1. Universidad Metropolitana Título V Campus
Comparative and superlative degree of adjectives and adverbs
Learning Zone - Inglés

2. Definition:
Adjective: It is used to express attributes to something or someone. These appear before the noun, modify it and follow the next order of determiners, observation, size and shape, age, color, origin, material and qualifier.
Adverb: It can modify a verb, an adjective, a phrase or clause and another adverb. Adverbs can be identified quickly by their commonly used suffix “ly” and can be found in various places of the sentence.
You should use the comparative form of an adjective or adverb to compare exactly two things. The superlative form is for comparing three or more.

3. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 1: Only one syllable, ending in E.
E.g.: wide, fine, cute
Comparative
Superlative
Add -R: wider, finer, cuter
Add -ST: widest, finest, cutest
Comparative: Mary is cuter than Jenny.
Superlative: Mary is the cutest girl of the classroom.

4. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 2: Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end.
E.g.: hot, big, fat
Comparative
Superlative
Double the consonant, and add -ER: hotter, bigger, fatter
Double the consonant, and add -EST: hottest, biggest, fattest
Comparative: This summer is hotter than last year’s summer.
Superlative: This is the hottest summer ever.

5. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 3: Only one syllable, with more than one vowel or more than one
consonant at the end.
E.g.: light, neat, fast
Comparative
Superlative
Add -ER: lighter, neater, faster
Add -EST: lightest, neatest, fastest
Comparative: This car is faster than my last car.
Superlative: This car is the fastest I ever had.

6. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 4: Two syllables, ending in Y.
E.g.: happy, silly, lonely
Comparative
Superlative
Change Y to I, then add -ER: happier, sillier, lonelier
Change Y to I, then add -EST: happiest, silliest, loneliest
Comparative: I feel happier than ever.
Superlative: I am the happiest woman of the world.

7. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 5: Two syllables or more, not ending in Y.
E.g.: modern, interesting, beautiful
Comparative
Superlative
Use MORE before the adjective: more modern, more interesting, more beautiful
Use MOST before the adjective: most modern, most interesting, most beautiful
Comparative: “The Da Vinci Code” book is more interesting than the
movie.
Superlative: “The Da Vinci Code” is the most interesting book ever
written.

8. Comparative & superlative: Irregular adjectives…
Comparative form
Superlative form
Good
Better
Best
Bad
Worse
Worst
Far
Farther
Farthest
Little
Less
Least
Many
More
Most

9. Practice Comparative and superlative of adjectives

10. Interesting fact…
The rules applied for the comparative and superlative of adjectives are very similar to the rules of the comparative and superlative of adverbs. You can play with the rules and have fun…

11. Rules: comparative and superlative adjectives…
Rule # 1: One syllable adverbs add –er or –est.
E.g.: fast, hard
Comparative
Superlative
Add -ER: faster, harder, cuter
Add -EST: fastest, hardest, cutest
Comparative: John works harder than me.
Superlative: John works the hardest.

12. Rules: comparative and superlative adverbs…
Rule # 2: Adverbs with 2 or more syllables, use MORE and MOST with: E.g.: carefully, quickly
Comparative
Superlative
With two or more syllables, use MORE and THAN: more carefully than, more quickly than
Use THE MOST: the most carefully, the most quickly
Comparative: He ran more quickly than me.
Superlative: Of all the athletes, he ran the most quickly.

13. Comparative & superlative: Irregular adverbs…
Irregular adjective
Comparative form
Superlative form
Good
Better than
The best
Bad
Worse than
The worst
Far
Farther than/Further than
The farthest/The furthest
Well

14. Practice Comparative and superlative of adverbs

15. Bibliography:

16. Prepared by: Cristabel R. Ocasio Ilarraza Nirazette L. González Abella
Back