Welcome to your English grammar lesson on comparative and superlative adjectives! If you’re learning English at an A2 level, understanding these adjectives is super important. They help you compare things and say what is the most or least of something. This lesson will make it easy and fun. Let’s get started and improve your English speaking skills!

What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
Imagine you want to talk about how things are different. That’s where comparative adjectives come in! We use them to compare two things. Think about saying something is bigger than or faster than something else.
Superlative adjectives are used when we want to compare more than two things and say which one is the most or least. For example, saying something is the biggest or the fastest of all.
Let’s look at some simple examples:

• Comparative: A car is faster than a bicycle.
• Superlative: A jet is the fastest way to travel.

See? Easy peasy! Now let’s learn how to make these adjectives.

How to Form Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

There are rules to follow to make comparative and superlative forms. Don’t worry, they are quite simple!

Short Adjectives (One Syllable)

For most short adjectives, we add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative	Example
Tall	Taller	Tallest	My brother is taller than me. My dad is the tallest in our family.
Short	Shorter	Shortest	This road is shorter than that road. This is the shortest way to get there.
Big	Bigger	Biggest	An elephant is bigger than a dog. A whale is the biggest animal. (Notice we double the ‘g’ in ‘big’)
Small	Smaller	Smallest	A mouse is smaller than a cat. An ant is the smallest insect I know.
Fast	Faster	Fastest	A car is faster than a bicycle. A race car is the fastest car.
Slow	Slower	Slowest	A snail is slower than a turtle. A sloth is the slowest animal.
Old	Older	Oldest	My brother is older than me. My grandfather is the oldest person in my family.
Young	Younger	Youngest	She is younger than her sister. He is the youngest student in the class.
Nice	Nicer	Nicest	This cake is nicer than the last one. This is the nicest cake I’ve ever tasted.

Remember, for adjectives ending in -e, just add -r and -st (like ‘nice’ – nicer – nicest’). For short adjectives ending in a vowel + consonant, double the consonant (like ‘big’ – bigger – biggest’).

Long Adjectives (Two or More Syllables)

For longer adjectives, we use more for the comparative and the most for the superlative. We don’t add -er or -est to the adjective itself.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative	Example
Beautiful	More beautiful	The most beautiful	A rose is more beautiful than a daisy. A sunflower is the most beautiful flower to me.
Expensive	More expensive	The most expensive	This car is more expensive than that one. A sports car is the most expensive type of car.
Interesting	More interesting	The most interesting	History is more interesting than math for me. Science fiction is the most interesting genre of books.
Difficult	More difficult	The most difficult	English grammar is more difficult than English vocabulary for some. Quantum physics is the most difficult subject I can imagine.
Popular	More popular	The most popular	Football is more popular than baseball in Europe. Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide.
Important	More important	The most important	Learning English is more important than learning French for my job. Good health is the most important thing in life.

Easy, right? Just remember ‘more’ and ‘the most’ for longer words!

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in -y

Adjectives with two syllables that end in -y often act like short adjectives! We change the -y to -i and add -er and -est.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative	Example
Happy	Happier	Happiest	I am happier today than yesterday. This is the happiest day of my life!
Easy	Easier	Easiest	English is easier than Chinese for me. This exercise is the easiest one in the book.
Funny	Funnier	Funniest	This movie is funnier than the last one. He is the funniest person I know.
Busy	Busier	Busiest	I am busier this week than last week. Monday is the busiest day at work.
Pretty	Prettier	Prettiest	This dress is prettier than the blue one. She is the prettiest girl in the class.

Remember to change ‘y’ to ‘i’!

Irregular Adjectives

Like many things in English, there are always some exceptions! Some adjectives are irregular. This means they don’t follow the rules. You just need to memorize them.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative	Example
Good	Better	Best	My English is better than it was last year. This is the best English lesson ever!
Bad	Worse	Worst	The weather today is worse than yesterday. This is the worst movie I have ever seen.
Far	Farther/Further	Farthest/Furthest	My house is farther than yours. That planet is the farthest from the sun.
Little	Less	Least	I have less money than you. This is the least I can do to help.
Much/Many	More	Most	I have more books than my sister. He has the most friends in our group.

These are the most common irregular adjectives. Practice using them, and you’ll remember them easily!

Using Comparative Adjectives in Sentences

When we use comparative adjectives, we often use the word than to show the comparison. Look at these examples:

• My car is faster than your car.
• Summer is hotter than spring.
• Learning English online is more convenient than going to a classroom.
• He is happier now than he was before.
• This book is more interesting than the one I read last week.

Remember to use than to connect the two things you are comparing!

Using Superlative Adjectives in Sentences

With superlative adjectives, we usually use the before the adjective. We are saying something is the most or least of a group.

• Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
• The Sahara Desert is the hottest desert.
• Learning English with Lingofrnd.com is the most effective way to improve your spoken English.
• She is the happiest person I know.
• This is the most delicious cake I have ever eaten.

Don’t forget to use the with superlative adjectives!

Common Mistakes with Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Even native speakers make mistakes sometimes! But let’s look at some common errors for English learners and how to avoid them:

• Double comparatives/superlatives: Incorrect: “more taller”, “most tallest”. Correct: “taller”, “tallest”. We don’t use ‘more’ or ‘most’ with -er/-est forms.
• Using ‘than’ with superlatives: Incorrect: “the best than”. Correct: “the best”. We use ‘than’ with comparatives, not superlatives.
• Forgetting ‘the’ with superlatives: Incorrect: “She is tallest girl”. Correct: “She is the tallest girl”. We usually need ‘the’ before superlatives.
• Incorrect irregular forms: Make sure to memorize the irregular forms (good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, etc.).

Practice makes perfect! The more you use these adjectives, the fewer mistakes you will make.

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in Speaking

Now, let’s think about how to use comparative and superlative adjectives when you are speaking English. This is where they become really useful for everyday conversations and to improve English speaking confidence!
Here are some example questions and answers using these adjectives:

• Question: Is your house bigger or smaller than your parents’ house?
  
  Answer: My house is smaller than my parents’ house.
• Question: Which city is more interesting, London or Paris?
  
  Answer: I think Paris is more interesting than London, but both are great!
• Question: What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen?
  
  Answer: For me, “The Shawshank Redemption” is the best movie.
• Question: Who is the tallest person in your family?
  
  Answer: My father is the tallest person in my family.
• Question: Is learning English easier or more difficult than learning another language you know?
  
  Answer: Learning English is easier than learning German for me.

Try asking and answering these kinds of questions with your friends or language partners. This is great spoken English practice!

Let’s Practice!

Fill in the blanks with the comparative or superlative form of the adjective in brackets.

1. A lion is __________ (strong) than a cat.
2. This is __________ (delicious) cake I have ever eaten.
3. My brother is __________ (young) than me.
4. Summer is __________ (hot) season of the year.
5. Learning English is __________ (important) than learning French for international travel.
6. This book is __________ (interesting) than the movie.
7. She is __________ (happy) person I know.
8. An airplane is __________ (fast) than a train.
9. Who is __________ (tall) person in your class?
10. This exercise is __________ (easy) than the last one.

Answers to Practice

1. stronger
2. the most delicious
3. younger
4. the hottest
5. more important
6. more interesting
7. the happiest
8. faster
9. the tallest
10. easier

How did you do? Great job! Keep practicing, and you’ll become a pro at using comparative and superlative adjectives!

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