Comparative and Superlative Forms — Exercises
Practice forming comparatives and superlatives correctly: -er/-est for short adjectives, more/most for long ones, spelling changes (doubling, -y→-ier), and irregular forms like good/better/best.
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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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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.
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This is the ___ exercise in the book.
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most difficult
'The' plus 'in the book' signals a superlative: long adjectives take 'the most'.
Forming Comparatives and Superlatives Correctly
Before an adjective can be used to compare two things, it must first take the right form — and English adjectives split into three groups for this purpose. Short adjectives (one syllable, and most two-syllable adjectives ending in -y) add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative: 'tall' → 'taller' → 'the tallest'. Long adjectives (three or more syllables, and most other two-syllable adjectives) instead use more and the most: 'interesting' → 'more interesting' → 'the most interesting'. A small set of high-frequency adjectives is irregular and follows neither pattern: 'good' → 'better' → 'the best'; 'bad' → 'worse' → 'the worst'; 'far' → 'farther/further' → 'the farthest/furthest'.
Spelling Rules for -er/-est
'easy' → easier, 'happy' → happiest (-y changes to -i-)
'large' → larger (already ends in -e, just add -r)
Irregular Forms Need Separate Practice
Because 'better', 'worse', and 'farther' don't follow any spelling rule, learners often regularise them incorrectly — 'gooder', 'more bad', 'farer' — well after the regular rule has been mastered. These forms have to be learned individually, the way irregular verbs are.
Common Mistakes
✗ Today the weather is much gooder. → ✓ better. (irregular)
✗ That was the baddest film. → ✓ the worst film. (irregular superlative)
Last updated: · Satori Editorial