Comparison of adjectives

Understanding the Comparison of Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns and pronouns. When we want to compare two or more nouns, we use different forms of adjectives to show differences in quality, quantity, or degree. This is known as the comparison of adjectives.

Types of Comparison

Adjectives can be used in three levels of comparison:

• Positive Degree: Used to describe a single noun without comparing it to others.
• Comparative Degree: Compares two nouns.
• Superlative Degree: Compares more than two nouns to show the highest degree.

1. Positive Degree

This represents the adjective in its simplest form. It is used when no comparison is being made.

Example: This road is long.

2. Comparative Degree

This form is used when comparing two nouns or pronouns. Most one-syllable adjectives add -er, while longer adjectives use more.

Examples:

• This road is longer than the one we took yesterday.
• She is more talented than her brother.

3. Superlative Degree

The superlative form is used to show the highest degree of quality among three or more things.

Examples:

• This is the longest road in the region.
• She is the most talented singer in the group.

Rules for Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

• For one-syllable adjectives, form the comparative by adding -er and the superlative by adding -est:
  fast becomes faster and fastest
• For adjectives ending in -e, just add -r and -st:
  large → larger, largest
• If the adjective ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, double the last consonant:
  big → bigger, biggest
• For adjectives with two or more syllables, use more and most:
  beautiful → more beautiful, most beautiful

Irregular Adjectives

Certain adjectives have irregular forms and don’t follow typical comparison patterns. Below are a few examples:

• good → better → best
• bad → worse → worst
• far → farther/further → farthest/furthest

Common Errors to Avoid

• Do not use more or most with adjectives that already end in -er or -est. For example: ❌more smarter → ✅smarter
• Use the definite article “the” before a superlative adjective. Example: ✅She is the fastest runner.

Understanding how adjectives change in form to show comparison helps make your writing and speaking clearer and more effective.