Comparatives and Superlatives Quiz

Comparatives

• Comparatives are used to compare two things.
• They are formed with "er" or "more"
• Example: smaller, more beautiful

Superlatives

• Superlatives are used to compare three or more things.
• They are formed with "est" or "most"
• Example: smallest, most beautiful

Forming Comparatives with "er"

• Add "-er" to the end of one-syllable adjectives:
  • big – bigger
  • small – smaller
• For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the "-y" to "-ier":
  • happy – happier
  • easy – easier
• For two or more syllable adjectives, use "more":
  • beautiful – more beautiful
  • interesting – more interesting

Forming Superlatives with "est"

• Add "-est" to the end of one-syllable adjectives:
  • big – biggest
  • small – smallest
• For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the "-y" to "-iest":
  • happy – happiest
  • easy – easiest
• For two or more syllable adjectives, use "most":
  • beautiful – most beautiful
  • interesting – most interesting

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

• Some adjectives have irregular forms for comparatives and superlatives.
• Examples:
  • good – better – best
  • bad – worse – worst
  • far – farther/further – farthest/furthest
  • many/much – more – most
  • little – less – least

Using "than" with Comparatives

• The word "than" is used to introduce the second item in a comparison.
• Example:
  • This car is faster than that car.

Using "the" with Superlatives

• Superlative adjectives are always preceded by "the".
• Example:
  • The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest.

Different Meanings of Comparatives

• Comparatives don't always refer to a comparison of two items.
  • They can also suggest a difference in degree between something and itself.
    • Example:
      • The book is getting more interesting. (The interest is increasing.)

Order of Comparison

• To construct grammatically correct and clear comparisons, place the comparative or superlative adjective after the comparative or superlative adjective to create a double comparative structure.
  • Example:
    • The bigger the better.
    • The quicker the better.