English Grammar: Comparative and Superlative Adjectives – 2nd Year Secondary – Algeria

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative and superlative adjectives are used to compare people, things, or groups.

Comparative Adjectives

Used to compare two things.

• Short adjectives (1 syllable): adjective + -er + than. Ex: tall → taller than. John is taller than Mark.
• Adjectives ending in -e: add -r. Ex: nice → nicer than.
• CVC adjectives: double last consonant. Ex: big → bigger than.
• Adjectives ending in -y: change y to i + -er. Ex: happy → happier than.
• Long adjectives (2+ syllables): more + adjective + than. Ex: beautiful → more beautiful than.
• Irregular: good → better than, bad → worse than, far → farther/further than.

Superlative Adjectives

Used to compare three or more things, showing the highest degree.

• Short adjectives: the + adjective + -est. Ex: tall → the tallest. He is the tallest in the class.
• Adjectives ending in -e: the + adjective + -st. Ex: nice → the nicest.
• CVC adjectives: double last consonant. Ex: big → the biggest.
• Adjectives ending in -y: the + adjective (y→i) + -est. Ex: happy → the happiest.
• Long adjectives: the most + adjective. Ex: the most beautiful.
• Irregular: good → the best, bad → the worst, far → the farthest/furthest.

Examples

My house is bigger than yours. She is the most intelligent student in the school. This book is more interesting than that one. Winter is the coldest season.

Exercises

1. Complete with the comparative form: “This test is (difficult) ___ ___ the previous one.”
2. Complete with the superlative form: “Mount Everest is (high) ___ mountain in the world.”
3. Correct the mistakes: “She is more taller than me. He is the most best student.”

For more English lessons, check Present Simple Tense and Past Simple Tense.