An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It gives us more information about a person, place, thing, animal, or idea. Examples of adjectives are short, beautiful, and expensive.
In English, the adjective is usually placed before the noun. For example:
- They live in a big house.
- We sat on the warm beach.
- He bought a red car.
However, in some cases, the adjective is placed after the noun. This happens when the sentence uses the verb “to be”.
- This show is wonderful.
- English is easy.
- Your cat is friendly.
Comparative adjectives compare two people, places, or things.
Superlative adjectives compare three or more people, places, or things.
John is tall. | basic adjective |
Mike is taller than me. | comparative adjective |
Bob is the tallest player on the team. | superlative adjective |
The word “than” is often used after the comparative form.
The word “the” is often used before the superlative form.
one syllable: • add er | cold | colder |
one syllable ending in e: • add r | wide | wider |
one syllable ending in one vowel and one consonant: • double the last consonant • add er | hot | hotter |
two syllables ending in y: • drop the y • add ier | easy | easier |
happy | happier | |
busy | busier | |
two syllables without y: • add more + adjective | modern | more modern |
famous | more famous | |
three or more syllables: • add more + adjective | delicious | more delicious |
interesting | more interesting | |
comfortable | more comfortable |
Comparative adjectives are often followed by than or but.
Examples
Today is cold, but yesterday was colder.
The first test was easier than the second test.
Her house is modern, but his house is more modern.
This class was interesting. That class was more interesting.
one syllable: • add the + est | cold | the coldest |
one syllable ending in e: • add the + st | wide | the widest |
one syllable ending with one vowel and one consonant: • add the • double the last consonant • add est | hot | the hottest |
two syllables ending in y: • add the • drop the y • add iest | easy | the easiest |
happy | the happiest | |
busy | the busiest | |
two syllables without y: • add the most + adjective | modern | the most modern |
famous | the most famous | |
three or more syllables: • add the most + adjective | delicious | the most delicious |
interesting | the most interesting | |
comfortable | the most comfortable |
Superlative adjectives are usually preceded by the.
Examples
It was the hottest day of the year.
Today was the happiest day of my life.
This is the most popular restaurant in town.
That was the most interesting experience I’ve ever had!
cold | colder | the coldest |
wide | wider | the widest |
hot | hotter | the hottest |
easy | easier | the easiest |
happy | happier | the happiest |
busy | busier | the busiest |
modern | more modern | the most modern |
famous | more famous | the most famous |
delicious | more delicious | the most delicious |
interesting | more interesting | the most interesting |
comfortable | more comfortable | the most comfortable |
good | better | the best |
bad | worse | the worst |
little | less | the least |
many | more | the most |
This song is good.
That song is better. (It is always wrong to use “more better”.)
The last song is the best.
Write the comparative and superlative forms of each adjective.
15. fast, faster, the fastest
Comparative adjectives are used to compare one noun to another noun. In these instances, only two items are being compared. For example, someone might say that "the blue bird is angrier than the robin."
Superlative adjectives are used to compare three or more nouns. They're also used to compare one thing against the rest of a group. Superlative adjectives demonstrate a higher level of comparison between entities. For example, "She's the prettiest princess in all the land."
When students are trying to organize their thoughts and draw a comparison between two or more items, it's helpful to show them several examples of comparative and superlative adjectives for kids. Let's explore some examples below.
An initial adjective (also called a positive adjective) on its own describes a noun. Take, for example, "He's tall." The comparative adjectives in the printable below show how you can make comparisons easily between two entities by adding -er for a comparative adjective: "He's taller than she is." The superlative adjective, adding -est, makes even higher levels of comparison: "He's the tallest kid in the class."
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It's wise to review the degrees of comparison examples with your students. In the examples above, it's clear there are varying degrees of comparison between new, newer, and newest.
Don't forget you can also make comparisons between two or more items with the words "more" and "most." For example, "She is more active than he is" offers a lesser degree of comparison than "She is the most active person in the entire household."
Comparisons can also be made in the opposite direction with "less" and "least." The same principle applies in the examples below. You can compare two things in the comparative form as well as three or more in the superlative form.
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There are a few adjectives that have irregular forms when made into comparative or superlative adjectives. With these, you don't add an -er or -est, and they don't include the words "more" or "most." In some cases, a whole new word is used. These irregular forms just have to be memorized.
The examples in the printable above still follow the format of initial adjective, comparative adjective, and superlative adjective, as in good, better, best.
Now that we know how to identify comparative and superlative adjectives, let's see them in action. Here is a list of sentences making comparisons between two things:
- My house is bigger than yours.
- Your grade is worse than mine.
- The Pacific Ocean is deeper than the Arctic Ocean.
- You are more polite than Joey.
- My brother is taller than I am, but he is older too.
- A rose is more beautiful than a daisy.
- The Earth is larger than the moon.
- A pint is less than a quart.
- Learning Japanese is more difficult than learning Italian.
- It's farther from New York to Austin than it is from New York to Nashville.
Of course, there are times when we take things up a notch and compare three or more items. There will also be times when we compare one thing against the rest of a group. Here are some examples of superlative adjectives in action:
- I can't find my most comfortable jeans.
- The runt of the litter is the smallest.
- Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system.
- She is the smartest girl in our class.
- This is the most interesting book I have ever read.
- I am the shortest person in my family.
- Jerry is the least worried about the game.
- That was the best movie ever.
- Sam is the most handsome boy in the whole school.
- Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Especially for younger students, "more" and "most" can get tricky. Have you ever cringed at the thought of something being "more better"? That's okay. An active mind makes many mistakes on the pathway to greatness. As you prepare to teach your little ones about the wonders of comparison, these lesson plans are a great place to start.
Staff Writer
Examples of Comparative Adjectives
We often describe something by comparing it to something else. And, when two items are compared, we enter into the land of comparative adjectives. For example, we might say, “This fireplace is bigger than the last one.” When a word ends in -er, it’s a good indication you ’re looking at a comparative adjective.Other giveaways are the words “more” or “less.” For example, “It’s more expensive to drive a German car than an American car.” Not too difficult, right? Let’s explore several examples of comparative adjectives.
Examples of Superlative Adjectives
Can anything be better than the best? What about smaller than the smallest, or funnier than the funniest? Superlative adjectives help us understand the most — or least — about a noun. Keep reading for superlatives examples with a variety of different endings and uses.