Comparatives & Superlatives

Level B2–C2 · -er/-est, more/most & irregulars

◎What you'll master

Form the comparative and superlative of short adjectives with -er / -est, spelling them correctly (big → bigger, happy → happiest, nice → nicest).
Use more / most with longer adjectives (more expensive, the most beautiful).
Master the key irregulars: good/better/best, bad/worse/worst, far/further/furthest, little/less/least, much–many/more/most.
Join comparisons correctly with than, put the before superlatives, and use (not) as … as for equality.
Add modifiers (much / far / a lot / a bit / slightly) and use the pattern the + comparative, the + comparative.

1The core idea: two things vs. three or more

A comparative compares two things and usually takes than. A superlativepicks out one from a group of three or more and takes the. The form you use depends on how long the adjective is.

Comparative: Anna is taller than Ben. · Superlative: Anna is the tallest in the class.

⚠ Watch out — a comparison of two needs a comparative, not a superlative: Anna is the tallest of the two. → Anna is the taller of the two.

2Short adjectives: -er / -est (with spelling)

One-syllable adjectives (and two-syllable ones ending in -y) add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative. Watch the spelling changes.

Rule	Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
most short words: + er / est	tall	taller	the tallest
ends in -e: + r / st	nice	nicer	the nicest
short vowel + consonant: double it	big	bigger	the biggest
ends in consonant + -y: y → i	happy	happier	the happiest

Doubling test

Double the final consonant only after a single stressed vowel: big → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner. But cheap → cheaper (two vowels) and quick → quicker (ends in two consonants) do not double.

3Long adjectives: more / most

Adjectives of two or more syllables (except many ending in -y) don't take -er/-est. Instead put more before the comparative and the most before the superlative.

expensive → more expensive → the most expensive · beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful

⚠ Watch out — never combine both systems: more bigger, more taller, most cleverest. Use bigger, taller, the cleverest — one marker only.

4Irregular forms — learn these by heart

A few very common adjectives (and quantifiers) have their own forms that follow no rule:

Adjective / word	Comparative	Superlative
good / well	better	the best
bad / badly	worse	the worst
far	further / farther	the furthest / farthest
little	less	the least
much / many	more	the most

Two common traps

Use less with uncountable nouns and fewer with countable ones; and remember that the superlative of good is best, never the most best.

less time (uncountable) · fewer people (countable) · This is the best option.

5'as … as' for equality

To say two things are equal, use as + adjective + as. To say they are not equal, use not as … as (the same as less … than).

Ben is as tall as Sam. · This test wasn't as hard as the last one. (= it was easier)

⚠ Watch out — the second word is as, never than: as tall than → as tall as. And keep the adjective in its base form: as taller as → as tall as.

6Modifiers & 'the + comparative, the + comparative'

Strengthen or soften a comparative with a modifier: much / far / a lot (big difference) or a bit / a little / slightly (small difference). Note: use these — not very — with a comparative.

This one is much cheaper. · She's a bit older than me. · It's far more difficult than I thought.

⚠ Watch out — you can't say very cheaper; use much cheaper or plain very cheap.

Parallel change: the … , the …

Show that two things rise or fall together with the + comparative, the + comparative: The more you practise, the better you get. · The sooner we leave, the less traffic we'll hit.

Practice — 15 questions with instant feedback

0 / 15 correct

Question 1

This road is ______ than the old one.

Question 2

Today is (hot) than yesterday.

Question 3

She is the ______ student in the class.

Question 4

My new phone is (good) than my old one.

Question 5

This is the ______ film I've ever seen.

Question 6

A diamond is (nice) than a pebble.

Question 7

Gold is ______ than silver.

Question 8

Mount Everest is the (high) mountain on Earth.

Question 9

This exam wasn't ______ the last one.

Question 10

We have (little) time than we thought.

Question 11

This laptop is ______ cheaper than that one — a huge difference.

Question 12

The (much) you practise, the better you get.

Question 13

Of my two sisters, Mia is the ______.

Question 14

Neptune is the (far) planet from the Sun.

Question 15

This is by far ______ restaurant in the whole city.

✎Fix the Error

Each sentence has one mistake in the underlined word. Type the correction and check.

1.This box is more bigger than that one.

2.The tower is more taller than the church.

3.That was the most best meal I've ever had.

4.My brother is as tall than me now.

5.Her handwriting is gooder than mine.