Comparison of Adjectives — English Grammar Exercises
Sarah is taller than her brother, but Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world — practice building both forms correctly.
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How to form comparatives and superlatives
| comparative | superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| one syllable: tall | taller | the tallest |
| ending in -e: large | larger | the largest |
| short + consonant: big | bigger | the biggest |
| ending in -y: happy | happier | the happiest |
| two+ syllables: expensive | more expensive | the most expensive |
Irregular forms:
| comparative | superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| good | better | the best |
| bad | worse | the worst |
Comparative — -er than / more ___ than
She is taller than her sister. This phone is more expensive than that one.
A comparative takes no article — the word after it is than, not the.
My sister is two years older than me.
Superlative — the ___est / the most ___
A superlative always takes the: Mount Everest is the highest mountain. She is the best student.
Both systems keep it: the tallest, the most difficult.
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| She is more tall than me. | She is taller than me. |
| Her book is interestinger. | Her book is more interesting. |
| Today is hoter than yesterday. | Today is hotter than yesterday. |
| He is the most good student. | He is the best student. |
| That was the baddest film. | That was the worst film. |
| She is smartest person here. | She is the smartest person here. |
What goes around a comparison — in or of after a superlative, much and a bit before a comparative, as … as, farther/further, less/fewer — is practised in Superlatives and Irregular Comparison.
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Sarah is ___ than her brother.
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taller
'Tall' is a one-syllable adjective, so add -er — 'taller'.
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Today is ___ than yesterday — over 30 degrees.
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hotter
One-syllable adjectives take -er, never 'more' — and 'hot' doubles the final consonant: 'hotter'.
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This question is ___ than the last one.
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easier
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y take -ier: 'easy' → 'easier', not 'more easy'.
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Mount Everest is the ___ mountain in the world.
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highest
'High' is one syllable — superlative adds -est: 'the highest'.
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Her latest book is ___ than her first one.
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more interesting
Adjectives of three or more syllables use 'more' for the comparative. 'Than' rules out the superlative and the plain form.
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Today the weather is much ___ than yesterday.
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better
'Good' is irregular: the comparative is 'better', never 'more good'. 'Best' is the superlative.
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That was the ___ film I've ever seen.
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worst
'Bad' is irregular: 'worse' → 'the worst'. 'I've ever seen' calls for the superlative.
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This bag is ___ than it looks — I can carry it with one hand.
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lighter
'Light' is a one-syllable adjective and takes -er — 'lighter'.
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My sister is two years ___ than me.
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younger
One-syllable adjectives take -er, never 'more' — 'younger'.
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Winter days are ___ than summer days.
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shorter
'Short' is one syllable, so the comparative is 'shorter'.
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My new flat is ___ than the old one.
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bigger
One-syllable adjectives take -er — and 'big' doubles the final consonant: 'bigger'.
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She is the ___ person I know.
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happiest
Adjectives ending in -y take -iest: 'happy' → 'the happiest'. 'Happier' is the comparative.
Comparison of Adjectives: Comparatives and Superlatives in English
English marks the comparative degree ('taller', 'more interesting') and the superlative degree ('the tallest', 'the most interesting') through two competing systems: suffixes (-er, -est) and periphrastic forms (more, most). The core difficulty is not the meaning — comparison is conceptually simple — but choosing the right form: one-syllable adjectives take -er/-est, adjectives of three or more syllables take more/most, and two-syllable adjectives split unpredictably between the two systems depending on their ending. A second layer of difficulty comes from irregular forms ('good' → 'better' → 'best') that follow no spelling rule at all. These 45 exercises isolate exactly that: building the comparative and the superlative of an adjective correctly, including the spelling changes and the irregular handful.
Short Adjectives: -er and -est
One-syllable adjectives ('tall', 'fast', 'hot') and most two-syllable adjectives ending in -y ('easy', 'happy') take the suffixes -er and -est rather than more/most. Three spelling rules apply: adjectives ending in a single vowel + consonant double the final consonant ('hot' → 'hotter', 'big' → 'bigger'); adjectives ending in -y change the y to i ('easy' → 'easier', 'happy' → 'happiest'); adjectives already ending in -e simply add -r/-st ('large' → 'larger'). Learners who over-generalise the 'more' pattern from longer adjectives produce errors like 'more tall' or 'more easy' — both wrong, since short adjectives never combine -er/-est with more/most.
This question is easier than the last one. (-y → -ier)
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. (-est)
Long Adjectives: More and Most
Adjectives of three or more syllables ('interesting', 'difficult', 'expensive') form the comparative with more and the superlative with the most, never with -er/-est. This is the mirror-image error to the one above: learners sometimes add -er to a long adjective ('interestinger'), which does not exist in standard English. Two-syllable adjectives are the genuine grey area — most take more/most ('more careful', 'the most modern'), but a few common ones, especially those ending in -y, -er, -ow, or -le, allow either pattern.
This is the most difficult exercise in the book.
The Before a Superlative
A superlative almost always carries the, in both systems: 'the tallest', 'the most difficult'. Dropping it is a frequent slip, because the comparative directly before it needs no article at all. The pattern is: comparative + than, superlative + the.
My sister is two years older than me. (comparative — no 'the')
Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives
A small, high-frequency group of adjectives does not follow any spelling rule: good → better → best and bad → worse → worst. Because these words are so common in everyday speech, irregular-form errors ('gooder', 'more good', 'baddest') persist well after the -er/-est vs more/most rule has been mastered — a sign that irregular forms need separate, repeated practice rather than being absorbed automatically from the regular pattern.
That was the worst film I've ever seen.
After his operation, he felt better than ever.
Common Mistakes
✗ Her latest book is interestinger. → ✓ Her latest book is more interesting. (long adjective takes more, not -er)
✗ Today is hoter than yesterday. → ✓ Today is hotter. (double the final consonant)
✗ Today the weather is much gooder. → ✓ Today the weather is much better. (irregular comparative)
✗ That was the baddest film I've ever seen. → ✓ That was the worst film I've ever seen.
✗ She is smartest person in the room. → ✓ She is the smartest person in the room.
The structures that go around a comparison — in or of after a superlative, much and a bit before a comparative, as … as, and the + comparative for exactly two things — are practised in Superlatives and Irregular Comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you use -er/-est and when do you use more/most?
Use -er/-est for one-syllable adjectives ('tall' → 'taller') and most two-syllable adjectives ending in -y ('happy' → 'happier'). Use more/most for adjectives of three or more syllables ('interesting' → 'more interesting') and most other two-syllable adjectives ('modern' → 'more modern'). The two systems never combine — 'more taller' and 'interestinger' are both wrong. A handful of two-syllable adjectives (quiet, clever, narrow) genuinely allow either pattern, but for the large majority the syllable count decides the choice.
What are the irregular comparative and superlative adjectives?
The most common irregular adjectives are 'good' → 'better' → 'the best', 'bad' → 'worse' → 'the worst', and 'far' → 'farther/further' → 'the farthest/furthest'. Unlike regular adjectives, these forms don't follow any spelling rule, so they have to be memorised individually rather than derived. Errors like 'gooder', 'more bad', and 'baddest' are common even among upper-intermediate learners, because these words are so frequent that regular-pattern habits interfere with the correct irregular form.
What is the difference between 'the taller' and 'the tallest'?
'The taller' is used when comparing exactly two people or things — 'Of the two sisters, Sarah is the taller.' 'The tallest' is the superlative, used for groups of three or more — 'She is the tallest student in the class.' Using the superlative for a comparison of only two ('the tallest of the two') is a common but incorrect pattern, since English reserves -est/most forms strictly for three-or-more comparisons.
How do you use 'much', 'a bit', and 'as...as' with adjectives?
'Much', 'far', and 'a lot' strengthen a comparative ('much harder', 'far more expensive'), while 'a bit', 'a little', and 'slightly' soften it ('a bit colder'). 'Very' cannot modify a comparative — 'very harder' is always wrong. For equal comparisons, use the base adjective between 'as...as' ('as exciting as'), never the comparative form ('as more exciting as' is incorrect).
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