Comparatives and Superlatives

What Are Comparatives And Superlatives?

1. We use comparatives to compare two things or two people. (e.g., She is taller than her husband.)
2. Superlatives are used to show the difference between more than two things or more than two people. (e.g Paris is the biggest city in France)

Forming Regular Comparatives And Superlatives

Peter (6 years old)	Charley (5 months old)
Peter is older than Charley. Charley is younger than Peter.

Rules For Forming Regular Comparatives And Superlatives

1. One-syllable adjectives:
   • Comparative: Add “-er” to the adjective.
     • Example: Fast (adjective) → Faster than (comparative).
       • Jane runs faster than her sister.
   • Superlative: Add “-est” to the adjective.
     • Example: Fast (adjective) → The fastest (superlative).
       • This is the fastest car I have ever driven.
2. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y:
   • Comparative: Change the “-y” to “-ier.”
     • Example: Happy (adjective) → Happier than (comparative).
       • He is happier than his brother.
   • Superlative: Change the “-y” to “-iest.”
     • Example: Happy (adjective) → The happiest (superlative).
     • He is the happiest one in his family.
3. Two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y:
   • Comparative: Use “more” before the adjective.
     • Example: Modern (adjective) → More modern than (comparative).
       • New York is more modern than Paris.
   • Superlative: Use “the most” before the adjective.
     • Example: Modern (adjective) → The most modern (superlative).
       • This is the most modern car produced so far.
4. Adjectives with two or more syllables (not ending in -y):
   • Comparative: Use “more” before the adjective.
     • Example: Beautiful (adjective) → More beautiful than (comparative).
       • Her paintings are more beautiful than her sisters.
   • Superlative: Use “the most” before the adjective.
     • Example: Beautiful (adjective) → The most beautiful (superlative).
       • This is the most beautiful day of my life.

Table Illustrating Rules for Regular Comparatives and Superlatives:

Adjective Type	Comparative	Superlative
One-syllable	Adjective + -er + than Example: Betty is taller than Jane	The + Adjective + -est Betty is the tallest in her class.
Two-syllable ending in -y	Adjective + -ier + than Example: He is happier than his brother	The + Adjective + -iest He is the happiest one in his family.
Two-syllable (not ending in -y)	more + Adjective + than Example: It is more modern than the other cities.	The most + Adjective It is the most modern city in the country.
Two or more syllables (not ending in -y)	more + Adjective + than Example: Her paintings are more beautiful than her sisters.	The most + Adjective Example: It is the most beautiful day of my life.

Here’s a table with examples of regular comparatives and superlatives:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
Fast	Faster than	The fastest
Happy	Happier than	The happiest
Modern	More modern than	The most modern
Beautiful	More beautiful than	The most beautiful
Small	Smaller than	The smallest
Tall	Taller than	The tallest
Busy	Busier than	The busiest
Pretty	Prettier than	The prettiest
Quiet	Quieter than	The quietest
Polite	More polite than	The most polite
Important	More important than	The most important
Comfortable	More comfortable than	The most comfortable

Example Sentences With Regular Comparatives And Superlatives

1. Fast:
   • Comparative: She runs faster than her friends during track meets.
   • Superlative: Among all the athletes, she is the fastest runner.
2. Happy:
   • Comparative: After receiving good news, he felt happier than ever before.
   • Superlative: Of all the moments in his life, this is the happiest.
3. Modern:
   • Comparative: The new smartphone is more modern than the previous model.
   • Superlative: Among all the devices, this one is the most modern.
4. Beautiful:
   • Comparative: The sunset at the beach is more beautiful than the sunrise.
   • Superlative: Of all the natural sights, the Grand Canyon is the most beautiful.
5. Small:
   • Comparative: The medium-sized suitcase is smaller than the large one.
   • Superlative: Of all the available options, the handbag is the smallest.
6. Tall:
   • Comparative: Among the group, he is taller than everyone else.
   • Superlative: Of all the basketball players, he is the tallest.
7. Busy:
   • Comparative: During holidays, airports are busier than usual.
   • Superlative: Of all the travel seasons, December is the busiest.
8. Pretty:
   • Comparative: The dress she wore to the party was prettier than the one before.
   • Superlative: Of all her outfits, the gown she wore to the awards ceremony is the prettiest.
9. Quiet:
   • Comparative: The library is quieter than the cafeteria during lunch.
   • Superlative: Of all the places on campus, the reading room is the quietest.
10. Polite:
    • Comparative: In formal settings, it’s essential to be more polite than casual conversations.
    • Superlative: Of all the people in the office, she is the most polite.

Irregular Comparatives And superlatives

Not all adjectives adhere to the above rules for forming comparatives and superlatives. Below is a compilation of irregular comparatives and superlatives. They are exceptions to the standard patterns.

List Of Irregular Comparatives And Superlatives

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
Good	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst
Far (distance)	Farther	Farthest
Far ( extent)	Further	Furthest
Little	Less	Least
Many	More	Most
Much	More	Most

Example Sentences With Irregular Comparatives And Superlatives

1. Good:
   • Comparative: The students with higher grades perform better than their peers.
   • Superlative: Among the three candidates, James is the best at problem-solving.
2. Bad:
   • Comparative: After the recent changes, the situation became worse than expected.
   • Superlative: Among all the possible outcomes, this is the worst scenario.
3. Far:
   • Comparative: Sally’s new apartment is farther from the city center than her previous one.
   • Superlative: Of all the locations considered, the countryside is the farthest from urban life.
4. Little:
   • Comparative: A small investment now could result in less financial stress in the future.
   • Superlative: Of all the expenses, groceries contribute the least to the monthly budget.
5. Many:
   • Comparative: With additional resources, the organization can accomplish more in its projects.
   • Superlative: Among all the teams, ours has achieved the most significant milestones.
6. Much:
   • Comparative: The new system is more efficient; it saves more time than the previous one.
   • Superlative: In terms of productivity, this software is the most effective.

Using Comparatives And Superlatives

Comparatives and superlatives are essential for expressing degrees of comparison in English. They help convey differences in qualities or attributes among people, things, or ideas. Here’s a brief guide on how to use them:

Comparatives

• Comparatives are employed when comparing two entities or individuals.
• The structure typically involves adding “-er” to the adjective.
  • Example: Alan is taller than John.

Superlatives

• Superlatives come into play when comparing more than two entities or individuals.
• Superlative sentences commonly use the definite article “the” to emphasize the highest degree.
  • Example: Alan is the most intelligent.

Similarities

To express similarities, use the following structure:

… as + adjective + as …

This format allows you to draw parallels between two entities. Here are a few examples:

• Mike is as intelligent as Nancy.
• Larry is as popular as Oprah.
• The new phone is as sleek as the latest model.
• The team is as committed to success as the championship-winning squad.
• Her apartment is as cozy as a winter cabin.

Here is a summary of the usage of comparatives and superlatives:

Usage	Comparatives	Superlatives	Similarities
Description	Used for comparing two things or people.	Used for comparing more than two things or people, often with “the” for emphasis.	Used for expressing similarities between two entities.
Structure	Add “-er” to the adjective.	Use “the” + “most” + adjective.	Use “as” + adjective + “as.”
Example	Alan is taller than John.	Alan is the most intelligent.	Mike is as intelligent as Nancy.

Spelling Considerations

Spelling considerations for comparatives and superlatives depend on the structure of the base adjective. Here are some general spelling rules:

1. One-syllable adjective ending in a silent “e” – nice:
   • Comparative: add “r” – nicer
   • Superlative: add “st” – nicest
2. One-syllable adjective ending in one vowel and one consonant – big:
   • Comparative: the consonant is doubled and “er” is added – bigger
   • Superlative: the consonant is doubled and “est” is added – biggest
3. One-syllable adjective ending in more than one consonant or more than a vowel (or long vowels) – high, cheap, soft:
   • Comparative: “er” is added – higher, cheaper, softer
   • Superlative: “est” is added – highest, cheapest, softest
4. A two-syllable adjective ending in “y” – happy:
   • Comparative: “y” becomes “i” and “er” is added – happier
   • Superlative: “y” becomes “i” and “est” is added – happiest
5. Two-syllable or more adjectives without “y” at the end – exciting:
   • Comparative: more + the adjective + than – more exciting than
   • Superlative: more + the adjective + than – the most exciting

Understanding how to spell comparatives and superlatives involves specific patterns based on the characteristics of the adjectives.

1. One-syllable adjective ending in a silent “e” – nice:
   • Comparative: add “r” – nicer, Superlative: add “st” – nicest
2. One-syllable adjective ending in one vowel and one consonant – big:
   • Comparative: the consonant is doubled and “er” is added – bigger, Superlative: the consonant is doubled and “est” is added – biggest
3. One-syllable adjective ending in more than one consonant or more than a vowel (or long vowels) – high, cheap, soft:
   • Comparative: “er” is added – higher, cheaper, softer, Superlative: “est” is added – highest, cheapest, softest

Example Sentences

Here are example sentences of regular and irregular comparatives and superlatives:

Regular Comparatives and Superlatives:

1. Fast:
   • The cheetah is faster than the lion.
   • Among all land animals, the cheetah is the fastest.
2. Happy:
   • After receiving a promotion, she became happier.
   • This year has been the happiest of her career.
3. Modern:
   • The new computer is more modern than the old one.
   • Of all the devices, the laptop is the most modern.
4. Beautiful:
   • The garden in spring is more beautiful than in winter.
   • The Taj Mahal is considered one of the most beautiful structures globally.
5. Small:
   • The apartment is smaller than the house.
   • Among all the available spaces, the closet is the smallest.
6. Exciting:
   • This new action movie is more exciting than the previous one.
   • Of all the films released this year, this is the most exciting.

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives:

7. Good:
   • Helping others makes you feel better about yourself.
   • Of all his classmates, he is the best in mathematics.
8. Bad:
   • The weather forecast turned out to be worse than expected.
   • Among all the possible outcomes, this is the worst.
9. Far:
   • The mountain peak is farther than the hill.
   • Everest is the farthest summit on Earth.
10. Little:
    • She has less time to complete the assignment than her friend.
    • Of all the students, she has the least time.
11. Many:
    • After the merger, the company has more employees.
    • Among all the departments, HR has the most staff.
12. Much:
    • The new machine is more efficient.
    • Among all the available options, this one is the most efficient.
13. Good:
    • Despite the challenges, she copes better than most.
    • Her ability to handle pressure makes her the best in the team.
14. Bad:
    • This decision turned out to be worse than the previous one.
    • It was a tough situation, but choosing that path was the worst.
15. Far:
    • The city is farther from the countryside than the suburbs.
    • Of all the destinations, the beach is the farthest.
16. Little:
    • After sharing, there is less cake than before.
    • Among all the desserts, the pie has the least sugar.
17. Long:
    • The Nile River is longer and more famous than the Thames.
    • Among the world’s rivers, the Nile is one of the longest and most famous.
18. Hot:
    • Egypt is hotter than Sweden.
    • During summer, Egypt experiences one of the hottest climates globally.
19. High:
    • Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
    • Among all the peaks, Everest is the highest.
20. Exciting:
    • This is one of the most exciting films I have ever seen.
    • Of all the films in the genre, this is one of the most exciting.

More about comparatives and superlatives here.

Related Materials:

• Comparatives and superlatives lesson
• Comparatives and superlatives exercise 1
• Comparatives and superlatives exercise 2