Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

• Comparative adjectives compare two things
• Superlative adjectives compare more than two things

Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

• Most one-syllable adjectives: add "-er" for the comparative and "-est" for the superlative
  • Example: "tall" becomes "taller" and "tallest"
• One-syllable adjective ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: double the final consonant before adding "-er" or "-est"
  • Example: "big" becomes "bigger" and "biggest"
• Most two-syllable adjectives ending in "-y": change the "y" to "i" and add "-er" for the comparative and "-est" for the superlative
  • Example: "happy" becomes "happier" and "happiest"
• Adjectives with three or more syllables: use "more" for the comparative and "most" for the superlative
  • Example: "beautiful" becomes "more beautiful" and "most beautiful"
• Some two-syllable adjectives can take either "-er/-est" or "more/most"
  • Example: "clever" can be "cleverer" or "more clever"

Irregular Adjectives

• Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms
  • "Good" becomes "better" (comparative) and "best" (superlative)
  • "Bad" becomes "worse" (comparative) and "worst" (superlative)
  • "Far" becomes "farther/further" (comparative) and "farthest/furthest" (superlative)
  • "Little" becomes "less" (comparative) and "least" (superlative)
  • "Much/Many" becomes "more" (comparative) and "most" (superlative)

Using Comparatives

• Comparative adjectives typically followed by "than" when comparing two things
  • Example: "John is taller than Peter"
• "Than me" vs. "than I" depends on the context
  • "Than I" is grammatically correct, completing the comparison using a clause ("taller than I am")
  • "Than me" is often used in informal speech

Using Superlatives

• Superlative adjectives are typically preceded by "the"
  • Example: "She is the tallest student in the class"
• Superlatives indicate something is the most or least of a particular quality within a group

Common Mistakes

• Double comparatives or superlatives (e.g., "more taller," "most tallest") should be avoided
• Using "-er" or "-est" with adjectives that require "more" or "most" is incorrect
• Incorrectly spelling irregular comparative and superlative forms is a common mistake

Examples

• Comparative: "This car is faster than the other one."
• Superlative: "That was the easiest test of the semester."
• Irregular Comparative: "My headache is worse today than it was yesterday."
• Irregular Superlative: "He is the best player on the team."

Exceptions

• Some adjectives are considered absolute and do not typically have comparative or superlative forms
  • Example: "unique," "perfect," "dead"
  • These can sometimes be used informally with "more" or "most" to indicate a higher degree of the quality
• The choice between using "-er/-est" or "more/most" for two-syllable adjectives is sometimes subjective, depending on the specific word and context

Practice Tips

• Practice identifying adjectives and determining whether they are being used in a comparative or superlative context
• Focus on remembering the irregular forms
• Review sentences and correct any errors in comparative and superlative usage
• Use flashcards to memorise irregular forms.