Comparative and Superlative Adjective

​Rules

​1. One syllable adjectives generally form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est

​Rules

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• Note that if a one-syllable adjective ends in a single vowel letter followed by a single consonant letter, the consonant letter is doubled, e.g. thin - thinner/thinnest, big - bigger/biggest.

• If an adjective ends in -e, this is removed when adding -er/-est, e.g. wide - wider/widest.

• If an adjective ends in a consonant followed by -y, -yis replaced by -iwhen adding -er/-est, e.g. dry - drier/driest.

​Rules

​2. More and most are sometimes used with one-syllable adjectives as an alternative to the -er/-est form when we particularly want to emphasize the comparison, or if the adjective occurs with another adjective which has more than one syllable, e.g.

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The icing was supposed to be pink and white, but it looked more red than pink.

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That sofa might look nice, but this one is more soft and comfortable.

​Rules

​3. Two-syllable adjectives which end in -y usually form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, (note the change of -y to-i in the comparative/superlative).

​Rules

​4. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -ed, -ing, -ful, or -less always form the comparative with more and the superlative with most. 

​Rules

​As a general rule, most other two-syllable adjectives also form comparatives and superlatives with more and most, apart from those ending in -y (see point 3 above). However, a few two-syllable adjectives can take either -er/-est or more/most. Here are three examples. 

​Rules

​5. Adjectives which have three or more syllables always form the comparative and superlative with more and most.

​Rules

​The only exceptions are some three-syllable adjectives which have been formed by adding the prefix un- to another adjective, especially those formed from an adjective ending in-y. These adjectives can form comparatives and superlatives by using more/most or adding -er/-est.

​Rules

​6. The following adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:

​Degrees of comparison

​Degrees of comparison

​How do you use comparative adjectives in a sentence?

​Now that we know how to identify comparative and superlative adjectives, let's see them in action. Here is a list of sentences making comparisons between two things:

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• ​My house is bigger than yours.

• ​Your grade is worse than mine.

• ​You are more polite than Joey.

• ​My brother is taller than I am, but he is older too.

• ​The Earth is larger than the moon.

​How do you superlative adjectives in a sentence?

Of course, there are times when we take things up a notch and compare three or more items. There will also be times when we compare one thing against the rest of a group. Here are some examples of superlative adjectives in action:

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• ​I can't find my most comfortable jeans.

• She is the smartest girl in our class.

• ​This is the most interesting gift I've ever had.

• ​I am the shortest person in my family.

• ​That was the best movie ever.

Multiple Choice

Look at this sentence.

'I am more better looking than you.'

• CORRECT SENTENCE

• WRONG SENTENCE

Open Ended

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End of lesson​

​See you