Comparatives and superlatives + modifying comparisons

1. Comparatives and
superlatives

2. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things.
● John is thinner than Bob.
● It’s more expensive to travel by train than by bus.
● My house is smaller than my friend’s house.

3. There are some rules to help you make comparisons in
English.
1. If the adjective (describing word) is one syllable, you can
add -er.
For example, small – smaller; big – bigger; nice – nicer.
2. If the adjective has two syllables, but ends in -y, you can
change the end to -ier.
For example, lucky – luckier; happy – happier.

4. 3.With other adjectives of two syllables and
more, you can’t change their endings. Instead, you
should use more + adjective.
For example, handsome – more handsome;
beautiful – more beautiful; expensive -more
expensive and so on.

5. 4. When you compare two things, use ‘than’.
“She’s younger than me.”
“This exercise is more difficult than the last one.”
5. When you want to say something is similar, use ‘as –
as’.
For example, “She’s as tall as her brother” or “It’s as
nice today as it was yesterday.”

6. 6. When you want to say one thing is less than another,
you can either use ‘less than’ or ‘not as – as’.
For example, “This programme is less interesting than I
thought” or “This programme is not as interesting as I
thought.”
7. Remember that some adjectives are irregular and
change form when you make comparisons.
For example, good – better; bad – worse; far – further.

9. Superlative adjectives are used to compare one thing
with the rest of the group it belongs to.
● John is the tallest in the class.
● He’s the best football player in the team.
● This is the most expensive hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

10. There are some rules to use superlatives in English.
1. If the adjective (describing word) is one syllable, you
can add the before the before the adjective and -est.
For example, small – the smallest; big –the biggest; nice –
the nicest.
2. If the adjective has two syllables, but ends in -y, you can
change the end to -iest.
For example, lucky – the luckiest; happy – the happiest.

11. 3. With other English adjectives of two syllables and
more, you can’t change their endings. Instead, you should
use the most + adjective.
For example, handsome – the most handsome; beautiful –
the most beautiful and so on.
4. Remember that some adjectives are irregular and
change form when you make comparisons.
For example, good – the best; bad – the worst; far – the
furthest.

13. Additional points
1. Comparatives can be modified with words such as a
lot, much, a little, a bit, slightly.
- Bob is much richer than I am.
- My mother’s hair is slightly longer than mine.

14. Showing big differences - We can use much, so
much, a lot, even or far with comparative adjectives.
Sales in July were a lot higher than sales in June.
Showing small differences - We can use slightly, a
little, a bit or a little bit with comparative adjectives.
The number of registrations has been slightly lower than we
expected.

15. 2. Showing there is no difference
When you want to say something is similar, use ‘as – as’.
For example, “She’s as tall as her brother” or
“It’s as nice today as it was yesterday.”
In this case both people/items are on the same level.

16. Taken and adapted from:
https://www.eslbase.com/grammar/comparative-superlative
https://www.english-at-home.com/grammar/comparisons/
https://7esl.com/comparative-adjectives/
https://7esl.com/superlative-adjectives/
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/intermediate-to-upper-
intermediate/modifying-comparisons