Superlative and Comparative Adjectives

Study Notes

Superlative adjectives express the highest degree of a quality.
Usage example: "It was the happiest day of my life."
Common forms:
- "Everest is the highest mountain in the world."
- "That’s the best film I have seen this year."
In comparisons among multiple entities: "Jan is the oldest and Angela is the youngest."

Comparative adjectives indicate change or comparisons between two entities.
Formed by adding -er for one-syllable adjectives (e.g., "old - older").
Use "than" for direct comparisons: "She is two years older than me."
Increasing background complexity: "The balloon got bigger and bigger."
Show effects with "the" for comparisons requiring dependence: "The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is."

One-syllable adjectives typically get -er and -est endings:
- Example: "big - bigger - biggest"
For adjectives ending in -e, just add -r or -st:
- Example: "nice - nicer - nicest"
Double the final consonant if ending with a single vowel and consonant:
- Example: "fat - fatter - fattest"
Change -y to -i for adjectives ending in consonant and -y:
- Example: "happy - happier - happiest"
Use "more" and "most" for two-syllable adjectives and all three or more syllables:
- Example: "interesting - more interesting - most interesting"
Special common two-syllable adjectives can take either form:
- Examples: "common - more common - most common"

Some adjectives have unique comparative and superlative forms:
- "good - better - best"
- "bad - worse - worst"
- "far - farther/further - farthest/furthest"

Formulate questions using comparative forms:
- "What's the best time of year to visit your city?"
- "What are the most interesting things to see and do?"
- "What's the easiest way to travel around?"
- "Which area do you think is the most dangerous?"