When
you compare two people or things, use the comparative form of the
adjective.
Lots of comparative adjectives end in
-er.
cheap
cheaper
clear
clearer
loud
louder
new newer
old older
rich
richer
short
shorter
tall
taller
slow
slower
thick thicker
The
word than is often used with comparative adjectives. For example, you might
say:
Jack
is taller than John.
A sports car is faster than a
motorbike.
Use
the superlative form of an adjective to compare three or more nouns. Lots of superlatives
end in -est.
clean
- cleaner - cleanest
easy
- easier - easiest
fat
fatter fattest
flat
- flatter - flattest
heavy
- heavier - heaviest
hot -
hotter - hottest
narrow
- narrower - narrowest
noisy
- noisier - noisiest
simple
- simpler - simplest
thin
- thinner - thinnest
wet - wetter - wettest
You
often add the before the superlative form. For example, you say:
Mount
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Peter is the tallest boy in his
class.
With
adjectives that end in -e, add -r to form the comparative, and -st to form the
superlative. For example:
Comparative
Superlative
close
- closer - closest
large
- larger - largest
safe
- safer - safest
wide
- wider - widest
Some adjectives
have only one syllable, end with a consonant, and have a single vowel before
the consonant. With these adjectives, double the last letter before adding –er
to form the comparative, and -est to form the superlative.
For example:
Comparative
Superlative
big
bigger biggest
dim -
dimmer - dimmest
mad -
madder - maddest
sad -
sadder - saddest
Some adjectives
have two syllables and end in -y. With these adjectives change the y to
i. Then add -er to form the comparative, and -est to
form the superlative. For example:
Comparative
Superlative
busy
busier busiest
dirty
dirtier dirtiest
happy
happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest
With
some adjectives, you use more to make the comparative form, and most to
make the superlative form.
active
- more active - most active
charming
- more charming - most charming
cheerful
- more cheerful - most cheerful
comfortable
- more comfortable - most comfortable
delicious - more delicious - most
delicious
Adjectives
that form their comparative and superlative with more and most are usually adjectives
with two or more syllables, or sounds. For example:
ac-tive
ex-pen-sive
beau-ti-ful
fa-mous
charm-ing
for-tu-nate
cheer-ful
in-tel-li-gent
com-fort-a-ble
pow-er-ful
de-li-cious
val-u-a-ble
The
comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives are completely different
words.
good - better - best
little - less - least
bad -
worse - worst
few -
less - least
many
more most
much more most
With
these adjectives, you don’t add -er or more to form the comparative, or -est or
most to form the superlative.
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