Level: beginner
Comparative adjectives
We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons:
This car is certainly better, but it's much more expensive.
I'm feeling happier now.
We need a bigger garden.
We use than when we want to compare one thing with another:
She is two years older than me.
New York is much bigger than Boston.
He is a better player than Ronaldo.
France is a bigger country than Britain.
When we want to describe how something or someone changes we can use two comparatives with and:
The balloon got bigger and bigger.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
Grandfather is looking older and older.
We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on another:
The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.
(= When you drive faster, it is more dangerous.)The higher they climbed, the colder it got.
(= When they climbed higher, it got colder.)
- Comparative adjectives 1
- Comparative adjectives 2
Superlative adjectives
We use the with superlative adjectives:
It was the happiest day of my life.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
That’s the best film I have seen this year.
I have three sisters: Jan is the oldest and Angela is the youngest.
- Superlative adjectives 1
- Superlative adjectives 2
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How to form comparative and superlative adjectives
We usually add –er and –est to one-syllable words to make comparatives and superlatives:
| old | older | oldest |
| long | longer | longest |
If an adjective ends in –e, we add –r or –st:
| nice | nicer | nicest |
| large | larger | largest |
If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we double the consonant:
| big | bigger | biggest |
| fat | fatter | fattest |
If an adjective ends in a consonant and –y, we change –y to –i and add –er or –est:
| happy | happier | happiest |
| silly | sillier | silliest |
We use more and most to make comparatives and superlatives for most two syllable adjectives and for all adjectives with three or more syllables:
| careful | more careful | most careful |
| interesting | more interesting | most interesting |
However, with these common two-syllable adjectives, you can either add –er/–r and –est/–st or use more and most:
| common cruel gentle handsome likely |
narrow pleasant polite simple stupid |
He is certainly handsomer than his brother.
His brother is handsome, but he is more handsome.
She is one of the politest people I have ever met.
She is the most polite person I have ever met.
The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparatives and superlatives:
| good | better | best |
| bad | worse | worst |
| far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
- How to form comparative and superlative adjectives
Comments
Hello there!
I have a question regarding the comparative form of common, I have always heard and read "more common" but according to the info above it mentions that commoner can be used, too. Can you explain to me a little bit deeper about this, please? Thanks.
Hello mc2bav4,
Some 2-syllable words have preferred forms, so we say 'heavier' rather than 'more heavy', for example. However, there is often a choice. You can say 'commoner' or 'more common', just as both 'cleverer' and 'more clever' and both 'prettier' and 'more pretty' are correct.
I'm afraid there's no rule for this. It's just a case of recognising which forms are common and which are not.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Much appreciated, Peter. I think it's just a matter of getting accustomed to these variations and continue reading trustful resources as newspapers, books from good presses and other media. Also, do you have any other recommendations to know how to recognize which forms are common? Thanks, again.
P.D. I didn't know that I could use 'more' with these adjectives. All my life I thought it was just as plain as heavier or prettier.
Hello again mc2bav4,
It's possible to do searches in online corpora to find the relative frequency of different words or phrases, but for most you need to register and sometimes subscribe (pay). I think the best approach is exactly what you are doing: expose yourself to as much authentic language as you can through reading, listening and watching, and you'll pick up natural usage as you go.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks again Peter. It was extremely rich speaking with you and clearing those doubts. I'm already taking a look into the site you suggested to me. Still I'll do as I have been doing so far, plus your recommendations. If any other doubt comes in, I'll reach you guys.
Hi team,I don't understand one thing about modifying comparisons.
My book says
'you can use a lot/far/much/miles + comparatives'
for instance 'Tea is a lot healthier than coffee.'
I don't understand I can also use
-far healthier/much healthier/a lot healthier/miles healthier.
I mean can I use all of them for one adjective, such as 'far more expensive/much more expensive/miles more expensive/a lot more expensive?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Nevı,
Yes! That's right. You can use any of these words before the adjective. They all have the same meaning. But, in style, miles is informal.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
I see many websites like bbc use "the most easy way". I even saw the book with similar title. Is there any tendency or clear instructions why we should be using that instead of easiest? Thank you in advance!
Hello Yokohama,
I wouldn't say 'the most easy way'; I would say 'the easiest way'. I've never seen anyone else use 'the most easy' and I'm afraid I can't explain why they do.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Sir,
I am having trouble with these 2 sentences :
-Anna is the taller of the two sisters.
-Anna is the taller among the two sisters.
Could you please tell me which one is grammatically correct?
Thank you very much
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