The Comparative and the Superlative Form

1. THE COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORMS

2. COMPARATIVE
AND
SUPERLATIVE
FORMS
Comparatives and Superlatives are special
forms of adjectives. They are used to compare two
or more things. Generally, comparatives are
formed using -er and superlatives are formed
using -est.
Forming regular comparatives and
superlatives
How these forms are created depends on how
many syllables there are in the adjective. Syllables
are like "sound beats". For instance, "sing"
contains one syllable, but "singing" contains two --
sing and ing. Here are the rules:

3. FORM
1. One syllable, ending in -e → add -r.
wide → wider fine → finer cute → cuter
2. Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end → double the
consonant and add -er.
hot → hotter big → bigger fat → fatter
3. Only one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the
end → add -er.
light → lighter neat → neater fast → faster
4. Two syllables, ending in -y → change the -y to “i” and add -er.
happy → happier silly → sillier lonely → lonelier
5. Two syllables or more, not ending in -y → use “more” before the adjective.
modern → more modern interesting → more interesting
THE COMPARATIVE FORM

4. Do not use both -er and more in the same comparative.
 Lisa is taller than he is.  Lisa is more taller than he is. (INCORRECT)
Than often follows comparative forms. If than is not used, it is still implied.
I’m older than my sister. I’m also taller (than my sister).
EXPRESSING GREATER AND LESSER DEGREES
1. Use more or -er with adjectives that show that something is a larger quantity, degree or size than
something else. Use less with adjectives to show that something is smaller in quantity, degree, or
size than something else.
More/-er than
Diamonds are more expensive than rubies.
Less… than
Rubies are less expensive than diamonds.
2. Less can sound awkward with one-syllable adjectives. To avoid this, use the comparative form of the
adjectives with the opposite meaning.
 I’m shorter than my brother.  I’m less tall than my brother. (AWKWARD)

5. EXPRESSING EQUALITY WITH AS...AS WITH ADJECTIVES
FORM
as+adjective+as subject (+ verb or auxiliary) or object pronoun
She is as tall as Dan (is).
She is as intelligent as him.
They (don’t) look as appealing as the others (look/do).
USE
1. Use as...as to talk about things that are equal or similar.
a) My office is as big as his office. (both offices are the same size)
b) Our students are as hardworking as yours. (both groups work equally hard)
2. Use about, almost, and nearly before as...as to say that two things are close but not quite equal.
a) My office is almost as big as his office. (His office is bigger than my office by a small amount.)
b) Our students are nearly as hardworking as yours. (Your students work a little bit harder.)
3. You can omit the second part of anas...as phrase when the meaning is clear from context.
a) Yes, yours are good students, but my students areas good. (=as good as yours)
Negative Statements with As...As to Talk About Differences
1. A negative statement with as...as has the same meaning as a comparative sentence with less.
a) Ken is not as athletic as Tom. (=Ken is less athletic than Tom.)
2. To form a negative statement with as...as, use the negative form of the verb.
a) The Jones aren’t as cooperative as the Smiths. (=the Jones are less helpful than the Smiths.)

6. FORM
1. One syllable, ending in -e → add -st.
wide → widest fine → finest cute → cutest
2. Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end → double the consonant and add -est.
hot → hottest big → biggest fat → fattest
3. Only one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end → add -est.
light → lightest neat → neatest fast → fastest
4. Two syllables, ending in -y → change the -y to “i” and add -est.
happy → happiest silly → silliest lonely → loneliest
5. Two syllables or more, not ending in -y → use “most” before the adjective.
modern → most modern interesting → most interesting
THE SUPERLATIVE FORM

7. USES
1. Use the superlative of adjectives to compare things in a group – three or more people, objects, ideas, places, or actions. The
superlative shows that one member has more (or less) of something than all the other members.
a) Paris was the most interesting city that we visited. (Paris was more interesting than all the other cities
that we visited.)
a) I’m the youngest child of four children. (I am younger than any of the other children in my family.)
2. Superlative adjectives are often followed by a noun. The noun indicates the thing that you are comparing. Superlative
adjectives can also be used without a noun if the context indicates the missing noun.
a) All the teachers here are good. Ms. Jordan is probably the best. (=the best teacher)
3. Superlatives are often followed by a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase indicates the group in the comparison.
a) Who is the richest man in the world? (all men in the world = the group)
b) She’s the most popular student in the class. (all students in the class = the group)
c) He’s the best actor on TV. (all the actors on TV = the group)
4. Superlatives are also often followed by clauses. These, too, indicate the group. Often the clauses are in the present perfect
with ever.
a) Avatar is the most expensive movie that I have ever seen.

8. Remember!
Do not use than after a superlative.
 He is the most hardworking student of all.
 He is the most hardworking student than of all.
EMPHASIZING OR WEAKENING SUPERLATIVES
1. The prepositional phrase of all gives the superlative more emphasis. It means “of all the people,
places, or other things in the group.” It doesn’t change the meaning of the superlative.
I think mountain climbing is the most dangerous sport of all.
Everyone made an effort, but John seemed the boldest of all.
2. You can use one of before the superlative form of an adjective. One of weakens the superlative because
it means that the thing that you are talking about is not unique by itself, but it is part of a group of things
that are unique.
New York is one of the most famous cities in the world.

9. USING “THE MOST” AND “THE LEAST”
1. Use the most or -est with adjectives to show that something is a higher degree, quantity, or size than
all the other members of a group. Use the least to show that something is a lower degree, quantity,
or size than all the other members of a group.
Diamonds are the most expensive gems in this shop.
He’s the richest man in the world.
He’s the least talkative of our friends.
2. The least sometimes sounds awkward with one-syllable adjectives. To avoid this, use the superlative
form of an adjective with the opposite meaning.
 I am the shortest in my family.  I am the least tall in my family. (AWKWARD)