English — Comparative and Superlative Adjectives — Grammar Rules, Examples and Exercises — 3rd Year Middle School — Algerian Curriculum

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives are used to compare people, places, things, and ideas. In this lesson, we will learn how to form and use comparative and superlative adjectives in English, with clear examples and practice exercises suitable for 3rd Year Middle School (3ème Année Moyenne) students following the Algerian curriculum.

1. What are Comparative Adjectives?

We use comparative adjectives to compare two people, places, or things. The comparative form is often followed by “than”.

How to Form Comparative Adjectives

• One-syllable adjectives: Add -er → tall → taller, small → smaller, fast → faster
  Example: Ahmed is taller than his brother.
• Adjectives ending in -e: Add -r → large → larger, nice → nicer
  Example: This house is larger than that one.
• Adjectives ending in consonant + y: Change y to i and add -er → happy → happier, easy → easier
  Example: Today is happier than yesterday.
• One-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant: Double the last letter and add -er → big → bigger, hot → hotter
  Example: Summer is hotter than winter.
• Two or more syllable adjectives: Use more + adjective → beautiful → more beautiful, interesting → more interesting
  Example: Algiers is more beautiful than the city I visited last year.
• Irregular comparatives: good → better, bad → worse, far → farther/further
  Example: My marks this term are better than last term.

2. What are Superlative Adjectives?

We use superlative adjectives to compare three or more people, places, or things, showing the highest or lowest degree. The superlative form is often preceded by “the”.

How to Form Superlative Adjectives

• One-syllable adjectives: Add -est → tall → the tallest, small → the smallest, fast → the fastest
  Example: Ali is the tallest student in the class.
• Adjectives ending in -e: Add -st → large → the largest, nice → the nicest
  Example: Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area.
• Adjectives ending in consonant + y: Change y to i and add -est → happy → the happiest, easy → the easiest
  Example: This is the easiest exercise in the book.
• One-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant: Double the last letter and add -est → big → the biggest, hot → the hottest
  Example: Sahara is the hottest desert in the world.
• Two or more syllable adjectives: Use the most + adjective → beautiful → the most beautiful, interesting → the most interesting
  Example: It is the most interesting film I have ever seen.
• Irregular superlatives: good → the best, bad → the worst, far → the farthest/furthest
  Example: Summer is the best season of the year.

3. Examples in Context

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
tall	taller (than)	the tallest
beautiful	more beautiful (than)	the most beautiful
good	better (than)	the best
bad	worse (than)	the worst
old	older (than)	the oldest

4. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the comparative form of the adjective in brackets.

1. My house is ________ (big) than yours.
2. This book is ________ (interesting) than that one.
3. Amel is ________ (tall) than her sister.
4. Maths is ________ (difficult) than English for me.
5. This exercise is ________ (easy) than the last one.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the superlative form of the adjective.

1. Mount Everest is ________ (high) mountain in the world.
2. She is ________ (good) student in our class.
3. This is ________ (bad) film I have ever watched.
4. Summer is ________ (hot) season of the year.
5. He is ________ (funny) person I know.

5. Home Activity

Write five sentences comparing your family members using comparative adjectives, and five sentences using superlative adjectives about your school or town. Share your sentences with your classmates.

📍 Similar Lessons

Check out these related lessons:
• Modal Verbs (Can, Must, Should, May) — 3rd Year Middle School
• Connectors: And, But, Because, So, Or — 3rd Year Middle School