This document provides instruction on forming comparatives and superlatives in English. It explains that comparatives compare two items using suffixes like -er or more/less, while superlatives indicate the single best or worst item using the suffixes -est or most/least. Examples are given for forming comparatives and superlatives of one-syllable and multi-syllable adjectives and comparing places, things, and people. Practice questions are included for the reader to form comparatives and superlatives based on short descriptions.

1. Comparatives and Superlatives
Remember that…

2. • We use comparatives to compare 2 people,
places or things.
• Use –er, ier to form comparatives of one
syllable
• Longer
• Shorter
• hotter
• Image taken from: yesmorocco.com

3. • Remember to double the last consonant in an
adjective if it finishes in consonant+y
• hotTer
• thinNer
• RedDer
• Use more / less to form comparatives with
adiectives of 2 or more syllables:
• Calculus is more complex than Algebra.

4. • Use the comparative form of adjective with
words and expresions like, than, much, and a
bit
• My car is much faster than yours.
• I’m shorter than (all) my brothers.
• Cartagena is a bit warmer than Barranquilla.

5. • Use superlatives to compare people, places or
things, mentioning 1 in a group.
• Use THE –EST for one syllable adjectives.
• Use THE MOST / THE LEAST for adjectives of 2
or more syllables
• In Miami had the best sushi I’ve ever eaten.
• Tina is the most studious girl in her class.

6. • Practice
• Complete the short paragraphs with the
regular form, comparative or superlative for
the adjective in parentheses.

7. (high)
A: Mount McKinley is a really
______________ mountain. It’s
________________ mountain in North
America.
B: But Mount Everest in the Himalayas
is even _____________. It’s world’s
___________________ Mountain.
high
the highest
higher
the highest

8. (Populated)
A: What’s the
_______________ city in
South America. It must be
Mexico City, right?
B: Nope. According to
Wikipedia. Sao Paulo is
much ______________.
More than 12 million
people live there!
most populated
more populated

9. (old)
A: My uncle studied in
Cambridge University. It’s
pretty ____________. It’s
____________ university in
the States.
B: But it’s not that _________
compared to Oxford in
England. It’s the second
__________
university in the world.
old
old
the oldest
oldest