Comparative 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.

"Comparative and Superlative Adjectives" in English Grammar

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:

1.

Type I: monosyllabic adjectives

2.

Type II: multisyllabic adjectives

3.

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:

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:

Example

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.

Example

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.

Example

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.

Example

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:

Example

shy → shyer → shyest

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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

Example

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:

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:

Example

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.

Example

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:

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.

Example

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":

Example

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":

Example

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:


1.

Which adjective follows the same spelling rule as big → bigger?

A

happy

B

thin

C

nice

D

smart

2.

Sort the words to make a sentence.

hotter
is
summer
than
last
this
summer
.
3.

Match each sentence to the type of adjective used in it.

This puzzle is harder than the last one.
This is the best cake I've ever tasted!
Her essay was more impressive than mine.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Type II comparative
Type I superlative
Type III superlative
Type I comparative
4.

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the adjective in the parentheses.

Her new apartment is

(nice) that her old one.

That was

(bad) movie I've ever seen!

This puzzle is

(challenging) than it looks.

The little boy was even

(shy) than his sister.

This is

(expensive) car I have ever seen.

5.

Which sentence uses comparative adjectives to show dependency of one thing on another?

A

The building is getting taller every year.

B

Everything is getting more and more expensive.

C

The faster he runs, the more tired he gets.

D

Prices are higher now than they were last year.

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