We use comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast different objects, or to show the difference between them.
Adjective | Comparative | Superlative | |
One- syllable adjectives |
old long |
older longer bigger hotter |
the oldest the longest the biggest the hottest |
Adjectives ending in -y | dirty noisy |
dirtier noisier |
the dirtiest the noisiest |
Adjectives with two or more syllables | beautiful interesting |
more beautiful more interesting |
the most beautiful the most interesting |
Irregular adjectives | good bad far |
better worse further |
the best the worst the furthest |
Adjectives that end in one vowel and one consonant double the consonant.
- Look! This is the biggest church in Italy!
- My hair is thinner than yours.
- Yesterday was hotter than today.
Adjectives ending in -y change the -y in -i.
- Lucy is happier than me.
- This TV programme is funnier than the one we saw yesterday.
Than is always used with comparatives to introduce the second element in a comparison.