As … as …

This structure is used to say that people, things, actions or events are equal in a particular way.

• A car is as fast as a bus.

• Alice is as beautiful as Mary.
• Tom is as tall as Harry.

If we want to say that people, things etc are unequal in a particular way, we can use not so … as
… or not as … as …

• Tom is not as/so tall as Harry.

• A car is not as/so fast as a train.
• Alice is not as/so beautiful as Susie.

No other as … as …

This structure can be used to compare one person or thing with the whole group that she/he/it belongs to.

• No other girl is as intelligent as Alice.

• No other metal is as useful as iron.
• No other river is as long as the Niles.

As much/many … as …/as few/little … as…

This structure is used to make a comparison of quantity.

• I earn as much money as you.

• Alice has as many children as Mary.
• Tom earns as much as Harry.
• We have as many cars as them.
• They have as few visitors as we have.
• They have as little money as we have.

In an informal style, we use object pronouns (us, them, him etc.) afteras. In a more formal style, subject
pronouns are used usually with verbs.

• I earn as much money as he does.

• We have as many children as they have.

Not as much/many … as …

This structure can be used to say that quantities are not equal in a particular way.

• He does not earn as much as I do.

• Harry does not eat as much food as Tom does.
• We do not have as many visitors as them.

To say that people, things etc are unequal in a particular way, we can use comparative
adjectives/adverbs.

• She is older than me.

• Tom is taller than his brothers.
• Iron is more useful than any other metal.
• He is cleverer than her.
In an informal style, object pronouns are used after than. In a more formal style, subject pronouns are
used usually with verbs.

• He is cleverer than she is.

• He earns more than I do.

We can use double comparatives (…er and …er or more and more …) to say that something is
changing.

• You are getting fatter and fatter.

• We are going more and more slowly.

The + comparative expression + subject + verb

We can use comparatives with the … the … to say that things change or vary together. Note the word
order in both clauses.

• The more I study, the less I learn. (NOT … I learn the less.)
• The older I get, the happier I am. (NOT … I am the happier.)

More can be used with a noun in this structure.

• The more money he makes, the more useless things he buys

Nouns with superlative adjectives normally take the article the (unless there is a possessive).

• She is the best girl in the class. (NOT She is best girl …)

Superlative adjectives in predicative position also tend to take the,though it is sometimes dropped in an
informal style.

• This book is (the) best.

The is sometimes dropped before superlative adverbs in an informal style.

• Who can run (the) fastest?

After superlatives, we do not usually use of with a singular word referring to a place or a group.

• He is the richest man in the world. (NOT … of the world.)

• Who is the fastest player in the team? (NOT … of the team?)

But of can be used before plurals, and before singular quantifiers like lotand bunch.

• Iron is the most useful of all metals.

• He is the best of the lot.

We use the comparative to compare one person, thing, action, event or group with another person, thing
etc. We use the superlative to compare somebody/something with the whole group that she/he/it belongs
to.

• Mary is taller than her three sisters.

• Mary is the tallest of the four girls.
• He plays better than anybody else in the team.
• He is the best player in the team.
• Iron is more useful than any other metal.
• Iron is the most useful metal.
When a group only has two members, we sometimes use the comparative instead of the superlative.

• John and Tom are clever boys, but I think John is the cleverer/cleverest of the two.
• Take the shorter/shortest of the two routes.
• Alice and Mary are rich women. But Alice is the richer/richest of the two.

Note that any, no, a bit and a lot are not normally used to modify comparatives before nouns.

• There are much better shops in the city. (NOT … a bit/a lot better …)

Quite is not normally used with comparatives, but it is possible in the expression quite better, meaning
‘recovered from an illness’.

Superlatives can be modified by much and by far, and by other adverbs of degree such
as quite and almost.

• She is by far the oldest in the firm.

• He is quite the most stupid person I have ever met.

When more modifies a plural noun, it is modified by many.

• many more opportunities

When more modifies a singular/uncountable noun, it is modified bymuch.

• much more money