Elementary Grammar

Elementary · Grammar Reference

Unit 9 — Comparatives · have got

Comparative & superlative adjectives · have got and have

9.1 Comparative and superlative adjectives

London is bigger than Paris. Paris is more romantic.It's the most exciting place!This is the best restaurant in the world.

Form

Type	Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
One-syllable adjectives	old / safe / big / hot	older / safer / bigger* / hotter*	the oldest / the safest / the biggest* / the hottest*
Adjectives ending in -y	noisy / dirty	noisier / dirtier	the noisiest / the dirtiest
Two or more syllable adjectives	boring / beautiful	more boring / more beautiful	the most boring / the most beautiful
Irregular adjectives	good / bad / far	better / worse / further	the best / the worst / the furthest

📌 Note

* Adjectives which end in one vowel and one consonant double the consonant.
fit → fitter thin → thinner

** Most two-syllable adjectives use more and most, but some use -er/-est.
modern → more modern → most modern
polite → more polite → most polite
quiet → quieter / quietest
clever → cleverer / cleverest

1 We can make a comparison stronger using much and a lot.

London is much more beautiful than Paris.Dave's a lot more handsome than Pete.

2 Adverbs also have comparatives.

He works harder than you.Can you come earlier than 8.30?

9.2 have got and have

Have got means the same as have to talk about possession, but the form is very different. We often use have got in spoken English.

have got

She has got a garden.I haven't got a garage.Have you got any money? Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.

have

I have a cat.He doesn't have a car.Does she have a sister? Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.

Past

The past of both have and have got is had / didn't have.

We had a lovely holiday.I didn't have a happy childhood.What did you have for lunch?When I was young, I had a bike.I didn't have any money.