Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Adjectives Used to Compare

Comparative Adjectives are used to compare TWO nouns. To make a one syllable adjective into comparative adjective, just add –er. EXAMPLES: tall = taller smart = smarter Mrs. Jones is tall, but Mrs. Holloway is taller.

Superlative Adjectives are used to compare THREE or more nouns. EXAMPLES: tall = tallest smart = smartest Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Holloway are tall, but Mrs. Miller is the tallest of all the third grade teachers.

Rules to Use If an adjective is two syllables, and the second syllable is unstressed, OR ends with –y, -le, or er, just add –er or –est EXAMPLES: quiet = quieter quietest happy = happier happiest

Just a few more rules. If the adjective is three syllables or more, use the word more before it to make it comparative and most before it to make it superlative. EXAMPLES: beautiful = more beautiful most beautiful difficult = more difficult most difficult If a two syllable adjective ends with –ing, -ed, -ful, and –less, follow the rules above. EXAMPLES: tired = more tired most tired boring = more boring most boring

Simple Huh? No, really it is simple. Use your common sense. Do not make words too long by adding another syllable. Just try it.

Fill in the Table big calm interesting tidy rich intelligent strange ADJECTIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE big calm interesting tidy rich intelligent strange

What’s next you ask yourself????? You guessed it. IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES! Irregular adjectives just do not follow the rules. They are words like… good, bad, and far. To make these words compare you must change the spelling. good better best bad worse worst far farther farthest