This document provides rules for forming comparatives and superlatives of adjectives in English. It explains that one-syllable adjectives typically form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est. There are also rules provided for irregular adjectives like good/better/best. Examples are given to demonstrate using comparatives to compare two things and superlatives to compare one thing to a larger group.

1. COMPARATIVES
AND
SUPERLATIVES
ADJECTIVES

2. SPELLING RULES
ONE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES
TALL – OLD – LONG – FAST – SOFT – SWEET – CHEAP
COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
TALLER TALLEST
OLDER OLDEST
LONGER LONGEST
FASTER THE FASTEST
SOFTER SOFTEST
SWEETER SWEETEST
CHEAPER CHEAPEST

3. ONE SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES
ENDS WITH A SINGLE CONSONANT WITH A VOWEL BEFORE IT
BIG – THIN – FAT - HOT
COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
BIGG ER BIGG EST
THINN ER THINN EST
FATT ER FATT EST
HOTT ER HOTT EST
THE

4. TWO SYLLABLE ADJECTIVES
ENDING WITH “Y”
HAPPY – ANGRY – BUSY – FUNNY – UGLY – PRETTY – TASTY
COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
HAPPI ER HAPPI EST
ANGRI ER ANGRI EST
BUSI ER BUSI EST
FUNNI ER FUNNI EST
UGLI ER UGLI EST
PRETTI ER PRETTI EST
TASTI ER TASTI EST
THE

5. TWO, THREE OR MORE SYLLABLE
ADJECTIVES
COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
PEACEFUL PEACEFUL
PLEASANT PLEASANT
CAREFUL CAREFUL
GENEROUS GENEROUS
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
INTELLIGENT INTELLIGENT
ATRACTIVE ATRACTIVE
PERFECT PERFECT
TERRIBLE TERRIBLE
DANGEROUS DANGEROUS
DIFFICULT DIFFICULT
BORING BORING
MORE THE MOST

6. IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES
GOOD – BAD – FAR
COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE
BETTER BEST
WORSE WORST
FURTHER / FARTHER FURTHEST / FARTHEST

7. GRAMMAR AND EXAMPLES
We use COMPARATIVES to compare TWO things:
• Jhon is taller THAN Bob.
• My car is faster THAN Montoya´s car.
• My dog is bigger THAN your dog.
• Maria is happier today THAN she was yesterday.
• Andrea is more careful THAN Jose.
• Colombian food is better THAN American food.

8. We use SUPERLATIVES to compare ONE thing with the rest
of the group:
• Mary is the tallest IN the class.
• OF all students in the class, Lucas is the thinnest.
• The beach is the most peaceful place IN the world.
• The boss is the busiest person IN the office.
• Juan is the most generous person OF all the people I know.
• Piqué is the best football player IN the team.

9. IMPORTANT POINTS
• We use as + adjective + as to say that two things are equal in some way.
He's as tall as me.
Jim's car is as fast as mine.
• We can repeat comparatives to say that something is changing.
These exams are getting worse and worse every year.
She gets more and more beautiful every time I see her.
• We can modify comparatives with less and the least (the opposite of
more and the most) .
This sofa is less comfortable.
She was the least intelligent of the three sisters.