Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative

Comparative and superlative adjectives compare one thing or person against another or the whole group.

Usage

Rule 1: We use comparative adjectives to express that a person or thing has more or less of something.

Rule 2: We use superlative adjectives to compare a person or thing (subject) to a group of objects and express that this subject is at the upper or lower limit of a quality.

Formation

Rule 3: To form the comparative adjectives, we add the suffix -er to the most single and two-syllable adjectives and we use the word more and the basic form of the adjective with multi-syllable adjectives.

Rule 4: To form the superlative adjectives, we add the suffix -est to the most single and two-syllable adjectives and we use the word most and the basic form of the adjective with multi-syllable adjectives.

Note: Superlative adjectives always come with the article the in front of them.

Irregular Adjectives

Rule 5: Some comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are irregular, meaning that we need to learn them by heart.

Here's an overview the most common irregular comparative and superlative adjectives:

Non-Comparable Adjective

Rule 6: Ungradable or extreme adjectives do not have a comparative or superlative form because they express that something is already very (e.g., hilarious = very funny) or cannot be graded (e.g., dead) at all.

Some of these adjectives include the words pregnant, brilliant, ultimate, immortal, unique, excellent, ancient, complete, perfect, etc.