http://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/adjcompsup.

php

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

Mary is taller than Max. Mary is the tallest of all the students. Max is older than John. Of the three students, Max is the oldest. My hair is longer than your hair. Max'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

Mary's car is larger than Max's car. Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block. Max is wiser than his brother. Max 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 Comparative Superlative Consonant with a Single Vowel before It Form Form big bigger biggest thin thinner thinnest fat fatter fattest

My dog is bigger than your dog.

My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood. Max is thinner than John. Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest. My mother is fatter than your mother. Mary 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 peaceful more peaceful most peaceful pleasant more pleasant most pleasant careful more careful most careful thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful

This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning. Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world. Max is more careful than Mike. Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful. Jill is more thoughtful than your sister. Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.

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

John is happier today than he was yesterday. John is the happiest boy in the world. Max is angrier than Mary. Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest. Mary is busier than Max. 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, Comparative -le, or -ow Form narrow narrower gentle gentler

Superlative Form narrowest gentlest

The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city. This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs. Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

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 generous important intelligent

Comparative Form Superlative Form more generous more important more intelligent most generous most important most intelligent

John is more generous than Jack. John is the most generous of all the people I know. Health is more important than money. Of all the people I know, Max is the most important. Women are more intelligent than men. Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

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. My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking. Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

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

Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form quiet more quiet most quiet simple simpler simplest simple more simple most simple

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs. Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest. Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs. Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.

Test your knowledge

Directions: Choose the best answer. (10 problems)

More Activities on this Topic

Comparatives Comparative Adjectives Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Superlative Adjectives Comparatives(Better-English.com) Comparatives (Better-English.com)

http://www.clafoti.com/imagenes10/compa_1.htm

Degree Positiv Comparati Superlati e ves ves s

Onesyllable adjectiv es

Grado

Positiv Compara Superlati o tivo vo

old

older

the oldest

the coldest the new newer newest the young younger youngest the small smaller smallest the high higher highest cold colder

Adjetiv el /la ms os de ms vieja/ o pequea una pequea /o slaba /o el la ms fro ms fro fra nueva/ o joven peque a/ o alta /o

Adjecti ves ending in -y

dirty

dirtier

the dirtiest the noisiest the heaviest

noisy heavy

noisier heavier

Adjetiv os que ms ella ms sucia/o termina sucia/o sucia /o n en -y ruidosa /o pesada/ o

Two or the most intellig more more intelligen syllable ent intelligent t adjectiv es the most expens more expensiv ive expensive e more the most boring boring boring

Adjetiv os de ms el/la ms intelige dos o inteligent inteligen nte ms e te slabas cara/o aburrid a/o

Irregula r good adjectiv es bad far

better worse

the best

the worst the further furthest

Adjetiv os buena/ irregula o res mala/o lejos

mejor

el /la mejor

Otros

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/regcom.htm

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/regcom1.htm

http://englishwilleasy.com/free-english-grammar-online/esl-grammar-c/comparisonusing-comparatives-and-superlatives/

http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/grammar/adjectives.htm

USEFUL ENGLISH GRAMMAR TABLES + GAPPED PRACTICE by Bibi Baxter

Notes Construction Examples Practice (intermediate level)

EXAMPLES OF IRREGULAR FORMS ADJECTIVES COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE MUCH/MANY MORE THE MOST FEW/LITTLE LESS THE LEAST GOOD BETTER THE BEST BAD WORSE THE WORST ADJECTIVES Regular forms requiring 'ER' or 'EST' IMPORTANT GRAMMATICAL POINTS ADJECTIVES COMPARATIVE FORMS (........ER) SUPERLATIVE FORMS (THE .....EST) Adjectives with one syllable only THIN THINNER THE THINNEST Adjectives ending in a single consonant which must be doubled FAT FATTER THE FATTEST Adjectives with one syllable, but ending in E FIERCE FIERCER THE FIERCEST Adjectives with one syllable + Y (Y changes to I)

FRIENDLY FRIENDLIER THE FRIENDLIEST ADJECTIVES Regular forms requiring 'MORE' or 'THE MOST'

Adjectives with more than one syllable Adjectives ending with ED or ING

ADJECTIVES COMPARATIVE FORMS (MORE/LESS ........) SUPERLATIVE FORMS (THE MOST/THE LEAST .......) DANGEROUS MORE/LESS DANGEROUS THE MOST/THE LEAST DANGEROUS BORED (even though only one syllable is pronounced) MORE/LESS BORED THE MOST/THE LEAST BORED INTERESTING MORE/LESS INTERESTING THE MOST/THE LEAST INTERESTING STANDARD CONSTRUCTION EXAMPLES 1. The black dog is fat 2. The fat dog is in the road. 3. The black dog is fatter than the white dog 4. The white dog is not as fat as the black dog 5. The black dog is friendlier than the white dog, but the brown dog is the fiercest. 6. The white dog is the thinnest and it is less dangerous than the brown dog. 7.a) Those books are very interesting and this one is the least interesting of them all. 7.b) Those books are not very interesting and this one is the most boring of them all. IMPORTANT NOTES

Many similar lists do not contain THE; however, I recommend that you learn it as part of the list, because it is necessary almost every time you use the superlative (See construction examples: 5, 6, 7a, 7b)

Adjectives usually precede the noun (See construction example 2), or follow the verb TO BE (See construction example 1); however, there are exceptions, especially in poetry and lyrics. In The Beatles' Song: 'And I Love Her', the following two examples can be found: o Bright are the stars that shine (normally: The bright stars are shining or The stars are shining brightly) o Dark is the sky (The sky is dark) Stating the comparative opposite: o Adjectives with one syllable: use an adjective with the opposite meaning + ER (See construction example 6) o Adjectives with more than one syllable: use MORE/LESS to indicate the opposite + the same adjective or an adjective with the opposite meaning. Stating the superlative opposite: o Adjectives with one syllable: use an adjective with the opposite meaning + EST (See construction example 6) o Adjectives with more than one syllable: use THE MOST/THE LEAST to indicate the opposite. (See construction examples 7a and 7b)

http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/adjectives/comparativeand-superlative-adjectives-article/144846.article

Comparative and superlative adjectives article

By Kerry G Maxwell and Lindsay Clandfield Introduction | 1. Some rules about forming comparatives and superlatives | 2. Use of comparatives | 3. Use of superlatives | 4. The opposites of comparative and superlative forms

Introduction
One way of describing a person or thing is by saying that they have more of a particular quality than someone or something else. To do this, we use comparative adjectives, which are formed either by adding -er at the end of the adjective, or placing more before it, e.g: Shes more intelligent than her sister This is a bigger piece of cake.

It is also possible to describe someone or something by saying that they have more of a particular quality than any other of their kind. We do this by using superlative adjectives, which are formed by adding -est at the end of the adjective and placing the before it, or placing the most before the adjective, e.g.: Hes the most intelligent man Ive ever met. This is the biggest piece of cake Return to top

1. Some rules about forming comparatives and superlatives

(i) one syllable adjectives generally form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, e.g.: Adjective soft cheap sweet thin

Comparative softer cheaper sweeter thinner

Superlative the softest the cheapest the sweetest the thinnest

Note that if a one syllable adjective ends in a single vowel letter followed by a single consonant letter, the consonant letter is doubled, e.g.: thin ? thinner, big ? biggest. If an adjective ends in -e, this is removed when adding -er/-est, e.g.: wide ? wider/widest. If an adjective ends in a consonant followed by -y, -y is replaced by -i when adding -er/-est, e.g.: dry ? drier/driest.

(ii) more and most are sometimes used with one syllable adjectives as an alternative to the -er/-est form when we particularly want to emphasize the comparison, or if the adjective occurs with another adjective which has more than one syllable, e.g.: The icing was supposed to be pink and white, but it looked more red than pink. That sofa might look nice, but this one is more soft and comfortable (iii) two syllable adjectives which end in -y usually form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est, (note the change of -y to -i in the comparative/superlative) e.g.: Adjective lucky pretty tidy Comparative luckier prettier tidier Superlative the luckiest the prettiest the tidiest

(iv) two syllable adjectives ending in -ed, -ing, -ful, or -less always form the comparative with more and the superlative with most, e.g.: Adjective Comparative Superlative worried more worried the most worried boring more boring the most boring careful more careful the most careful useless more useless the most useless

As a general rule, most other two syllable adjectives also form comparatives and superlatives with more and most, apart from those ending in -y (see (iii) above). However a few two-syllable adjectives can take either -er/-est or more/most. Here are five of the most common examples: Adjective Comparative Superlative the commoner/more common commonest/most common common the narrower/more narrow narrowest/most narrow narrow the pleasanter/more pleasant pleasantest/most pleasant pleasant useless more useless the most useless simpler/more the simplest/most simple simple simple quieter/more the quietest/most quiet quiet quiet (v) Adjectives which have three or more syllables always form the comparative and superlative with more and most, e.g.: Adjective Comparative more dangerous dangerous difficult more difficult Superlative the most dangerous the most difficult the most exciting more exciting exciting more the most ridiculous ridiculous ridiculous The only exceptions are some three syllable adjectives which have been formed by adding the prefix -un to another adjective, especially those formed from an

adjective ending in -y. These adjectives can form comparatives and superlatives by using more/most or adding -er/-est, e.g.: Adjective Comparative Superlative the unhappy unhappier unhappiest/most unhappy the unfriendly unfriendlier unfriendliest/most unfriendly (vi) The following adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms: Adjective Comparative Superlative good better the best bad worse the worst the far farther/further farthest/furthest The adjectives ill and well, describing bad and good health, have irregular comparative forms. The comparative of ill is worse, and the comparative of well is better, e.g.: Shes feeling much better/worse today. The usual comparative and superlative forms of the adjective old are older and oldest. However the alternative forms elder and eldest are sometimes used. Elder and eldest are generally restricted to talking about the age of people, especially people within the same family, and are not used to talk about the age of things, e.g.: Its the oldest/*eldest castle in Britain. Elder cannot occur in the predicative position after link verbs such as be, become, get etc., e.g.: Were all getting older/*elder. My brother is older/*elder than me. (vii) Comparatives and superlatives of compound adjectives are generally formed by using more and most, e.g.: Going skiing was the most nerve-wracking experience Ive had. Some compound adjectives have a first element consisting of an adjective which would normally form a comparative or superlative in one word, either by adding -er/-est, or by an irregular form. Such compound adjectives can therefore form a comparative/superlative by using these changes to the first adjective, rather than by using more/most, e.g.:

Adjective Comparative Superlative goodbetter-looking the best-looking looking the longestlong-lasting longer-lasting lasting low-paid lower-paid the lowest-paid (viii) Some adjectives which already have a comparative or superlative meaning do not usually occur with -er/-est or more/most, unless we want to give special emphasis, often for humorous effect, e.g.: Mussels are my most favourite food. Common examples of adjectives like these are: complete, equal, favourite, and perfect.

2. Use of comparatives
Just like other adjectives, comparatives can be placed before nouns in the attributive position, e.g.: a more intelligent child the bigger piece of cake Comparatives can also occur after be and other link verbs, e.g.: The street has become quieter since they left. You should be more sensible Comparatives are very commonly followed by than and a pronoun or noun group, in order to describe who the other person or thing involved in the comparison is, e.g.: John is taller than me. I think that shes more intelligent than her sister. As well as pronouns and noun groups, than is often followed by other kinds of clause, e.g.: I think the portions were bigger than they were last time They had given a better performance than in previous years Comparatives are often qualified by using words and phrases such as much, a lot, far, a bit/little, slightly etc., e.g.: You should go by train, it would be much cheaper.

Could you be a bit quieter? Im feeling a lot better. Do you have one thats slightly bigger? Two comparatives can be contrasted by placing the before them, indicating that a change in one quality is linked to a change in another, e.g.: The smaller the gift, the easier it is to send. The more stressed you are, the worse it is for your health. Two comparatives can also be linked with and to show a continuing increase in a particular quality, e.g.: The sea was getting rougher and rougher. Her illness was becoming worse and worse. He became more and more tired as the weeks went by

3. Use of superlatives
Like comparatives, superlatives can be placed before nouns in the attributive position, or occur after be and other link verbs, e.g.: the most delicious chocolate cake Ive ever eaten Annabel was the youngest This restaurant is the best As shown in the second two examples, superlatives are often used on their own if it is clear what or who is being compared. If you want to be specific about what you are comparing, you can do this with a noun, or a phrase beginning with in or of, e.g.: Annabel was the youngest child Annabel was the youngest of the children This restaurant is the best in town. Another way of being specific is by placing a relative clause after the superlative, e.g.: This offer is the best Im going to get. Note that if the superlative occurs before the noun, in the attributive position, the in or of phrase or relative clause comes after the noun, cf:

The best restaurant in town. The best offer Im going to get. Although the usually occurs before a superlative, it is sometimes left out in informal speech or writing, e.g.: This one seems to be cheapest. However the cannot be left out when the superlative is followed by an of/in phrase, or a relative clause indicating the group of people or things being compared, e.g.: This one is the cheapest. This one is cheapest. This one is the cheapest of the new designs. * This one is cheapest of the new designs. This one is the cheapest I could find. *This one is cheapest I could find. Sometimes possessive pronouns are used instead of the before a superlative, e.g.: my youngest brother her most valuable piece of jewellery Ordinal numbers are often used with superlatives to indicate that something has more of a particular quality than most others of its kind, e.g.: Its the third largest city in the country. The cathedral is the second most popular tourist attraction In informal conversation, superlatives are often used instead of comparatives when comparing two things. For example, when comparing a train journey and car journey to Edinburgh, someone might say: The train is quickest, rather than: The train is quicker. Superlatives are not generally used in this way in formal speech and writing.

4. The opposites of comparative and superlative forms

Comparative and superlative forms with -er/-est and more/most are always used to talk about a quality which is greater in amount relative to others. If we want to talk about a quality which is smaller in amount relative to others, we use the forms less (the opposite of comparative more), and the least (the opposite of superlative the most). Less is used to indicate that something or someone does not have as much of a particular quality as someone or something else, e.g.: This sofa is less comfortable. Ive always been less patient than my sister. The least is used to indicate that something or someone has less of a quality than any other person or thing of its kind, e.g.: Its the least expensive way to travel.

She was the least intelligent of the three sisters.