Comparatives and superlatives

We use Comparatives and Superlatives to compare two or more nouns.

The formation of the comparative and superlative depends on the number of syllables in the adjective:

One-syllable Adjectives

To form the comparative, we add -er to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we add -est to the end of the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

small smaller the smallest

cold colder the coldest

light lighter the lightest

short shorter the shortest

Remember that comparatives are often followed by than.

London is bigger than Santiago.

Mike is taller than John but James is the tallest.

Two-syllable Adjectives ending in -Y

To form the comparative, we remove the -y and add -ier to the end of the adjective.

To form the superlative, we remove the -y and add -iest to the end of the adjective. Adjective Comparative Superlative

crazy crazier the craziest

happy happier the happiest

early earlier the earliest

It was the happiest day of my life. My joke was funnier than your one.

Adjectives with Two or more Syllables

For Adjectives with 2 syllables (that don't end in -y) and higher (3, 4 syllables etc), we use more for comparatives and the most for superlatives.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

handsome more handsome the most handsome

nervous more nervous the most nervous

enthusiastic more enthusiastic the most enthusiastic

My girlfriend is more beautiful than yours.

Alex is more intelligent than you but I am the most intelligent.

Irregular Forms Adjective Comparative Superlative

good better the best

bad worse the worst

far further / farther the furthest / farthest

I am a better tennis player than you but Marcelo is the best.

Steve is a worse liar than me but Adrian is the worst.

Note: Further / farther, furthest / farthest are all used for distance.

Only Further / furthest are used to mean 'additional' or 'more advanced'.

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Remember that the opposites of 'more' and 'most' are 'less' and 'least'.

	Comparative	Superlative
One syllable adjectives: young, short, big	younger, shorter, bigger	youngest, shortest, biggest
Two-syllable adjectives ending in –y: lovely, pretty, funny	lovelier, prettier, funnier	loveliest, prettiest, funniest
Other two-syllable adjectives: pleasant, annoyed, modern, careful, careless	more pleasant more modern more careful more careless	most pleasant most modern most careful most careless
Adjectives of three or more syllables: expensive, attractive, exciting	more expensive more attractive more exciting	most expensive most attractive most exciting
Adjectives with irregular comparatives and superlatives: good, bad, far	better, worse, further/farther	best, worst, furthest/farthest

Less and least can be used in comparative and superlative sentences: Travelling by train is less tiring than driving. This must be the least attractive part of the coast.

Least is sometimes used in the expression ‘not in the least’ meaning ‘not at all’: It doesn’t matter in the least if you can’t come. I’ll see you next week.

• An adjective with a negative prefix forms its comparative and superlative in the same way as the adjective without the negative prefix:

kind – kinder – kindest unkind – unkinder - unkindest

happy – happier – happiest unhappy – unhappier – unhappiest

honest – more honest - most honest dishonest – more dishonest – most dishonest

however, it is more common to say not as kind as…, not as happy as… than it is to say unkinder, more dishonest.

When than is followed by a personal pronoun, it can be a subject pronoun + auxiliary or a subject pronoun + whole clause. - She works harder than I do. She works harder than me. (informal)

Exercise 1. Write the comparatives.

1. happy ___

2. difficult ___

3. clean ___

4. early ___

5. beautiful ___

6. soft ___

7. intelligent ___

8. dirty ___

9. good ___

10. careful ___

11. cheap ___

12. strong ___

13. interesting ___

14. hot ___

15. warm ___

16. expensive ___

17. fresh ___

18. kind ___

19. boring ___

20. cold ___

Exercise 2. Pam, who lives in London, is on the phone to her friend Debbie, who has recently moved to the countryside.

Pam: So how are you enjoying living in the new place?

Debbie: Oh, it’s very nice. The house is much ___ (spacious) than the flat we had in London and one of the ___ (good) things is being able to walk out of the back door into our own garden.

Pam: Mm, that must be lovely. So all in all, it’s much ___ (good) than London, is it?

Debbie: Well, I’m not sure I would say that. It’s certainly ___ (polluted) here and I suppose it’s ___ (stressful) and that must be good for me. But it’s just so much ___ (quit) here and that takes some time to get used to. I suppose I miss the cultural diversity of London. Going out shopping in London was so much ___ (interesting) that it is here. The people here are so much ___ (varied) than they are in London.

Pam: I suppose that’s true. But it’s so much ___ (busy) on the streets here in London. It must be nice to walk around somewhere that’s much ___ (crowded).

Debbie: Well, sometimes it is. Anyway, at least I’m coming up to London next weekend. I’m ___ (excited) about that than I am about anything happening round here.

Pam: Oh dear. You seem to be thinking that haven’t made the ___ (good) decision.

Debbie: well, perhaps I’ll fee ___ (settled) here after a few months. Who knows?

Pam: Yes, probably. I personally think you’re lucky to be where you are. When I came to visit you, I thought it was one of one ___ (beautiful) places I’d ever seen.

Exercise 3. Fill the blanks with the right form of the adjective in brackets.

1. Your bag’s zip is ____________ (easy) to close than mine.

2. My mother’s advice is always _____________ (useful).

3. This summer is _____________ (dry) than ever.

4. It is ___________ (difficult) rule of all.

5. This pen writes _______________ (good) than my previous one.

6. This athlete is _______________ (strong) than his competitor.

7. This pupil is _____________ (clever) in the class.

8. This is ______________ (old) castle in Britain.

9. Health is _____________ (important) than money.

10. This path is ______________ (narrow) than the parallel one.

11. This actor is _________________ (famous) actor in Spain.

12. Kenyans are ________________ (good) sprinters.

13. Luxurious hotels are___________ (expensive) than economic ones.

14. My _____________ (old) sister is afraid of mice.

15. Saturn is _______ 2nd ________ (large) planet in our solar system.

16. We have ________ (much) homework today than we had yesterday.

17. If you need any ______ (far) information, please contact our assistant.

18. The second part of the film is ________ (boring) than the first.

19. In childhood my aunt was ________ (thin) than she is now.

20. This highway is ________ (wide) than that highway.

Exercise 4. Put the adjectives into the comparative adjective or comparative adverb form.

1. I sleep much more heavily (heavy) than I used do.

2. She’s become much ___ (happy) since she stopped seeing Dominic.

3. I always feel ___ (healthy) when I’m on holiday than when I’m at work.

4. It all happened ___ (sudden) than I was expecting.

5. I think the meal’s going to be a lot ___ (expensive) than we anticipated.

6. This child ate ___ (hungry) than any child I’ve ever seen.

7. This curry tastes ___ (hot) than you usually make it.

8. I occasionally go to the gym but I should go ___ (frequent) than I do.

9. He was injured ___ (serious) than any of the others.

10. He made me ___ (furious) than I’ve ever been in my life.

11. He treats her ___ (considerate) now than he used to.

12. The weather’s turned ___ (cold) recently.

13. Your hair looks much ___ (nice) like that.

14. I hope this exam is ___ (easy) than the one I did yesterday.

15. She took the news ___ (calm) than I thought she would.

Exercise 5. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative). 1. My house is __________________(big) than yours. 2. This flower is ______________ (pretty)than that one. 3. Non-smokers usually live ______________ (long) than smokers. 4. Who is the __________________(rich) woman on earth? 5. He was the __________________(clever) thief of all. 6. New York is __________________(big) Paris. 7. English milk is __________________(strong) French milk. 8. An elephant is __________________(heavy) a fly. 9. A Mini is __________________(cheap) a Jaguar. 10. Rugby is __________________(funny) than football. 11. Mary is the __________________ (pretty) of all. 12. Tom is the __________________ (tall) of class. 13. They are the __________________ (ugly) boys in the world. 14. Susan is __________________ (happy) than Bob.

Exercise 6. Complete these sentences.

1. The weather is much warmer than it usually is at this time. (warm)

2. Going by car took twice as long as going by train. (long)

3. It was by far the worst time of my life. (bad)

4. The train’s a lot ___ all the other ways of getting there. (fast)

5. This exam was a bit ___ all the other tests.(easy)

6. I think English spelling is by far ___. (difficult)

7. The food isn’t nearly ___ it has been in the past.(good)

8. She’s a bit ___ her brother. (sensitive)

9. Flying is a lot ___ going by car. (quick)

10. First class is much ___ second. (expensive)

11. This is easily ___ restaurant in London. (good)

12. Ellen was a bit ___ she usually is. (cheerful)

13. He’s not nearly ___ his sister. (intelligent)

14. The journey was three times ___ we had expected. (long)

15. The film wasn’t ___ I had thought it would be. (good)