New English File: COMPARATIVE & SUPERLATIVE

Wednesday 13 June 2012

COMPARATIVE & SUPERLATIVE

We use the comparative and superlative to compare and contrast people or things. This guide provides structures, examples, and practice.

To use the comparative and superlative it is essential to know and undetstand adjectives in English. Click HERE to find a list of adjectives if you need to enlarge your vocabulary.

There are different degrees in the comparison of adjectives: positive degree, comparative degree, and superlative degree.

Possitive degree: the simplest form.
Comparative degree: comparing two things or people.
Superlative degree: comparing three or more things or people.

Examples:
Positive Comparative    Superlative
large    larger the largest
careful       more careful the most careful

HOW TO COMPARE

1. Add -er or -est to the short adjectives of one syllable.

Positive                    Comparative                 Superlative
tall                   taller than            the tallest
long                           longer than                   the longest
old                             older than                     the oldest

Examples:

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.

2. Short adjectives (one syllable) that end in -e, add -r for the comparative form or -st for the superlative form.

Positive                    Comparative                 Superlative

large              larger than        the largest

wise                          wiser than                   the wisest

safe                           safer than                    the safest

Examples:

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.
This road is safer than that.
This road is the safest of all the roads in this zone.

3. One-syllable adjectives that end 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.

Positive                    Comparative                 Superlative

big               bigger than         the biggest

thin                            thinner than                the thinnest

fat                           fatter than                     the fattest

Examples:

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.

4. Two-syllable adjectives which end in -y, change the -y to -i and add -er for the comparative form or -est for the superlative form.

Positive                    Comparative                 Superlative

happy              happier than     the happiest

angry                         angrier than               the angriest

busy                        busier than                   the busiest

Examples:

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.

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

Positive                    Comparative                 Superlative

happy              happier than     the happiest

angry                         angrier than               the angriest

busy                        busier than                   the busiest

Examples:

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.

6. Long adjectives (two syllables of more) add more/less* or most/least.

* MORE/MOST + ; LESS/LEAST -

Positive                Comparative                  Superlative

peaceful    more peaceful than the most peaceful
careful        more careful    the most careful
thoughful    more thoughtul the most thoughtful

Examples:

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 you are not sure if the adjective is long or short, you can check a dictionary or you can trust your ears!

EXCEPTIONS

► Irregular adjectives

Irregular Adjective	Comparative	Superlative Form
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
far	farther	farthest
little	less	least
many	more	most

Examples:

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	Superlative
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