Adjectives can compare two things or more than two things. When we make these comparisons, we use comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. Show
Comparative adjectives definitionOne way to describe nouns (people, objects, animals, etc.) is by comparing them to something else. When comparing two things, you’re likely to use adjectives like smaller, bigger, taller, more interesting, and less expensive. Notice the ‑er ending, and the words more and less. A mistake that both native speakers and non-native speakers make is using incorrectly formed comparative adjectives. See the sentences below for an illustration of this common error:
His cat is more large than my dog.
His cat is larger than my dog.
Grammarly helps you communicate confidently So what makes the first example wrong and the second right? There are a few rules that explain this:
These simple rules make it easy to tell when you should add -er or -ier and when you should use “more + adjective.” Here are a few more examples:
This house is more exciting than ever.
This house is excitinger than ever.
Mike is funnier than Isaac.
Mike is more funny than Isaac. Notice the spelling change for adjectives ending in ‑y: the comparative ends in ‑ier.
This book is boringer than the last one.
This book is more boring than the last one.
Advertising pressures women to be more thin .
Advertising pressures women to be thinner . Superlative adjectives definitionWhen comparing more than two things, you’ll likely use words and phrases like smallest, biggest, tallest, most interesting, and least interesting. Notice the –est ending and the words most and least. Make sure you use the proper ending or superlative adjective when forming these superlatives. The examples below illustrate the correct form:
Martha is the elder of the four sisters. If there were only two sisters, we could use the comparative elder here. Because there are four sisters, we need a superlative.
Martha is the eldest of the four sisters. Here are a couple of other examples:
I think his last book is his least interesting ; his third book was the most interesting .
That must be the weirdest play ever written. Remember that adjectives ending in y change their spelling when –est is added. To form these superlatives, change the y to an i before adding the –est ending, as illustrated below:
That is the sleepyest puppy of the litter.
That is the sleepiest puppy of the litter. Forming comparative and superlatives of irregular adjectivesIt’s important to note that there are irregular adjectives (and adverbs) that you have to memorize because they don’t follow the rules above. They are:
Here are some examples of these irregular words as comparatives and superlatives in context:
Today I had the best time touring the city.
I went farther than my friend when we walked around the park.
You dance better than I do.
You bought the least attractive pair of moccasins at the thrift store.
He can run the farthest of his classmates, but that’s only once around the track.
I do badly in math, but at least I’m not the worst . Comparative and superlative of handsomeBesides the irregular words in the table above, one other unclear comparative/superlative choice is handsomer/more handsome and handsomest/most handsome. The rules call for handsomer and handsomest, but usage has changed over time. Modern speakers prefer more handsome to handsomer, and there is an even split between handsomest and most handsome. Preferred usage typically follows what native speakers say, and the trend seems to be moving toward the simpler construction of more + adjective and the most + adjective.
If you’re a grammar pro, you already know that adjectives are words that we use to modify and describe nouns and pronouns. Words like hot, fast, green, and indestructible are examples of adjectives. There are many different types of adjectives out there that we can use in our sentences. Comparative adjectives are a special kind of adjective that we use when we want to compare one thing to another. For example, we can say that a banana is a healthier food than a cupcake because it better exemplifies the qualities of the adjective healthy. This sounds great so far, but comparative adjectives are even more useful than you might think. Read on to learn more! What is a comparative adjective?A comparative adjective is an adjective used to compare two people or things. We use comparative adjectives to say that one person or thing demonstrates a high degree of a quality or is a better example of a quality than the other. Words like taller, smarter, and slower are examples of comparative adjectives. Let’s illustrate how we use comparative adjectives with a hypothetical: you have metal blocks in front of you. The left block weighs 10 pounds and the right block weighs 20 pounds. Because the right block weighs more than the left block, we would say that the right block is heavier than the left block. On the other hand, we could also say that the left block is lighter than the right block. We are using comparative adjectives to compare the blocks to each other by indicating which one has a more extreme degree of a certain quality (heaviness or lightness). A comparative adjective is formed from the positive form of an adjective, which is the form of an adjective you will find if you look it up in our incredible dictionary. The adjectives brave, fast, and cute are adjectives in the positive form, for example. Here are the rules for forming comparatives from a positive form of the adjective:
There are a few adjectives that are exceptions to the above rules. For example, the adjectives quiet, narrow, and clever can use either the -er or the more/less forms. However, we never use both forms at the same time. For example you wouldn’t say someone is “less cleverer.” Additionally, there are some adjectives that are irregular. These include good, well, bad, far, and old. Their comparative forms are:
It is entirely possible not to use than with a comparative adjective, though, as in This house is big, but the one down the road is even bigger. The important thing is that you make it clear what exactly you’re comparing when using a comparative adjective. Stay on top of all your adjectives and more with these helpful tips for proofreading. List of comparative adjectivesAs long as it makes sense to use an adjective to compare two things, any positive form adjective can be turned into a comparative adjective. The following list gives just a sample of words we use as comparative adjectives:
Where do you include a comparative adjective in a sentence?Comparative adjectives can be placed either immediately before the noun or pronoun they modify or can be used as a subject complement together with a linking verb (such as be or seem).
Comparative adjective examples in a sentenceLet’s look at examples of comparative adjectives used in sentences. In each example, the comparative adjective is in bold. Comparative adjectives using -erIn the following sentences, the comparative adjectives all use the -er form.
Comparative adjectives using moreLonger adjectives use the words more and less when used as comparative adjectives. We use the word more to say that something demonstrates a higher degree of a quality than something else.
Comparative adjectives using lessWhen using longer comparative adjectives, we use the word less to describe a noun or pronoun as having the lower extreme of a quality when comparing two things.
Irregular comparative adjectivesThe adjectives good, well, bad, old, and far have irregular comparative forms. Let’s look at how we use them in sentences. Pay special attention to how the comparative form of far may change depending on its meaning.
Sometimes, the word badder is used as a slang comparative form of bad. For the most part, the word worse is preferred in formal writing or speech.
Comparative adjective rules & best practicesLike many other types of adjectives, you can use comparative adjectives both immediately before nouns/pronouns or as subject complements. It is even possible to use multiple comparative adjectives to describe the same noun/pronoun:
There are a few grammatical rules you need to remember when using comparative adjectives, however. Most of these rules determine when we should use a comparative adjective and when we use a superlative adjective. 1. Comparative adjectives are only used to compare two people or things. If you are comparing more than two things or people, you must use a superlative adjective. ❌ Incorrect: When comparing the sizes of birds, ostriches are clearly the larger of them all. Become even more adept at adjectives by reviewing the superlative adjective in full detail here. You need to be careful because sometimes a group is collectively referred to as a single “thing” in a comparison. For example, if you are comparing apples to oranges, you are only comparing two things even though the words apples and oranges refer to many fruits. ❌ Incorrect: Mortimer is richest than everyone else in town combined. You also need to be careful when a sentence uses a conjunction. Often, a conjunction is used to link multiple comparisons together. If you are comparing two things multiple times, you should still use comparative adjectives. ✅ Correct: Abby is taller than Bill. (Abby’s height is a bigger measurement than Bill’s.) If you are comparing something to every other member of its group or saying that something has the highest or most extreme degree in general, use a superlative adjective and not a comparative adjective: ❌ Incorrect: Out of all of the animals in the zoo, the cheetahs are the faster. 2. When using comparative adjectives, it is grammatically incorrect to use both the -er ending and the word more/less at the same time. You must use an adjective’s correct comparative form. If an adjective can use either, you must only choose one. ❌ Incorrect: Chocolate ice cream is more tastier than vanilla ice cream. ❌ Incorrect: She is more cleverer than she looks. 3. Unless it is acting as a subject complement together with a linking verb, a comparative adjective is usually preceded by an article or possessive. ❌ Incorrect: Of these two movies, I prefer shorter one. ❌ Incorrect: She traded in her old car for newer one. ❌ Incorrect: Harry is younger brother. Write smarter with Grammar Coach™Improve your writing with Thesaurus.com’s Grammar Coach™, which catches grammar and spelling errors and provides Thesaurus-powered synonym suggestions. Using machine learning, this tool can spot the difference between comparatives and superlatives, their correct and incorrect uses—and much more! With Grammar Coach™, your writing will be smarter, stronger, and more polished. |