Comparatives and superlatives

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Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

One-syllable adjectives

Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.

One-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
Tall	taller	tallest
Old	older	oldest
long	longer	longest

·         Shamma is taller than Fatima.

·         Shamma is the tallest of all the students.

·         Abdulla is older than Saif.

·         Of the three students, Abdulla is the oldest.

·         My hair is longer than your hair.

·         Abdulla’s story is the longest story I've ever heard.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
large	larger	largest
wise	wiser	wisest

·         Mariam’s car is larger than Reem’s car.

·         Leen's house is the largest of all the houses on the block.

·         Salem is wiser than his brother.

·         Rayan is the wisest person I know.

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.

One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
Big	bigger	biggest
Thin	thinner	thinnest
Fat	fatter	fattest

·         My camel is bigger than your horse.

·         My camel is the biggest of all the camels in Al Ain.

·         Hamad is thinner than Saif.

·         Of all the students in the class, Salem is the thinnest.

·         My sister is cleverer than your mother.

·         Shrek is the fattest person I've ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives

With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
comfortable	more comfortable	most comfortable
intelligent	more intelligent	most intelligent
careful	more careful	most careful
thoughtful	more thoughtful	most thoughtful

·         This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.

·         Abdulla’s house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.

·         Mohammed is more careful than Faisal.

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.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
happy	happier	Happiest
angry	angrier	Angriest
Busy	busier	Busiest

·         Hamad is happier today than he was yesterday.

·         Azza is the happiest girl in the world.

·         Hala is busier than Dima.

·         Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
narrow	narrower	narrowest
gentle	gentler	gentlest

·         The roads in Ajman are narrower than the roads in Dubai.

Adjectives with three or more syllables

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Adjective with Three or More Syllables	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
generous	more generous	most generous
important	more important	most important
intelligent	more intelligent	most intelligent

·         Rawan is more generous than Shaima.

·         Yara is the most generous of all the people I know.

Exceptions:

Irregular adjectives

Irregular Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
Good	better	best
Bad	worse	worst
Far	farther	farthest
Little	less	least
Many	more	most

·         Italian food is better than American food.

·         My dog is the best dog in the world.

Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
clever	cleverer	cleverest
clever	more clever	most clever
gentle	gentler	gentlest
gentle	more gentle	most gentle
friendly	friendlier	friendliest
friendly	more friendly	most friendly
quiet	quieter	quietest
quiet	more quiet	most quiet
simple	simpler	simplest
simple	more simple	most simple

·         Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.

·         Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.

Click here to download a Comparative and Superlative Practice Worksheet

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