Comparison of Adjectives in English: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on Oct 5, 2024 in English

Comparison of Adjectives

Introduction

Understanding adjective comparison is crucial for effective English communication. This guide explains how to form comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives.

Single-Syllable Adjectives

Most single-syllable adjectives, such as brave, cheap, clean, deep, fat, thin, fresh, pale, short, long, soft, tall, and fast, follow these rules:

Comparative

Add “-er” to the adjective. For example:

  • A is smaller than B.
  • A is longer than B.
  • A is taller than B.

Superlative

Add “the” before the adjective and “-est” to the adjective. For example:

  • Z is the smallest.
  • Z is the longest.
  • Z is the tallest.

Two-Syllable Adjectives

Two-syllable adjectives ending in “-y”, “-ly”, “-ow”, “-er”, and “-le” usually follow the same rules as single-syllable adjectives. Here are some examples:

  • -y: happy (happier, happiest), funny (funnier, funniest)
  • -ly: friendly (friendlier, friendliest), early (earlier, earliest)
  • -ow: shallow (shallower, shallowest), narrow (narrower, narrowest)
  • -er: clever (cleverer, cleverest), tender (tenderer, tenderest)
  • -le: able (abler, ablest), gentle (gentler, gentlest)

Multi-Syllable and Other Adjectives

Adjectives of three or more syllables (e.g., extravagant, interesting, expensive, convenient), two-syllable adjectives not ending in “-y”, “-ly”, “-ow”, “-er”, or “-le”, and adjectives ending in “-ing”, “-ed”, “-ful”, or “-some” use “more” and “most” for comparison. For example:

Comparative

Use “more” before the adjective. For example:

  • A is more interesting than B.
  • A is more expensive than B.
  • A is more beautiful than B.

Superlative

Use “the most” before the adjective. For example:

  • Z is the most interesting.
  • Z is the most expensive.
  • Z is the most beautiful.

Irregular Adjectives

Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:

  • good (better, best)
  • bad (worse, worst)

Exercises

  1. Rome is old, but Athens is older.
  2. Which is worse, a headache or a toothache?
  3. My bag isn’t very heavy. Your bag is heavier.
  4. A car is much more expensive than a bike.
  5. Which is the longest river in the world?
  6. Ken is a good tennis player. I think he is the best in the club.
  7. She works harder than her sister.
  8. She is the most intelligent person that I know.
  9. January is the hottest month of the year.
  10. This exercise is more difficult than the previous one.

Idiomatic Comparison

The structure “The + comparative…, the + comparative…” expresses a parallel relationship between two clauses. For example:

  1. The more you study, the better results you get.
  2. The newer the car, the more expensive it is.
  3. The drier the weather, the more problems we face.
  4. The more you read English texts, the better you learn the language.

Spanish Equivalents

  1. Cuanto más estudias, mejores resultados obtienes.
  2. Cuanto más nuevo es el coche, más caro es.
  3. Cuanto más seco es el clima, más problemas enfrentamos.
  4. Cuanto más lees textos en inglés, mejor aprendes el idioma.
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