Comparative and superlative

Hoje vamos ver tudo sobre “comparative and superlative” ou comparativo e superlativo em inglês. Estudaremos todas as regras necessárias para você entender tudo sobre essa matéria.

Leia também: Simple Past

Comparative and superlative: quando usar?

Vamos primeiramente entender quando usar “comparative and superlative”. Usamos o superlativo para expressar o grau mais alto e intenso de uma característica. É como se estivéssemos comparando uma coisa a todo o resto.

Em português o superlativo é “o mais”. Por exemplo, “o mais bonito”, “o mais feio”, “o melhor” (superlativo irregular) ou “o pior” (outro irregular).

Já o comparativo é utilizado quando comparamos duas coisas entre si. Por exemplo: “João é mais alto que José” (superioridade), “José é menos alto que João” (inferioridade), “João é tão alto quanto José” (igualdade).

Superlativo

Para entender comparative and superlative, começaremos com o superlativo. O superlativo em inglês segue duas estruturas diferentes, e isso depende do número de sílabas do adjetivo. Confira abaixo as regras de formação dos superlativos em inglês.

Os adjetivos de uma ou duas sílabas são os que constituem palavras mais curtas. É o caso, por exemplo, de new, nice, big e happy.

A estrutura de formação desses superlativos é a seguinte:

the + adjetivo + terminação –est

These are the nicest people I know. (Essas são as pessoas mais legais que eu conheço)

He is the happiest kid in our family. (Ele é a criança mais feliz na nossa família)

Caso o adjectivo tenha mais de duas sílabas, usaremos a seguinte estrutura:

the most + adjective

This is the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen. (Essa é a pintura mais bonita que eu já vi)

He is the most intelligent kid in our class. (Ele é o menino mais inteligente da sala)

Para comparar substantivos usamos o the most apenas:

Paris is the city with the most tourists. 

New York is the place with the most helicopters. (Nova Iorque é o lugar com mais helicópteros)

Superlativo: ortografia

Em se tratando de comparative and superlative, temos que compreender as regras ortográficas. As regras são as mesmas, porém iniciaremos com o superlativo.

Regras para adjetivos de uma ou duas sílabas

Quando um adjetivo termina em –e, não precisamos repetir essa letra para formar o superlativo. Assim, basta acrescentar –st.

large => the largest

nice => the nicest

Quando um adjetivo terminar em vogal + consoante, deve-se duplicar a consoante e acrescentar a terminação –est.

big => the biggest

fat => the fattest

Quando o adjetivo termina em consoante e um –y, substitui-se esse –y por um –i, e acrescenta-se –est.

busy => the busiest

crazy => the craziest

Se o adjetivo tiver três sílabas para mais, utilizaremos “the most” sem dúvidas.

Superlativos irregulares:

good => the best (o melhor)

bad => the worst (o pior)

far => the farthest/furthest (o mais distante)

Comparativos

Continuando com “comparative and superlative”, falaremos dos comparativos. Iniciaremos com o comparativo de superioridade. Para fazer o comparativo de superioridade (mais que) temos que dividir o adjetivo em sílabas. 

Se for uma ou duas sílabas usamos -er ao fim da palavra, se for mais que três sílabas usamos more. E para fazer a comparação acrescentamos “than” (do que…):

quick => quicker

easy => easier

expensive => more expensive

convenient => more convenient

Her purse is newer than mine. (A bolsa dela é mais nova do que a minha)

The new teacher is nicer than the former one. (O novo professor é mais legal do que o antigo)

This ring is more expensive than that one. (Esse anel é mais caro do que aquele)

Para o comparativo de inferioridade (menos que) não temos essa regra de cima, só usaremos less para todos os adjectivos:

quick => less quick

convenient => less convenient

My shirt is less expensive than yours. (MInha bolsa é menos cara que a sua)

Today’s test is less important than last week’s. (A prova de hoje é menos importante do que a da semana passada)

Para fazer o comparativo de igualdade (tanto…quanto) vamos apenas usar as…as para todos os casos:

My shoes are as cheap as yours. (Meus sapatos são tão baratos quanto os seus)

Paris is as hot as Orlando. (Paris é tão quente quanto Orlando)

Comparativo: ortografia

Como mencionei acima, para comparative and superlative, as regras ortgráficas são as mesmas.

Regras para adjetivos de uma ou duas sílabas

Quando um adjetivo termina em –e, não precisamos repetir essa letra para formar o superlativo. Assim, basta acrescentar –r.

large => larger

nice => nicer

Quando um adjetivo terminar em vogal + consoante, deve-se duplicar a consoante e acrescentar a terminação –er.

big => bigger

fat => fatter

Quando o adjetivo termina em consoante e um –y, substitui-se esse –y por um –i, e acrescenta-se –er.

busy => busier

crazy => crazier

Se o adjetivo tiver três sílabas para mais, utilizaremos “more” sem dúvidas.

Superlativos irregulares:

good => better (melhor)

bad => worse ( pior)

far => farther/further ( mais distante)

fun => more fun (exceção)

Para fazer comparativo com substantivos e verbos, temos que nos lembrar da questão countable e uncountable. Para countable nouns usamos more e fewer (menos) e para uncountable e usamos more e less. 

Countables:

You get more calls than I do.

I get fewer calls than you do.

Uncountables:

I spend more time on the phone.

You spend less time on the phone.

Verbs:

He talks more than my sister does.

He talks less than his sister does.

Para comparar advérbio, utilizaremos more normalmente. A não ser que o adjetivo e o advérbio tenham a mesma forma (early, hard, long, fast, soon, etc). Nesse caso utilizaremos as regras acima:

I can see more clearly now. (Eu consigo ver mais claramente agora)

She works the most quickly. (Ela é a que trabalha mais rápido)

Can you wake up earlier? (Consegue acordar mais cedo?)

We have to walk a little longer. (Temos andar um pouco mais)

Modificando comparação

Se você quiser acrescentar algum modificador à comparação você pode utilizar:

Far/ much/ a lot (muito): This ring is far more expensive than that one. (Esse anel é muito mais caro do que aquele outro) 

Rather (bem): It’s rather funnier when they surprise us. (É bem mais divertido quando eles nos surpreendem)

A bit/ slightly/ a little (um pouco): Can you run a bit faster? (Pode correr um pouco mais rápido?)

Atenção: Nunca use very com comparativos!

Curtiu? Acho que agora cobrimos tudo sobre comparative and superlative, você deveria ver outros posts com questões importantes do inglês.  

1. Exercícios:

1. Traduza as frases abaixo para o inglês.

1. Qual é menos caro, um tablet ou laptop?
2. Um bom tablet é mais caro que um computador.
3. Qual é mais útil, um celular ou um tablet?
4. Um e-reader é mais barato do que um tablet, porém um tablet é mais útil e mais bonito.
5. Redes sociais são melhores para manter contato com amigos.
6. Qual é pior, um celular ou um e-reader?
7. Por que ligações estão ficando menos populares do que mensagens de texto?

B. Complete the sentences with more, less or fewer:

1. I’m spending _______ time on my social networks these days because I’m busy at work.
2. I’m getting _______ exercise now because I’m walking home from work every day.
3. My friends and I text each other late at night, so I’m sleeping _______ than I have to.
4. My friends prefer texting to email, so they’re sending me _______ email messages.
5. I don’t have much time to cook, so I’m eating out ______ than I did before.
6. I don’t like big groups, I enjoy myself _______ when I have dinner with one or two friends only.
7. I feel shy in groups. I usually talk ______ than other people.
8. In my family, we’re watching TV ______ because we’re spending more time on our cell phones or laptops.
9. I’m buying _______ newspaper now because I’m getting my news online.

C. Complete the text with the superlatives:

Gaming World Records Unlikely To Ever Be Broken

By Emma Majoros Published Apr 15, 2021

Some of us are content to play casually, but not these record holders! Here are some of ________ (mind-boggling) world records in gaming.

For some gamers, just sitting down to play is not enough anymore. Some break world records by accident, while other grit their teeth and grind to set a new record. […]

Some of these records are jaw-dropping, while others are just bizarre, but all of them deserve a salute. There are those that seem unbreakable, or even detrimental to the health of someone who attempts it. 

1______ (long) Halo Marathon

Halo fans just can’t seem to get enough. In fact, one particular Halo fan, Paavo Niskala from Finland, managed to set the Guinness World Record for the _______ (long) Halo marathon. His run clocked in at 50 hours, 4 minutes and 17 seconds.[…]

2 ______ (long) Mario Kart Marathon

One of ________ (addictive) video games out there, the Mario Kart series holds a number of Guinness World Records. One of _______ (impressive)  of these records is the major marathon held by Ben Fick, Anthony Lehnertz, and Hunter Nierman.

This 40-hour marathon took place in the University of Iowa Stead Family Children Hospital. Throughout the journey, the trio invited hospital patients to join in as the fourth player in the game. Hats off to this endearing record […].

3 Most “F” Words In A Video Game

One of _______ (bizarre)  records recognized by the committee of Guinness World Records, is______ swear words in a video game. While a lot of games drop the “F” bomb a number of times,_______ (famous) is probably Mafia II with 397 uses, approximately once every 2 minutes. However, _______ (high)  occurrence of the “F” word is actually in the 2006 game Scarface: The World is Yours.

This game drops the 4-letter word a total of 5688 times. It’s uncertain if this was an intentional effort to set a world record or not. While the breaking of this record is not up to the players, rather it’s the developers’ job, it’s still quite impressive. It’s always a useful fun fact for dull conversations.

4 _______ (large) Pokémon Memorabilia Collection

Lisa Courtney lives in the UK, and her way of dealing with grey skies and rain is to bring color into her life. Her house is home to 17,127 pieces of Pokémon collectibles and memorabilia. She set this unique record in 2016, and people don’t dare to challenge her.[…]

5 _______ (long-running) Storyline In A Video Game Franchise

________ (long-running) cohesive storyline in gaming goes to Tekken, with over 20 years of games and still counting. Even the director of the game was surprised by this, thinking the honor would go to an RPG. Instead, this franchise from the early 90s took the prize. While it’s not up to gamers to beat the record, everyone is eagerly waiting for a developer to shoot for the stars.

Older franchises, like Tomb Raider and Doom, were disqualified because of their reboots. Tekken, however, kept an unbroken storyline for over 20 years. Characters got married, died, got replaced, or got engaged in hostile takeovers. The story is mainly told in arcade mode through texts over still images, so some players don’t even know the story. However, die-hard fans love the ups and downs in the background of this fighting game series.

6 ______ (large) Video Game Collection

Every gamer is proud of their collection, as they should be. They’re kept clean, nice and neat on the shelf, in specific order, and they’re the light of the lives of gamers everywhere. But Antonio Romero Montero set the bar high for this record in 2020, with 20,139 games in his collection.

This man can truly play anything he wants, as his home in Richmond serves as a Mecca for gamers. His collection is so big that it took him eight days to count them all. It all began when he was twelve years old, and by now he has the complete collection of PS2 and 3 in North America – and many more titles.

7 ______ (long) Game Marathon Of All Time

The one world record everyone dreams to beat is ______ (long)  game marathon of all time. In 2015, Carrie Swidecki took care of that, dethroning the Call of Duty record holder and setting the bar higher than ever with 138 hours and 34 seconds in Just Dance.

People everywhere were surprised that someone could beat this record with Just Dance, but Carrie proved them wrong. She held the previous record in Just Dance and wanted to beat herself while raising for charity. She played from July 11th to the 17th nonstop, making this not only _______ sought after record in gaming, but arguably ________ (impressive) record yet.

Adapted from: https://gamerant.com/gaming-highest-world-records-unbeatable/

a) Look up the meaning of the words and expressions in bold in dictionary. 

09. Respostas:

A.

a.Which is more expensive, a tablet or a laptop?

b.A good tablet is more expensive than a computer.

c.Which is more useful, a cell phone or a tablet?

d.An e-reader is cheaper than a tablet, but a tablet is more useful and more beautiful..

e.Social networks are better to keep in touch with friends.

f.Which is worse, a cell phone or an e-reader?

g.Why are phone calls becoming less popular than text messages?

B.

a.less

b.more

c.less

d.fewer

e.more

f.more

g.less

h.less

i.less

C.

1 The Longest Halo Marathon

Halo fans just can’t seem to get enough. In fact, one particular Halo fan, Paavo Niskala from Finland, managed to set the Guinness World Record for the the longest Halo marathon. His run clocked in at 50 hours, 4 minutes and 17 seconds.[…]

2 The Longest Mario Kart Marathon

One of the most addictive video games out there, the Mario Kart series holds a number of Guinness World Records. One of the most impresive of these records is the major marathon held by Ben Fick, Anthony Lehnertz, and Hunter Nierman.

3 Most “F” Words In A Video Game

One of the most bizarre records recognized by the committee of Guinness World Records, is the most swear words in a video game. While a lot of games drop the “F” bomb a number of times, the most famous is probably Mafia II with 397 uses, approximately once every 2 minutes. However, the highest occurrence of the “F” word is actually in the 2006 game Scarface: The World is Yours.

4 The Largest Pokémon Memorabilia Collection

5 The Longest-running Storyline In A Video Game Franchise

The longest-running cohesive storyline in gaming goes to Tekken, with over 20 years of games and still counting.

6 The Largest Video Game Collection

7 The Longest Game Marathon Of All Time

The one world record everyone dreams to beat is the longest game marathon of all time. In 2015, Carrie Swidecki took care of that, dethroning the Call of Duty record holder and setting the bar higher than ever with 138 hours and 34 seconds in Just Dance.

People everywhere were surprised that someone could beat this record with Just Dance, but Carrie proved them wrong. She held the previous record in Just Dance and wanted to beat herself while raising for charity. She played from July 11th to the 17th nonstop, making this not only the most sought after record in gaming, but arguably the most impressive record yet.