Comparatives and Superlatives: How to Compare in English

Use a comparative to describe a difference: “This room is brighter than that room.” Use a superlative to identify the greatest or smallest amount of a quality within a group: “This is the brightest room in the flat.”

The choice depends on the comparison you want to make. Are you describing one option against another, or identifying an option within the whole group? A practical decision, such as choosing a flat, makes the difference easier to see.

Choose between three flats

Use Nina’s made-up shortlist of three flats for this practice task. Compare the rent, floor area and walking time in the table.

Oak is cheaper than River. River is larger than Oak. River has a shorter walk to the station than Hill.

Oak is the cheapest flat of the three. Hill is the largest. River has the shortest walk to the station.

Cheaper compares two rents. Cheapest identifies the lowest rent among the three flats. A comparative can also compare one item with several others: “Oak is cheaper than both River and Hill.” The key difference is the relationship, not a rule that a sentence can mention only two things.

Build the form from the adjective

In big, the last consonant doubles before -er or -est. In nice, simply add -r or -st because the e is already there. Busy changes y to i. Say and write a complete set together: busy, busier, busiest.

Many two-syllable adjectives use more and most, but some allow -er and -est: quiet can become quieter and quietest. Simple can become simpler and simplest. Three-syllable adjectives such as expensive normally use more expensive and most expensive.

Do not add both patterns to the same word. Write “a bigger room”, not “a more bigger room”. Write “the most comfortable chair”, not “the most comfortablest chair”. If a new form looks uncertain, check it in a learner’s dictionary.

The vocabulary learning path can help you collect useful describing words. Record their comparative forms alongside a real sentence.

Make the comparison clear

When you name the other option, use than: “The blue bag is lighter than the black bag.” If the other option is already understood, you can leave it out: “I’ll take the blue one. It’s lighter.”

For common superlative noun phrases, use the: “the largest flat”. Name the group when it helps: “the largest flat of the three” or “the quietest street in the town”. A possessive can replace the: “my best answer”, not “my the best answer”.

Use the ordinary adjective for an equal comparison: “This desk is as wide as that desk.” The pattern is as + adjective + as. “Oak is not as large as River” is another way to express the difference in size.

A little and much can show the size of a difference: “This bag is a little heavier” and “This bag is much heavier”. Do not use very directly with a comparative in this pattern: “very heavier” is not the usual form.

Try the flat-hunting decisions

Use the data in the first table. Complete each sentence using the word in brackets.

The numbers support these five answers. They do not tell us which flat is best for everyone. Someone who values a low rent may choose Oak; someone who wants space may choose Hill. Use “best for me” when the judgement depends on a person’s needs.

Repair three common mistakes

Make a comparison you can use

Choose three things you know: bags, cafés or routes to work. Pick one measurable detail and one personal judgement. Write two comparisons, one superlative and one as … as sentence. For example, compare weight for a measurable detail and comfort for a judgement.

Use the grammar learning path to revisit sentence structure as you build your own examples.

Then check your wording with Grammar Coach. Keep the original meaning in view: a form can be grammatical even when the comparison itself is unclear.

References

British Council’s comparative and superlative adjectives guide was used to check the formation patterns.

Cambridge’s comparison of adjectives guide explains group comparisons, spelling and determiners.