{"id":9866,"date":"2015-07-31T14:43:52","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T21:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-crowdcontent.com\/?p=9866"},"modified":"2021-04-28T07:59:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T14:59:41","slug":"comparative-and-superlative-adjectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/resources\/writer\/university\/grammar\/comparative-and-superlative-adjectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Comparative and Superlative Adjectives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives<\/h2>\n

Have you ever been told, \u201cIt\u2019s more fun, not funner\u201d, and wondered, \u201cHow am I supposed to know that\u201d? If so, this lesson is for you.<\/p>\n

Definitions<\/h3>\n

As the name implies, a comparative <\/b>adjective<\/b><\/a> compares<\/b> two things<\/b>. It\u2019s formed by using \u201cmore\u201d or \u201c-er\u201d.<\/p>\n

This lesson is more interesting<\/span> than that one.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am stronger<\/span> than you are.<\/em><\/p>\n

A superlative adjective compares more than two things <\/b>by showing which is the \u201cmost\u201d or \u201c-est\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is the most delicious<\/span> lemon meringue pie I have ever tasted.<\/em><\/p>\n

The gold medalist ran the fastest<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

General Rules for One-Syllable Adjectives<\/h3>\n

In general, one-syllable adjectives use the -er and -est endings<\/b>.<\/p>\n

short, shorter, shortest<\/em><\/p>\n

kind, kinder, kindest<\/em><\/p>\n

rich, richer, richest<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, you might be thinking, \u201cSo funner is <\/i>right!\u201d Unfortunately, English wouldn\u2019t be English if it weren\u2019t full of exceptions.<\/p>\n

Even though most one-syllable adjectives use -er and -est, fun doesn\u2019t. More fun and most fun are right.<\/p>\n

Adjectives That End in Y<\/h3>\n

If the adjective ends in \u201cy\u201d, it also adds -er and -est<\/b>. But be careful! You also need to change the y to an i.<\/b><\/p>\n

Wrong:<\/span><\/strong> jollyer, fancyest<\/p>\n

Right:<\/strong><\/span> jollier, fanciest<\/p>\n

Adjectives with Three or More Syllables<\/h3>\n

There are no exceptions here!<\/p>\n

These adjectives all use more and most. <\/b><\/p>\n

illuminating, more illuminating, most illuminating<\/em><\/p>\n

adventurous, more adventurous, most adventurous<\/em><\/p>\n

catastrophic, more catastrophic, most catastrophic<\/em><\/p>\n

Pesky Two-Syllable Adjectives<\/h3>\n

Did you notice that we jumped from one- to three-syllable adjectives? That\u2019s because rules don\u2019t really exist for adjectives with two syllables.<\/p>\n

Some use -er\/-est, some use more\/most, and a lot can use either one.<\/b><\/p>\n

Cleverer, more clever, cleverest, and most clever are all correct.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ever unsure which form to use, look it up. A quick Google search will reveal if you\u2019re using the right form or not.<\/b><\/p>\n

Irregular Adjectives<\/b><\/p>\n

Last but not least are our irregulars. These adjectives don\u2019t follow the rules at all<\/b>, so you\u2019ve just got to know what their comparative and superlative forms are:<\/p>\n

bad, worse, worst<\/em><\/p>\n

far, farther\/further, farthest\/furthest<\/em><\/p>\n

good, better, best<\/em><\/p>\n

little, less, least<\/em><\/p>\n

much, more, most<\/em><\/p>\n

old, older\/elder, oldest\/eldest<\/em><\/p>\n

The good news is that that\u2019s all! The list of irregulars is nice and short this time.<\/p>\n

Learn more:<\/p>\n