THE COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

There are three degrees of comparison:

POSITIVE degree, COMPARATIVE degree, SUPERLATIVE degree:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

cool cooler coolest
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

01. COMPARATIVE OF EQUALITY

AS .... AS (for positive comparisons),

(NOT) SO .... AS (for negative comparisons).

Her pronunciation is AS good AS yours.

His pronunciation is NOT SO good AS yours.

Note: We may say NOT AS .... AS, especially after a

contracted form: Her pronunciation isn't AS good AS yours.

02. COMPARATIVE OF INFERIORITY

LESS ..... THAN + the adjective.

It is LESS cold today THAN it was yesterday.

Kelly is LESS old THAN Sandra.

03. SUPERLATIVE OF INFERIORITY

THE LEAST ....... OF (or IN) + the adjective.

Sunday was THE LEAST cold day of the week.

Christina is THE LEAST old girl in that class.
04. COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE OF SUPERIORITY

a) Monosyllabic adjectives form their COMPARATIVE and

SUPERLATIVE by adding - ER and - EST to the POSITIVE
degree.

tall tallER THAN THE tallEST

warm warmER THAN THE warmEST

Exceptions:

just MORE just THAN THE MOST just

right MORE right THAN THE MOST right
real MORE real THAN THE MOST real
wrong MORE wrong THAN THE MOST wrong

b) Adjectives with more than two syllables form their

COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE by putting MORE and THE MOST in
front of the adjective.

difficult MORE difficult THAN THE MOST difficult

important MORE important THAN THE MOST important

c) Disyllabic (two syllables) adjectives form their

COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE in two different ways:

1. Adjectives ending in ED, ING, RE, FUL, OUS and those

with the stress on the first syllable usually take MORE and
THE MOST:

charming MORE charming THAN THE MOST charming

famous MORE famous THAN THE MOST famous
hopeful MORE hopeful THAN THE MOST hopeful
learned MORE learned THAN THE MOST learned
obscure MORE obscure THAN THE MOST obscure

2. Adjectives ending in ER, Y, LE, OW and those with the

 stress on the second syllable add ER and EST to the
POSITIVE degree.

clever cleverER THAN THE cleverEST

narrow narrowER THAN THE narrowEST
pretty prettiER THAN THE prettiEST
polite politER THAN THE politEST
simple simplER THAN THE simplEST

Note: Adjectives ending in SOME and the words cheerful,

common, cruel, pleasant, quiet, civil may be compared by
adding ER and EST or by MORE and MOST.

pleasant pleasantER THAN THE pleasantEST

or

pleasant MORE pleasant THAN THE MOST pleasant

05. ORTHOGRAPHIC NOTES

a) Add R and ST to adjectives ending in E.

large largeR THAN THE largeST

ripe ripeR THAN THE ripeST

b) VOWEL SANDWICH (VOWEL + CONSONANT + VOWEL) (THE LAST

VOWEL IS DOUBLED)

big bigGER THAN THE bigGEST

fat fatTER THAN THE fatTEST

NO SANDWICH (JUST THE SUFFIX)

small smallER THAN THE smallEST

sweet sweetER THAN THE sweetEST
c) Adjectives ending in - y preceded by a consonant, change
Y into I before ER and EST.

happY happIER THAN THE happIEST

Exceptions:

shY shYER THAN THE shYEST

gaY gaYER THAN THE gaYEST
greY greYER THAN THE greYEST

6. IRREGULAR COMPARISONS

good better than the best

bad worse than the worst
little less than the least
much more than the most
many more than the most
far farther than the farthest
far further than the furthest
old older than the oldest
old elder than the eldest

NOTES:
1. FARTHER and FARTHEST generally refer to distance;
FURTHER and FURTHEST also refer to distance but they may
have the meaning of "additional".
I live farther from here than you do.
Give me further details.

2. OLDER and OLDEST refer to persons or things; ELDER and

ELDEST can only be used for members of the same family:
My elder sister is afraid of mice.
My older friend is afraid of wasps.

but ELDER can not be placed before THAN so OLDER is used:

My sister is two years older than I am.
7. CONSTRUCTIONS WITH COMPARATIVES

a) Gradual increase:
Those exercises are getting EASIER AND EASIER. OR
Those exercises are getting MORE AND MORE EASY.

The weather is getting NICER AND NICER. OR

The weather is getting MORE AND MORE NICE.

The rent of our flat is getting MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE.

B) Parallel increase: (THE + comparative ...... THE +

comparative).
THE MORE I see you THE MORE I want you.
THE HOTTER, THE BETTER.
THE MORE he studies, THE BETTER he becomes.

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

1. COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE of SUPERIORITY.

a) Monosyllabic adverbs from their comparative and

superlative of superiority in the same way as monosyllabic
adjectives.

high highER THAN THE highEST

soon soonER THAN THE soonEST
fast fastER THAN THE fastEST

b) Adverbs of more than one syllable take MORE and MOST.

quickly MORE quickly THAN THE MOST quickly

slowly MORE slowly THAN THE MOST slowly
seldom MORE seldom THAN THE MOST seldom
Exception:

early earliER THAN THE earliEST

2. IRREGULAR COMPARISONS

well better than the best

badly worse than the worst
little less than the least
much more than the most
late later than the last