Comparatives and Superlatives: Rules, Forms & Examples

Adjectives are words which descriptively describe the attributes of a noun or pronoun. For example - Ram is smart. Ram is a proper noun, and ‘smart’ is an adjective that describes this person. These adjectives, which have no comparison, are called positive degree adjectives. Positive adjectives are used for one single adjective use only. Some more positive degree examples are: 

• Ayesha is brilliant with her piano. 

• Vineyards are beautiful. 

• The little bird in the nest is angry. 

• There is a new iPhone model that will launch this September. 

• This is a melodious song. What is the name of the singer? 

These were some positive degree examples for adjectives. Now, let us get onto comparisons of adjectives. Let’s take the first example only and understand the variation of adjectives and comparison of adjectives.

Comparison of Adjectives

When Ram is compared to other people, comparative and superlative adjectives are used. The comparative superlatives are degrees of comparison. For example: 

• Ram is smarter than his elder brother. 

• Ram is the smartest among his cousins.  

What do the adjectives ‘smarter’ and ‘smartest’ signify? These describe the comparison of adjectives called comparatives and superlatives. We can study them in detail below.

Comparative adjectives compare two things or people and add an ‘-er’ at the end of the adjective. However, the ‘-er’ may not fit all the adjectives, so more is used before certain adjectives. There are four circumstances where comparative adjectives are used; check them out below: 

1. Changes or Comparisons

A comparative adjective is used whenever changes in size, situation or attributes. Let’s look at some of the examples: 

• The party expected a bigger win. However, they won with a more considerable margin. (Change + Comparison) 
• The air seems cleaner after the mild rainfall. (Change) 
• I have never seen prettier daisies before. (Comparison) 
• John got a higher score in Physics to boost his percentage. But the lower score in Math got him 2% down. (Change + Comparison) 
• The plums taste sweeter after eating something savoury.  (Comparison)

2. Comparing One or More Persons/Things

When one or more elements are compared, a comparative adjective comes into play. In most cases, the connector - ‘than’ is used to show comparisons. Examples: 

• Our house is bigger than others in the block. 
• Meesha has improved her cooking skills and is better than her cousin. 
• More than cashew nuts, I like pine nuts. 

3. Using Two Comparatives to Show Comparison

Sometimes, in high-strung situations, we denote something changing by the second or minute. In these cases, the same comparative adjective is used twice to denote feelings, exasperation or changes in the situation. Examples: 

• The smog got denser and denser as we crossed the highway. 
• My heartbeat got faster and faster as we approached the touchdown. 
• The GMAT exam got harder and harder with each section because it was computer-adaptable.  
• It kept getting colder and colder as we travelled in the interiors of Leh Ladakh. 
• Our oxygen levels dropped lower and lower as we reached the tip of the Arctic Circle. 

Thus, comparative degree adjectives use ‘-er’ suffixed verbs, and those verbs that do not change forms use comparatives, such as ‘more’, before the verb. Thus, using comparative degree will be essential for IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking modules specifically and also for the other two modules. 

The superlative degree of the adjective denotes the extreme form of change or comparison. Here, the verb is prefixed with ‘the’ and suffixed with ‘-est’. However, some verbs do not change form, so use ‘the’ and 'most' before the verb form to denote the superlative degree. Some of the superlative degree examples are as follows: 

• Chandrani Murmu is the youngest member of Parliament. 

• Google’s core updates have given us the most challenging time to date. 

• Working late nights is the most difficult for our team during tight schedules.  

• It was the loveliest dress I had bought for myself in the store. 

• Chandani Chowk has some of the narrowest lanes, making it difficult for one person to pass by.

Thus, these are superlative degrees of adjectives denoted by the highest degree of comparison. Usually denoted by 'the' + '-est' to adjective or 'the' + most + adjective. Essentially, superlative adjectives are absolutely necessary for IELTS Reading section and other modules. 

The applicants preparing for different IELTS exam modules will benefit after understanding the comparative and superlative degrees of comparison in the tables below. There are different rules for using comparative degree and superlative degree and for how adjectives change or do not change form. Check out the comparative superlative rules below:

1. By adding ‘-er’ and ‘-est’ to positive comparative and superlative adjectives:

 2. Add ‘-r’ and ‘-st’ when verbs end in ‘e’. Some of the positive comparative and superlative examples are:

3. The final consonant is doubled when the verb ends in a single consonant but is preceded by a short vowel. Then, it is suffixed with ‘-er’ or ‘-est’ for positive comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives. Some of the comparative superlative examples are:

4. When the verbs ending with ‘y’ have a consonant before, ‘y’ changes to ‘i’ in comparative and superlatives and then ‘-ier’ and ‘-iest’ is used accordingly. Check how verbs change through examples below:

5. Some verb forms do not change when used as comparatives or superlatives. In turn, these verbs use ‘more’ or ‘most’ before them to denote the comparisons. Read about some of the common comparative superlative examples in the table below:

6. Irregular adjectives are also used to denote comparatives and superlatives. But, the verbs change entirely and do not require more/most/-er/-est/-ier/-iest to the verb. Check out the comparative superlative examples below:

 These adjectives are very important for IELTS preparation. They will also help applicants build their IELTS vocabulary for all sections - IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

While using degrees of comparison of adjectives, we often make some mistakes. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when using comparatives and superlatives: 

1. We do not use ‘more’ and ‘-er’ verb forms together in a comparative degree. The reason is that these two denote comparisons, and only one form can be used in one particular verb form.

Incorrect: Ray is more younger than his cousins. 

Correct: Ray is younger than his cousins. 

2. Similarly, we do not use ‘most’ with ‘-est’ verb forms together for superlative of adjectives. Two forms of superlative degrees cannot be used together. 

Incorrect: The most reddest shirt in the shop. 

Correct: The reddest shirt in the shop. 

3. With some adjectives, we can use both forms of comparatives and superlatives,

For example: 

It entirely depends on the context and whether the verb forms of comparatives and superlatives fit in the context. For instance: 

Comparative Degree Example

• It will be beneficial for you if your tone gets politer. 

• It will be beneficial for you if your tone gets more polite. 

Superlative Degree Example

• This is the stupidest mistake in the main exam. 

• This is the most stupid mistake in the main exam. 

Thus, applicants can use verb forms of comparatives or superlatives in a given context only if they make sense and fit in the sentence perfectly. These are ideal comparative superlative examples for use, using both forms of verbs. 

The easiest way of learning comparatives and superlative degrees of adjectives is by: 

1. Understand the type of adjective, the syllables in the adjective and the last alphabet of the adjective. 
2. Remember the rules for using comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives by heart. 
3. Make a table with three columns with the base adjective in the first, comparative in the second and superlative in the third, and then learn how to compare adjectives. 
4. Ensure to practice irregular adjective forms for their comparative degree and superlative forms. 
5. Attempt IELTS mocks and check how comparatives and superlatives are tested across sections for clarity. 
6. Finally, pick up a grammar book or IELTS practice material and brush up on as many adjectives and comparisons of adjectives as possible.

Check out how much you have understood by cracking the following variations of positive degree examples to comparatives and superlatives:

1. What is ‘bad’ comparative and superlative?

‘Bad’ is an irregular verb form; hence, the verb ‘bad’ comparative and superlative are different. The ‘bad’ comparative and superlative are as follows: 

 2. What is ‘beautiful’ comparative and superlative?

Since ‘beautiful’ is a three-syllable adjective, ‘beautiful’ comparative and superlative will not change but just add more and most respectively. Check out the beautiful comparative and superlative below: 

 3. What is ‘pretty’ comparative and superlative?

‘Pretty’ ends with ‘y’ while 'y' is preceded by a consonant.. Thus, there will be ‘-ier’ and ‘-iest’ to the adjective. Check out pretty comparative and superlative below: 

4. What is ‘best’ comparative and superlative?

‘Best’ is already the superlative adjective form. Thus, this time, we will go backwards to get the ‘best’ comparative and superlative we already have. So,  

 5. What is ‘clever’ comparative and superlative?

Clever ends in ‘er’; thus, the clever comparative and superlative will suffix ‘-er’ and -est’ at the end of the adjective, respectively. Check out how clever comparative and superlative will be formed below: 

6. What is comparative and superlative ‘much’?

Much is a quantitative adjective and, thus, an irregular one. So, the adjectives will vary for comparative and superlative ‘much’ forms. Check out the correct form of much below: 

7. What is the comparative and superlative of ‘far’?

‘Far’ is also an irregular adjective form because it ends in ‘ar’. Thus, the comparative and superlative of far will again differ. Check out the comparative and superlative of far below in the table: 

Got a few comparatives and superlatives, right? Then, brush up on the rules again. In case of all correctly guessed answers, give yourself applause! Comparative and superlative degree adjectives are simple if applicants get their rules right first, but they can get tricky with irregular verb forms. 

Before moving on to the next topic, recapitulate your skills on A1 Grammar Level topics. Once you get the hang of these topics on the A2 Grammar level, check B1 and B2 grammar level topics to boost IELTS exam preparation. Good luck!