What you will learn:IntroAre you having problems understanding the comparative and superlative in English? Don’t worry – even native speakers make mistakes with these! In this study guide, we will explain each type of adjective and give you a list of the 35 most common. You will improve your understanding with our native examples and can test your knowledge with the exercises at the end of the guide. Ready? Let’s get cracking! Show Comparative adjectivesWhat are comparative adjectives?Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify (e.g. larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared: Noun + verb + comparative adjective+ than + noun. E.g. The cat ran faster than the dog. How do I make comparative adjectives?The way we form comparative adjectives depends on the adjective! For one-syllable adjectives, we add ‘-er’ to the end to make the comparative form (e.g. old – older, hard – harder). With short vowels, we double the final consonant before adding the ‘-er’ (e.g. big – bigger, hot – hotter). With adjectives ending in ‘-y’, we add an ‘i’ before the ‘-er’ (e.g. dry – drier, happy – happier). For two-syllable (or longer) adjectives, we keep the adjective the same but add ‘more’ in front (e.g. boring – more boring). Most of these adjectives end in ‘-ly’, for example: carefully, efficiently, recently, etc. There are also some irregular forms that don’t follow these rules. You will have to learn these separately! For example, the comparative form of far is further, the comparative form of bad is worse and of good is better. Examples of comparative adjectivesTrains are more expensive than buses in London. Hannah is taller than Jane. Fruit is healthier than chocolate. Max is better at maths than David, but is worse at maths than Sarah. With some one-syllable adjectives we double the final consonant before adding –er or -est. For example: big – bigger – biggest, fat – fatter – fattest, thin – thinner – thinnest. If a one-syllable adjective ends in -e, then we simply add –r or –st. For example: fine – finer – finest. This brings us to the topic of ‘superlatives’. Superlative adjectivesWhat are superlative adjectives?Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object that is at the upper or lower limit of a quality (e.g. the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). In other words, they describe extremes. They are used in sentences to compare three or more nouns: Noun + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun. How do I make superlative adjectives?To form superlatives, you need to follow similar rules to those above for making comparative adjectives. For one-syllable adjectives and two-syllable adjectives ending in ‘-y’, we add –est to the end of the adjective (e.g. old – oldest). With short vowels, we double the final consonant before adding the –est (e.g. big – biggest), and with adjectives ending in ‘-y’ we add an ‘i’ before the –er (e.g. friendly – friendliest). For two-syllable (or longer) adjectives, we keep the adjective the same but add ‘the most’ in front (e.g. boring – the most boring). The irregular forms in comparative adjectives are the same for superlative adjectives. So the superlative form of far is (the) furthest, bad becomes the worst and good is the best. Examples of superlative adjectivesTrains are the most expensive transport in London. Hannah is the tallest person in her family. Grapefruit is the healthiest fruit. Max is the best at maths in his class, but is the worst at science. Table: How to form comparative and superlative adjectives
A-Z list of 35 comparative and superlative adjectives with examples
Note that some native English speakers also use the forms ‘more clever’ and ‘most clever’. These forms appear to follow the rules more closely, but they are less popular when it comes to real usage in the UK.
Quantifiers for comparativesWe can use quantifiers with comparative adjectives to show if there is a big or small difference between the two things we are comparing. For a big difference use…A lot Much A great deal Far Significantly Considerably Way (informal) A little A bit (informal) A little bit Slightly Marginally Some comparative quantifiers are more informal than others so it’s important to know when to use each one. You will find a lot, way and a bit are very common in spoken English. However, you generally wouldn’t write way or use it in more formal contexts. In these formal situations, you would be more likely to use a great deal, considerablyor marginally. We don’t use quantifiers with superlative adjectives but there are common phrases that are used with superlatives. These are useful to know as they are very commonly used by native speakers and you will likely hear them a lot! One of the…Aramaic is one of the oldest languages in the world. The second/third… By far the… Exercises: Comparative vs. superlative adjectivesFill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).
Task BRewrite these sentences to give them the opposite meaning by using the adjectives in brackets.
Task CMatch the pictures with the correct sentences below.
Answers
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