Comparative and Superlative
1. One syllable adjectives:
Comparative: + er : smaller
Superlative: + est : the smallest
2. One syllable adjectives
ending in 'e': brave
Comparative: + r : braver
Superlative: + st : the bravest
3. One syllable adjectives
ending in consonant - vowel - consonant: big
Comparative: add consonant + er : big +g+ er = bigger
Superlative: add consonant + est : the + big + g+ est = the biggest
4. Two syllable adjectives
ending in 'y': happy
Comparative: delete “ y” and add -ier
: happier
Superlative: delete “y” and add --iest : the happiest
5. Two or more syllable
adjectives: interesting
Comparative: add “more” to adjective: more interesting
Superlative: add “the most” to adjective: the most interesting
Summary:
Comparative and
superlative of adjectives
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Adjective
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
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One-syllable adjectives
|
old
long |
older
longer |
the oldest
the longest |
Adjectives ending in one vowel and one consonant
|
big
hot |
bigger
hotter |
the biggest
the hottest |
Adjectives ending in
-y |
ugly
noisy |
uglier
noisier |
the ugliest
the noisiest |
Adjectives with two or more syllables
|
expensive
beautiful |
more expensive
more beautiful |
the most expensive
the most beautiful |
6. Irregular adjectives
Irregular
adjectives
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good
|
better
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the best
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bad
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worse
|
the worst
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far
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farther/further
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the farthest/furthest
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Use:
1. We use comparatives to
compare two things.
Samir is taller
than Ali.
Reading a book is more
interesting than watching TV.
My car is faster
than my friend's car.
2. We use superlatives to
compare one thing with the rest of the group it belongs to.
Farid is the tallest
in the class.
Fatima is the best
student in our class.
My father’s car is the most expensive car
in the world