Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Definitions with Examples

What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things, showing the difference in quality, quantity, or characteristic between them.

Superlative adjectives, on the other hand, are used to compare three or more things and to indicate that one thing is the most or least in quality, quantity, or characteristic.

Examples:

• Comparative: John is taller than Sarah.
• Superlative: John is the tallest person in the room.

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Formation of Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

How to Form Comparative Adjectives

For one-syllable adjectives, we usually add -er to the end of the word:

Adjective	Comparative
Tall	Taller
Fast	Faster
Small	Smaller

For two-syllable adjectives ending in “y”, change the “y” to “i” and add -er:

Adjective	Comparative
Happy	Happier
Busy	Busier
Funny	Funnier

For adjectives with more than two syllables, we add the word “more” before the adjective:

Adjective	Comparative
Beautiful	More beautiful
Expensive	More expensive
Difficult	More difficult

How to Form Superlative Adjectives

For one-syllable adjectives, we usually add -est to the end of the word:

Adjective	Superlative
Tall	Tallest
Fast	Fastest
Small	Smallest

For two-syllable adjectives ending in “y”, change the “y” to “i” and add -est:

Adjective	Superlative
Happy	Happiest
Busy	Busiest
Funny	Funniest

For adjectives with more than two syllables, we add the word “most” before the adjective:

Adjective	Superlative
Beautiful	Most beautiful
Expensive	Most expensive
Difficult	Most difficult

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Rules for Using Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

1. When comparing two things, always use comparative adjectives:
   • Correct: She is smarter than her brother.
   • Incorrect: She is smartest than her brother.
2. When comparing three or more things, use superlative adjectives:
   • Correct: Sarah is the kindest in the group.
   • Incorrect: Sarah is kinder in the group.
3. Some adjectives do not follow the regular rules and have irregular forms:
   • Good → Better (comparative), Best (superlative)
   • Bad → Worse (comparative), Worst (superlative)
   • Far → Farther (comparative), Farthest (superlative) or Further → Furthest

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using “more” or “most” with adjectives that already take “-er” or “-est” endings:
   • Incorrect: More taller or most tallest.
   • Correct: Taller or tallest.
2. Comparing a single thing with itself:
   • Incorrect: He is more faster than himself last year.
   • Correct: He is faster than he was last year.

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Comparative and Superlative Adjectives: Examples in Sentences

Comparative Adjectives in Use:

1. My house is bigger than yours.
2. This book is more interesting than the last one.
3. He is taller than his brother.
4. This car is faster than the other one.
5. The weather today is colder than yesterday.

Superlative Adjectives in Use:

1. This is the best movie I’ve seen.
2. She is the smartest student in the class.
3. The blue whale is the largest animal in the ocean.
4. This is the most expensive restaurant in town.
5. He is the happiest person I know.

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When to Use “More” and “Most”

For adjectives with three or more syllables, always use “more” and “most” to form comparatives and superlatives:

• Comparative: This problem is more complicated than the previous one.
• Superlative: This is the most complicated issue we’ve faced.

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Irregular Adjectives List with Examples

Some adjectives have irregular forms that do not follow the usual -er and -est patterns:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
Good	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst
Little	Less	Least
Much/Many	More	Most
Far	Farther	Farthest

Examples:

• Good: This coffee is better than the one I had yesterday. / This is the best coffee in the city.
• Bad: Her condition is worse than before. / It’s the worst day of my life.
• Far: She ran farther than anyone else. / This is the farthest I’ve ever traveled.

Table of Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative Adjectives	Superlative Adjectives
She is taller than me.	She is the tallest in the class.
This book is cheaper than that one.	This is the cheapest book I’ve found.
He runs faster than his brother.	He is the fastest runner in school.
This problem is harder than expected.	This is the hardest task I’ve faced.
This movie is better than the last one.	This is the best movie I’ve seen.
Her dress is prettier than mine.	She has the prettiest dress at the party.
Today is colder than yesterday.	This is the coldest day of the year.
The new phone is smaller than the old one.	This is the smallest phone available.
His joke was funnier than mine.	He told the funniest joke ever.
Your score is higher than mine.	She has the highest score in the game.
This car is faster than yours.	This is the fastest car on the road.
The soup is hotter now.	This is the hottest soup I’ve tried.
This cake is sweeter than that one.	This is the sweetest cake I’ve eaten.
His house is bigger than mine.	He has the biggest house in town.
This task is easier than the last one.	This is the easiest task in the project.
My grades are better this year.	I have the best grades in my class.
She is smarter than her classmates.	She is the smartest in the school.
Your idea is more creative than mine.	This is the most creative idea.
That bag is heavier than expected.	This is the heaviest bag I’ve carried.
His performance was worse than before.	That was the worst performance ever.

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Comparative Adjectives List:

• Taller
• Cheaper
• Faster
• Harder
• Better
• Prettier
• Colder
• Smaller
• Funnier
• Higher
• Faster
• Hotter
• Sweeter
• Bigger
• Easier
• Better
• Smarter
• More creative
• Heavier
• Worse

Superlative Adjectives List:

• Tallest
• Cheapest
• Fastest
• Hardest
• Best
• Prettiest
• Coldest
• Smallest
• Funniest
• Highest
• Fastest
• Hottest
• Sweetest
• Biggest
• Easiest
• Best
• Smartest
• Most Creative
• Heaviest
• Worst

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