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 between two or more nouns or pronouns. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns or pronouns, indicating that one has a higher 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 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: monosyllabic adjectives
Type II: multisyllabic adjectives
Type III: irregular adjectives
Type I: Monosyllabic Adjectives
Type I adjectives have only one syllable. Such as hot, big, tall, short, etc.
Type I: Comparative Degree
Monosyllabic adjectives can be turned into comparative adjectives by adding the suffix '-er' to the end of the adjective. For example:
hot → hotter
large → larger
tall → taller
dry → drier
Type I: Superlative Degree
The superlative degree of monosyllabic adjectives is formed by adding the suffix '-est' to the end of the adjective and the definite article 'the' before the adjective. Take a look at the examples:
tall → the tallest
large → the largest
dry → the driest
Spelling Rules for Type I Adjectives
As you can see in the examples above, the spelling of some adjectives changes when forming comparative and superlative adjectives. Here are some of the rules governing these changes:
If the adjective ends in '-e', add only '-r' for comparative and '-st' for superlative.
large → larger → the largest
nice → nicer → the nicest
pale → paler → the palest
If the adjective ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant before adding '-er' for comparative and '-est' for superlative.
big → bigger → the biggest
wet → wetter → the wettest
mad → madder → the maddest
If the adjective ends with a consonant + -y, change '-y' to '-i', then add '-er' for comparative or '-est' for superlative.
dry → drier → the driest
sly → slier → the sliest
Exceptions
There are some exceptions to these rules. For example, some monosyllabic adjectives end in '-y' but do not change their '-y' to '-i' to form comparatives:
shy → shyer → shyest
Type II: Multisyllabic Adjectives
Type II adjectives have more than one syllable. We can divide type II adjectives into two groups:
multisyllabic adjectives
multisyllabic adjectives ending in -y
Type II: Comparative Degree
When we have a multisyllabic adjective, we can form its corresponding comparative adjective by using the adverb 'more' before the adjective
beautiful → more beautiful
difficult → more difficult
wonderful → more wonderful
For multisyllabic adjectives ending in -y, we can form the comparative adjective by changing -y to -i, and then adding the suffix '-er', or simply adding 'more' before the adjective. For example:
easy → easier/more easy
funny → funnier/more funny
pretty → prettier/more pretty
Type II: Superlative Degree
When we have a multisyllabic adjective, we can form its corresponding superlative adjective by using the adverb 'most' in the structure 'the + most + adjective'. Here are some examples:
beautiful → the most beautiful
difficult → the most difficult
wonderful → the most wonderful
For multisyllabic adjectives ending in -y, we can form the superlative degree by changing -y to -i, and then adding the suffix -est or just using 'the most' before the adjective.
easy → the easiest
funny → the funniest
pretty → the prettiest
Using 'Less' and 'The Least'
English does not have specific comparative and superlative forms that show lower or the lowest degree of a quality. Instead, we use the adverbs 'less' and 'the least' before adjectives to show that they have a lower or the lowest degree of a quality. This applies to both type I and type II adjectives. For example:
I'm searching for a less demanding career.
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.
The table below lists 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 |
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 with two comparative adjectives coordinated using "and":
The percentage got smaller and smaller.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
indicate dependency of one thing on another using the comparative adjective after the definite article "the":
The older he grows, the wiser he becomes.
The darker the berry, the juicier it is.
Review
We use comparative and superlative adjectives to make comparisons between people or things. We can categorize adjectives into three groups based on how their comparative and superlative degrees are formed:
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. |
Quiz:
Which sentence uses the correct comparative form?
This puzzle is more easier than the last one.
Her new phone is more expensive than mine.
The weather is getting cold and colder.
This is the most fast route.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Match each sentence to its adjective form.
Complete the sentence with the correct comparative form of the adjective in parentheses.
Today is much
(cold) than yesterday.
This is
(pretty) dress in the store.
Her test score was
(good) than mine.
The
(long) we waited, the
(hungry) we became.
Which sentence correctly shows progressive change using comparatives?
The days are getting more short.
The baby's walking became steadier and steadier.
She is more smart than her brother.
The more you practice, the better you become.
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