Comparatives and superlatives

What you will practice

• Add -er and -est to short adjectives.
• Use more and the most with long adjectives.
• Use the irregular forms of good and bad.

Explanation

Short adjectives

Short adjectives take -er and -est: tall, taller, the tallest. A final consonant often doubles: big, bigger, the biggest. A final -y changes to -i: happy, happier, the happiest. The comparative uses than: Ada is taller than Ben. The superlative uses the.

Long adjectives

Longer adjectives use more and the most: more beautiful, the most beautiful. Do not stack the two patterns. more taller and the most tallest are both wrong. Two syllables can go either way for some adjectives, so this lesson stays with a clear short adjective and a clear long one.

Irregular forms

good and bad are irregular. The set is good, better, the best and bad, worse, the worst. gooder and more good are not the forms to use. than still follows the comparative: This book is better than that one.

Examples

1. Ada is taller than Ben.comparing height
2. She is the tallest.the top of a group
3. This city is bigger.a doubled consonant
4. This book is better.an irregular comparative
5. It is more beautiful.a long adjective

Common mistakes

• The superlative needs the: the tallest, not tallest as a bare phrase in this pattern.
• than belongs with the comparative, not with the superlative. taller than is right. the tallest than is not.