Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
One-syllable adjectives.
Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable
adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for
the superlative.
One-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
tall taller tallest
old older oldest
long longer longest
Mary is taller than Max.
Mary is the tallest of all the students.
Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
My hair is longer than your hair.
Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the
comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e Comparative Form Superlative Form
large larger largest
wise wiser wisest
Mary's car is larger than Max's car.
Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
Max is wiser than his brother.
Max is the wisest person I know.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it,
double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and
double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a
Single Vowel before It Comparative Form Superlative Form
big bigger biggest
thin thinner thinnest
fat fatter fattest
Max is thinner than John.
Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
My mother is fatter than your mother.
Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.
Two-syllable adjectives.
With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with
more and the superlative with most.
Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form
peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
careful more careful most careful
thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful
This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
Max is more careful than Mike.
