English Language Comparatives and Superlatives

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What are Comparatives and Superlatives?

In the English language, comparatives and superlatives are adjectives that are used to compare people, places, or things. They help us show how one thing is different from others. They are used to compare nouns. Comparatives compare two things, while superlatives compare three or more.

Generally, comparatives are formed by adding the letters er to the adjective (or using the word more before the adjective, and superlatives by adding the letters est, or using the word most.

Let's look at some examples.

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives compare two things. They describe which of the two has a greater or lesser degree of a particular quality.

Tall becomes taller. Big becomes bigger. Beautiful becomes more beautiful. We often use the word than after the comparative adjective to introduce the second item being compared, as in my dog is bigger than your cat.

Superlatives Adjectives

Superlative adjectives compare three or more things. They describe which one has the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality within a group.

Tall becomes tallest. Big becomes biggest. Beautiful becomes most beautiful. We often use the word most after the superlative adjective and we almost always use the word the before the superlative adjective, as in that was the most exciting movie I've ever seen.

As you may expect there are exceptions. Some common adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms that don't follow the regular rules. These must be memorized.

• Good becomes better (comparative) and best (superlative). That book was good, but this one is better. Of all the books I've read this year, this one is the best.

• Bad becomes worse (comparative) and worst (superlative). Your cooking is worse than my brother's, but my dad's cooking is the worst in the whole family.

• Far becomes farther or further (comparative) and farthest or furthest (superlative). The new library is farther away than the old one, but it's the farthest building on this street. (Note: "Further" and "furthest" can also be used, especially in a figurative sense, but "farther" and "farthest" are generally used for physical distance.)

Mastering comparatives and superlatives is essential for English fluency. These grammatical tools are the difference between just speaking English and speaking good English.

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