DEFINITION, CLASSIFICATION,
AND
FORMING
COMPARATIVE
AND
ADJECTIVES.
RULES FOR
SUPERLATIVE
📘 Definitions
🔹 Comparative:
A comparative adjective compares two people, animals, or
things.
📌 It answers: Which is more/less...?
E.g., Ali is taller than Ahmed.
🔹 Superlative:
A superlative adjective compares three or more people,
animals, or things to show the highest or lowest degree.
E.g., Fatima is the tallest girl in the class.
📚 Classification & Rules for Forming Comparative and
Superlative Adjectives
🔹 Rule 1: One-syllable adjectives
Add -er for comparative and -est for superlative.
Positive Comparative Superlative
tall
Taller
Tallest
✅ Examples:
1. tall → taller → tallest
2. cold → colder → coldest
3. fast → faster → fastest
4. short → shorter → shortest
5. long → longer → longest
1
🔹 Rule 2: One-syllable adjectives ending with a single
vowel + consonant
Double the final consonant, then add -er / -est.
Positive Comparative Superlative
big
Bigger
Biggest
✅ Examples:
1. big → bigger → biggest
2. hot → hotter → hottest
3. thin → thinner → thinnest
4. fat → fatter → fattest
5. sad → sadder → saddest
🔹 Rule 3: Adjectives ending in -y
Change -y to -i and add -er / -est.
Positive Comparative Superlative
happy Happier
Happiest
✅ Examples:
1. happy → happier → happiest
2. busy → busier → busiest
3. easy → easier → easiest
4. funny → funnier → funniest
5. lucky → luckier → luckiest
2
🔹 Rule 4: Adjectives of two or more syllables
Use more (comparative) and most (superlative) before the
adjective.
Positive Comparative
Superlative
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
✅ Examples:
1. beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful
2. important → more important → most important
3. expensive → more expensive → most expensive
4. dangerous → more dangerous → most dangerous
5. comfortable → more comfortable → most comfortable
🔹 Rule 5: Irregular adjectives
These change form completely.
Positive Comparative Superlative
good
Better
Best
bad
Worse
Worst
✅ Examples:
1. good → better → best
2. bad → worse → worst
3. far → farther → farthest / further → furthest
4. little → less → least
5. many/much → more → most
3
📝 Summary Chart
Rule
Comparative Superlative
Examples
1. One-syllable
-er
-est
tall, cold, fast
words
2. One-syllable double
double
+ vowel +
consonant + - consonant + - big, hot, thin
consonant
er
est
change -y to -i change -y to -i happy, busy,
3. Ends in -y
+ -er
+ -est
lucky
beautiful,
4. Two or more more +
most +
expensive,
syllables
adjective
adjective
important
good → better
5. Irregular
change
change
→ best, bad →
adjectives
completely
completely
worse
4