Comparison of adjectives
Form and use the positive, comparative and superlative degrees.
Adjectives describe nouns, but they can also compare them. In this lesson you will learn the three degrees of comparison and how to form each one.
The degrees of comparison are the three forms of an adjective, positive, comparative and superlative, used to describe one thing, compare two, or pick one out of a group.
Examples
- Our office is bright and airy.
- This lane is narrower than the main road.
- Dev is the youngest player in the squad.
- The second film was more exciting than the first.
- This is the worst traffic jam I have ever seen.
- Your idea is as good as mine.
How it works
Positive degree
The positive is the plain adjective. Use as ... as to show that two things are equal, and not as ... as or not so ... as to show they are not.
Pune is not as hot as Nagpur in May.
Comparative degree
The comparative compares two people or things and is usually followed by than. Short adjectives add -er; longer ones use more.
A train ticket is cheaper than a flight.
Superlative degree
The superlative picks out one from three or more. It usually takes the, and often in or of after it.
Lata is the most careful driver in our family.
Spelling and irregular forms
Double a final consonant after a short vowel (big, bigger), change y to i (busy, busier), and add only -r or -st after e (wide, wider). A few adjectives, such as good, bad and many, change completely.
My cold is worse today than it was yesterday.
Quick reference
| Rule | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add -er / -est | short | shorter | shortest |
| Ends in -e: add -r / -st | wide | wider | widest |
| Short vowel + consonant: double it | big | bigger | biggest |
| Consonant + y: change y to i | busy | busier | busiest |
| Longer adjectives: more / most | careful | more careful | most careful |
| Irregular | good | better | best |
| Irregular | bad | worse | worst |
| Irregular | many / much | more | most |
Common mistakes
✕Ritu is the most tallest player in the team.
✓Ritu is the tallest player in the team.
Never put most before a form that already ends in -est.
✕Of the two bags, this one is the heaviest.
✓Of the two bags, this one is the heavier.
When only two things are compared, use the comparative.
✕My phone is better than Anil.
✓My phone is better than Anil's.
Compare a phone with a phone, not a phone with a person.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Tap the adjective in the comparative degree.
Rahul is taller than his father.
✓taller
Taller compares two people, so it is comparative.
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