Grammar Reference: Comparison of Adjectives

Upgrade 1 - Unit 8Upgrade 1 - Unit 8

Have you seen the Spielberg’s

most recent movie?

Of course! I loved it! Isn’t it great?

It’s OK, but I prefer Brazilian movies. They

are much more

realistic.You’re right!

Brazilian movies are the best nowadays.

Adjectives can be used in the COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE forms.

They are used to compare two or more things.

In general, comparatives are formed with the particle –er and superlative with –est.

In general, in order to form the comparative, we must add the

particle –er to the adjectives.

e.g. Titanic is longer than Star Wars.

Brazil is bigger than Argentina.

We use the COMPARATIVE to compare two things.

Titanic is sadder than The Notebook.

Shrek is funnier and more interesting than

Robots.

One syllable, ending in E. Examples: large, cute.

Add -r:larger, cuter.

Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end. Examples: thin, big, fat.

Double the consonant, and add -er:

Thinner, bigger, fatter.

Two syllables, ending in Y. Examples: happy, lovely, lonely

Change y to i, then add -er: happier, lovelier, lonelier.

Two syllables or more, not ending in Y. Examples: interesting, intelligent, beautiful

Use “more” before the adjective: more interesting, more intelligent, more beautiful.

In general, in order to form the superlative, we must add the

particle -est to the adjectives.

e.g. Titanic is the longest movie I’ve ever watched.

Brazil is the biggest country in South America.

We use the SUPERLATIVE to compare more than two things.

Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous

trilogies!

Avatar is one of the most awarded movies!

One syllable, ending in E. Examples: large, cute.

Add -st:largest, cutest.

Only one syllable, with one vowel and one consonant at the end. Examples: thin, big, fat.

Double the consonant, and add -est:

Thinnest, biggest, fattest.

Two syllables, ending in Y. Examples: happy, lovely, lonely.

Change y to i, then add -est: happiest, loveliest, loneliest.

Two syllables or more, not ending in Y. Examples: interesting, intelligent, beautiful.

Use “most” before the adjective: most interesting, most intelligent, most beautiful.

!!!Remember that in superlative we need to use “the” before the

adjective. For example: the biggest, the largest.

ADJECTIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

GOOD BETTER THE BEST

BAD WORSE THE WORST

FAR FARTHERFURTHER

THE FARTHESTTHE FURTHEST

Titanic is better than Star Wars.Titanic is the best film of the decade.

Let’s create some more examples?

And you?

What’s the best movie you’ve ever watched?

Choose two movies and compare them using the comparative form.

Choose one movie and compare it using the superlative form.