Adjectives are words that describe/modify nouns or pronouns.
Examples: a fast train / a red house / a blue ball / an expensive watch
When we want to make comparisons, adjectives change their form:
- The train is fast. (describing one thing)
- The train is faster than the bus. (comparing two things)
- The train is the fastest way to get there. (comparing three or more things)
These are called absolute, comparative, and superlative adjective forms.
Adjective Forms in Use
- The gym is crowded today.
- This soup is a bit too spicy.
- Peyto Lake is beautiful.
- The gym is more crowded than usual.
- This soup is spicier than I expected.
- Peyto Lake is even more beautiful than I thought it would be.
- The gym is the most crowded I’ve ever seen it.
- This soup is the spiciest soup I’ve ever had.
- Peyto Lake is probably the most beautiful place I’ve seen.
* Adjectives: Absolute / Comparative / Superlative
Absolute Adjectives
Absolute adjectives are the basic, unchanged form of any adjective. We use them when we’re describing what something is like without relating it to anyone or anything else.
For example:
- My laptop is broken.
Here, we’re describing the state of the laptop in an absolute way. We’re stating what the laptop is like without referring to other laptops, other electronics, or anything else. The adjective broken gives us information about this one laptop’s condition on its own.
More examples:
- The angry seagull is back to steal more food.
- A strong coffee would be nice right about now.
- Nothing beats hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day.
Put simply, absolute adjectives provide additional information about people, places, and things without any reference to other people, places, or things.
Reference Table: Absolute Adjectives
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Characteristics (appearance, colour, size, shape, value, personality, ability/speed, age, temperature) | – beautiful, attractive, pleasant, bright, green, wooden, handmade, sun-drenched, tiny, huge, thick, thin, soft, rough, smooth, sharp, cosy, charming, boring, friendly, playful, well-known, open-minded, hard-working, strong, fast, loud, young, old, cold, warm, hot, cool |
| Classification (origin, occupation, type, purpose/use) | – French, Italian, Chinese, American, Canadian, Japanese, Brazilian, Arctic, Mediterranean, Eastern, Shakespearean, Victorian, Medieval, Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Olympic, medical, military, scientific, engineering, culinary, sugar-free, part-time, full-length, high-quality |
| State / Condition (temporary emotional states and physical conditions) | – happy, confident, hopeful, calm, fearless, comfortable, unhappy, unconfident, hopeless, angry, heartbroken, tired, uncomfortable, careful, empty, full, frozen, melted, broken, rainy |
Comparative Adjectives
We use adjectives in comparative form, as the name suggests, to compare two things. They show that one thing has more or less of a particular quality than another.
For example:
- Vindaloo curry is hot.
Here, hot is an absolute adjective and simply describes vindaloo curry on its own. It tells us about its spice level without reference to anything else.
However, if we say:
- Vindaloos are hotter than kormas.
Now, we’re making a direct comparison between two curry dishes. The adjective hotter is used to compare the spice levels of vindaloo and korma. Instead of just describing what vindaloos are like independently, we’re now showing how they relate to another dish.
More examples of comparative adjectives in action:
- Dogs are more loyal than cats (some may say).
- English is easier to learn than German.
- iPhones are generally more expensive than Android phones.
Using ‘than’ with Comparative Adjectives
You may have noticed that we often use the word than as a bridge for comparing two nouns: faster than / warmer than / better than.
- Cheetahs are faster than lions.
- Seville is much warmer than London.
- I am feeling better than I was yesterday.
However, sometimes the second part of the comparison is implied or understood from context, so we don’t need to include than.
For example:
Question: How’s the weather today?
Answer: It’s even warmer today (than yesterday – implied).
More examples where than could be omitted:
- I feel better today (than yesterday – implied).
- I feel stronger today (than the last workout – implied).
- This curry tastes spicier (than the last curry consumed – implied).
How to Form Comparative Adjectives
When we change an absolute adjective into a comparative, there are certain rules we follow. These rules depend on the structure of the original adjective.
– Short Adjectives (One-Syllable)
Most one-syllable adjectives simply add –er to make their comparative form.
One-Syllable Adjectives → Comparative
| Absolute | Comparative | |
|---|---|---|
| tall | → | taller |
| fast | → | faster |
| old | → | older |
| small | → | smaller |
| high | → | higher |
Examples:
- I am taller than my brother.
- Mount Everest is higher than Kanchenjunga.
- My grandfather is older than my grandmother.
– Spelling Variations for One-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -e: We just add -r
- nice → nicer
- large → larger
- safe → safer
Adjectives ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: We double the final consonant and add -er
- thin → thinner
- hot → hotter
- big → bigger
Adjectives ending in -y: We replace -y with -ier
- dry → drier
- shy → shier
– Long Adjectives (3+ Syllables)
Longer adjectives with three or more syllables use more, instead of ending changes.
3+ Syllables Adjectives → Comparative
| Absolute | Comparative | |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | → | more beautiful |
| expensive | → | more expensive |
| interesting | → | more interesting |
| comfortable | → | more comfortable |
| difficult | → | more difficult |
| important | → | more important |
| popular | → | more popular |
| dangerous | → | more dangerous |
| colourful | → | more colourful |
Examples:
- London is more dangerous than Dubai.
- Football is more popular than rugby in the UK.
- I thought the exam was much more difficult than the practice test.
– Two-Syllable Adjectives
Two-syllable adjectives can follow either pattern: some adjectives take the –er ending (like one-syllable adjectives) and others use more (like longer adjectives).
Two-Syllable Adjectives → Comparative
| Absolute | Comparative | |
|---|---|---|
| happy | → | happier |
| easy | → | easier |
| busy | → | busier |
| funny | → | funnier |
| narrow | → | narrower |
| gentle | → | gentler |
| careful | → | more careful |
| peaceful | → | more peaceful |
| modern | → | more modern |
| honest | → | more honest |
Examples:
- The traffic is always busier on a Friday.
- The instructions could have been simpler.
- Michael McIntyre is funnier than Lee Evans.
– Spelling Variations for Two-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -y: We replace -y with -ier
- happy → happier
- easy → easier
- busy → busier
Adjectives ending in -er or -le: We add -r (or –er for words ending in -er)
- clever → cleverer
- simple → simpler
- gentle → gentler
Some two-syllable adjectives can take -er OR more
- quiet → quieter OR more quiet
- clever → cleverer OR more clever
- simple → simpler OR more simple
- polite → politer OR more polite
Most other two-syllable adjectives: We use more
- careful → more careful
- peaceful → more peaceful
- modern → more modern
– Irregular Adjectives
Some of the most common adjectives don’t follow any of the patterns above. These irregular adjectives have completely unique comparative forms that have to be memorised.
Irregular Adjectives → Comparative
| Absolute | Comparative | |
|---|---|---|
| good | → | better |
| bad | → | worse |
| far | → | further |
| little | → | less |
Examples:
- My new job is better than my old one.
- Manchester is further north than Birmingham.
- Home-cooked meals are better than takeaway.
Superlative Adjectives
We use adjectives in superlative form when we want to identify which item in a group has the most or least of a particular quality. Instead of comparing just two things, superlatives help us pick out what stands at the extreme ends within a larger group.
For example:
- Vindaloo curry is hot.
Here, hot is an absolute adjective that simply describes the curry on its own without any comparison.
However, if we say:
- Vindaloo is the spiciest curry on the menu.
Now, we’re identifying which single curry stands out as having the most spice/heat among all the curries available. The adjective spiciest is being used to pinpoint the extreme option within the entire group of menu items. In other words, out of all curries, this one in particular is the hottest.
Superlatives don’t just identify what has the most of something. They can also show what has the least of something in a group.
- Korma is the mildest curry on the menu.
Here, the superlative adjective mildest tells us that the least spicy curry dish is the korma.
More examples of superlative adjectives in action:
- He is the tallest in his class.
- The 100 is the best series.
- Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Using ‘the’ with Superlative Adjectives
Superlative adjectives nearly always require the word the in front of them: the fastest / the warmest / the best.
- Cheetahs are the fastest land animals.
- July is usually the warmest month of the year.
- This is the best Italian restaurant in town.
Sometimes, when using superlatives, we also commonly use certain phrases such as ‘in the group’, ‘of all’, or ‘out of’ to make clear which specific group we mean.
For example:
- She’s the smartest student in the class.
- He’s the fastest runner out of everyone on the team.
- Some say Shakespeare is the greatest writer of all time.
How to Form Superlative Adjectives
When we change an absolute adjective into a superlative, we follow similar patterns to comparative adjectives. The rules depend on the structure of the original adjective.
– Short Adjectives (One-Syllable)
We simply add -est to most one-syllable adjectives to make their superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjectives → Superlative
| Absolute | Superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| tall | → | tallest |
| fast | → | fastest |
| old | → | oldest |
| small | → | smallest |
| high | → | highest |
Examples:
- The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world.
- Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.
- Dating back to 1471, the Capitoline Museums are considered the world’s oldest museums.
– Spelling Variations for One-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -e: We just add -st
- nice → nicest
- large → largest
- safe → safest
Adjectives ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: We double the final consonant and add -est
- thin → thinnest
- hot → hottest
- big → biggest
Adjectives ending in -y: We replace -y with -iest
- dry → driest
- shy → shiest
– Long Adjectives (3+ Syllables)
We use most with longer adjectives with three or more syllables to make their superlative form.
3+ Syllables Adjectives → Superlative
| Absolute | Superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | → | most beautiful |
| expensive | → | most expensive |
| interesting | → | most interesting |
| comfortable | → | most comfortable |
| difficult | → | most difficult |
| important | → | most important |
| popular | → | most popular |
| dangerous | → | most dangerous |
| colourful | → | most colourful |
Examples:
- Hong Kong is the most expensive city in Asia.
- Football is the most popular sport in the UK.
- That was the most difficult exam I’ve ever taken.
– Two-Syllable Adjectives
Two-syllable adjectives can follow either pattern to form their superlatives: some adjectives take the -est ending (like one-syllable adjectives) and others use most (like longer adjectives).
Two-Syllable Adjectives → Superlative
| Absolute | Superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| happy | → | happiest |
| easy | → | easiest |
| busy | → | busiest |
| funny | → | funniest |
| narrow | → | narrowest |
| gentle | → | gentlest |
| careful | → | most careful |
| peaceful | → | most peaceful |
| modern | → | most modern |
| honest | → | most honest |
Examples:
- Friday is always the busiest day of the week on the roads.
- That was the easiest exam I’ve ever taken.
- Iceland is the most peaceful nation on earth.
– Spelling Variations for Two-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -y: We replace -y with -iest
- happy → happiest
- easy → easiest
- busy → busiest
Adjectives ending in -er or -le: We add -st (or -est for words ending in -er)
- clever → cleverest
- simple → simplest
- gentle → gentlest
Some two-syllable adjectives can take -est OR most
- quiet → quietest OR most quiet
- clever → cleverest OR most clever
- simple → simplest OR most simple
- polite → politest OR most polite
Most other two-syllable adjectives: We use most
- careful → most careful
- peaceful → most peaceful
- modern → most modern
– Irregular Adjectives
The same common adjectives that are irregular in comparative form are also irregular in superlative form. These have to be memorised.
Irregular Adjectives → Superlative
| Absolute | Superlative | |
|---|---|---|
| good | → | best |
| bad | → | worst |
| far | → | furthest |
| little | → | least |
Examples:
- This is the worst job I’ve ever had.
- Edinburgh is the furthest north I’ve been in Scotland.
- Home-cooked meals are the best option for healthy eating.