Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
- Comparative adjectives compare two things, people, or groups.
- Example: A cat is faster than a mouse.
- Superlative adjectives compare three or more things, and show which one is at the highest or lowest degree.
- Example: The cheetah is the fastest animal on land.
How to form them
1. Short adjectives (1 syllable)
Add -er for comparative, -est for superlative.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| fast | faster | fastest |
| small | smaller | smallest |
| tall | taller | tallest |
| cheap | cheaper | cheapest |
Special spelling rules:
- If it ends in e, just add -r / -st:
- nice → nicer → nicest
- large → larger → largest
- If it is consonant + vowel + consonant, double the last letter:
- big → bigger → biggest
- hot → hotter → hottest
- thin → thinner → thinnest
2. Adjectives ending in -y (2 syllables)
Change y to i, then add -er / -est.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| happy | happier | happiest |
| easy | easier | easiest |
| busy | busier | busiest |
| funny | funnier | funniest |
3. Long adjectives (2+ syllables, not ending in -y)
Use more for comparative, most for superlative.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
| expensive | more expensive | most expensive |
| interesting | more interesting | most interesting |
| difficult | more difficult | most difficult |
Irregular adjectives
These do not follow any rule — you must memorize them.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther / further | farthest / furthest |
| little | less | least |
| much / many | more | most |
Sentence patterns
Comparative
A + verb + comparative + than + B
- My brother is taller than me.
- This book is more interesting than that one.
- Tea is better than coffee, in my opinion.
Superlative
Subject + verb + the + superlative + in/of ...
- She is the tallest girl in her class.
- This is the most expensive phone of all.
- That was the best movie I have ever seen.
Tip: We usually use the before superlative adjectives.
