UCI Extension

Paper-Based TOEFL Workshop

Comparatives and Superlatives

Structure and Written Expression Skills 27-29
Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test
Tutorial prepared by Marla Yoshida

The comparative form of adjectives

A comparative form of an adjective shows that one thing has
more of a quality than another. It is used in sentences like this:
Elephants are bigger than mice.
Diamonds are more expensive than chewing gum.
We usually put than and a noun, pronoun, or clause after the
comparative adjective to name the thing were comparing
something to.
Babies are always younger than their parents.
No one is more dedicated than he.
(Or in more casual speech, more dedicated than him.)
You have more money than I do.
(OR You have more money than do I.)

The comparative form of adjectives

We make comparative forms in two ways:
1. If the adjective has one syllable OR if it has two syllables
and ends in y or -le, we add er to the adjective.
big bigger

noisy noisier

little littler

2. If the adjective has two syllables and doesnt end in y or

le, OR if it has three or more syllables, we add more
before it.
modern more modern dangerous more dangerous
We never use both more and er at the same time.
more longer

more intelligenter

The comparative form of adjectives

A few words have irregular comparative forms.
good better
bad worse

little* less
much more

far farther OR
far further

Here

the word little means not much, as in I only have a little

money. Its different from little meaning small. Compare these:
You

have little money. I have less money than you do.

Mice

are little. Earthworms are littler than mice.

The superlative form of adjectives

A superlative form of an adjective shows that one thing has the
most of a quality, compared to a whole group of things.
The fastest animal in the world is the cheetah.
Chocolate is the most delicious food of all.
After a superlative adjective, we often put a prepositional phrase
starting with in or of, or a clause starting with that to indicate the
whole group of things that were comparing something to.
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.
I think freesias are the most beautiful of all flowers.
This car is the most expensive thing that I have ever bought.
We usually put the before a superlative adjective.
the nicest person the spiciest food the most ridiculous joke
This food is the spiciest. That joke is the most ridiculous one.

The superlative form of adjectives

We make superlative forms in two ways:
1. If the adjective has one syllable OR if it has two syllables
and ends in y or -le, we add est to the adjective.
big biggest

noisy noisiest

little littlest

2. If the adjective has two syllables and doesnt end in y or

le, OR if it has three or more syllables, we add most before
it.
modern most modern dangerous most dangerous
We never use both most and est at the same time.
most longest

most intelligentest

The superlative form of adjectives

A few words have irregular superlative forms.
good best
bad worst

little least
much most

far farthest
OR
far furthest

In careful speech, theres a difference between

farther/farthest and further/furthest. Farther and farthest
are used when were talking about actual distance.
Cars can travel farther than horses.
Further and furthest are used for more figurative meanings.
I think hell go further in life than I will.
This difference isnt usually followed in everyday language.

Should we use the comparative or superlative?

We use the comparative form when we are comparing two
things or groups of things.
Alaska is bigger than Texas.
Bobcats are smaller than lions.
My computer is faster than most other computers.
We use the superlative form when we are talking about one
thing among a group of three or more things.
I have three cats. The oldest is named Charlotte. (>2 cats)
The biggest animal in the world is the sperm whale. (There
are many animals in the world, and its bigger than all of them.)
Why did you order the most expensive item on the menu?
(There are many items on the menu, and this one costs the
most.)

Should we use the comparative or superlative?

In formal, TOEFL-type grammar, we dont use the superlative
form when we are comparing only two things:
I have two cats. Charlotte is the oldest.
Bob is the tallest of the two boys.
Instead, we are supposed to use the comparative form.
Notice that we use the in these sentences: the older, the
taller.
I have two cats. Charlotte is the older.
Bob is the taller of the two boys.
People dont always observe this rule in everyday
conversation, but we still need to follow it on the TOEFL.

Unusual expressions with comparatives

There are some expressions in English that follow this pattern:
the ADJECTIVE + er, the ADJECTIVE + er
They mean that as the first thing increases, the second thing also
increases. These famous proverbs follow this pattern:
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. (verbs: are, fall)
The more, the merrier. (no verbs)
Sentences like these might have verbs (like the first one), or they
might not (like the second). When theres no verb, we understand
that is or it is has been omitted. Sentences like these are still
acceptable on the TOEFL. Here are more examples:
The more I tried to understand what she was saying, the more
I realized that it was hopeless.
The bigger your investment, the bigger your profits.

Summary
In this section, you have learned about these things:
We form comparative adjectives with ADJECTIVEer
or more ADJECTIVE.
We form superlative adjectives with ADJECTIVEest
or most ADJECTIVE.
Use the comparative to compare two things or
groups.
Use the superlative to describe the most extreme of
three or more things or groups.
Expressions like The more, the merrier seem a little
strange, but we sometimes see them.