PAGE 8 COMPARISON gentle friendly quiet simple gentler/ more gentle friendlier/ more friendly quieter/ more quiet simpler/ more simple gentlest/ most gentle friendliest/ most friendly quietest/ most quiet simplest/ most simple Examples: • A cat is fast, a tiger is faster but a cheetah is the fastest. • A car is heavy, a truck is heavier, but a train is the heaviest. • A park bench is comfortable, a restaurant chair is more comfortable, but a sofa is the most comfortable. b. Irregular adjectives These adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative. Adjectives Comparative Superlative good better best bad worse worst little less least much more most far further / farther furthest / farthest Examples: • Italian food is better than American food. • My dog is the best dog in the world. • My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking. • Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst. a. Forming regular adverbs Like adjectives some adverbs can take comparative and superlative forms, with -er and –est. Examples: • Jim works harder than his brother. PAGE 9 COMPARISON • Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all. • The teacher spoke more slowly to help us to understand. • Could you sing more quietly please? • Jim works harder than his brother. • Everyone in the race ran fast, but John ran the fastest of all. b. Irregular adverbs Adverbs Comparative Superlative well better best badly worse worst little less least far further / farther furthest / farthest Examples: • The little boy ran further than his friends. • You’re driving worse today than yesterday! Note: Comparatives can be modified by the following words: a bit, a little, much, a lot, far (=a lot), even, no, still. Examples: • Let’s go by car. It’s much cheaper. • Ann worked a lot harder than most of her friends. • Could you speak a bit more slowly • Her illness was far more serious than we at first thought. • This is even worse than that one. 1. Comparison of Equality (So sánh ngang bằng) When things being compared have equal characteristics, the comparison of equality is used. Examples: • The book is as good as the movie. • The boy is as tall as the girl. - To form the comparisons of equality using adjectives or adverbs, use the following formula: as adjectives/adverbs as PAGE 10 [...].. .COMPARISON Examples: • • • • • Peter is 24 years old John is 24 years old Peter is as old as John A bicycle is not as expensive as a car Moscow is as cold as St Petersburg in the winter He doesn’t run as fast as I do She drives as carefully as her mother - To form the comparisons of equality using nouns, use the following formula: S... tốt càng lớn) • The bigger they are, the faster they fall (Vật càng to bao nhiêu thì càng rơi nhanh bấy nhiêu) • The more you study, the smarter you will become (Càng học, anh càng thông minh hơn) EXERCISES EXERCISES A EXERCISE 1: Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences Use much/ a bit … etc.+ a comparative 1 Her illness was ………………… We thought at first (much/serious) 2 This bag is too small... together Note the word order in both clauses The + comparative + the noun, the + comparative + the noun or The more + clause, the more + clause or The more + clause, the + comparative + the + noun PAGE 12 COMPARISON Examples: • • • The hotter it is, the more miserable I feel (Trời càng nóng, tôi càng thấy khó chịu) The sooner you take your medicine, the better you will feel (Anh càng uống thuốc sớm bao... friends 2 Comparative/Superlative of inferiority (So sánh kém/kém nhất) Examples: • • He visits his family less frequently than she does This year’s exhibit is less impressive than last year’s PAGE 11 COMPARISON • • She chose the least expensive of the hotels This is the least interesting part of the dictionary 3 Double comparative (So sánh kép) We use the ‘double comparative’ when we want to show that... shop isn’t expensive The prices are …………… Anywhere else(cheap) 3 The traffic isn’t particularly bad today It’s ……………… usual (bad) EXERCISE 3: Complete the sentences using “Double” Comparatives PAGE 13 COMPARISON 1 It’s becoming ……………… to find a job (hard) 2 The hole in your pullover is getting ………… (big) 3 My bags seemed to get …………… As I carried them (heavy) 4 As I waited for my interview, I became... the longer the phone call the more goods you sell the faster you’ll learn the more you have to pay the sooner we’ll arrive the more profit you’ll make the more impatient he became the more I liked him EXERCISES B 1 Of the four dresses, which is ……………… expensive? A the best B the most C the more D the greater 2 The larger the apartment, the the rent A expensive B more expensive C expensively D most... soon D the sooner 4 “ Why did you buy these oranges? ” “They were ……….… I could find ” A cheapest B cheapest ones C the cheapest ones D the most cheapest 5 She plays the piano …………… as she sings PAGE 14 COMPARISON A as beautifully B more beautifully C as beautiful D the most beautifully 6 The streets are getting more and …………… these days A crowded B less crowded C more crowded D most crowded 7 The larger... than Miss Snow is ( happier) 22 He needs many more sugar than I do (much) 23 Does Mary feel weller today than she did yesterday? (better) 24 It’s becoming hard and harder to find a job (harder) PAGE 15 COMPARISON 25 The more you have, the most you want (The more) Combine the ideas given into a double comparative: 1-As he got older, he became more and more bad-tempered  The , the 2-... more TV Children more )  The , the 18 There are not many French songs on French radio (French and fewer radio songs There fewer French are on )  The , the PAGE 16 COMPARISON 19 It is difficult to find a parking place (find to difficult a is It and more parking place more )  The , the 20 Nowadays, personal computers are not very expensive (expensive . COMPARISON A - Comparison with -er/-est clean - cleaner - (the) cleanest We use -er/-est. Here -y is not changed to -i. (although consonant before -y) PAGE 1 COMPARISON B - Comparison with more - most difficult - more difficult - (the) most