comparatives Archives - EnglishAcademy101

We use comparatives and superlatives to describe things.^[1]British Council – Comparative and superlative adjectives

Comparatives
are used to describe two objects.
Superlatives
are used to describe three or more objects.

Adjective Vocabulary

Fast – quick, rapid
Slow – not moving fast
Nice – friendly
Strange – unusual
Big – large
Hot – high in temperature
Happy – full of joy
Crazy – insane
Famous – well known
Beautiful – very attractive
Good – better than average
Bad – evil^[2]https://www.wordreference.com/

How to Form Comparatives and Superlatives

The general rules are:

Add –er
for comparatives
Add –est
for superlatives

1 Syllable Words

For one syllable words we add –er for comparatives.

For example:

She is faster
than me. (fast)
He is slower
than her. (slow)

It is important to add the word than after a comparative.

For one syllable words we add –est for superlatives.

For example:

She is the
fastest runner in the school. (fast)
He is the
slowest runner in the school. (slow)

It is important to add the word the before a superlative.

1 Syllable Words Ending in –e

For one-syllable adjectives ending in -e, add -r to form the comparative.

For example:

They are nicer
than us. (nice)
He is stranger
than me. (strange)

To create the superlative form of these adjectives, add -st.

For instance:

She is the nicest
person in my class. (nice)
They are the strangest people in our neighborhood. (strange)

1 Syllable Words (Consonant + Vowel + Consonant)

For one-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, double the final consonant before adding -er to form the comparative.

For example:

He is bigger
than me. (big)
It is hotter
today than yesterday. (hot)

To form the superlative, double the final consonant and add -est.

To illustrate:

She is the biggest
basketball player on her team. (big)
Today is the hottest day in the year. (hot)

2 Syllable Words ending in –y

For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the y to i and add -er to form the comparative.

For example:

She is happier
than you. (happy)
We are crazier
than them. (crazy)

To form the superlative, change the y to i and add -est.

For example:

They are the happiest people in the world. (happy)
They are the craziest people in the world. (crazy)

2 or More Syllable Words

Adjectives with two or more syllables usually form the comparative with more + adjective.

For instance:

I am more
famous than you. (famous)
I am more
beautiful than her. (beautiful)

The superlative is formed with most + adjective.

For example:

She is the most
famous writer in the world. (famous)
She is the most
beautiful woman in the world. (beautiful)

Exceptions

There are some words that are exceptions and don’t follow the above rules.

For example:

Good

I am better than you.

I am the best in the world.

Bad

I am worse than you.

I am the worst in the world.

Practice Exercises

10%

Question 1 of 10

1. I had the ______ day of my life. (bad)

Question 1 of 10

Question 2 of 10

2. The sun is ______ than the earth. (hot)

Question 2 of 10

Question 3 of 10

3. I am the ______ person in my class. (small)

Question 3 of 10

Question 4 of 10

4. Who is the ______ actor in Hollywood. (famous)

Question 4 of 10

Question 5 of 10

5. What is the ______ country in the world. (big)

Question 5 of 10

Question 6 of 10

6. I bought the ______ car. (expensive)

Question 6 of 10

Question 7 of 10

7. She is ______ than me. (tall)

Question 7 of 10

Question 8 of 10

8. Elephants are ______ than mice. (big)

Question 8 of 10

Question 9 of 10

9. Ice cream is ______ than carrots. (tasty)

Question 9 of 10

Question 10 of 10

10. Tigers are ______ than rabbits. (dangerous)

Question 10 of 10

Conclusion

How did you do? If some questions were tricky a private lesson can help you master this topic quickly.

References[+]