{
  "chapter_id": "34",
  "slug": "comparatives-superlatives",
  "title": "Comparatives & Superlatives",
  "time_range_sec": [9252, 9567],
  "summary": "Spanish forms comparatives with más/menos + adjective and superlatives by adding a definite article before más/menos; four common irregulars are mejor, peor, mayor, menor.",
  "suggested_grammar_note_id": "comparatives-superlatives",
  "rules": [
    {"title": "Comparative", "bullets": ["Pattern: más/menos + adjective (+ que + reference).", "Adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun."]},
    {"title": "Superlative", "bullets": ["Pattern: el/la/los/las + (noun) + más/menos + adjective.", "Article matches the noun's gender and number."]},
    {"title": "Equality", "bullets": ["tan + adjective + como = as … as.", "tanto/a/os/as + noun + como for nouns."]},
    {"title": "Que vs de", "bullets": ["Use 'que' to compare two things: más alto que su hermano.", "Use 'de' before numbers: más de cinco, menos de veinte."]},
    {"title": "Irregulars", "bullets": ["bueno → mejor / el mejor.", "malo → peor / el peor.", "joven → menor / el menor (mostly for age).", "viejo → mayor / el mayor (mostly for age)."]}
  ],
  "examples": [
    {"es": "Esta clase es más pequeña.", "en": "This class is smaller.", "tags": ["comparative"]},
    {"es": "Esta clase es la más pequeña.", "en": "This class is the smallest.", "tags": ["superlative"]},
    {"es": "Esta camisa es más cara que la otra.", "en": "This shirt is more expensive than the other one.", "tags": ["comparative", "que"]},
    {"es": "Esta camisa es la menos cara.", "en": "This shirt is the least expensive.", "tags": ["superlative", "menos"]},
    {"es": "Esta lección es mejor.", "en": "This lesson is better.", "tags": ["irregular"]},
    {"es": "Esta lección es la mejor.", "en": "This lesson is the best.", "tags": ["irregular", "superlative"]},
    {"es": "Este libro es peor que aquel.", "en": "This book is worse than that one.", "tags": ["irregular"]},
    {"es": "El niño es el menor.", "en": "The boy is the youngest.", "tags": ["irregular", "age"]},
    {"es": "Ella es la mayor de la familia.", "en": "She is the oldest in the family.", "tags": ["irregular", "age"]},
    {"es": "Tengo más de cinco libros.", "en": "I have more than five books.", "tags": ["de", "number"]},
    {"es": "Ana es tan alta como María.", "en": "Ana is as tall as María.", "tags": ["equality"]},
    {"es": "Esta casa tiene menos habitaciones que la mía.", "en": "This house has fewer rooms than mine.", "tags": ["nouns"]}
  ],
  "vocab": [
    {"es": "más", "en": "more / most", "pos": "adv"},
    {"es": "menos", "en": "less / least", "pos": "adv"},
    {"es": "que", "en": "than", "pos": "phrase"},
    {"es": "tan…como", "en": "as…as", "pos": "phrase"},
    {"es": "mejor", "en": "better / best", "pos": "adj"},
    {"es": "peor", "en": "worse / worst", "pos": "adj"},
    {"es": "mayor", "en": "older / oldest", "pos": "adj"},
    {"es": "menor", "en": "younger / youngest", "pos": "adj"}
  ],
  "conjugation_tables": [],
  "exercises": [
    {"sentence": "Mi coche es _____ rápido que el tuyo.", "correct": "más", "distractor": "muy", "explanation": "Comparison uses más + adjective + que."},
    {"sentence": "Esta es _____ mejor película del año.", "correct": "la", "distractor": "más", "explanation": "Mejor is irregular; superlative just needs the article."},
    {"sentence": "Tengo más _____ veinte libros.", "correct": "de", "distractor": "que", "explanation": "Before a number use de, not que."},
    {"sentence": "Ana es tan inteligente _____ Luis.", "correct": "como", "distractor": "que", "explanation": "Equality: tan…como."},
    {"sentence": "Mi abuela es la _____ de mis abuelas.", "correct": "mayor", "distractor": "más vieja", "explanation": "For age, use mayor (more polite/standard)."},
    {"sentence": "Este examen fue _____ que el anterior.", "correct": "peor", "distractor": "más malo", "explanation": "Irregular comparative of malo is peor."},
    {"sentence": "Ella es la _____ de la clase.", "correct": "menor", "distractor": "más joven", "explanation": "Both are accepted, but menor is the standard irregular."},
    {"sentence": "Esta casa tiene _____ habitaciones que la mía.", "correct": "menos", "distractor": "menor", "explanation": "Use menos to mean 'fewer' before nouns."}
  ],
  "caveats": "OCR repeatedly garbled menos/más, mayor/menor; reconstructed from the on-screen labels and standard grammar."
}
