Comparatives & Superlatives

ივარჯიშე — Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparatives compare two things, superlatives identify the extreme in a group of three or more. The form depends on the length of the adjective.

Rule

Short adjectives (1 syllable): add -er/-est (tall, taller, tallest). Adjectives ending in -y: change y to -ier/-iest (happy, happier, happiest). Long adjectives (2+ syllables): use more/most (beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful). Irregular forms must be memorised: good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, far-further-furthest. Comparatives use 'than'; superlatives use 'the'.

Comparative: adjective + -er + than / more + adjective + than | Superlative: the + adjective + -est / the most + adjective

Examples

Short adjectiveMy brother is taller than me.

Long adjectiveThis question is more difficult than the last one.

SuperlativeShe's the smartest student in our class.

IrregularYour English is getting better and better.

-y endingThis neighbourhood is noisier than the city centre.

As...as (equal comparison)He's not as tall as his father.

Exam Tip

Count the syllables. One syllable = -er/-est. Three or more syllables = more/most. Two syllables: if it ends in -y, use -ier/-iest; otherwise, 'more/most' is usually safer. And never double up!

Common Errors

!Double marking: 'more taller' or 'the most biggest' — never combine 'more' with '-er' or 'most' with '-est'.
!Forgetting 'the' before superlatives: 'She is smartest in class' instead of 'She is the smartest in class'.
!Using '-er' with long adjectives: 'beautifuler' instead of 'more beautiful'.
!Using 'then' instead of 'than': 'He is older then me' instead of 'He is older than me' (spelling error that appears frequently).