One-syllable adjectives.
Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.
One-Syllable Adjective
|
Comparative Form
|
Superlative Form
|
Tall
Old
Short
|
taller (than)
older
shorter
|
(the) tallest
(the) oldest
(the) shortest
|
Examples:
• Mary is the tallest of all the students.
• Mary is older than Jane.
• Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
• My hair is longer than your hair.
• Max’s story is the longest story I’ve ever heard.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
large larger largest
wise wiser wisest
• Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
• Max is wiser than his brother.
• Max is the wisest person I know.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.
big bigger biggest
thin thinner thinnest
fat fatter fattest
• My dog is bigger than your dog.
• My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
• Max is thinner than John.
• Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.
Two-syllable adjectives.
If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.
happy happier happiest
angry angrier angriest
busy busier busiest
• John is the happiest boy in the world.
• Max is angrier than Mary.
• Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.
With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
careful more careful most careful
thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful
• This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.• Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
• Max is more careful than Mike.
• Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.
narrow narrower narrowest
gentle gentler gentlest
• This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
• Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
• Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
Adjectives with three or more syllables.
For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
generous more generous most generous
important more important most important
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent
• Jean is the most generous of all the people I know.
• Health is more important than money.
• Of all the people I know, Mark is the most important.• Women are more intelligent than men.
• Martha is the most intelligent person I've ever met.
*Exceptions. Irregular adjectives.
good better best
bad worse worst
far farther farthest
little less least
many more most
• My dog is the best dog in the world.
• My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.
• Of all the students in the class, Kevin is the worst.
MORE EXCEPTIONS
Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.
clever cleverer cleverest
clever more clever most clever
gentle gentler gentlest
gentle more gentle most gentle
friendly friendlier friendliestfriendly more friendly most friendly
quiet quieter quietest
quiet more quiet most quiet
simple simpler simplest
simple more simple most simple
• Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
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Now you PRACTICE
SOURCE > http://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/adjcompsup.php
