Comparatives & Superlatives

Form

One-syllable adjectives add -er and -est (cheap → cheaper → the cheapest), doubling a single final consonant after a single vowel (big → bigger → the biggest), and two-syllable adjectives ending in -y change the y to i (easy → easier → the easiest).

Most other adjectives take more and most instead (expensive → more expensive → the most expensive), though a few two-syllable ones such as quiet, simple and clever accept either. A superlative almost always needs “the” in front of it, and a comparative is almost always followed by “than”. Four common adjectives are irregular: good → better → best, bad → worse → worst, far → farther (distance) or further (also 'additional'), and little → less → least for amounts, where size uses smaller and smallest.

When to Use It

1. 1

   Use the comparative with “than” to say that one thing has more or less of a quality than another

   This backpack is lighter than that one.

2. 2

   Use “the” plus the superlative to single one thing out of a group of three or more

   It was the most delicious meal I have ever had.

3. 3

   Use “as + adjective + as” to say two things are equal

   This laptop is as heavy as my old one.

4. 4

   Use “not as” — or, less commonly, “not so” — plus “adjective + as” to say they are not equal

   This hotel is not as expensive as the one we stayed in last year.

5. 5

   Use “less” and “the least” for the opposite direction with an adjective of any length

   We chose the least expensive option.

6. 6

   Put “much”, “far”, “a lot”, “even” or “slightly” before a comparative to tune how big the gap is, and “by far” before a superlative

   The traffic today is far worse than it was yesterday.

Common Mistakes

• Combining “more” with an -er ending: write cheaper than, not more cheaper than, because -er already makes the word a comparative.
• Using “more” with a short adjective: write younger, not more young, because one-syllable adjectives take -er instead.
• Dropping “the” before a superlative: write the highest mountain in the world, not highest mountain in the world, because a superlative points to one particular thing.
• Using a superlative for two things: write This one pays better, not This one pays the best, because the superlative is for groups of three or more.
• Writing “that” or “as” after a comparative: write more spacious than the old one, not more spacious that the old one, because “than” is the word that joins the two things compared.