LoginComparative and Superlative Adjectives
This article dives into the rules and usage of comparative and superlative adjectives, like "more interesting" and "most interesting". Detailed explanations and a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
Comparative and superlative adjectives are forms of adjectives that are used to compare the degree or level of a quality or characteristic between two or more nouns or pronouns. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns or pronouns, indicating that one has a higher or lower degree or level of quality than the other. Superlative adjectives, on the other hand, are used to compare more than two nouns or pronouns, indicating that one has the highest or lowest degree or level of quality.
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives: Types
Based on how the comparative and superlative forms of an adjective are formed, we can categorize them into three groups:
Type I: monosyllable adjectives
Type II: multisyllable adjectives
Type III: irregular adjectives
Type I: Monosyllable Adjectives
Type I adjectives have only one syllable. Such as hot, big, tall, short, etc.
Type I: Comparative Adjectives
Monosyllabic adjectives can be made into comparative adjectives by adding the suffix '-er' to the adjective. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns or pronouns, indicating that one has a higher or lower degree or level of a quality than the other. For example:
hot → hotter
large → larger
tall → taller
dry → drier
Spelling Rules for Comparative Adjectives
As you can see in the examples above, the spelling of some adjectives changes when forming a comparative adjective. Here are some of the rules governing the spelling of comparative adjectives:
If the adjective ends in '-e', only add '-r'.
large → larger
nice → nicer
pale → paler
If the adjective ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant and add '-er.'
big → bigger
wet → wetter
mad → madder
If the adjective ends in a consonant + '-y', change '-y' to '-i', then add '-er.'
dry → drier
sly → slier
Exceptions
There are some exceptions to these rules. For example, some monosyllable adjectives end in '-y' but do not change their '-y' to '-i' to form comparatives:
shy → shyer
Type I: Superlative Adjectives
A superlative adjective compares one thing/person/place to all the others in the same group. We can form a superlative by adding the suffix '-est' to the end of the monosyllable adjective and 'the' before the adjective. Pay attention to the examples:
tall → the tallest
large → the largest
dry → the driest
Spelling Rules for Superlative Adjectives
As you can see in the examples above, the spelling of some adjectives changes when forming superlative adjectives. Here are some of the rules governing these changes:
If the adjective ends in '-e', add '-st'.
large → the largest
nice → the nicest
pale → the palest
If the adjective ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant and add '-est'.
big → the biggest
wet → the wettest
mad → the maddest
If the adjective ends with a consonant + -y, change -y to -i, then add -est.
dry → the driest
sly → the sliest
Type II: Multisyllable Adjectives
Type II adjectives have more than one syllable. We can divide type II adjectives into two groups:
multisyllable adjectives
multisyllable adjectives ending in -y
Type II: Comparative Adjectives
When we have a multisyllable adjective, we can form its corresponding comparative adjective by using the determiner 'more' before the adjective
beautiful → more beautiful
difficult → more difficult
wonderful → more wonderful
For multi-syllable adjectives ending in -y, we can form the comparative adjective by changing -y to -i, and then adding the suffix '-er'. For example:
easy → easier
funny → funnier
pretty → prettier
Using 'Less'
When comparing two things using a multi-syllable adjective, we use the word 'less' to modify a noun as having a lower amount of quality. For example:
These flowers are less expensive than I had expected.
I'm searching for a less demanding career.
Type II: Superlative Adjectives
When we have a multi-syllable adjective, we can form its corresponding superlative adjective by using the determiner 'most' in the structure 'the + most + adj.'. Pay attention to the examples:
beautiful → the most beautiful
difficult → the most difficult
wonderful → the most wonderful
For multi-syllable adjectives ending in -y, we can form the superlative adjective by changing -y to -i, and then adding the suffix -est.
easy → the easiest
funny → the funniest
pretty → the prettiest
Using 'The Least'
When we have a multi-syllable adjective, we use 'the least' to modify a noun as having the lowest level of a quality. For example:
She is my least favorite person in the world.
I am looking for the least expensive house in the area.
Type III: Irregular Adjectives
Irregular adjectives do not follow the rules we discussed so far. You have to memorize their comparative and superlative forms.
In the table below, you can see some of the common irregular adjectives in English :
Comparative | Superlative | |
|---|---|---|
good | better | the best |
bad | worse | the worst |
well | better | the best |
far (extent) | further | the furthest |
far (distance) | farther | the farthest |
many | more | the most |
much | more | the most |
little (amount) | less | the least |
The Preposition 'Than'
'Than' is a preposition that is used to introduce the second part of a comparison.
Ben is taller than Adam.
Lisa is prettier than Megan.
The first question is more difficult than the second one.
Uses
Other than comparison, we can use comparative adjectives to:
show how something or someone changes
We can use two comparatives with 'and' to demonstrate how something or someone is changing. For example:
The percentage got smaller and smaller.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
indicate dependency of one thing on another
We can use comparative adjectives with 'the' to indicate that one thing depends on another. Look at the examples:
The older he grows, the wiser he becomes.
The darker the berry, the juicier it is.
Review
To make comparisons between people or things, we have no choice but to use comparative and superlative adjectives. There are three types of each which were discussed in detail throughout the article.
type 1 | type 2 | type 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
comparative | My husband is taller than his brother. | My mother is more beautiful than hers. | The yellow dress is better than the blue one. |
superlative | My husband is the tallest in their office. | My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. | This is the best wedding dress. |
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