Grammar · Nouns, articles & agreement · A2 · Elementary

Comparatives and superlatives

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

Comparatives (bigger, more interesting) compare two things; superlatives (the biggest, the most interesting) single out one from a group of three or more. Short adjectives add -er/-est, longer adjectives use more/most, and a few — good/better/best, bad/worse/worst — are irregular. Never combine -er/-est with more/most in the same word.

How to form comparatives and superlatives

Form	Structure	Example
Short adjectives (1 syllable)	adjective + -er / adjective + -est	cheap → cheaper → the cheapest
Short adjectives ending in -e	adjective + -r / adjective + -st	large → larger → the largest
One vowel + one consonant	double the consonant + -er / -est	big → bigger → the biggest
Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y	change y to i, + -er / -est	happy → happier → the happiest
Longer adjectives (2+ syllables)	more / most + adjective	expensive → more expensive → the most expensive
Irregular adjectives	unique forms, not built with -er/-est or more/most	good → better → the best; bad → worse → the worst

How do you form comparative adjectives?

Short, one-syllable adjectives add -er for the comparative: cheap → cheaper, tall → taller. Adjectives with two or more syllables normally use 'more' instead of changing the word: expensive → more expensive, interesting → more interesting. Two small spelling rules apply to short adjectives: double the final consonant after one short vowel (big → bigger), and change a final -y to -i after a consonant (happy → happier).

Two-syllable adjectives are the grey area: most ending in -y, -er, -ow or -le follow the -er pattern (narrow → narrower, simple → simpler), while most others prefer 'more' (careful → more careful). When in doubt, 'more + adjective' is always safe and never wrong.

This laptop is lighter than my old one.(short adjective + -er)
The new policy is more effective than the old one.(long adjective + more)
This laptop is more light than my old one.(→ lighter — short adjectives don't take 'more')

How do you form superlative adjectives?

Superlatives single out one item from a group of three or more, and they almost always need 'the': short adjectives add -est (cheap → the cheapest), and longer adjectives use 'the most' (expensive → the most expensive). The same spelling rules apply — double the consonant (big → the biggest), change -y to -i (happy → the happiest).

Because a superlative logically points to only one winner, 'the' is compulsory — 'the tallest building', not 'a tallest building' or 'tallest building' with no article at all.

Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
That was the most exhausting exam I've ever taken.(long adjective + the most)
That was most exhausting exam I've ever taken.(→ the most exhausting — superlatives need 'the')

Which adjectives are irregular?

A small set of very common adjectives change completely instead of following the regular rules: good → better → the best; bad → worse → the worst; far → farther/further → the farthest/furthest. These forms must be memorised, because no spelling rule predicts them.

The most frequent error in this area is doubling the comparative — combining 'more' with an -er ending, as in 'more better' or 'more easier'. English uses only one comparative marker per adjective, never both.

This restaurant's food is better than the one next door.
Traffic gets worse every year in this city.
Her second novel was more better than her first.(→ better — 'better' is already the comparative; 'more' is unnecessary)

How do you make comparisons stronger or weaker?

Plain comparatives can sound blunt, so English adds modifiers before them to show how big the difference is. 'Much', 'far', 'a lot' and 'considerably' strengthen a comparative; 'a little', 'slightly', 'a bit' and 'marginally' weaken it. These modifiers are essential vocabulary for IELTS Writing Task 1, where you constantly need to describe how much one figure differs from another, not just that it differs.

The same modifiers work with superlatives too, usually to add emphasis: 'by far the most popular', 'easily the cheapest option'.

Renewable energy use rose far more sharply in Germany than in Poland.('far more' = a big difference)
Unemployment fell only slightly less in the south than in the north.('slightly less' = a small difference)
This is very far the most popular option among respondents.(→ by far the most popular — 'very far' isn't the fixed phrase)

Comparative structures: as...as, than, the more...the more

Comparatives normally pair with 'than': 'Dhaka is more crowded than my hometown.' To say two things are equal, use 'as + adjective + as' ('This flat is as expensive as the last one'), and to say they're unequal in the other direction, use 'not as/so + adjective + as' ('It isn't as quiet as the countryside').

A more advanced pattern doubles the comparative to show cause and effect: 'the + comparative..., the + comparative...' — 'The earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets are.' This structure is a reliable way to add range in IELTS Speaking Part 3 discussion answers.

This course is as difficult as the last one.(equal comparison)
The exam wasn't as hard as I'd expected.(negative equal comparison)
This flat is as expensive than the last one.(→ as expensive as — 'as...as' never mixes with 'than')

Common mistakes with comparatives and superlatives

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

My new phone is more faster than my old one.

My new phone is faster than my old one.

'Faster' is already a comparative (-er form); adding 'more' creates a double comparative, which is never correct in English.

She is the most tallest person in her family.

She is the tallest person in her family.

'Tallest' is already a superlative (-est form); combining it with 'most' creates a double superlative.

This is the beautifulest view I've ever seen.

This is the most beautiful view I've ever seen.

Adjectives of three or more syllables (and most two-syllable ones) form superlatives with 'most', not by adding '-est'.

Today is more hot than yesterday.

Today is hotter than yesterday.

Short one-syllable adjectives (hot) form the comparative by doubling the final consonant and adding '-er', not by using 'more'.

He is gooder at football than his brother.

He is better at football than his brother.

'Good' is irregular — its comparative is 'better', not the non-existent form 'gooder'.

This laptop is as expensive than the last one.

This laptop is as expensive as the last one.

The equal-comparison structure 'as...as' never mixes with 'than' — use 'as...as' throughout, or switch to a comparative + 'than'.

That was tallest building I've ever seen.

That was the tallest building I've ever seen.

Superlatives require 'the' because they logically point to only one item in the group.

Comparatives and superlatives in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

Part 3 opinion questions reward precise modifiers: 'Public transport has become far more reliable in the last decade' sounds more analytical than a bare 'more reliable'.
Avoid the classic slip 'more better' under pressure — if you self-correct out loud ('better — sorry, more better — I mean better'), examiners still credit the accurate self-correction over silence.

Writing

Task 1 line and bar chart descriptions live on graded comparatives: pair a direction verb with a modified comparative — 'rose considerably more steeply', 'fell only marginally' — to show precise control of degree, a hallmark of Band 7+ scripts.
In Task 2, superlatives back up strong claims ('the most effective long-term solution'), but always keep 'the' and never double-mark the ending — 'the most efficientest' is an automatic accuracy error.

Practise comparatives and superlatives now

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This city is much ___ (big) than my hometown.

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Check this rule in your own writing

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use -er/-est instead of more/most?

Use -er/-est with most one-syllable adjectives (tall → taller) and many two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, -er, -ow or -le (happy → happier). Use more/most with adjectives of two or more syllables that don't fit those patterns, and with all longer adjectives (expensive → more expensive).

Why is 'more better' wrong?

'Better' is already the comparative form of 'good', so adding 'more' creates a double comparative, which English grammar doesn't allow. Only one comparative marker — either the -er ending or 'more' — is ever used per adjective, never both.

What are the irregular comparatives and superlatives?

The most common are good → better → best, bad → worse → worst, and far → farther/further → farthest/furthest. These don't follow the regular -er/-est or more/most rules and simply need to be memorised.

How do you make a comparison stronger or weaker?

Add a modifier before the comparative: 'much', 'far', 'a lot' and 'considerably' make it stronger ('far more expensive'), while 'a little', 'slightly', 'a bit' and 'marginally' make it weaker ('slightly less expensive'). These modifiers are essential for precise IELTS Task 1 data description.

Do superlatives always need 'the'?

Yes, in almost all cases. Because a superlative singles out one item from a group of three or more, English marks it with 'the': 'the tallest building', 'the most popular choice'. Dropping 'the' is a common but noticeable error.

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