A complete guide to

comparative and
superlative form of
adjectives
and forms of comparision
 Contents of this presentation
Explanation

Short adjectives and their rules

Comparative form of adjectives

Adjectives ending in -y

Long adjectives and their rules

Superlative form of adjectices Explanation

Short adjectives and their rules

Adjectives ending in -y

Long adjectives and their rules

Types of comparisons Comparison of superiority

Comparison of equality
 Introduction
In today's lesson, we will dive into everything
you need to know about comparative and
superlative forms of adjectives. You’ll learn how
to compare two things using comparative
adjectives and how to describe something as
the best or worst using superlatives.
 Introduction
But that’s not all! We’ll also explore different
ways of making comparisons, beyond just using
adjectives, so you’ll have a full toolkit for
comparing things effectively in English.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to

confidently compare anything, from the simplest
to the most complex ideas! Let’s get started!
 01
Comparativ
e form of
adjectives
Explanation
Comparative adjectives are used to compare two
people, animals, objects, or ideas. They help show
differences or similarities between them by
indicating if something has more or less of a
certain quality.
 Short
adjectives
and their
rules
Short adjectives and their rules
 Long
adjectives
and their
rules
Long adjectives and their rules
 Long adjectives and their rules
● An adjective is generally considered long when it has two or more syllables. Here's a simple way to
decide if an adjective is long and requires the use of "more" for its comparative form:

● Two or more syllables: If an adjective has two or more syllables, it's typically considered long. In these
cases, you use "more" (or "less" for the opposite) before the adjective to form the comparative. For
example:
● Beautiful → more beautiful (This painting is more beautiful than that one.)
● Expensive → more expensive (That car is more expensive than this one.)

● Exceptions for two-syllable adjectives: Some two-syllable adjectives, especially those ending in "-y," "-
ow," or "-le," can form the comparative either by adding "-er" or using "more." For example:
● Happy → happier or more happy (She is happier than before.)
● Narrow → narrower (This street is narrower than the next one.)

● In general, if you're unsure whether an adjective is long, counting the syllables helps determine whether
to use "more" or the "-er" ending.
 Long adjectives and their rules
● Some adjectives already have a suffix that makes them longer, typically with -ed, -ing, or other endings,
and these adjectives follow the same rules as long adjectives. This means that for their comparative
forms, we use "more" or "less" instead of adding -er. Here are some examples:

● Adjectives with -ed:

● Tired → more tired (I'm more tired today than I was yesterday.)
● Interested → more interested (She is more interested in art than science.)

● Adjectives with -ing:

● Boring → more boring (This movie is more boring than the last one.)
● Exciting → more exciting (The new ride is more exciting than the old one.)

● In general, adjectives that already have these suffixes, such as -ed, -ing, or others that make them
longer, always use "more" or "less" in their comparative form rather than -er.
Exceptions
and
examples
With some 2-syllable adjectives, we
can use "-er" OR "more":
● quiet → quieter/more quiet
● clever → cleverer/more clever
● narrow → narrower/more narrow
● simple → simpler/more simple
 Exception: The following adjectives have
irregular forms:
● good → better
● well (healthy) → better
● bad → worse
● far → farther/further
 Use of Comparative Adjectives
● We use comparative adjectives when talking about 2 things (not 3 or 10 or 1,000,000 things, only 2
things).

● Often, the comparative adjective is followed by "than".

● Look at these examples:

● John is 1m80. He is tall. But Chris is 1m85. He is taller than John.

● America is big. But Russia is bigger.
● I want to have a more powerful computer.
● Is French more difficult than English?
● If we talk about the two planets Earth and Mars, we can compare them as shown in the table below:
Use of Comparative Adjectives
 Use of Comparative Adjectives
● Although we use comparative adjectives when talking about two things (not three or more things), in fact
one or both of the things may be a group of things.
● Mt Everest is higher than all other mountains.
● Here, we are talking about hundreds of mountains, but we are still comparing one thing (Mt Everest) to
one other thing (all other mountains).
 02
Superlative
form of
adjectives
Explanation
A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or
highest degree of a quality. We use a superlative
adjective to describe the extreme quality of one
thing in a group of things.
 Short
adjectives
and their
rules
Short adjectives and their rules
Short adjectives
1-syllable adjectives old, fast

2-syllable adjectives ending in -y happy, easy

RULE: add "-est" old → the oldest

Variation: if the adjective ends in -e, late → the latest

just add -st
Variation: if the adjective ends in big → the biggest
consonant, vowel, consonant, double
the last consonant
Variation: if the adjective ends in -y, happy → the happiest
change the y to i
 Long
adjectives
and their
rules
Long adjectives and their rules
Long adjectives

2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y modern, pleasant

all adjectives of 3 or more syllables expensive, intellectual

RULE: use "most" modern → the most modern

expensive → the most expensive
Exceptions
and
examples
With some 2-syllable adjectives, we
can use "-est" OR "most":
● quiet → the quietest/most quiet
● clever → the cleverest/most clever
● narrow → the narrowest/most narrow
● simple → the simplest/most simple
 Exception: The following adjectives have
irregular forms:
● good → the best
● bad → the worst
● far → the farthest/furthest
 Use of Comparative Adjectives
● Use of Superlative Adjectives
● We use a superlative adjective to describe one thing in a group of three or more things. Look at these
examples:

● John is 1m75. David is 1m80. Chris is 1m85. Chris is the tallest.

● Canada, China and Russia are big countries. But Russia is the biggest.
● Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
● If we talk about the three planets Earth, Mars and Jupiter, we can use superlative adjectives as shown in
the table below:
 Use of Comparative Adjectives
Earth Mars Jupiter

Diameter (km) 12,760 6,790 142,800 Jupiter is the

biggest.

Distance from 150 228 778 Jupiter is the

Sun (million km) most distant from
the Sun.

Length of day 24 25 10 Jupiter has the

(hours) shortest day.

Moons 1 2 16 Jupiter has the

most moons.

Surface temp. 22 -23 -150 Jupiter is the

(degrees coldest.
Celsius)
 Use of Comparative Adjectives
● When we compare one thing with itself, we do not use "the":

● England is coldest in winter. (not the coldest)

● My boss is most generous when we get a big order. (not the most generous)
 03
Types of
comparisons
Comparison
of superiority
 Comparison of superiority
● his type of comparison is used when one thing has more of a particular quality than another.

● Structure: Subject + comparative adjective + than + object.

● Examples:

● A is bigger than B. (The elephant is bigger than the horse.)

● John runs faster than Paul.
● This movie is more interesting than the last one.

● For long adjectives (two or more syllables), we use "more" before the adjective:

● This dress is more expensive than the other one.T

Comparison
of equality
 Comparison of equality
● This is used when two things or people have the same amount of a particular quality.

● Structure: Subject + as + adjective + as + object.

● Examples:

● A is as big as B. (This dog is as big as that one.)

● Sarah is as tall as Emily.
● The test is as difficult as the last one.

● Negative form: To show that two things are not equal, we can use:

● A is not as big as B. (This book is not as interesting as the one I read before.)
Comparison
of inferiority
 Comparison of inferiority
● This type of comparison is used when something has less of a quality compared to something else.

● Structure: Subject + less + adjective + than + object.

● Examples:

● A is less expensive than B. (This phone is less expensive than that one.)
● The mountain is less dangerous than the cliff.
Thank
you