Category: Class

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons. Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify. They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared, in this pattern.

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

• We use “than” when we want to compare one thing with another.

He is three years younger than me.
She is a better dancer than Mary.
Russia is a bigger country than France.
(The second item of comparison can be omitted if it is clear from the context.)

• We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons.

This car is better, but it’s much more expensive.
I’m feeling better now.
We need a bigger car.

There are two ways to form a comparative adjective:

Short Adjectives Comparative

• For 1-syllable adjectives, simply add -er.

tall → taller

Mary is taller than Jenny.
fast → faster

I run faster than you.
old → older

My grandpa is older than my grandma.

• 2-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the y to “i”.

lucky → luckier

My friend is luckier than me in the lottery.
tidy → tidier

I hope they make the community a tidier place to live in.
happy → happier

I am happier when I’m with you.

• If the adjective ends in -e, just add -r

late → later
large → larger
strange → stranger
wise → wiser

I arrived at school later today than yesterday.
My bag is larger than yours.
My dream tonight is stranger than my dream last night.
I am wiser now.

• If the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, double the last consonant.

big → bigger

I gained weight so I wear bigger shirts now.
fat → fatter
My cat is fatter than your cat.

Long Adjectives Comparative

• For 2-syllable adjectives, simply add “more” before the positive adjective.

modern → more modern
I like the second house. It’s more modern than the other one.

pleasant → more pleasant
The weather is more pleasant today than yesterday.

For all adjectives of 3 or more syllables, also add more before the positive adjective.

expensive → more expensive

The yellow car is more expensive than the green one.
intelligent → more intelligent
He is more intelligent than his brother.

• The following adjectives are exception to the previously mentioned rules because they have irregular forms.

good → better
That cake tastes good. → This cake tastes better.

bad → worse

The weather today is bad. → The weather today is worse than yesterday.

far → farther/further
His house is far. → Her house is farther.

The simple past is used principally to describe events in the past. The verb ‘to be ( am, is, are )’ has two forms in the past; was and were.

Positive Form

For first person singular and third person singular, use the word was. In all other cases, use were.

I / he/ she / it + was
You / we / they + were

She was a student.
They were doctors.
I was in Spain in 1999.
We were together.
He was my boyfriend.

Question Form

• In order to ask a question, was/were needs to be at the beginning of the sentence.

TO BE ( was/were ) + Subject + …

Was she a teacher?

Were they students?

Were you in Spain last year?

Was Jessica with you?

Were you together?

Negative Form

Subject + TO BE ( was/were ) + NOT + …

In negative sentences, add the adverb not and put it before the word was/were. Most of the time, the contraction (shortened form) is used in negative sentences.

He was not ( wasn’t) in the store.
You were not ( weren’t ) in the store.
He wasn’t at the theatre.
I wasn’t in Spain in 1990.
Jessica wasn’t in Tokyo in 2005.
We weren’t in together.

• Wasn’t is the short form of was not. You can say either:

I was not in Spain. = I wasn’t in Spain.

• Weren’t is the short form of were not. You can say either:

We were not in Spain. = We weren’t in Spain.

Adjectives describe qualities (characteristics) of nouns. Some qualities can vary in intensity or “grade” (gradable) and other qualities cannot vary in intensity or grade (non-gradable).

Gradable Adjectives

• Adjectives that can be made stronger, weaker, or altered by using “grading adverbs” such as a little, dreadfully, extremely, fairly, hugely, immensely, intensely, rather, reasonably, slightly, unusually, very.

He was quite angry when he saw me.
The movie was really funny!
It is extremely hot in Spain in the summer.

• A gradable adjective can have comparative and superlative forms.

He said that Russia was a little cold and China was rather cold. But Canada was the coldest.

Non-Gradable Adjectives

• Adjectives that describe qualities that are completely present or completely absent. These adjectives describe absolute qualities. To make them stronger, we have to use modifiers like absolutely, totally or completely.

The game was absolutely amazing!
The dress is absolutely perfect!
Their house was totally destroyed by the typhoon.
My work is completely finished.

• Adjectives like amazing, awful, and boiling are also considered non-gradable. They already contain the idea of ‘very’ in their meanings. If we want to make extreme adjectives stronger, we add absolutely or really:

The match was absolutely amazing!
After 32 hours of traveling, they were absolutely exhausted.
The traffic was really awful.

• Non-gradable adjectives can also be used alone.

It is freezing outside.
The cat was dead.

This English grammar lesson summarizes the progressive comparison of adjectives. 

Adjectives which take endings

In the case of adjectives which take endings, the comparative form of the adjective is repeated in a progressive comparison.

Subject + linking verb + adjective which takes endings + and + adjective which takes endings

My mother became angrier and angrier.

It got hotter and hotter.

She is becoming prettier and prettier.

More and More

However, comparative adjectives that use more, we simply repeat the word more.

Subject + linking verb + more + and + more + comparative adjective that use more

The technology became more and more innovative.

People grew more and more restless.

He became more and more ambitious.

Less and Less 

We use less and less for both adjectives which take endings and comparative adjectives that use more. 

Subject + linking verb + less + and + less + adjectives which take endings/comparative adjective that use more

The noise is getting less and less loud. (=The noise is getting decreasingly loud.)

The relationship grew less and less exciting. (=The relationship grew decreasingly exciting.)

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

A superlative adjective expresses the highest degree of quality. They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects. We also usually add ‘the’ before the superlative adjective.

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

There are two ways to form a superlative adjective.

Short Adjectives Superlative

• If the adjective has a consonant + single vowel + consonant spelling, the final consonant must be doubled before adding -est.

tall → tallest

Mark is the tallest student in the class.
big → biggest

The monster truck is the biggest car I have ever seen.
fast → fastest

Your horse is the fastest in the race.

old → oldest

I am the oldest in this class.

• For adjectives ending in y, change the y to an i before adding the -est.

lucky → luckiest

I am the luckiest man alive.
tidy → tidiest

My bedroom is the tidiest room in the house.
happy → happiest

You make me the happiest person in the world.

• If the adjective ends in -e, just add -st.

late → the latest

She arrived the latest.
large → the largest

I caught the largest fish I have ever seen.
strange → the strangest

I had the strangest dream last night.

Long Adjectives Superlative

Adjectives with three or more syllables form the superlative by putting “most” in front.

• 2-syllable adjectives not ending in -y

modern → most modern

I bought the most modern house in the neighborhood.
pleasant → most pleasant

This perfume has the most pleasant smell

• All adjectives of 3 or more syllables, add “most” before the adjective.

expensive → most expensive

She got the most expensive mobile phone.
intelligent → most intelligent

She is the most intelligent in her class.

• The following adjectives are exception to the previously mentioned rules because they have irregular forms.

less → the least

I got the least number of mistakes in the exam.
good → the best

I have the best mother in the world.
bad → the worst

The worst food I’ve ever tried is fried insects.
far → the farthest/furthest

This is the furthest I can go. I am exhausted.
much/many → the most

She has the most number of friends.