Very often when we compare different objects or events. As we tend to be as colorful as possible, using only comparative or superlative form of adjectives is not always enough.

Because of this, we begin to add adverbs or special constructions such as far, by far, much, a lot, a little etc.

The knowledge of the rules how to use the intensifiers of comparison usually indicates an advanced student.

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Correct Answers

Question 1
Select the correct adjective form.
Moscow is by far the _________________________ city in Russia.

This is a superlative sentence with a monosyllabic adjective, so we need to change large to largest. Again, adding the intensifier by far doesn't have any effect on the adjective.

Question 2
Select the correct adverb form.
Andrei speaks French far _________________________ than I do.

Well is an irregular adverb that becomes better in the comparative form. The word than indicates that this sentence is a comparative, so we should use better here.

Question 3
Select the correct adverb form.
The _________________________ you work, the more money you'll earn!

The word than indicates that we're making a comparison here. Hard is a monosyllabic regular adverb (one syllable), which means that we can't use the word more. Like adjectives, monosyllabic regular adverbs add the suffix –er in their comparative form, so we need to use harder here.

Question 4
Select the correct word.
There certainly isn't as _________________________ tea in Russia as there is in China.

Modifiers can be used in order to emphasize, specify, or clarify comparisons. As tea is an uncountable noun, we need to use much here, not many.

Question 5
Select the correct adjective form.
Some say the world's _________________________ women are from Eastern Europe.

Two-syllable adjectives that end with –y usually change their spellings in the superlative form. The y becomes an i, so pretty becomes prettiest. Although two-syllable adjectives usually use most in the superlative, we shouldn't use it when the adjective changes form like this. Note that the already appears before world's, so we don't need to use it a second time.

Question 6
Select the correct adjective form.
Japanese men are usually a bit _________________________ than Russian men.

The word than indicates that we're making a comparison here. Short is a monosyllabic regular adjective (one syllable), which means that we can't use the word more. Monosyllabic regular adjectives add the suffix –er in their comparative form. Note that adding the intensifier little makes no difference to the form of the adjective.

Question 7
Select the correct word.
The United States is much _________________________ from Russia than Poland.

Far is an irregular adjective that becomes further or farther in the comparative form and the furthest or the farthest in the superlative form. The word than indicates that this sentence is a comparative, so we can use either further or farther here. For physical distance, it's generally better to use farther.

Question 8
Select the correct adjective form.
With a population of 1.4 million, Novosibirsk is the third _________________________ city in Russia.

The superlative form of an adjective can be used in combination with the ordinal numerals to indicate the size of an object. Big is a monosyllabic regular adjective and so the superlative form is biggest. Note that the ordinal number third comes after the determiner the.

Question 9
Select the correct sentence.
  1. Less and the least are used with adjectives and adverbs in the same way as more and the most. Less indicates a lower degree and least indicates the lowest degree. It's not possible to say the less complicate; we need to use the superlative here: the least complicated.
  2. Less and the least are used with adjectives and adverbs in the same way as more and the most. Less indicates a lower degree and least indicates the lowest degree. However, complication is a noun, not an adjective, and therefore we can't use it here.
  3. Less and the least are used with adjectives and adverbs in the same way as more and the most. Less indicates a lower degree and least indicates the lowest degree. The four-syllable regular adjective complicated shouldn't change its form. We need to use the superlative here: the least complicated.
Question 10
Select the correct sentence.
  1. We need to use the set construction as [+ adjective] as.... This sentence is missing an as after the adjective beautiful.
  2. The set construction as [+ adjective] as... indicates approximately the same degree. With I don't… the meaning is the opposite: I don't think the White House is as beautiful as the Kremlin.
  3. We need to use the set construction as [+ adjective] as... for this sentence. The comparative form more beautiful is incorrect here.
  4. We need to use the set construction as [+ adjective] as.... This sentence is missing an as before the adjective beautiful.
Question 11
Select the correct adjective form.
Homemade borscht is much _________________________ than a McDonald's hamburger.

Two-syllable adjectives that end with –y usually change their spellings in the comparative form. The y becomes an i, so healthy becomes healthier. Although two-syllable adjectives usually use more in the comparative, we shouldn't use it when the adjective changes form like this. Note that the intensifier much doesn't affect the adjective.

Question 12
Select the correct adjective form.
If you use that old bicycle, it will take you five times _________________________ to get to work.

The comparative form of an adjective can be used in combination with the cardinal numerals and times to compare measurable characteristics. Long is a monosyllabic regular adjective and so its comparative form is longer.

Question 13
Select the correct adverb form.
I usually eat stroganoff much _________________________ than I eat KFC or other junk food.

The word than indicates that we're making a comparison here. Often is a two-syllable regular adverb, which means that the adjective doesn't change form, and we need to use the word more. Note that the intensifier much doesn't change the form of the adjective: much more often than…

Question 14
Select the correct adjective form.
I find that books by Dostoyevsky are far __________________________ than books written by Nietzsche.

The word than indicates that this is a comparative again, so we can't use the most readable or as readable. Readable is a three-syllable adjective, so it doesn't change its form in the comparative. We should therefore use more readable.

Question 15
Select the correct adjective form.
There are currently _________________________ women living in Germany than there are in India.

Few is a regular monosyllabic adjective used instead of less with countable nouns. It changes to fewer in the comparative form and the fewest in the superlative form. The word than indicates that this sentence is a comparative, so we should use fewer here.

Question 16
Select the correct adjective form.
The population of Paris is a lot _________________________ than the population of Moscow.

Less is an irregular adjective used with uncountable nouns. It stays as less in the comparative form and changes to the least in the superlative form. The word than indicates that this sentence is a comparative, so we should use less here.

Question 17
Select the correct adjective form.
Do you think learning Chinese is a lot _________________________ than learning English?

The word than indicates that this is a comparative, so we can't use most difficult or as difficult. Difficult is a three-syllable adjective, so it doesn't change its form in the comparative. We should therefore use more difficult.

Question 18
Select the correct adjective form.
He said that Donald Trump is a far _________________________ president than Barack Obama.

Good is an irregular adjective that becomes better in the comparative form and the best in the superlative form. The word than indicates that this sentence is a comparative, so we should use better here.

Comparative and superlative

Comparative vs superlative: comparative compares two things (taller than); superlative picks the extreme from three or more (the tallest). If there are only two options, never use the superlative — the taller of the two, not the tallest of the two.

Comparatives use -er or more; superlatives use -est or most. Short adjectives take suffixes; longer ones take more/most. A small irregular set (good/better/best) follows no pattern.

Diagnostic: how many items are being compared? Two → comparative. Three+ → superlative. Also: never double up (more better is always wrong).

Adjective

Adjective vs adverb: both describe things, but adjectives attach to nouns while adverbs attach to verbs. A quick answer (adjective → noun) vs answered quickly (adverb → verb).

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun — telling you what kind, which one, or how many: a red car, something useful, three heavy boxes.

Diagnostic test: if the word describes a thing or person, use the adjective form. If it describes an action, you need the adverb (-ly) form instead.

Adverb

Adverb vs adjective: adjectives describe things; adverbs describe actions, qualities, or degrees. The mix-up usually happens after action verbs — she sings beautiful (wrong) vs she sings beautifully (right).

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb: incredibly fast, she spoke softly, we go often.

Diagnostic: ask what word is this describing? If it's a verb (an action) → adverb. If it's a noun (a thing) → adjective. Exception: linking verbs (be, seem, taste) take adjectives, not adverbs.

Modifier

Modifier vs complement: modifiers are optional — remove them and the sentence still works (He walked is fine without slowly). Complements are required — remove them and the sentence breaks (She is ___). This determines whether something is extra detail or essential structure.

A modifier adds optional information to another element: adjectives for nouns, adverbs for verbs/adjectives/clauses.

Diagnostic: can you remove it without making the sentence ungrammatical? Yes → modifier. No → complement. Is it next to the word it modifies? If not → dangling/misplaced modifier error.

Morphology

Morphology vs vocabulary: vocabulary is about knowing whole words; morphology is about understanding how words are built. If you know that -tion makes nouns and un- means "not," you can guess the meaning of words you've never seen before. Morphology multiplies your vocabulary without extra memorisation.

Morphology studies word-building: roots, prefixes, and suffixes. English mixes Germanic and Latin morphology, giving it unusually many building blocks.

Diagnostic: can you break the word into meaningful pieces? Yes → use morphology to decode it. Is it a single unanalysable chunk (dog, run)? → simple root, no morphology needed.

B2 | Upper Intermediate

B2 vs C1: B2 means effective communication on complex topics with some effort. C1 means effortless fluency with precise register control. If you can argue a point but still reach for words and make structural slips under pressure, you're B2.

B2 is the upper-intermediate CEFR level: mixed conditionals, complex passives, reported speech with backshift, participle clauses, and sustained written argument.

Diagnostic: does your writing read as "competent non-native" or "could be native"? The former → B2. The latter → C1.

Hard

Hard vs Medium: Medium tests one rule with realistic distractors. Hard tests interacting rules, edge cases, or context-dependent answers where multiple options seem correct until you think deeply. If you're scoring 80%+ on Medium, try Hard to find your real gaps.

The Hard tag filters for B2+ challenges with layered difficulty: rule interactions, subtle distractors, and contexts that demand genuine grammatical reasoning.

Diagnostic: if Hard questions feel impossible, drop to Medium and master the individual rules first. Hard assumes you already know each rule — it tests whether you can apply them together.