What Are Comparatives and Superlatives?

We use comparatives to compare two people, places, things, or ideas.

Example:

• She is taller than her husband.

We use superlatives to compare three or more people, places, things, or ideas and show which one is at the highest or lowest level.

Example:

• Paris is the biggest city in France.

Watch the Video

Now watch the following video and take notes on the main rules and examples.

Understanding Syllables

To form comparatives and superlatives correctly, you need to know how many syllables an adjective has.

A syllable is a sound beat in a word.

Examples:

• find → 1 syllable
• finding → 2 syllables (find + ing)

Rules for Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

1. One-Syllable Adjectives Ending in Silent -e

Example: nice

More examples:

• large → larger → largest
• safe → safer → safest

2. One-Syllable Adjectives Ending in Consonant + Vowel + Consonant

Example: big

More Examples:

• hot → hotter → hottest
• thin → thinner → thinnest

3. One-Syllable Adjectives Ending in More Than One Consonant or More Than One Vowel

Examples: high, cheap, soft

More Examples:

• cheap → cheaper → cheapest
• soft → softer → softest

4. Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in -y

Example: happy

More Examples:

• easy → easier → easiest
• busy → busier → busiest

5. Adjectives with Two or More Syllables (Not Ending in -y)

Example: exciting

More Examples:

• more beautiful than
• more interesting than
• the most beautiful
• the most interesting

Examples in Context

• The Nile River is longer and more famous than the Thames.
• Egypt is hotter than Sweden.
• Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
• This is one of the most exciting films I have ever seen.

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

Expressing Similarity

To show that two things are equal, use:

as + adjective + as

Examples:

• Mike is as intelligent as Nancy.
• Larry is as popular as Oprah.

Practice

Exercise 1 – Complete the Sentences

Use the correct comparative or superlative form.

1. Mary is the ____________________ (lazy) student in the class.
2. Rob’s apartment is ____________________ (nice) mine.
3. Elephants are ____________________ (fat) camels.
4. Kim is the ____________________ (small) of all my friends.
5. I think tornadoes are ____________________ (bad) hurricanes.
6. Laura speaks English ____________________ (good) Susan.
7. My car is ____________________ (old) yours.
8. This is the ____________________ (beautiful) beach I have ever visited.
9. John is ____________________ (busy) than his brother.
10. February is the ____________________ (short) month of the year.

Exercise 2 – Choose the Correct Option

1. My house is (bigger / biggest) than yours.
2. Sarah is the (more intelligent / most intelligent) student in the class.
3. This book is (more interesting / most interesting) than that one.
4. Mount Everest is the (higher / highest) mountain in the world.
5. Today is (hotter / hottest) than yesterday.
6. She is the (younger / youngest) person in the office.

Exercise 3 – Rewrite the Sentences

Use the adjective in parentheses.

Example:
Tom is 1.80m tall. Jack is 1.70m tall. (tall)

Tom is taller than Jack.

1. A motorcycle is fast. A bicycle is slow. (fast)
2. Gold is expensive. Silver is cheaper. (expensive)
3. My suitcase weighs 15 kg. Your suitcase weighs 10 kg. (heavy)
4. This exercise is difficult. The previous one was easy. (difficult)
5. Anna studies a lot. Peter studies less. (hard-working)

Exercise 4 – Complete with “as…as”

1. My sister is __________ tall __________ my mother.
2. This test is not __________ difficult __________ the last one.
3. Brazil is not __________ small __________ Uruguay.
4. John is __________ friendly __________ Mike.
5. That restaurant is __________ expensive __________ this one.

Exercise 5 – Error Correction

Find and correct the mistakes.

1. She is more taller than her sister.
2. This is the most tallest building in town.
3. My dog is more big than yours.
4. He is the better player in the team.
5. This movie is interestinger than the last one.

Exercise 6 – Personal Practice

Write complete sentences about yourself.

1. Compare yourself with a friend using taller, shorter, older, younger, busier, or another adjective.
2. Write a sentence using as…as.
3. Write a sentence using a superlative.
4. Compare two cities you know.
5. Compare two movies or TV series you have watched.

Quick Summary

Comparatives

Used to compare two things.

Structure:

• adjective + -er + than
• more + adjective + than

Examples:

• taller than
• more interesting than

Superlatives

Used to compare three or more things.

Structure:

• the + adjective + -est
• the most + adjective

Examples:

• the tallest
• the most interesting

Similarities

as + adjective + as

Examples:

• as tall as
• as intelligent as

Practice with Music

And now the funniest practice ever! With songs! 🎵Listen and complete.

Watch the video, listen carefully, and complete the lyrics using the correct comparative or superlative forms.