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 old long

taller older longer

 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.

tallest oldest longest

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 wise

larger wiser

 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.

largest wisest

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 thin fat

 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.

bigger thinner fatter

biggest thinnest fattest

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 pleasant careful thoughtful

more peaceful more pleasant more careful

most peaceful most pleasant most careful

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 angry busy

happier angrier busier

 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.

happiest angriest busiest

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 gentle

narrower 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 Comparative Form Superlative Form generous important 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.

more generous most generous

more important most important more intelligent most intelligent

Exceptions.

Irregular adjectives.

Irregular Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form good bad far little many

better worse farther less more

best worst farthest least 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

Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form clever gentle gentle friendly friendly more clever gentler more gentle friendlier more friendly most clever gentlest most gentle friendliest most friendly quiet quiet simple simple

quieter quietest more quiet most quiet simpler simplest 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