Adjetivos Comparativos y Superlativos en Inglés

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in English: Unlocking More Descriptive Power

English is a rich language, offering a diverse array of adjectives to help us describe things in detail. Two types of adjectives that amplify our descriptive abilities are comparative and superlative adjectives.

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives help us determine the relative difference between two things. We form comparative adjectives by adding the suffixes "-er" or "-est" to base adjectives, or by using the words "more" and "less" before the adjective.

• Suffixes: We use the suffix "-er" to compare two things when the difference is positive, and "-est" when the difference is negative. For example, "fast" becomes "faster" (positive) and "fastest" (negative).
• More and Less: These words are used to compare things when the difference is not fixed, such as when comparing two variables or when the difference is not always positive or negative. For instance, "more expensive" and "less expensive" compare the relative cost of two items.

Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives help us determine the absolute difference among three or more things. We form superlative adjectives by adding the suffix "-est" to base adjectives.

For example, "pretty" becomes "prettiest."

While both comparative and superlative adjectives allow us to describe things more precisely, superlative adjectives are more definitive, claiming absolute superiority or inferiority.

Usage Tips

• Use comparative and superlative adjectives correctly by checking the agreement of adjectives with their nouns, ensuring they are in the same number and case.
• In English, superlative adjectives are not used when there is only one item being described because this would imply that other items are being compared to it, which would be false.
• In a sentence, "more" and "less" should agree in number with the words they modify. For example, "She is more intelligent than her sibling."

Real-Life Examples

Here are some examples of comparative and superlative adjectives in use:

• Lisa runs faster than John. (comparative)
• Tom is the tallest in the class. (superlative)
• The new bike is less expensive than the old one. (comparative)
• The most famous actor of all time is Marlon Brando. (superlative)

Conclusion

Comparative and superlative adjectives are vital tools in the English language that enable us to make more specific and nuanced statements about objects, people, and ideas. By using these adjective types correctly, we can communicate more effectively, conveying finer distinctions and making our descriptions more accurate, informative, and engaging.