Degrees of Comparison
Definition
Adjectives describe a quality or characteristic of a noun or pronoun. The basic form of an adjective is sometimes known as the positive degree.
But adjectives can also be inflected (changed in form) to compare a quality between two nouns—this form is known as the comparative degree.
Similarly, we can also inflect an adjective to identify a noun with the highest (or lowest) degree of an attribute among a group—this is known as the superlative degree.
Forming the Comparative and Superlative Degrees
We generally form the comparative degree by adding the suffix “-er” to the end of the adjective, or by using the words more or less before it.
To form the superlative degree, we either add “-est” to the end of the adjective or use the words most or least before it.
In some cases, depending on how the adjective is spelled, we have to change the spelling slightly to accommodate the addition of the suffix; there are some simple rules we can follow to know when such a change is necessary.
(To learn when and how to use these inflected degrees of comparison, go to the sections on Comparative Adjectives and Superlative Adjectives.)
“Short” Adjectives
With one-syllable adjectives, we add “-er” or “-est” and double the final consonant if preceded by one vowel. For example:
Adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
big | bigger | biggest |
thin | thinner | thinnest |
sad | sadder | saddest |
slim | slimmer | slimmest |
The final consonant is not doubled if it is preceded by two vowels or another consonant, as in:
Adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
weak | weaker | weakest |
strong | stronger | strongest |
large* | larger* | largest* |
small | smaller | smallest |
(*If the adjective ends in an “e,” then you only need to add “-r” or “-st.”)
If an adjective has two syllables and ends in “-y,” we replace “y” with “i” and add “-er” or “-est,” as in:
Adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
happy | happier | happiest |
chewy | chewier | chewiest |
“Long” Adjectives
“Long” adjectives are adjectives that have three or more syllables, or adjectives that have two syllables and do not end in “-y.” Rather than changing the ending of long adjectives, we use the words more or less before the adjective to make them comparative, or most/least to make them superlative. For example:
Adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
careful | more/less careful | most/least careful |
caring | more/less caring | most/least caring |
gifted | more/less gifted | most/least gifted |
intelligent | more/less intelligent | most/least intelligent |
beautiful | more/less beautiful | most/least beautiful |
amazing | more/less amazing | most/least amazing |
Irregular adjectives
As with most grammatical rules in English, there are some exceptions to the patterns above. Adjectives that do not inflect according to the normal patterns are known as irregular adjectives. For example:
Irregular adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
fun | more/less fun | most/least fun |
bad | worse | worst |
well (healthy) | better | best |
good | better | best |
far* | farther/further* | farthest/furthest* |
(*Although farther/further and farthest/furthest are often used interchangeably, there are differences between these two forms. In American English, farther/farthest is preferred when comparing physical distances, and further/furthest is preferred when comparing figurative distances; in British English, further/furthest is preferred for both uses.)
Adjectives with multiple forms of inflection
There are also some adjectives that can be inflected using either form we looked at above. The following are some of the most common:
Adjective (positive degree) | Comparative degree | Superlative degree |
|---|---|---|
clever | cleverer or more/less clever | cleverest or most/least clever |
likely | likelier or more/less likely | likeliest or most/least likely |
narrow | narrower or more/less narrow | narrowest or most/least narrow |
quiet | quieter or more/less quiet | quietest or most/least quiet |
simple | simpler or more/less simple | simplest or most/least simple |
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