English uses comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs to show differences and extremes when comparing people, things, or actions. They help us describe not just a quality, but how much of that quality something has compared to others.
1. Comparative Form: Showing Difference Between TWO
We use the comparative form to compare two nouns (people, places, things) or two actions.
- Adjectives: To say one thing has more or less of a quality than another.
- Short adjectives (one syllable):
Adjective + -er + than
Example: “My dog is bigger than your dog.”
“She is taller than her brother.”
- Longer adjectives (two or more syllables, or ending in -ing, -ed, -ful, -less):
more/less + adjective + than
Example: “This book is more interesting than that movie.”
“The red car is less expensive than the blue car.”
- Adverbs: To compare how two actions are performed.
- Short adverbs (often same form as adjectives):
Adverb + -er + than
Example: “He runs faster than I do.”
“She arrived earlier than expected.”
- Adverbs ending in -ly:
more/less + adverb + than
Example: “He drives more carefully than his wife.”
“She sings less beautifully than the professional singer.”
Key phrase for comparatives: “–er than” or “more/less – than.”
2. Superlative Form: Showing Extremes Among THREE OR MORE
We use the superlative form to compare three or more nouns or actions, indicating which one has the most or least of a particular quality.
- Adjectives: To say one thing is the absolute top or bottom of a group.
- Short adjectives (one syllable):
the + adjective + -est
Example: “He is the tallest student in the class.”
“Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.”
- Long adjectives (two or more syllables):
the most/least + adjective
Example: “That was the most exciting movie I've ever seen.”
“This is the least complicated problem on the test.”
- Adverbs: To compare how actions are performed, indicating the extreme.
- Short adverbs (one syllable or same as adjective):
the + adverb + -est
Example: “Of all the runners, she ran the fastest.”
“He works the hardest in the office.”
- Adverbs ending in -ly:
the most/least + adverb
Example: “She speaks the most eloquently of all the presenters.”
“He performed the least gracefully during the dance.”
Key phrase for superlatives: “the –est” or “the most/least –.”
3. Irregular Forms
Certain adjectives and adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms that must be memorized:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|
| good | better | best |
| well | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much / many | more | most |
4. General Rules for Formation
- One-syllable adjectives/adverbs: Add
-er for comparative, -est for superlative.
*Spelling:* If ending in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the final consonant before adding -er/-est (e.g., big → bigger → biggest; hot → hotter → hottest).
*Spelling:* If ending in -e, just add -r/-st (e.g., nice → nicer → nicest; wide → wider → widest).
- Two-syllable adjectives ending in
-y: Change -y → -i, then add -er / -est.
*Example:* happy → happier → happiest; easy → easier → easiest.
- Two or more syllable adjectives (not ending in
-y) and most -ly adverbs: Use more/less for comparatives, most/least for superlatives.
*Example:* beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful; important → less important → least important; slowly → more slowly → most slowly.
Understanding and using comparatives and superlatives correctly is fundamental for expressing nuanced comparisons in English.