Comparatives and Superlatives

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Comparatives and Superlatives

Ürünleri karşılaştırırken comparative (-er / more), en üstün olanı belirtirken superlative (-est / the most) kullanılır.

Spelling Kuralları

Şablon Cümleler

• Karşılaştırma: This shirt is more expensive than the blue one.
• En üstünlük: This is the cheapest phone in the shop.
• Eşitlik: The market isn't as crowded as the mall.
• Miktar: Online shopping is often cheaper and faster.

Yazım Kuralları ve Düzensiz Sıfatlar

Karşılaştırma eklerinin yazımı dört kurala indirgenir. Sıfat e ile bitiyorsa e düşer: large → larger → largest. Ünsüz + y ile bitiyorsa y, i olur: easy → easier → easiest. Ünlü + y ile bitiyorsa y korunur: grey → greyer, shy → shyer. Sonu kısas ünlü ve tek sessizle bitiyorsa sessiz ikizleşir: big → bigger, hot → hotter.

Düzensiz sıfatlar ayrı ezberlenir: good – better – the best, bad – worse – the worst, far – farther/further – the farthest/furthest. Bu sıfatlarda more good ya da betterer gibi bir yapı asla kurulmaz.

İki heceli sıfatlarda hem -er hem more görülebilir: quiet → quieter / more quiet. Üç heceli sıfatlar ise daima more ve the most alır: more expensive, the most expensive. Hangi yolu seçeceğinizi hece sayısı belirler.

Karşılaştırma Cümlelerinin Yapısı ve Tuzaklar

Üç temel yapı vardır: karşılaştırma than ile (This phone is cheaper than mine.), eşitlik as... as ile (This bag is as nice as that one.), üstünlük ise the ile (This is the cheapest shop in the street.). Üstünlükte the zorunludur.

Oran bildiren kalıp the more..., the more... biçimindedir: The more you read, the more you learn. Burada her iki tarafta da karşılaştırma eki bulunur; bir taraf eksik bırakılırsa yapı bozulur.

Sınavda en sık üç hata görülür: more cheaper (çift karşılaştırma), the most cheapest (the + most + -est) ve as cheap than (than ile as karıştırılması). Doğru kalıplar cheaper than, the cheapest, as cheap as biçimindedir.

Ne Öğreneceğiz

In this lesson you will learn to compare things and to say which one is at the top of a group. You will study the comparative for two items (cheaper, more comfortable) and the superlative for a group (the cheapest, the most comfortable).

You will learn the spelling rules that decide which form to use: short adjectives take -er / -est, adjectives ending in -e take only -r / -st, adjectives ending in consonant + y change y to i, and short adjectives ending in one vowel plus one consonant double that consonant.

You will also learn the irregular comparatives (good – better – the best, bad – worse – the worst, far – farther – the farthest), the sentence patterns than for comparison, as... as for equality, and the structure the more..., the more....

Ön Bilgi

You need three things before the lesson.

First, syllable counting. The whole rule system depends on it: one or two syllables usually take -er / -est, three or more take more / the most. If you cannot count syllables, you cannot choose the form.

Second, the use of than in comparisons. A comparative without than only describes the thing itself; with than it states a relationship.

Third, the article the in superlatives. The superlative almost always takes the: the cheapest shop, not cheapest shop. The possessive (my best friend) replaces the article.

Basit Örnek ve Günlük Yaşam

Read this short product comparison.

The blue phone is cheaper than the black one, but the black one is more reliable. The green model is the cheapest in the shop, although it is not the best for photographs. The silver phone is as expensive as the white one, but it has a bigger screen.

Four different structures appear here: a comparative with than, a superlative with the, an equality pattern with as... as, and another comparative. All of them describe the same three phones from different angles.

Now compare two restaurants you know in four sentences using all four structures.

İleri Örnek

Look at how a writer strengthens a comparison.

Plain: This bag is cheap. That bag is more expensive. The red bag is the cheapest.

Improved: This bag is far cheaper than the one in the window, and it is almost as strong. The red bag is by far the cheapest, but its zip is the weakest of the three.

The second version uses far cheaper and by far the cheapest to widen the difference, and it uses another superlative (the weakest) to keep the comparison balanced. Adding one intensifier is the simplest way to make a comparison richer.

Adım Adım Çözülmüş Örnek

Follow these steps to build a correct comparative or superlative.

1. Step 1 — Count the items. Two → comparative. Three or more, or a whole group → superlative.
2. Step 2 — Count the syllables of the adjective. One syllable usually takes -er / -est; two syllables vary; three or more take more / the most.
3. Step 3 — Apply the spelling rules. large → larger, easy → easier, big → bigger, grey → greyer.
4. Step 4 — Add the missing word. Comparative: add than (cheaper than mine). Superlative: add the (the cheapest).
5. Step 5 — For equality use as... as. It is as nice as that one. Negative: not as nice as.
6. Step 6 — Check for double marking. More cheaper and the most cheapest are always wrong.

Karşılaştırma Tablosu

The spelling rules cover almost every adjective you will need.

Careful: the article in the superlative is the. In a sentence like This is the best film I have seen, keep the.

Sık Yapılan Hatalar

Six mistakes are common in comparisons.

• Double marking. More cheaper and the most cheapest are wrong. Choose either the ending or more / most, never both.
• Missing than. This phone is cheaper my old one should be cheaper than my old one.
• Missing the in a superlative. It is cheapest shop in town should be the cheapest shop.
• Using as than. Equality uses as... as: as expensive as, never as expensive than.
• Confusing farther and further. Farther is for physical distance; further also means additional (further information).
• Writing the more you read, the more you learn with a missing comparative on one side. Both halves need a comparative: The more you practise, the better you become.

Özet

Comparisons depend on the number of items and the length of the adjective.

• Two items: comparative, usually with than. One syllable takes -er; three or more take more.
• A group: superlative with the. One syllable takes -est; three or more take the most.
• Equality: as + adjective + as, negative not as... as.
• Spelling: -e endings keep the -e out, y becomes i after a consonant, short vowel plus one consonant doubles.
• Irregulars: good – better – the best; bad – worse – the worst; far – farther – the farthest.
• Never: double marking such as more cheaper.

Kendini Dene

Answer in full sentences and then check the key.

1. Give the comparative and superlative of easy.
2. Which sentence is correct? (a) This is more cheaper than that. (b) This is cheaper than that. (c) This is the cheaper than that.
3. Rewrite correctly: It is most expensive restaurant in the city.
4. Fill in: My school is as big ____ yours. (than / as / so / like)
5. Complete the pattern: The more you practise, ____.
6. Write four sentences comparing two phones you know. Use a comparative with than, a superlative with the, an as... as sentence and one irregular comparison.

Answer key: 1) easier, the easiest — a two-syllable adjective ending in consonant + y changes y to i. 2) (b) — cheaper is already the comparative, so more cannot be added. 3) It is the most expensive restaurant in the city. — superlatives take the. 4) as — the pattern is as + adjective + as. 5) the better you become — both halves of the structure need a comparative. 6) Any four correct sentences, e.g. My phone is lighter than my sister's. It is the best phone I have ever had. The battery lasts as long as hers does. The camera is worse in low light, but the screen is bigger.