Introduction
Making comparisons is a crucial skill in English, especially for the TOEIC test, where you often need to compare products, services, or performance. Understanding how to form comparisons can help you understand and answer questions more accurately.
Explanation
In English, we use comparative and superlative forms to make comparisons.
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things. For most short adjectives, add "-er" (e.g., faster, cheaper). For longer adjectives, use "more" before the adjective (e.g., more efficient, more reliable).
Examples:
The new model is faster than the old one.
This software is more efficient than the previous version.
Superlative adjectives are used to compare more than two things, highlighting the extreme quality. For short adjectives, add "-est" (e.g., fastest, cheapest). For longer adjectives, use "most" (e.g., most efficient, most reliable).
Examples:
This is the fastest computer in our office.
She is the most experienced manager on the team.
Common mistakes
Incorrect comparative forms: Avoid using "more" with adjectives that already take "-er" (e.g., more faster is incorrect; use faster).
Double comparatives: Avoid using both "-er" and "more" together (e.g., more cheaper is incorrect; use cheaper).
Irregular adjectives: Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms, such as good (better, best) and bad (worse, worst).
Tips for the TOEIC test
Pay attention to the context to determine whether a comparative or superlative is needed.
Look for keywords like than for comparatives and the for superlatives.
Be aware of irregular forms, as they are commonly tested.
Mini practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjective in parentheses.
This smartphone is __________ (expensive) than the one I bought last year.
Among all the candidates, she is the __________ (qualified) for the job.
Our new marketing strategy is __________ (effective) than the previous one.
Answers
more expensive
most qualified
more effective