Comparatives and Superlatives

Adjectives
and Pronouns -

Comparatives
and

Superlatives

Comparatives and Superlatives

Introduction

Comparatives and

Superlatives are special forms of adjectives. They are
used to compare two or more things. Generally, comparatives are formed using
-er and superlatives are formed using -est. This page will explain the rules
for forming regular comparatives and superlatives, and also show some basic
ways of using them.
1. Forming comparatives and superlatives

How these forms are created depends on how many syllables
there are in the adjective. Syllables are like “sound beats”. For
instance, “sing” contains one syllable, but “singing” contains two —

sing and

ing. Here are the rules:
Adjective form Comparative Superlative

Only one syllable, ending in E. Examples: wide, fine, cute	Add -r: wider, finer, cuter	Add -st: widest, finest, cutest
Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end. Examples: hot, big, fat	Double the consonant, and add -er: hotter, bigger, fatter	Double the consonant, and add -est: hottest, biggest, fattest
Only one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end. Examples: light, neat, fast	Add -er: lighter, neater, faster	Add -est: lightest, neatest, fastest
Two syllables, ending in Y. Examples: happy, silly, lonely	Change y to i, then add -er: happier, sillier, lonelier	Change y to i, then add -est: happiest, silliest, loneliest
Two syllables or more, not ending in Y. Examples: modern, interesting, beautiful	Use “more” before the adjective: more modern, more interesting, more beautiful	Use “most” before the adjective: most modern, most interesting, most beautiful

2. How to use comparatives and superlatives

Comparatives Superlatives

Comparatives are used to compare two things. You can use
sentences with “than”, or you can use a conjunction
like “but”.

Jiro is taller
than Yukio.

Yukio is tall,
but Jiro is taller.

Superlatives are used to compare more than two things.
Superlative sentences usually use “the”, because
there is only one superlative.

Masami is
the tallest in the
class.

Yukio is tall, and Jiro is taller, but Masami is
the
tallest.