Comparative and superlative adjectives

Comparative and superlative adjectives

Level: beginner

We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons:

This car is certainly better,but it’s much more expensive.
I’m feeling happier now.
We need a bigger garden.

We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:

She is two years older than me.
New York is much bigger than Boston.
He is a better player than Ronaldo.
France is a bigger country than Britain.

When we want to describe how something or someone changes we can use two comparatives with and:

The balloon got bigger and bigger.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
Grandfather is looking older and older. 

We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another:

The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is. 
(= When you drive faster, it is more dangerous.)

The higher they climbed, the colder it got. 
(= When they climbed higher, it got colder.)

Superlative adjectives

We use the with superlative adjectives:

It was the happiest day of my life.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
That’s the best film I have seen this year.
I have three sisters: Jan is the oldest and Angela is the youngest. 

How to form comparative and superlative adjectives

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons:

• This car is certainly better, but it’s much more expensive.
• I’m feeling happier now.
• We need a bigger garden.

We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:

• She is two years older than me.
• New York is much bigger than Boston.
• He is a better player than Ronaldo.
• France is a bigger country than Britain.

When we want to describe how something or someone changes we can use two comparatives with and:

• The balloon got bigger and bigger.
• Everything is getting more and more expensive.
• Grandfather is looking older and older. 

We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another:

• The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is. 

(= When you drive faster, it is more dangerous.)

• The higher they climbed, the colder it got. 

(= When they climbed higher, it got colder.)

Superlative adjectives

We use the with superlative adjectives as follows:

• It was the happiest day of my life.
• Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
• That’s the best film I have seen this year.
• I have three sisters: Jan is the oldest and Angela is the youngest. 

How to form comparative and superlative adjectives

We usually add –er and –est to one-syllable words to make comparatives and superlatives:

old	older	oldest
long	longer	longest

If an adjective ends in –e, we add –r or –st:

nice	nicer	nicest
large	larger	largest

If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we double the consonant:

big	bigger	biggest
fat	fatter	fattest

If an adjective ends in a consonant and –y, we change –y to –i and add –er or –est:

happy	happier	happiest
silly	sillier	silliest

We use more and most to make comparatives and superlatives for most two syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:

careful	more careful	most careful
interesting	more interesting	most interesting

However, with these common two-syllable adjectives, you can either add –er/–r and –est/–st or use more and most:

common cruel gentle handsome likely

narrow pleasant polite simple stupid

• He is certainly handsomer than his brother.
• His brother is handsome, but he is more handsome.
• She is one of the politest people I have ever met.
• She is the most polite person I have ever met.

The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparatives and superlatives:

good	better	Best
bad	worse	worst
far	farther/further	farthest/furthest

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AGH / Jan 2020