Irregular formation (traditional exceptions),
good- better - the best
bad - worse - the worst
far -father/further - the farthest/furthest
old - older/elder - the oldest/eldest
little - less - the least
near - nearer - the nearest/next
many/much - more -the most
late - later - the latest/last
Spelling:
Adjectives ending in –y which is preceded by a consonant, change the –y into – i + er, - i + iest, e.g. crazy – crazier – the craziest
The ending - y in adjectives which is preceded by a vowel, remains unchanged,
e.g. grey – greyer – the greyest
Monosyllabic adjectives with a short vowel double their final consonant,
e.g. big – bigger – the biggest
Monosyllabic adjectives that have 2 consonants at the end, remain unchanged,
e.g. thick – thicker – the thickest
Adjectives with a mute –e at the end add only –r, and –st,
e.g. pale – paler – the palest
Notes:
In traditional grammar farther and the farthest are used for distance while further and the furthest are used for time.
e.g. He was hiding in the farthest corner of the park.
The secret agent was waiting for further instructions.
Here is a further example. (in the meaning of another)
Little is not a full synonym of small. Little is used for age, while small for size.
e.g. Little children shouldn’t watch much television.
The child is too small for this dress,
Remember a set expression – a little old lady/man.
The opposite of small is big,
e.g.. This room is big and that one is small.
Older and the oldest are used with reference to age or if there are only two children in the family, while elder and the eldest are used with the reference to the sequence of brothers and sisters if there are more than two children in the family, e.g.
Pete is my older brother and there are no more children in our family.
Pete is my elder brother and Jack is our eldest.
Grandpa is the oldest member of our family; he will be 88 in December. Jane is the youngest, she is only 3.
The nearest is used for distance while the next is used for order, e.g.
Whose turn is next? Where is the nearest bus stop?
The latest is used for time while the last is used for order, e.g.
Have you been listening in? What's the latest news?
The last news from the "Titanic" was received a few hours before it sank.
Note the difference between the English and Russian word combinations, e.g.
в ближайшем будущем – in the near /nearest future
высшее образование – higher education
молодое поколение - a younger generation
The adverbial modifier of degree ‘very’ can't be used with comparatives. Instead much or far may be used, e.g.
My boyfriend is much more energetic than I am. = Мой парень гораздо более энергичный, чем я.
His sister is much older than he is. = Его сестра гораздо старше, чем он.
It is far better to say nothing. = Гораздо лучше ничего не говорить.
This suit is far too expensive to buy. = Этот костюм, слишком дорог, чтобы его покупать.
Other words and expressions which are used to modify comparatives are: