1. Comparative and Superlative

2. Comparative
Is the name for the grammar used when
comparing two things. The two basic ways to
compare are using as .. as or than.
Examples: He is twice as old as his sister.
He is older than his sister

3. When comparing with as .. as, the adjective does not
change. When comparing with than, however, some
changes are necessary, depending on the number of
syllables the adjective:
one-syllable adjectives: add -er to the adjective
tall  taller
cold  colder
two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y
to -ier
happy  happier
easy  easier
lucky  luckier

4. Other 2-syllable adjectives: use more with the
unchanged adjective
crowded  more crowded
boring  more boring
careful  more careful
Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use more with the
unchanged adjective
difficult  more difficult
intelligent  more intelligent
enjoyable  more enjoyable
irritating  more irritating

5. Superlative
In the superlative you talk about one thing only
and how it is the best, worst, etc. You do not
compare two things.
Examples: He is the tallest of the class.
She is the youngest of the family

6. one-syllable adjectives: add -est to the adjective plus
“the”
tall  (the) tallest
cold  (the) coldest
two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y
to -iest plus “the”
happy  (the) happiest
easy  (the) easiest
lucky  (the) luckiest

7. Other 2-syllable adjectives: use most with the
unchanged adjective
crowded  (the) most crowded
boring  (the) most boring
careful  (the) most careful
Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use most with the
unchanged adjective
difficult  (the) most difficult
intelligent  (the) most intelligent
enjoyable  (the) most enjoyable
irritating  (the) most irritating

8. Exceptions
Irregular adjectives:
Adjective
Comparative
Superlative
good
better
best
bad
worse
worst
far
farther
farthest
little
less
least
many
more
most

9. Fill in the gaps with the comparative form
of the adjectives given.
1. A rock is _________ than a leaf. (heavy)
2. Our house is __________than yours. (big)
3. The princess is _________ than the witch. (beautiful)
4. Tom is a ___________ student than Mary. (good)
5. Bicycles are _________ than motorbikes. (safe)
6. July is ___________ than January. (hot)
7. A lion is ___________ than a cat. (dangerous)
8. Helen is _____________ than Mary. (happy)
9. Computers are ____________ than
telephones. (expensive)
10. I think golf is ____________ than football. (boring)

10. Fill in the gaps with the superlative form
of the adjectives given.
1. It is the ________ shop in town. (large)
2. Monday is the day ________ of the week. (bad)
3. Ben was the ___________ person in his family. (noisy)
4. Sam is the ____________ in the class. (popular)
5. Which is the ___________ subject at school? (difficult)
6. Jim is the ________ player in the football team. (good)
7. Elephants are the ____________ animals. (heavy)
8. Let's pick the _____________ apple of the tree. (big)
9. Mary is the ____________ girl in the class. (thin)
10. That is the ________ sofa in our house. (comfortable)