Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives

Key Notes :

Understanding Adjectives:

  • Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns, providing more information about their characteristics.

Comparative Adjectives:

  • Used to compare two things.
  • Typically formed by adding “-er” to the adjective or using “more” before the adjective.
  • Examples:
    • Small → smaller (e.g., “This book is smaller than that one.”)
    • Beautiful → more beautiful (e.g., “This painting is more beautiful than the other.”)

Superlative Adjectives:

  • Used to compare three or more things, indicating the highest or lowest degree of quality.
  • Usually formed by adding “-est” to the adjective or using “most” before the adjective.
  • Examples:
    • Small → smallest (e.g., “This is the smallest book in the library.”)
    • Beautiful → most beautiful (e.g., “This is the most beautiful painting in the gallery.”)

Rules for Forming Comparatives and Superlatives:

  • One-Syllable Adjectives:
    • Add “-er” for comparative and “-est” for superlative.
    • Example: tall → taller, tallest
  • Adjectives Ending in “e”:
    • Add “-r” for comparative and “-st” for superlative.
    • Example: large → larger, largest
  • One-Syllable Adjectives Ending in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant:
    • Double the final consonant and add “-er” or “-est.”
    • Example: big → bigger, biggest
  • Two-Syllable Adjectives:
    • Use “more” or “most” for adjectives not ending in “y.”
    • Example: careful → more careful, most careful
  • Adjectives Ending in “y”:
    • Change “y” to “i” and add “-er” or “-est.”
    • Example: happy → happier, happiest
  • Three or More Syllable Adjectives:
    • Use “more” for comparative and “most” for superlative.
    • Example: intelligent → more intelligent, most intelligent

Irregular Forms:

  • Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
  • Examples:
    • Good → better, best
    • Bad → worse, worst
    • Far → farther, farthest

Using Comparative and Superlative Adjectives in Sentences:

  • Comparative: “She is taller than her brother.”
  • Superlative: “He is the tallest student in the class.”

Common Errors to Avoid:

  • Avoid double comparatives or superlatives (e.g., “more better” or “most tallest”).
  • Ensure the correct form of the adjective is used based on the syllable rule.
Examples for comparative and superlative adjectives

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