Comparison of Adjectives

Positive Form
Use the positive form of the adjective if the comparison contains one of the following
expressions:
as … as
Example: Jane is as tall as John.
not as … as / not so … as
Example: John is not as tall as Arnie.

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (-er/-est)

 one-syllable adjectives (clean, new, cheap)
 two-syllable adjectives ending in -y or -er (easy, happy, pretty, dirty, clever)
positive form comparative form superlative form
clean cleaner (the) cleanest
Exceptions in spelling when adding -er / -est
silent ‘e’ is dropped
Example: late-later-latest
final ‘y’ after a consonant becomes i
Example: easy-easier-easiest
final consonant after short, stressed vowel is doubled
Example: hot-hotter-hottest

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (more/most)

 adjectives of three or more syllables (and two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y/-er)
positive form comparative form superlative form
difficult more difficult most difficult

Comparative Form and Superlative Form (irregular comparisons)

positive form comparative form superlative form
good better best
bad / ill worse worst
little (amount) less least
little (size) smaller smallest
much / many more most
far (place + time) further furthest
far (place) farther farthest
late (time) later latest
late (order) latter last
near (place) nearer nearest
near (order) - next
old (people and things) older oldest
old (people) elder eldest
Fill in the correct forms.
Positive Form Comparative Superlative
young

sharp

early

pretty

hot

Fill in the correct forms.

Positive Form Comparative Superlative
probable

dirty

useless

mad

pretty

Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets (comparative or superlative).

bigger
My house is (big) than yours.

This flower is (beautiful) than that one.

This is the (interesting) book I have ever read.

Non-smokers usually live (long) than smokers.

Which is the (dangerous) animal in the world?

A holiday by the sea is (good) than a holiday in the mountains.

It is strange but often a coke is (expensive) than a beer.

Who is the (rich) woman on earth?

The weather this summer is even (bad) than last summer.

He was the (clever) thief of all.

Exercise on Comparison of Adjectives (as ... as)

Fill in the comparison with as ... as.
as tall as
John is (tall) Glen. 18 335422

Janet is (beautiful) Jeniffer.

You are (crazy) my sister.

We can run (fast) they can.

My mom is (not / strict) your mum.

Your mobile phone is (not / trendy) mine.

Matrix II was (not / interesting) Matrix I.

This yoghurt (not / taste / good) the one I bought yesterday.

 London
London lies on the river Thames and is the capital of the United Kingdom. With about 7 million
inhabitants, it is one of the largest cities in the world.

Lots of tourists visit London every year. There are plenty of museums, theatres and interesting
sights, for example the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and the Houses of
Parliament with their clock tower, Big Ben.
 Grammar Exercise on the Text
Positive, Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives
With the positive, comparative and superlative forms of adjectives you can express that
something is for example as good as something else (positive form), better (comparative form)
or best (superlative form).

Fill in the correct form of the following adjectives.

London is the (large) city in Great Britain.
No other British city has as (many) inhabitants as London.
The London underground, the tube, is the (old) underground in the world.
The Tower of London is one of the (famous) London sights.
Another sight is the London Eye. With its 135 metres, it is (tall) than any other big
wheel in the world.

Exercise - Adjective or Adverb

Write down the correct form of the word in brackets (adjective or adverb).
slow slowly
1. Tom is (slow) . He works .

2. Sue is a (careful) girl. She climbed up the ladder .

3. The dog is (angry) . It barks .

4. He acted (excellent) . He's an actor.

5. They learn English (easy) . They think English is an language.

6. Max is a (good) singer. He sings .

7. It's (awful) cold today. The cold wind is .

8. Dogs rely on their noses as they can smell (extreme / good) . If that is true, why does

dog food smell so (terrible) ?

9. The little boy looked (sad) . I went over to comfort him and he looked at me

10. I tasted the soup (careful) but it tasted (wonderful) .