COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (I)

Mr. Bingo is a strong man. Mr. Jingo is stronger. Mr. Stringo is the strongest man of the three.
Mr. Bingo, Mr. Jingo and Mr. Stringo have all different degrees of strength and, you will notice,
we show that, by three different forms of the adjective:

Strong Stronger Strongest

In grammar, these three forms are called the POSITIVE degree, the COMPARATIVE degree and
the SUPERLATIVE degree.

A great many adjectives form their comparative degree by adding er, and their superlative by
adding est to the positive, e.g.

Positive Comparative Superlative

Tall Taller Tallest
Short Shorter Shortest
Quick Quicker Quickest
old older Oldest

Sometimes the last letter of the positive is doubled, e.g.

Positive Comparative Superlative

hot hotter hottest
fat fatter fattest
big bigger biggest
thin thinner thinnest

If the positive ends in e we only add r and st, e.g.

Positive Comparative Superlative

large larger largest
fine finer finest
Adjectives that end in y usually change this to i in the comparative and superlative, e.g.

Positive Comparative Superlative

pretty prettier prettiest
happy happier happiest
heavy heavier heaviest

EXERCISES

1. Give the Comparative and Superlative of the following adjectives:

Positive Comparative Superlative

high
long
bright
new
hot
mad
thin
red
happy
lazy

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (II)

You have just seen one way in which adjectives form their Comparative and Superlative;
they add er and est to the Positive.

Some adjectives form their comparative and superlative by using more and most, e.g.:

(i) This is an exciting book.

(ii) This is a more exciting book.
(iii) This is the most exciting of all.

The adjectives that do this are usually rather long words. All adjectives of three or more
syllables, e.g. ex-ci-ting, in-terest-ing, un-for-tu-nate, are compared like this.

Here are some further examples,

Positive Comparative Superlative

important more important most important
dangerous more dangerous most dangerous
valuable more valuable most valuable
wonderful more wonderful most wonderful
convenient more convenient most convenient

Irregular Comparison

You will find, over and over again, that when you get some rule in English Grammar,
there are always some exceptions; some disobedient words that wont obey the rules.
Well, there are one or two exceptions to these rules for Comparison of Adjectives. Take
good for example. We cant say gooder and goodest any more than we can say
badder and baddest or littler and littlest. Well just gather these disobedient; words
together and call them the Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

good better best

bad worse worst
farther farthest
far
further furthest
much more most

There are just two other important things for you to notice.

(1) With the positive degree we use as before the adjective and as after it,
e.g. This stick is as long as this one. (With the negative some people use so.as, e.g.
This stick is not so long as this one, but is ordinary speech as...as is more usual.)
(2) With the Comparative we use than after the adjective,
e.g. This stick is longer than that one. He has more money than I have.
(3) After the Superlative we often use of,
 e.g. This is the best of the three knives.

EXERCISES

1. Give the Comparative and the Superlative of the following:

Positive Comparative Superlative

Strong
Merry
Wide
Dangerous
Difficult
Good
Fortunate
Bad
Useful
Nice
Little
Beautiful
Far
Greedy
Much
Magnificent
Many

2. Fill in the missing words:

(a) Tom is older ____________ Richard.
(b) Fred is not _______ old _________ Tom.
(c) Tom is _______ oldest _________ the three.
(d) This book is better ________ that.
(e) This book is not _______ good ______ that.
(f) This book is ________ best _______ the three.
(g) That exercise is more difficult _________ this one.
(h) The weather is worse today _________ it was yesterday.
(i) It was not _______ bad yesterday ________ it is today.
(j) Todays weather is __________ worst ________ the week.

3. Write out these sentences putting the adjectives that are in brackets into their correct
form. (One or two are already in the correct form. Leave them as they are.)
(a) Tom is (old) than Richard.
(b) John is the (clever) boy in the class.
(c) The weather is (fine) today than it was yesterday.
(d) London is the (big) city in the world.
(e) This sentence is (difficult) than the first one.
(f) My dog is as (good) as yours.
(g) My dog is (good) than yours.
(h) My dog is the (good) of the three.
(i) Athens is (far) from London than Rome is.
(j) Mr. Robinson is (rich) than Mr. Green, but I dont think he is (happy) than Mr.
Green.
(k) They have (many) hens than we have, but they get (few) eggs.