Comparatives and Superlatives – Los adjetivos comparativos y

superlativos

Comparatives:

Usamos los adjetivos en grado comparativo cuando queremos comparar dos cosas o dos
personas. Al compararlas, decimos que una de ellas destaca sobre la otra. Decimos que
algo o alguien es “más……. que”. Lo más importante para formar adjetivos
comparativos es ver si el adjetivo es largo o corto. Más adelante veremos unas reglas
para ver esto más claro, pero ahora veremos las reglas básicas.

Adjetivo Comparativos
Corto adj+er than
Old older than
Largo more adj than
Difficult more difficult than

Consideramos adjetivos cortos a aquellos de una sílaba y a la mayoría de los de dos

sílabas(aunque hay excepciones) o que terminen en “y”. A los cortos les añadimos “er”
al final del adjetivo, y luego ponemos la partícula “than”.

Consideramos adjetivos largos a aquellos que tienen dos sílabas o más. Aquí no
añadimos “er”, sino que escribimos “more” delante del adjetivo (al que no le hacemos
nada), y luego también le añadimos “than” al final.

Es lógico que tengas dudas en los adjetivos de dos sílabas, pero no te preocupes, luego
podrás ver unas reglas que te ayudaran a estudiar esos adjetivos.

Ejemplos de adjetivos comparativos:

Mary is........................................Peter. (old)

The green chair is......................................................the blue chair. (comfortable)
My hair is......................................................yours. (long)
Biology is..............................................................English. (difficult)

Reglas ortográficas generales:

Acabado en “e” muda. Sólo se añade “r”. Nice Nicer

De una sílaba, acabados en Thin Thinner
vocal+consonante. Se dobla la consonante + Big Bigger
er.
De dos sílabas, acabados en consonante+y. Healthy Healthier
Cambiamos la “y” por “i”+er Crazy Crazier
Acabados en “l”. Se dobla la “l”+er Cruel Crueller
Superlatives:

Usamos los adjetivos en grado superlativo cuando queremos comparar más de dos cosas
o dos personas. Al compararlas, decimos que una de ellas destaca sobre todas las demás.
Decimos que algo o alguien es “lo más, la más, el más…”. Lo más importante para
formar adjetivos comparativos es ver si el adjetivo es largo o corto. Más adelante
veremos unas reglas para ver esto más claro, pero ahora veremos las reglas básicas.

Adjetivo Superlativos
Corto the adj+est
Small the smallest
Largo the most adj
Expensive the most expensive

Consideramos adjetivos cortos a aquellos de una sílaba y a la mayoría de los de dos

sílabas(aunque hay excepciones) o que terminen en “y”. A los cortos les añadimos “est”
al final del adjetivo, y ponemos el artículo “the” delante del adjetivo.

Consideramos adjetivos largos a aquellos que tienen dos sílabas o más. Aquí no
añadimos “est”, sino que escribimos “most” delante del adjetivo (al que no le hacemos
nada), y también le añadimos el artículo “the” al principio (delante de “most”).

Es lógico que tengas dudas en los adjetivos de dos sílabas, pero no te preocupes, luego
podrás ver unas reglas que te ayudaran a estudiar esos adjetivos.

Ejemplos de adjetivos superlativos:

Mary is........................................of the class (old)

The green chair is......................................................of all the chairs. (comfortable)
My hair is......................................................of my family.( long)
Biology is..............................................................subject in school. (difficult)

Adjetivos irregulares:

Hay algunos adjetivos que no siguen las reglas de adjetivos largos o cortos. Estos
adjetivos no siguen ninguna regla y hay que aprendérselos de memoria.

Ahora vamos a ver un esquema de todo lo dicho:

Adjetivo Comparativos Superlativos

Corto adj+er than the adj+est
Small smaller than the smallest
Largo more adj than the most adj
Expensive more expensive than the most expensive
Irregulares
Good better than the best
Bad worse than the worst
Little less than the least
 REGLAS ORTOGRÁFICAS DE LOS ADJETIVOS
COMPARATIVOS Y SUPERLATIVOS.

Aquí están las reglas principales para estos adjetivos. Estúdiatelas bien porque no sólo
las verás este curso, sino que volverás a verlas más veces. Cuando antes te las aprendas,
este tema te resultará facilísimo. ¡¡Animo!! Verás que es muy sencillo.

1. Adjetivos monosílabos.
Aplicamos la regla de añadir “er” a los comparativos y “est” a los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Old Older than The oldest
Small Smaller than The smallest
Tall Taller than The tallest

2. Adjetivos con más de tres sílabas.

Aplicamos la regla de añadir “more” delante del adjetivo en los comparativos, y
“most” a los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Interesting More interesting than The most interesting
Important More important than The most important
Difficult More difficult than The most difficult

3. Adjetivos bisílabos acabados en “ful” o “re”.

Aplicamos la regla de añadir “more” delante del adjetivo en los comparativos, y
“most” a los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Beautiful More beautiful than The most beautiful
Pure More pure than The most pure
Peaceful More peaceful than The most peaceful

4. Adjetivos bisílabos acabados en “y”. Cambiamos la “y” por “i” y aplicamos la

regla de añadir “er” a los comparativos y “est” a los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Happy Happier than The happiest
Pretty Prettier than The prettiest
Easy Easier than The easiest
5. Adjetivos bisílabos acabados en “e”. En los comparativos añadimos “r” y “st” a
los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Large Larger than The largest

6. Adjetivos bisílabos acabados en “er”. Aplicamos la regla de añadir “er” a los

comparativos y “est” a los superlativos.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Clever Cleverer than The cleverest

7. Adjetivos monosílabos acabados en vocal y consonante. Doblamos la última

consonante y aplicamos la regla de “er” y “est”.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Hot Hotter than The hottest
Big Bigger than The biggest

8. Adjetivos irregulares. No siguen ninguna regla y tienes que aprendértelos de

memoria.

Adjetive Comparative Superlative

Good Better than The best
Bad Worse than The worst
Little Less than The least
Comparativos de igualdad

Al comparar dos cosas o personas podemos decir que una de ellas es “más” o “menos”
que la otra. Pero hay veces en las que queremos que ambas cosas son iguales. Para esto
utilizamos los comparativos de igualdad.

Yo puedo decir:

Mi pelo es más largo que el tuyo.

My hair is longer than yours.

O puedo decir:
Mi pelo es tan largo como el tuyo.
My hair is as long as yours.

Cunado utilizamos comparatives de igualdad, no tenemos que distinguir entre adjetivos

largos y cortos. Además, no hace falta hacerle nada a los adjetivos. Lo único que hay
que hacer es poner “as” delante y detrás del adjetivo. Pero esto es sólo para
comparativos de igualdad.

La fórmula sería: “as adj as”

Ejemplos de adjetivos comparativos de igualdad:

Mary is........................................Peter. (old)

The green chair is......................................................the blue chair. (comfortable)
My hair is......................................................yours. (long)
Biology is..............................................................English. (difficult)
Usos de “too” y “enough”

Utilizamos estas dos expresiones para hablar de una característica determinada de un

adjetivo en concreto. Lo importante es saber su significado y donde se colocan. No los
usamos para comparar, sino para dar mayor información referida a un adjetivo.

“Too” – Lo ponemos delante de un adjetivo, con ello queremos decir que hay un exceso
de algo, es decir demasiado.

Today is hot. – Hoy hace calor.

Today is too hot. – Hoy hace demasiado calor.

This exam is difficult. – Este examen es difícil.

This exam is too difficult. – Este examen es demasiado difícil.

“Enough” – Lo ponemos detrás de un adjetivo, y con ello queremos decir que algo es
suficiente, y lo raducimos por suficientemente. Si utilizamos la forma negativa de
enough (not + adj + enough), queremos decir que algo es insuficiente, y lo traducimos
por no lo basante o por no suficientemente.

This car is cheap. – Este coche es barato.

This car is cheap enough. – Este coche es suficientemente barato.

This car isn’t cheap. – Este coche no es barato.

This car isn’t cheap enough. - Este coche no es lo suficientemente barato.
 Adjectives: comparative and superlative

1. Complete the chart with the comparatives and superlatives:

Adjective Comparative Superlative
long longer than the longest
fast faster than
pretty the prettiest
beautiful more beautiful than
ugly uglier than
thin the thinnest
fashionable more fashionable than

2. Write the comparative:

a. old ……………………………………….. f. good………………………………………..

b. strong ……………………………………...g. large ……………………………………….

c. happy……………………………………… h. serious ………………………………………

d. modern…………………………………….. i. pretty ………………………………………

e. important…………………………………… j. bad ………………………………………..

3. Complete the sentences with a superlative:

a. This building is very old. It’s the oldest building in the town.

b. It was a very happy day. It was….................................................of my life.

c. It’s a very good film. It’s.....................................................I’ve seen.

d. It was a very bad mistake. It was….....................................................in my life.

e. It was a very cold day. It was..........................................................of the year.

f. She’s a popular singer. She’s.............................................................in the country.

g. He’s a very boring person. He’s.............................................................I know.

h. This house is very big. It is................................................................I’ve lived in.

i. My cousin is very tall. He is................................................................I have.

j. Laura is a very pretty girl. She is.............................................................I know.

4. Choose the correct answer:

a. Tom’s car is as big as / the biggest his friend’s.

b. Who is shorter than / the shortest person in your family?

c. Who is more independent than / the most independent person you know?

d. These sofas are more comfortable than / the most comfortable ours.

e. My brother is taller than / the tallest in the class.

f. Is Jason’s dog older than / the oldest yours?

g. Who is the best / better than singer in the world?

h. We are younger than / the youngest the rest of the class.

i. My hair is the straightest / straighter than your hair.

j. He is more popular / the most popular singer in the world.

5. Write the sentences in the correct order:

a. taller / than / Gary / Rick / is.

Gary is taller than Rick.

b. trousers / John / got / has / new / light.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. Mary / clothes / likes / bigger
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
d. an / expensive / Rick / wearing / coat / is
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
e. the / Carol / has / scarf / got / shortest
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
f. the / student / he / tallest / is
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
g. actress / Mary / the / was / popular / most
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
h. He / the / was / footballer / best
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
i. plays / than / better / you / Mary
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

a. Carol is as good (good) as you at sport.

b. We like wearing the (late) fashion.

c. These trousers are (comfortable) than those jeans.

d. She is (happy) now than he was last year.

e. You are the (pretty) girl in class.

f. My grandma is (old) than my grandpa.

g. The red dress is the (attractive) in the shop.

h. I always tell the (fun) jokes.

i. Your hair is (curly) than my hair.

j. My hair is (short) than yours.

7. Underline the superlative form of the adjectives.

a. The elephant is bigger / the biggest animal.

b. My birthday is the happiest / happier day in the year.

c. Maths is more difficult / the most difficult subject in school.

d. Football is the funniest / funnier sport.

e. Australia is smaller / the smallest continent.

8. Choose the correct form of the adjectives.

a. Basketball is more popular / the most popular than horse-riding.

b. Amy is shorter / the shortest girl in my class.

c. Surfing is more dangerous / the most dangerous than tennis.

d. Science is more interesting / the most interesting subject at school.

e. Santiago Segura is fatter / the fattest than Tom Cruise.

 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
An Elementary Grammar Worksheet from Anna Grammar™
Comparative Adjectives
We often want to look at people or things together so that we can see how they are different.
When we do this, we are comparing things. To compare two things, we use a comparative adjective e.g. colder.

This is a photo of my two collie dogs.

This is Lassie on the left and Lady, the taller one, is on the right. Lassie is 4 years old and Lady is older than
She's 11.

Exercise 1:
Answer these questions:
Who is taller, Lassie or Lady?
Who is older, Lassie or Lady?

Short adjectives (e.g. fat, tall) take -er. tall taller.

Here is a list of some short adjectives (adjectives that have one syllable) that take -er.
tall big* cold cheap old large**
rare rich poor young fat* fat fatter

Exercise 2:
Make these adjectives into comparative adjectives:
rarerichold
largepoorwet

Longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) (e.g. expensive, comfortable) take more.
Here is a list of some longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) that take more.
expensive comfortable dangerous frightening
beautiful powerful fashionable

wer in Toronto. The CN Tower Toronto is taller than the Sears Tower and the Taipei 101. The Sears Tower is not as tall as the CN Tower

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Go and Anna Grammar are the registered trade marks of English To Go Ltd. email: [email protected]
 A few adjectives are irregular (they do not follow the same rules as other adjectives for comparative or superlative forms.)
good better, bad worse

se 3:
hese adjectives into a comparative adjective. (They are short adjectives or two-syllable adjectives that take -er.) Hint: be very careful wit
le is(cheap) than a hamburger.
le is(healthy) than a burger.
le is(heavy) than a burger.
people think a burger is(tasty) than an apple.
s are(happy) when their children eat apples.
are(good) for you than hamburgers.

Exercise 4:
M.ake each adjective in the brackets into a comparative adjective using more. These are all long adjectives.
A cobra is(dangerous) than a mouse.
A cobra is(difficult) to keep than a mouse.
A hippo is(powerful) than a cobra.
A hippo is(frightening) than a mouse.
A hippo is(expensive) than a cobra.

Superlative Adjectives
Sometimes we want to say that something is the most. When we do this, we use a superlative adjective e.g. the coldest.

d singing songs. Zoe is the naughtiest - she is the youngest and everyone is very kind to her. William is the funniest - he always makes
derful children in

Exercise 5:
Answer these questions:
1. Who is the oldest grandchild?
2. Who is the youngest grandchild?
3. Who is the smartest grandchild?
4. Who is the naughtiest grandchild?
5. Who is the funniest grandchild?
6. Who are the most wonderful children in the world?

Short adjectives (e.g. fat, tall) take the -est. tall the tallest.
Here is a list of short adjectives (adjectives that have one syllable) that take the
-est. tall big* cold old large**
rare rich poor young fat* wet
* Some consonants are doubled. big the biggest, fat the fattest. ** e is not doubled. larger the largest.

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and Anna Grammar are the registered trade marks of English To Go Ltd. email: [email protected]
 Exercise 6:
Make these adjectives into superlative adjectives: rare, rich
large, poor
, old ,
, wet

Long adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) (e.g. expensive, comfortable) take the most.
expensive the most expensive.
Here is a list of longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) that take the most.
expensive comfortable dangerous frightening
beautiful powerful fashionable
Most adjectives with two syllables take the most e.g careful, hopeful but some take -est.
Here are some two-syllable adjectives that take the most.
upset modern boring
Here are some two-syllable adjectives that take the -est.
narrow naughty simple* *e is not doubled. simple simplest
Most adjectives ending in y have two syllables, and they end in the -iest e.g. happy the happiest, funny the funniest.
Adjectives ending -ly take the -iest. e.g. lovely the loveliest.

Superlative forms of irregular adjectives

good best bad worst

Exercise 7:
Make each adjective in the brackets into a superlative adjective.
This is a photo of some of my shoes. I love shoes.
I love the pink ones with the bows - they are the
shoes (cheap) I have but they are very comfortable - maybe the(comfortable) shoes I have.
The blue shoes are(fashionable) shoes I have.
I always feel I am the(beautiful) woman in the room when I wear them!
I wear the black shoes at work when I want people to think that I have the(good) ideas.

Answer Key:
Exercise 1:
1. Lady, 2.
Lady Exercise
2:
i rarer, richer, older, larger, poorer,
wetter. Exercise 3:
1. cheaper, 2. healthier, 3. heavier, 4. tastier, 5. happier, 6.
better. Exercise 4:
1. more dangerous, 2. more difficult, 3. more powerful, 4. more frightening, 5. more expensive.
Exercise 5:
1. William, 2. Zoe, 3. Emily, 4. Zoe, 5. William, 6. her grandchildren (Emily, Zoe and William).
Exercise 6:
rarest, richest, oldest, largest, poorest,
wettest. Exercise 7:
cheapest, most comfortable, most fashionable, most beautiful, best.
AGW070704F
 Adjectives - Comparatives and Superlatives
An Elementary Grammar Worksheet from Anna Grammar™
Comparative Adjectives
To compare two things, we use a comparative adjective e.g. talltaller.
Here’s a photo of three giraffes.
The tallest giraffe is Stevie. Spotty and Allie are shorter than Stevie and Allie is shorter than Spotty.

Exercise 1:
Answer these questions. Which giraffe is a.?
Which giraffe is b.? Which giraffe is c.?

Short adjectives (e.g. fat, tall) take -er. tall taller.

Here is a list of some short adjectives (adjectives that have one syllable) that take -er.
tall big* cold cheap old large**
rare rich poor young fat* * Some consonants are doubled. big bigger, fat fatter
** e is not doubled. large larger.
Longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) (e.g. expensive, comfortable) take more.
Here is a list of some longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) that take more.
expensive comfortable dangerous frightening
beautiful powerful fashionable
Most adjectives with two syllables take more e.g more careful, more hopeful but some two-syllable adjectives do not.
Here are some two-syllable adjectives that take more.
upset modern boring famous
Here are two-syllable adjectives that take -er. narrow, simple* e is not doubled. simple simpler

Most adjectives ending in y have two syllables and end in -ier e.g. happy happier, funny funnier
Adjectives ending in ly take -ier e.g. silly sillier.

We use a comparative adjective + than to say that something is more X. Spotty is taller than Allie.
We use not + as and an adjective to say something isn't as X as something. Allie is not as tall as Spotty.

A few adjectives are irregular (they do not follow the same rules as other adjectives for comparative or superlative forms.)
good better,bad worse
Exercise 2:
Make these adjectives into a comparative adjective.
A T. Rex dinosaur was probably(fierce) than a triceratops dinosaur.
A brontosaurus was(tall) than a T.Rex dinosaur.
A triceratops was probably(good) at defending itself than a brontosaurus.

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Go and Anna Grammar are the registered trade marks of English To Go Ltd. email: [email protected]
 Exercise 2:
Make each adjective in the brackets into a comparative adjective.
The Alsatian dog is(intelligent) than a spaniel.
The poodle is(fluffy) than the other two dogs.
The Alsatian is(powerful) than most other dogs.
The spaniel is(popular) with families than most other dogs.
The Alsatian is(fast) than other dogs.

Superlative Adjectives
Sometimes we want to say that something is the most. When we do this, we use a superlative adjective e.g. the coldest.
Exercise 3:
Answer these questions about the fruit:
Which fruit in group 1 do you think is the most expensive to buy?
Which fruit in group 1 do you think is the juiciest?
Which fruit in group 2 do you think is the sourest?
Which fruit in group 2 do you think is the healthiest?
Which fruit in group 3 do you think is the most useful?
Which fruit in group 3 do you think grows in the coldest places?

Short adjectives (e.g. fat, tall) take the -est. tall the tallest.
Here is a list of short adjectives (adjectives that have one syllable) that take the -est.
tall big* cold old large** rare rich poor young fat* wet
* Some consonants are doubled. big the biggest, fat the fattest. ** e is not doubled. larger the largest.

Long adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) (e.g. expensive, comfortable) take the most.
expensive the most expensive.
Here is a list of longer adjectives (adjectives that have three or more syllables) that take the most.
expensive comfortable dangerous frightening beautiful powerful fashionable
Most adjectives with two syllables take the most e.g careful, hopeful but some take -est.
Here are some two-syllable adjectives that take the most.
upset modern boring
Here are some two-syllable adjectives that take the -est.
narrow naughty simple* *e is not doubled. simple simplest
Most adjectives ending in y have two syllables, and they end in the -iest e.g. happy the happiest, funny the funniest.
Adjectives ending -ly take the -iest. e.g. lovely the loveliest.
Superlative forms of irregular adjectives: good best bad worst

Exercise 4:
Make each adjective in the brackets into a superlative adjective.
These are my three good friends, Suzy, Jana and Kate. Suzy is the clever one. My math teacher thinks she is the 1.
(brainy) student in the class and she’s always winning prizes. She usually asks the 2.(intelligent) questions.
Jana is the 3.(dreamy) of my friends. She is often thinking about other things and she writes the 4.(lovely) stories and poems.
Kate is the 5.(cheerful) in my group. She tells the 6.
(funny) jokes and says the 7.(silly) things. She sends me the
8.(crazy) text messages.

Answer Key:
Exercise 1: a. Allie, b. Spotty, C. Stevie. Exercise 2: 1. fiercer, 2. taller, 3. better, 4. more intelligent, 5. fluffier, 6. more powerful, 7. more popular, 8.
faster.
Exercise 3: Answers will vary. Exercise 4: 1. brainiest, 2. most intelligent, 3. dreamiest, 4. loveliest, 5. most cheerful, 6. funniest, 7. silliest, 8. craziest. AGW070710F

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and Anna Grammar are the registered trade marks of English To Go Ltd. email: [email protected]