Vocabulary practice for the Cambridge PET exam
Usually, comparative and superlative forms in English take 'er', 'est', (bigger, biggest) or 'more', 'most' (more/most interesting). However, there are some adjectives and adverbs that have different forms. Look at these sentences. Can you work out the rules for 'good', 'bad' and 'far':
Yesterday's menu was good but today's is better.
This is the best score I've ever had in an exam.
Mark: Is your sore throat still bad?
Jane: It's worse. It's the worst one I've ever had.
The police are going further than ever to fight crime.
My trip to China will be the furthest I've ever been.
Try the quiz below to check your ideas.
Complete each sentence by typing the correct comparative or superlative form::
For each question, complete the second sentence so that it means the
same as the first.
Use no more than three words.
A. His latest book isn't as good as his first one.
His first book ........................................ his latest
one.
B. Her old school was closer than the new one.
Her new school ......................................... the old
one.
C. I've never played better than I did yesterday.
Yesterday ........................................ I have ever played.
D. He has never made such a bad decision.
It ........................................ decision he has ever
made.
E. The bank is at the very far end of the street.
The bank ........................................ shop along the
street.
F. I didn't think my results would be this bad.
My results ........................................ I had thought.
Practise comparative and superlative forms including irregular ones like these by thinking about your own experiences. For example:
I'm better at English than ...
The worst holiday I've ever had was ...
The furthest I've ever travelled is ...