Equative, Comparative, and Superlative Adjectives

Three Ways to Compare

Adjectives can describe one thing or compare two or more things.

Form	Use	Example
descriptive	describe one noun	`This room is big.`
equative	say two things are equal	`This room is as big as that room.`
comparative	compare two things	`This room is bigger than that room.`
superlative	compare three or more things	`This is the biggest room in the hotel.`

Equative: As + Adjective + As

Use as + adjective + as to say two things are equal.

My bag is as heavy as your bag.

This test is as easy as the last test.

She is as tall as her sister.

Use not as + adjective + as to say two things are not equal.

This movie is not as interesting as the book.

I am not as fast as you.

With countable and uncountable nouns, use:

Noun Type	Pattern	Example
plural countable	`as many as`	`I have as many books as you.`
uncountable	`as much as`	`She drinks as much coffee as I do.`

Comparative Adjectives

Use comparative adjectives to compare two people, places, or things. Use than before the second thing.

Canada is larger than Mexico.

This chair is more comfortable than that one.

Forming Comparatives

Adjective Type	Rule	Example
one syllable	add -er	tall -> taller
ends in -e	add -r	nice -> nicer
consonant + y	change y to i + -er	happy -> happier
short vowel + final consonant	double final consonant + -er	big -> bigger
long adjective	more + adjective	beautiful -> more beautiful

Some two-syllable adjectives can use either form.

quiet -> quieter / more quiet

simple -> simpler / more simple

Use less + adjective + than when something has a smaller amount or degree of a quality.

The blue bag is less expensive than the red bag.

This street is less crowded than usual.

Superlative Adjectives

Use superlative adjectives to compare three or more people, places, or things.

This is the tallest building in the city.

She is the most careful driver in our family.

Forming Superlatives

Adjective Type	Rule	Example
one syllable	the + adjective + -est	the tallest
ends in -e	the + adjective + -st	the nicest
consonant + y	change y to i + -est	the happiest
short vowel + final consonant	double final consonant + -est	the biggest
long adjective	the most + adjective	the most expensive

Use in with places and groups.

the best restaurant in town

the youngest student in the class

Use of with time periods.

the happiest day of my life

the coldest night of the year

Irregular Forms

Some adjectives are irregular.

Descriptive	Comparative	Superlative	Equative
good	better than	the best	as good as
bad	worse than	the worst	as bad as
far	farther/further than	the farthest/furthest	as far as
many	more than	the most	as many as
much	more than	the most	as much as
few	fewer than	the fewest	as few as
little	less than	the least	as little as

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
`My car is more fast than yours.`	`My car is faster than yours.`	Use -er with short adjectives.
`This is the most tall building.`	`This is the tallest building.`	Use -est with short adjectives.
`She is more happy today.`	`She is happier today.`	Change y to i + -er.
`This book is interestinger.`	`This book is more interesting.`	Use more with long adjectives.
`He is gooder than me.`	`He is better than me.`	Good is irregular.
`This is the best of the city.`	`This is the best in the city.`	Use in for places.
`It is the same like mine.`	`It is the same as mine.`	Say the same as.

Practice: Exercises

1 / 13

My brother is ___ than me.

Summary

Use as + adjective + as to show equality and not as + adjective + as to show inequality. Use comparative adjectives with than to compare two things.

Use superlative adjectives with the to compare three or more things. Short adjectives usually take -er/-est, longer adjectives use more/the most, and common irregular forms include good -> better -> the best and bad -> worse -> the worst.