Hi everyone! Welcome to this blog on how to use comparative and superlative adjectives! These aren’t just grammatical terms, but wonderful tools that we can use to brighten up your conversational English and writing. Let’s get started!
So, what is an adjective?
I have 2 very simple sentences for you.
- Joan is a woman.
- She is wearing a dress.
How can we make these sentences more interesting? We can add adjectives.
- Joan is a tall woman.
- She is wearing a pretty red dress.
Tall, pretty, and red are my adjectives.
Look around your room, your classroom, or your office. What adjectives can you think of?
What is a syllable?
A syllable is a natural “break” in the pronunciation.
- The word “fast” has 1 syllable.
- The word “happy” has 2 syllables. ha-pee
- The word “powerful” has 3 syllables. po-wer-ful
- The word “intelligent” has 4 syllables. in-te-lli-gent
Yes, there are words with more than 4 syllables in English. Look at the list of adjectives. Say each word aloud so you can hear how many syllables they have.
1. cheap – 1 syllable
2. strong – 1 syllable
3. tall – 1 syllable
4. big – 1 syllable
5. simple – 2 syllables
6. modern – 2 syllables
7. active – 2 syllables
8. awkward – 2 syllables
9. delicious – 3 syllables
10. beautiful – 3 syllables
11. dangerous – 3 syllables
12. creative – 3 syllables
13. complicated – 4 syllables
14. impossible – 4 syllables
15. mysterious – 4 syllables
Rule 1: One-Syllable Adjectives
Let’s start with adjectives that have only one syllable. The pattern for forming comparatives and superlatives is consistent: add “-er” for the comparative and “the + est” for the superlative.
adjective: small
comparative: smaller
superlative: the smallest
adjective: cold
comparative: colder
superlative: the coldest
adjective: loud
comparative: louder
superlative: the loudest
If your adjective already ends in an “e,” you only add the -r and -st.
adjective: cute
comparative: cuter
superlative: the cutest
Examples:
- A hedgehog is a small animal.
- A mouse is smaller than a hedgehog.
smaller that / smaller then - Hummingbirds are the smallest animal in this group.
- Tuesday was cold.
- Wednesday was colder than Tuesday.
- But, Thursday was the coldest day last week.
It’s OK to omit “than + object” when it’s already clear what you’re talking about.
Rule 2: One-Syllable Adjectives with CVC
What does CVC mean? C = consonant V = vowel C = consonant
When your one-syllable adjective ends with a CVC, double the last consonant:
red – redder – the reddest
big – bigger – the biggest
mad – madder – the maddest
slim – slimmer – the slimmest
Verbs like “slow” are an exception. Even though “slow” has a CVC ending, it actually ends with a vowel sound. This is why the forms are spelled: slow – slower slowwer – the slowest the slowwest
Rule 3: Adjectives with 2 or More Syllables
For adjectives with two or more syllables, the pattern is to use “more” for the comparative and “the most” for the superlative.
(2 syllables)
adjective: active
comparative: more active
superlative: the most active
(3 syllables)
adjective: beautiful
comparative: more beautiful beautifuler
superlative: the most beautiful beautifulest
(3 syllables)
adjective: creative
comparative: more creative
superlative: the most creative
It’s important to note that some 2-syllable adjectives can take the “-er/-est” or “more/the most” forms.
adjective: polite
comparative: politer OR more polite
superlative: the politest OR the most polite
Other adjectives in this group include: clever, gentle, quiet, simple, narrow , stupid, common
Rule 4: Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in “y”
When dealing with two-syllable adjectives ending in “y,” remove the “y” and add “ier” or “iest” for the comparative and superlative forms.
adjective: lazy
comparative: lazier
superlative: the laziest
adjective: spicy
comparative: spicier
superlative: the spiciest
Other common “-y” adjectives include: happy, funny, friendly, silly, grumpy, shiny, cozy, tasty, messy, noisy
Rule 5: Exceptions and Irregular Adjectives
adjective: good
comparative: better
superlative: the best
adjective: bad
comparative: worse
superlative: the worse
adjective (often an adverb too): far
comparative: farther OR further
superlative: the farthest OR the furthest
- I had a good day yesterday.
- Today was better than yesterday.
- Tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life.
- I live far from the office.
- I live farther / further from the office than you.
- I live the farthest / the furthest from the office than anyone here.
Here is a summary of all the rules in a single chart.
Small and Big Comparisons
Let’s look at some words you can use to make small comparisons.
informal:
a bit
a tad
neutral:
a little
a little bit
slightly
formal:
marginally
- My pool is a bit smaller than the pool in the hotel.
- Charlie can run a mile a tad faster than Jeff.
- My skin is always a little drier in the winter than in the summer.
- My new car is slightly more fuel-efficient than my last car.
- Despite tripling their advertising budget, the company’s profits were only marginally better than the last quarter.
Let’s look at some words you can use to speak about big differences.
informal:
a lot
way
neutral:
far
(so) much
formal:
significantly
considerably
- My mom has always been far more supportive of me than my dad.
- You got 100% on your physics exam? You are a lot smarter than me / way smarter than me*.
- After the renovation, our kitchen is much more spacious than it used to be.
- Updates to the hotel’s booking system made it significantly more user-friendly.
- I used to drink four cups of coffee a day. But, after deciding to only drink two cups of coffee in the morning, I became considerably more energetic.
* We can use both “than me” and “than I.” THAN can either be a preposition (which is followed by an object) or a conjunction (which is followed by a subject).
Using an object pronoun is less formal, but more common.
Using a subject pronoun is more formal, but less common.
- You are smarter than me. = correct, but considered less formal
- You are smarter than I. = correct, but considered formal and perhaps slightly old-fashioned
- You are smarter than I am. = considered the most correct
We’ve looked at modifying comparatives, but what about superlatives? Because superlatives already give you the most intense form of an adjective, is it possible to show small and big differences? In some ways…
Whether we are talking about small differences or big differences we are still making the adjectives more intense.
argumentative < more argumentative < the most argumentative
But, what if we want to make an adjective weaker? We use “less” and “the least.”
argumentative > less argumentative > the least argumentative
● Sandy, Paul and Ryan are all argumentative. I chose Paul to be my partner because he’s the least argumentative.
expensive < more expensive < the most expensive
expensive > less expensive > the least expensive
My new car insurance plan is less expensive than my old one. It’s still expensive, but it’s less expensive. I tried to get the least expensive plan I could find.
Normally we use “less” and “the least” with long adjectives, but you may see “less” and “least” being used with short adjectives.
the least hot < less hot < hot < hotter < the hottest
Friday will be the least hot day of the week. Phew.
Important! Do not try to form a double comparative or superlative:
less hot less hotter
the least hot the least hottest
If you look at the above chart, you can see that fish and birds have the same popularity.
What can we do to describe two things that are the same?
AS + ADJECTIVE + AS
Fish are as popular as birds.
negative: Fish are not as popular as birds
Today is as cold as yesterday.
negative: Today is not as cold as yesterday.
Buses in my town are as frequent as the trams.
negative: Buses in my town are not as frequent as the trams.
Dancing is as relaxing as reading.
negative: Dancing is not as relaxing as reading.
Common mistake: You are as taller than me.
✔You are as tall as me. = the same
✔you are taller than me. = different
Don’t combine the structures.
the + comparative
Usually, we only see “the” with superlatives. But, we can use “the + comparative + noun” when we are comparing two things.
A: Which slice of cake would you like?
B: Can I have the bigger slice, please?
Melissa and Olive are sisters and they’re on the swim team. Melissa is the faster swimmer, but Olive is the better student.
I was offered two jobs. I chose the more challenging one.
We can often replace “the” with a possessive form before a superlative.
- I think Angels and Demons is Dan Brown’s best book. / his best book.
- A diamond ring my grandma gave to me is my most precious possession.
- Expresso Box is this town’s smallest café.
Look at the two images. Can you complete the tests? Keep scrolling down for the answers.
- TEST 1
- TEST 2
- TEST 1 ANSWERS:
1. cheaper than
2. the cheapest
3. wetter than
4. the wettest
5. more complicated than
6. the most complicated
7. funnier
8. the funniest
9. bad
10. the worse
- TEST 2 ANSWERS:
1. a little
2. significantly
3. far happier
4. more dependent
5. less affectionate
6. the least absorbent
7. as slow as
8. not as dark as
9. the better
10. My most rewarding
