This detailed guide for Class 8 and ESL learners explains the rules and usage of comparative and superlative adjectives. It provides clear examples and a comprehensive list of adjectives, demonstrating how to form and use different degrees of comparison. Practice with worksheets and check your understanding of the provided answers. This guide is perfect for effectively learning comparative and superlative forms!
An adjective is said to be positive if used merely to describe a noun, comparative if used for the comparison between two nouns, and superlative if it highlights the highest degree of quality among the nouns.
For example,
Positive: This flower is beautiful. (No comparison, just describing the noun)
Comparative: This flower is more beautiful than that one. (Comparison between two nouns)
Superlative: This is the most beautiful flower in the garden. (Comparison showing the highest degree among two or more nouns)
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The comparative is the form of an adjective which is used to show the comparison between two nouns.
For example,
If Hari is six feet tall and Harry is six feet and one inch tall, then both are tall, but Harry is taller than Hari.
In the above example, if there is a third boy Hamid, who is taller than both Hari as well as Harry, then we say that Hamid is the tallest of the three boys. “Tallest’ is thus the superlative form of ‘tall’.
We use the comparative and the superlative forms to compare things-two in the case of comparatives, and more than two in the case of superlatives.
The comparative form of an adjective is formed by simply adding the suffix er to the adjective and the superlative form, by adding the suffix est. However, this is not always the case. For many adjectives, the comparative is formed by modifying the adjective by the adverb more and the superlative by the adverb most.
For example,
- Mumbai is a more exciting city than Delhi. (There is no such word as ‘excitinger in the English language.)
- Mumbai is the most exciting city of all the cities in India. (There is no such word as ‘excitingest’ in the English language.)
We use than with the comparative and of or among with the superlative. Also, note that the definite article “the” is always used before a superlative. However, it can sometimes be used before a comparative, in which case we use the preposition between or of.
For example,
- Shillong is colder than Guwahati.
- Shillong is the colder of the two cities.
- Shillong is the coldest among Guwahati, Shillong, and Kolkata.
- Shillong is the coldest of the three cities.
Construction of the Comparative and Superlative Forms
The comparative form of an adjective is typically constructed by adding “er” or using “more” before the adjective. The superlative form is formed by adding “est” or using “most” to indicate the highest degree.
1. By adding the suffixes “er” and “est” to the positive
This method is used for most one-syllable and some two-syllable adjectives
There are different ways of adding the suffix, depending on the spelling of the positive.
a) If the positive ends in either two consonants, the second of which is not a y, or a single consonant preceded by a long vowel, then the suffixes er and est are added directly to the positive.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
short | shorter | shortest |
high | higher | highest |
clever | cleverer | cleverest |
great | greater | greatest |
shallow | shallower | shallowest |
b) If the positive ends in two consonants, the second of which is a y, the y is dropped, and the suffixes ‘er’ and ‘iest’ are added.
Note: Shy, sly, spry, and wry are all exceptions to this rule. They simply add er and est.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
happy | happier | happiest |
dirty | dirtier | dirtiest |
hungry | hungrier | hungriest |
sunny | sunnier | sunniest |
lovely | lovelier | loveliest |
c) If the positive ends in a single consonant which is preceded by a short vowel, then the final consonant is doubled before the suffixes er and est are added.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
big | bigger | biggest |
thin | thinner | thinnest |
fat | fatter | fattest |
hot | hotter | hottest |
sad | sadder | saddest |
d) If the positive ends in an e, then the suffixes r and st are added.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
large | larger | largest |
simple | simpler | simplest |
blue | bluer | bluest |
brave | braver | bravest |
late | later | latest |
Note: Meagre and naive are exceptions to this rule. They follow the rules explained later in this chapter.
2. By modifying the positive by the adverbs ‘more/less’ and ‘most/least’
This method is used for most two-syllable adjectives and all adjectives of more than two syllables.
For example-the adjective ‘comfortable’.
a) When we want to make an upward comparison, we say more comfortable. If we want to make a downward comparison, we say less comfortable.
b) Similarly, the upward superlative is most comfortable, while the downward superlative is least comfortable.
Positive | expensive | difficult | interesting | beautiful | curious |
UpwardComparative | more expensive | more difficult | more interesting | more beautiful | more curious |
DownwardComparative | less expensive | less difficult | less interesting | less beautiful | less curious |
UpwardSuperlative | most expensive | most difficult | most interesting | most beautiful | most curious |
DownwardSuperlative | least expensive | least difficult | least interesting | least beautiful | least curious |
For example,
- Gold is more expensive than silver.
- This test is more difficult than the last one.
- Paris is the most interesting city in Europe.
- The Mona Lisa is considered the most beautiful painting of Leonardo da Vinci.
3. By irregular construction
There are a few adjectives which form their comparatives and superlatives in an
irregular manner.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
good | better | best |
bad | worse | worst |
little | less | least |
much/many | more | most |
far | further/farther | furthest/farthest |
old | older/elder | oldest/eldest |
Farther and farthest
Farther and farthest are used only for distance.
For example,
- I can run farther than you.
- New York is the farthest from London, Tokyo, and New York from Delhi.
Further and furthest
Further and furthest are used for all other comparisons, for time. They can also be used for distance.
For example,
- His house is further down the road from mine.
- The furthest I’ve travelled to the cast within India, is Ranchi.
- Going further back in time, we find evidence of man behaving like an animal.
- The furthest that one can push back the invention of the wheel, is six
- millennia ago.
- She won’t be helping us any further.
Elder and eldest
Elder and eldest are used only when comparing ages within the same family or clan. Note also that we can’t say elder than. Even for real brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, we use older than.
For example,
- My father is the eldest of his siblings.
- My sister is older than me, but I am older than your sister.
- My dog is older than yours.
Little, littler, littlest
Little, when used to describe size, uses littler and littlest forms of comparison. However, smaller and smallest are more common. When it is used to describe quantity or amount’, less and least are used.
Early, late, earlier, earliest, later, latest, last
Similarly, when early and late are used to describe time, we use earlier, earliest, and later, latest. Former is the opposite of latter. These two adjectives don’t have any positive or superlative form. Last is an ordinal number.
Much, more, most
Both much, which is used with uncountable nouns, and many, which is used with countable nouns, have the same comparative and superlative (more and most).
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Worksheets
These worksheets focus on forming and using comparative and superlative adjectives, with activities like sentence completion, comparisons, and error correction to strengthen ESL learners’ grammar skills.
Worksheet 1
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the adjectives given within brackets. Don’t forget to write the appropriate articles, if they are needed.
1. Mridula has a (tidy) _______ room than her sister.
2. Australia is (big) _______ than England.
3. Serena is a (good) _______ tennis player than Venus.
4. Savita’s got (few) _______ friends than you, but that doesn’t matter.
5. Quite a few people think that Japanese is (difficult) _______ language to learn.
6. The Mohun Bagan Football Club played (bad) _______ than the East Bengal Football Club yesterday.
7. Cats are not (intelligent) _______ than dogs.
8. Trigonometry is (difficult) _______ than Geometry.
9. _______ (hot) desert of all is the Sahara, and it’s in Africa.
10. Who is (talkative) _______ person in your family?
Worksheet 2
B. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate degree of comparison. Don’t forget to write the appropriate articles, where required.
1. A bicycle is (cheap) _______ than a motorbike.
2. A river is (broad) _______ than a canal.
3. A bicycle is (convenient) _______ means of transport in a traffic jam.
4. Gold is (expensive) _______ than silver.
5. Cherrapunji averages (high) _______ rainfall in India.
6. A hyena is (ferocious) _______ than a tiger.
7. Priyanka is (lazy) _______ girl in her class.
8. India is a (large) _______ country than Pakistan.
9. Monica is (good) _______ at academics than any other girl in the academy.
10. A car usually goes (fast) _______ than a bus.
Worksheet 3
C. Fill in the correct forms of the adjectives.
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
thin | ||
further | ||
learned | ||
best | ||
intelligent | ||
less | ||
busy | ||
worst | ||
prettier | ||
most courageous |
Worksheet 4
Write at least three sentences comparing the people in each set. You could
use words like ‘younger’, ‘older’, ‘neater’, ‘happier’, and so on.
A. | B. |
Brian | Anna |
Ravi | Mona |
Rashid | Shanta |
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives Worksheets Answers
Answers include correctly formed comparative and superlative adjectives, accurate sentence completions, and error-free comparisons to help students master the concepts effectively.
Answer 1
1. Mridula has a tidier room than her sister.
2. Australia is bigger than England.
3. Serena is a better tennis player than Venus.
4. Savita’s got fewer friends than you, but that doesn’t matter.
5. Quite a few people think that Japanese is a difficult language to learn.
6. The Mohun Bagan Football Club played worse than the East Bengal Football Club yesterday.
7. Cats are not more intelligent than dogs.
8. Trigonometry is more difficult than Geometry.
9. The hottest desert of all is the Sahara, and it’s in Africa.
10. Who is the most talkative person in your family?
Answer 2
1. A bicycle is cheaper than a motorbike.
2. A river is broader than a canal.
3. A bicycle is the most convenient means of transport in a traffic jam.
4. Gold is more expensive than silver.
5. Cherrapunji averages the highest rainfall in India.
6. A hyena is less ferocious than a tiger.
7. Priyanka is the laziest girl in her class.
8. India is a larger country than Pakistan.
9. Monica is better at academics than any other girl in the academy.
10. A car usually goes faster than a bus.
Answer 3
Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
thin | thinner | thinnest |
far | farther/further | farthest/furthest |
learned | more learned | most learned |
good | better | best |
intelligent | more intelligent | most intelligent |
little | less | least |
busy | busier | busiest |
bad | worse | worst |
pretty | prettier | prettiest |
courageous | more courageous | most courageous |
Answer 4
A. Comparing people in Set A:
- Brian is younger than Anna but neater than Ravi.
- Anna is older than Mona and seems happier than Rashid.
- Ravi is less organized than Shanta but friendlier than Mona.
B. Comparing people in Set B:
- Mona is happier than Rashid but quieter than Brian.
- Shanta is the neatest among all and is older than Rashid.
- Rashid is less cheerful than Anna but taller than Brian.
FAQs on Comparative and Superlative Adjectives for Class 8 ESL
1. What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
Ans: Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things, while superlative adjectives are used to show the highest or lowest degree of a quality among three or more things.
2. What is a Comparative and Superlative Words Example?
Ans: Comparative Example: “Lucía is faster than Marc.
Superlative Example: “Lucía is the fastest of all.
3. What is Positive, Comparative, and Superlative Adjective?
Ans: Positive: Describes a quality without making a comparison (e.g., “rápido” in Spanish, “rapide” in French).
Example: “The horse r is fast.
Comparative: Compares two things, often formed by adding -er or using “more” (e.g., “más rápido” in Spanish, “plus rapide” in French).
Example: “Lucía is faster than Marc./”Lucía is faster than Marc.
Superlative: Describes the highest degree of quality, often formed by adding -est or using “most” (e.g., “el más rápido” in Spanish, “le plus rapide” in French).
Example: “Lucía is the fastest of all./”Lucía is the fastest of all.
4. What are Comparative Adjectives with Examples?
Ans: Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things.
“Lucía is faster than Marc.
“Pierre is taller than Jacques.
5. How to Know Comparative and Superlative?
Ans: To form comparative adjectives, add -er to one-syllable adjectives or use “more” for two or more syllable adjectives. For superlative adjectives, add -est to one-syllable adjectives or use “most” for two or more syllable adjectives.
Example:
“The car is faster than the bicycle.
“Lucía is the fastest of all.