Comparatives and superlatives in English

Comparing people, things, and actions is a super useful grammar topic in English!

This guide explains how to use comparative and superlative forms with adjectives and adverbs in English in the right way.

I’ll also show you how to make comparisons stronger or weaker with modifiers like much, by far, and a bit.

What are comparatives, superlatives, and equatives?

These forms help us compare people, things, and ideas.

• Comparatives show differences between two things.
  This test is easier than the last one.
• Superlatives express the highest or lowest in a group of three or more.
  She is the tallest in the class.
• Equatives show that two things are equal in some way.
  My house is as big as yours.

These patterns make your comparisons clear and natural in daily English.

Forms and examples

Comparative adjectives

Use to compare two people, things, or places.

• Structure: adjective + -er + than OR more + adjective + than

• This book is longer than the last one.
• It’s more comfortable than I expected.

Superlative adjectives

Use to show the highest or lowest degree among three or more.

• Structure: the + adjective + -est OR the most + adjective

• She is the tallest in the class.
• That was the most difficult exam.

Equative adjectives

Use to show two things are equal in quality.

• Structure: as + adjective + as

• Her coat is as warm as mine.
• This car is as fast as that one.

Rules for Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparative and superlative forms are different for short and long adjectives.

A. One-syllable adjectives

• Add -er for comparatives and -est for superlatives.

• fast → faster → the fastest
• cold → colder → the coldest

B. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y

• Change -y to -ier/-iest
• happy → happier → the happiest
• busy → busier → the busiest

C. Longer adjectives (two+ syllables)

• Use more/most
• more interesting → the most interesting
• more useful → the most useful

D. Irregular adjectives

Irregular adjectives do not look like the adjectives they come from!

Here are some examples:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative	Equative
good	better	best	as good as
bad	worse	worst	as bad as
far	farther	farthest	as far as

Modifying Comparatives and Superlatives

To make comparisons stronger, weaker, or more precise, we use modifiers:

Modifiers for comparatives

• much / a lot / far → makes the difference stronger
  • This book is much longer than the last one.
• a little / slightly / a bit → makes the difference smaller
  • It’s a bit colder today.

Modifiers for superlatives

• by far → makes the superlative much stronger
  • She’s by far the fastest runner in school.

Modifiers with equatives

• almost / nearly → show that two things are close but not exactly equal
  • This bag is almost as light as that one.

Comparing adverbs

Comparisons aren’t only for adjectives! We also use comparatives, superlatives, and equatives with adverbs to compare actions.

Comparative adverbs

Use to compare how two actions are done.

• Structure: adverb + -er + than (for one-syllable adverbs) OR more + adverb + than (for most others)

• He ran faster than his friend. (or: He ran more quickly..)
• She speaks more clearly than her teacher.

Superlative adverbs

Use to show the most or least in a group.

• Structure: the + adverb + -est OR the most + adverb

• He drives the fastest.
• She explained the most clearly.

Equative adverbs

Use to show two actions are equal in some way.

• Structure: as + adverb + as

• She works as hard as her brother.
• He reacts as quickly as I do.

Using Comparisons in Real Life

Model Dialogue

This monologue demonstrates

Today was one of the busiest days I’ve had in a while. I thought yesterday was bad, but today was definitely worse. The traffic was heavier, the meetings were longer, and the weather was colder than ever before. I even had to skip lunch because the queue at the café was longer than usual. Honestly, the best part of the day was getting home. My couch felt softer than I remembered. I hope tomorrow isn’t as difficult as today was.

Short Diary Entry

This diary entry compares days at work.

Today was much longer than yesterday. The meeting felt like the most boring one this week. Still, my manager was as kind as always, and I finished the task faster than usual.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

Error Type	Incorrect Example	Correction
Wrong form	more happier	happier
Double comparison	most fastest	fastest
Missing “the”	biggest mountain	the biggest mountain
Incorrect equative	as more cold as	as cold as

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1 – Complete the sentence

1. This jacket is __________ than the other one. (warm)
2. That was the __________ movie I’ve ever seen. (bad)
3. Her bag is as __________ as mine. (big)
4. He ran __________ than his brother. (fast)
5. This exercise is __________ than yesterday’s. (easy)
6. My laptop is the __________ in the office. (light)
7. Your story is as __________ as his. (interesting)
8. This car is __________ than I thought. (cheap)

Exercise 2 – Correct the mistake

1. This book is more longer than that one.
2. She’s the most smartest student.
3. This test is as more hard as the last.
4. It’s best cake I’ve had.
5. He is more kinder than before.
6. That was the baddest answer.
7. His plan is most clear.
8. This city is as noisier as that one.

Exercise 3 – Choose the right option

1. That house is ___ than ours.
   a) big
   b) bigger
   c) more big
2. She’s the ___ dancer in the group.
   a) most good
   b) better
   c) best
3. This task is as ___ as the last one.
   a) easier
   b) easy
   c) easiest

6. Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. warmer
2. worst
3. big
4. faster
5. easier
6. lightest
7. interesting
8. cheaper

Exercise 2

1. This book is longer than that one.
2. She’s the smartest student.
3. This test is as hard as the last.
4. It’s the best cake I’ve had.
5. He is kinder than before.
6. That was the worst answer.
7. His plan is the clearest.
8. This city is as noisy as that one.

Exercise 3

1. b) bigger
2. c) best
3. b) easy