English Grammar - Comparative and Superlative Adjectives (Rules)

 

English Grammar

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

(Rules) 

Comparative adjectives

We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons.

Examples:

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.

Examples:

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 use two comparatives with ‘and’.

Examples:

The balloon got bigger and bigger.

Everything is getting more and more expensive.

Grandfather is looking older and older.

 

We use ‘the’ with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another.

Examples:

The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.

The higher they climbed, the colder it got.

 

Superlative adjectives

We always use ‘the’ with superlative adjectives.

Examples:

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.

 

Usually –er and –est are added to one-syllable-words to make comparatives and superlatives.

Examples:

Old – older - oldest

Long - longer - longest

 

If an adjective ends in –e, –r and –st are added to make comparatives and superlatives.

Examples:

Nice – nicer - nicest

large   - larger - largest

 

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

Examples:

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.

Examples:

Happy – happier - happiest

Silly - sillier - silliest

 

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

Examples:

Careful - more careful - most careful

Interesting - more interesting - most interesting

 

With the common two-syllable adjectives, we can either add –er/–r and –est/–st or use ‘more’ and ‘most’.

Examples:

He is 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.

 

Some adjectives, like good, bad and far have irregular comparatives and superlatives.

Examples:

good   - better - best

bad - worse - worst

far - farther/further - farthest/furthest