Comparative
and Superlative
Comparative: the second or middle degree of comparison in adjectives or
adverbs
Superlative: the third or highest degree of comparison in adjectives or
adverbs
The comparative and superlative
degrees are formed by adding the -er and -est suffix to adjectives and adverbs
with a single consonant for an ending.
Word
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
big
|
bigger
|
biggest
|
soon
|
sooner
|
soonest
|
Adjectives and adverbs ending in -y
drop the -y and add an -ier in the comparative degree and an -iest in the
superlative degree:
Word
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
dry
|
drier
|
driest
|
early
|
earlier
|
earliest
|
Adjectives and adverbs ending in the
silent or mute -e drop the ending -e and add the -er for the comparative and
the -est for the superlative:
Word
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
pale
|
paler
|
palest
|
free
|
freer
|
freest
|
Degrees of comparison can also be
distinguished with the use of "more" and "most": more
clever; most clever.
Irregular
Adjectives
Word
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
good
|
better
|
best
|
bad
|
worse
|
worst
|
much
|
more
|
most
|
little
|
less
|
least
|
far
|
farther
farthest |
further
furthest |
old
|
older
elder |
oldest
eldest |
Irregular
Adverbs
Word
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
badly
|
worse
|
worst
|
much
|
more
|
most
|
little
|
less
|
least
|
far
|
farther
farthest |
further
furthest |
much
|
more
|
most
|
well
|
better
|
best
|
Comparative and superlative adjectives
Most adjectives have three different
forms, the positive, the comparative, and the superlative:
positive
|
comparative
|
superlative
|
sad
|
sadder
|
saddest
|
happy
|
happier
|
happiest
|
unusual
|
more unusual
|
most unusual
|
The comparative form is used
for comparing two people or things:
He is taller than me.
This puzzle is easier than
the last one.
The book was more interesting
than the film.
The superlative is used for
comparing one person or thing with every other member of their group:
He was the tallest boy in the
class.
This puzzle is the easiest in
the whole book.
It’s the most interesting
book I’ve ever read.
As you can see, some adjectives
change their spelling when forming their comparative and superlative forms.
You’ll find that most dictionaries
will show you the spellings of adjectives that change their form. For example,
if you look up 'happy' in Oxford Dictionaries, you’ll see that the
comparative and superlative forms are given in brackets directly after the part
of speech:
happy ► adjective (happier, happiest)
Always look up an adjective if you
are unsure about how to spell its comparative or superlative form
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