8.2.2: The Comparative and Superlative with Quantity Expressions

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Don Bissonnette
South Seattle Community College

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The Comparative and Superlative with Quantity Expressions

Quantity expressions can also be used for the comparative and the superlative when speaking about adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Note below:

much more the most

many more the most

a lot of more the most

lots of more the most

a little less the least

a few fewer the fewest

NOTE:

Much, a little, and the least are used with non-count nouns.

Many, a few, and the fewest are used with count nouns.

Examples:

The first woman is organized. The second woman is more organized than the first woman. The third woman is the most organized of the three women.

The first woman is not very organized. The second woman is less organized than the first woman. The third woman is the least organized of the three women.

These examples are normal comparative and superlative of an adjective (organized).

With nouns it is a little more difficult, however.

Examples:

I have many friends. My sister has more friends than I have. My brother has the most friends.

I have lots of sheet music at home. My older son has more sheet music than I do. My younger has the most sheet music. In fact, my younger son has much more sheet music than my older son has. As well, I have the least sheet music of the three of us.

I don’t have much money. My sister has less money than I have. My brother has the least money in our family.

I have some money. President Obama has more money than I have. Bill Gates has the most money in America.

I have a few problems in life. My friend Roger has fewer problems than I have. Our friend Doug has almost no problems. Doug has the fewest problems of the three of us.

I have a little hair. My nephew has less hair than I have. My Uncle Carl has the least hair in our family.

Exercise: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate quantity expression from the chart.

1. I have 200 books. Roger has 250. Roger has ___________ than I have.

2. I spent three hours on my homework. André spent two hours on his homework. Alex spent one hour on his homework. Alex spent ______________________time on his homework.

3. Mike has $100. Roger has $40. I have $250. I have ___________ money of the three of us.

4. I drank a lot of water, but Roger drank ___________ water than I did.

5. I have a lot of clothes. André has less clothes than I have. Alex has ___________ clothes of the three of us.

6. I weigh 201 pounds. André weighs 178 pounds. Alex weighs 250 pounds. Who weighs the most? _______________. Who weighs the least? __________________

7. I have ___________ hair than either of my sons. (FYI: I am bald.)

8. Boys make ___________noise than girls.

9. Students in lower levels have trouble with grammar. Students in intermediate levels usually have ___________ trouble with grammar ___________ students in lower level. Students in the highest level usually have ___________ trouble with grammar of all.

10. I eat more fruit than my sons, but my wife eats ___________ fruit in our family.

11. Level 2 English is ___________advanced ___________ level 3 English. On the other hand, level 3 English is ___________difficult ___________ level 2 English.

12. There is lots of water in lakes. There is much ___________ water in oceans.

13. I have a few French books. My friend Angel has many ___________ French books than I have.

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