Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative

1. Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative Cursos de Actualización Lingüística de Profesorado EOI El Puerto ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

2. One-syllable adjectivesForm the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative. • Mary is tallerthan Max. • Mary is the tallestof all the students. • Max is olderthan John. • Of the three students, Max is the oldest. • My hair is longerthan your hair. • Max's story is the longeststory I've ever heard. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

3. If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form. • Mary's car is largerthan Max's car. • Mary's house is the tallestof all the houses on the block. • Max is wiserthan his brother. • Max is the wisestperson I know. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

4. If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form. • My dog is biggerthan your dog. • My dog is the biggestof all the dogs in the neighborhood. • Max is thinnerthan John. • Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest. • My mother is fatterthan your mother. • Mary is the fattestperson I've ever seen. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

5. Two-syllable adjectives. With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most. • This morning is more peacefulthan yesterday morning. • Max's house in the mountains is the most peacefulin the world. • Max is more carefulthan Mike. • Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful. • Jill is more thoughtfulthan your sister. • Mary is the most thoughtfulperson I've ever met. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

6. If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est. • John is happier today than he was yesterday. • John is the happiest boy in the world. • Max is angrierthan Mary. • Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest. • Mary is busierthan Max. • Mary is the busiestperson I've ever met. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

7. Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms. • The roads in this town are narrowerthan the roads in the city. • This road is the narrowestof all the roads in California. • Big dogs are gentlerthan small dogs. • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

8. Adjectives with three or more syllablesFor adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most. • John is more generousthan Jack. • John is the most generousof all the people I know. • Health is more importantthan money. • Of all the people I know, Max is the most important. • Women are more intelligentthan men. • Mary is the most intelligentperson I've ever met. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

9. Exceptions:Irregular adjectives • Italian food is betterthan American food. • My dog is the best dog in the world. • My mother's cooking is worsethan your mother's cooking. • Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

10. Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most. • Big dogs are gentlerthan small dogs. • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest. • Big dogs are more gentlethan small dogs. • Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle. ©Rafael Moreno Esteban

11. To learn more… • http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/compsup.html • http://a4esl.org/q/f/y/zz96fck.htm • http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_compsup.htm • More Activities on this Topic • Comparatives • Comparative Adjectives • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives • Superlative Adjectives • Comparatives(Better-English.com) • Comparatives (Better-English.com) ©Rafael Moreno Esteban