French Grammar in Context

• Inversion after direct speech: explique son père (lines 41–2); explique Bertrand Guyard (line 61);
  explique-t-il (line 85) (see Chapter 30)


• Word order with numerals: les dix ou quinze premiers (lines 80–1), as opposed to the English
  ‘the first ten or fifteen’.


• Past tenses (passé composé and past historic): Gata Kamsky qui fut champion à douze ans a
  annoncé (lines 90–1) (see Chapters 2 and 5)

Discover more about comparatives and superlatives

1 COMPARATIVES

a Plus... que as seen in the text expresses a comparison of superiority. Comparisons indicating

equality or inferiority are expressed by aussi... que and moins... que.

e.g. Il fait aussi chaud qu’hier

e.g. Ce dictionnaire est moins complet que le tien

b The comparatives observed in the text are comparatives formed with adjectives. Similar

constructions can be used with adverbs.

e.g. Il s’exprime plus clairement que les autres

Je le fais aussi rarement que possible

Ce bateau va moins vite que celui-ci

c In cases where the comparative is followed by a subordinate clause, ne is added before the verb

in careful writing.

e.g. C’est plus sinistre que vous ne le croyez

d In negative sentences, plus and moins do not change but aussi can occasionally become si.

e.g. Il n’est pas aussi riche que tu l’imagines/Il n’est pas si riche que tu l’imagines

e The comparative can be followed by a noun. In such cases de must be added after

plus/autant/moins.

e.g. Elle a eu moins de chance que Céline

2 SUPERLATIVES

aAs is the case with comparatives, superlatives can be formed with adjectives or adverbs.

e.g. Elle lui rend visite le plus souvent possible.

Note that with an adverb le plus is invariable.

b When an adjective precedes a noun, the same word order is kept in the superlative form of the

adjective, e.g. le jeune grand maître > le plus jeune grand maître. However, most French

adjectives follow the noun and their superlatives follow the same pattern.

e.g. un acteur connu > l’acteur le plus connu

118 French Grammar in Context