Comparatives and superlatives

COMPARATIVES AND
SUPERLATIVES
By T. Raquel Pastrana
INA
COMPARATIVES
• When making comparisons, we can highlight the
superiority, inferiority or equality of one quality or
another. The structure of each of these grades of
comparison is different.
COMPARISONS OF SUPERIORITY
• In comparisons of superiority, the adjective, which is in the
comparative form (see below), is followed by “than”.
EXAMPLES:
• Juan runs faster than Mark
• I’m taller than Beth
• New York is bigger than Los Angeles
COMPARISONS OF INFERIORITY
• To form this type of comparison we can use the conjunctions “not
as…as” or “less…than”. In both cases, the adjective is in the
positive grade.
EXAMPLES:
• Mark is not as fast as Juan.
• Beth is not as tall as me.
• Los Angeles is not as big as New york.
COMPARISONS OF EQUALITY
• With the adjective in the positive grade, we use the
conjunction “as…as” to form comparisons of equality.
EXAMPLES:
• Mark is as fast as Juan.
• Beth is as tall as me.
• Los Angeles is as big as New York.
THE SUPERLATIVE GRADE
• denotes a quality at its highest degree and is formed using the
article “the” in front of the superlative form of the adjective (see
below).
• EXAMPLES:
• Juan is the fastest.
• I am the tallest.
• New York is the biggest city in the United States.
RULES
COMPARATIVE FORM
• 1- For one syllable adjectives, add: “-er”
EXAMPLE
Faster
COMPARATIVE FORM
• 2- For one syllable adjectives that end in “-e”: add: “-r”
EXAMPLE
Nicer
COMPARATIVE FORM
• 3- For one syllable adjectives that end in “consonant + vowel
+ consonant”: add: consonant + “-er”
EXAMPLE
Hotter
COMPARATIVE FORM
• 4- For two syllable adjectives that end in “-y”:
substitute “y” for:“-ier”
EXAMPLE
Funnier
COMPARATIVE FORM
• 5- For adjectives of two syllables or more: add: “more”/ “less”
EXAMPLE
More beautiful
Less beautiful
SUPERLATIVE FORM
• 1- For one syllable adjectives, add: add: “-est”
EXAMPLE
Fastest
SUPERLATIVE FORM
• 2- For one syllable adjectives that end in “-e”: add: “-st”
EXAMPLE
Nicest
SUPERLATIVE FORM
• 3- For one syllable adjectives that end in “consonant + vowel
+ consonant”: add: consonant + “-est”
EXAMPLE
Hottest
SUPERLATIVE FORM
• 4- For two syllable adjectives that end in “-y”: substitute “y”
for: “-iest”
EXAMPLE
Funniest
SUPERLATIVE FORM
• 5- For adjectives of two syllables or more: add: “the most”/ “the
least”:
EXAMPLE
The most beautiful
The least beautiful
SOME IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES:
Adjective
Good
Comparative
better
Superlative
best
Bad
worse
worst
Far
further
Furthest