More about comparatives and superlatives
Meet our presenters Rob and Sophie. Who’s the tallest and who’s the thinnest? These are questions to answer in 6 Minute Grammar as they try to explain more about comparatives and superlatives. Will this be the most useful 6 minutes of your life?! Let’s find out…
Rob
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Rob.
Sophie
And me, Sophie. Hello.
Rob
Today we’re talking about comparatives and superlatives – what they are and how to use them.
Sophie
Yes, we use comparatives and superlatives to compare people and things. Listen carefully because, as usual, there is a quiz at the end of the show.
Rob
OK, we’ll start with some examples of the comparative. So, Sophie, can you stand up, please.
Sophie
OK…
Rob
Right, look, back to back here. I’m taller than you.
Sophie
But I’m thinner than you!
Rob
Good point. The sentences I’m taller than you and I’m thinner than you both use the comparative form.
Sophie
We use comparatives to compare two people or things that are different in some way.
Rob
Listen again to the examples we’ve just used: where does the word than come?
Neil
I’m taller than you.
I’m thinner than you.
Sophie
Than comes after the comparative adjective. We usually use than in comparative sentences.
Rob
But not always, for example, I can ask: Who is taller – you or me?
Sophie
Now, there are different ways to make the comparative form: For short words, just add ‘er’. That’s spelled e – r. So tall becomes taller …
Rob
…thin becomes thinner …
Sophie
Adjectives like happy, funny, easy… that end in the sound /i/ [phonemic sound ‘y’], spelled with a ‘y’, add ‘ier’, spelled: i – e – r.
Rob
…so happy becomes happier…
Sophie
…easy becomes easier. An example, please Neil.
Neil
English is easier than Chinese.
Rob
Not if you’re Chinese, though! Now, adjectives that have two or more syllables but don’t end in /i/ (spelled ‘y’), use ‘more’. Neil has some examples.
Neil
A tablet is more useful than a laptop.
The film of ‘The Hobbit’ is more exciting than the book.
Rob
‘Useful’ has two syllables and ‘exciting’ has three, so we say more useful and more exciting.
Sophie
And we’re talking about comparatives and superlatives. We’ve seen how to use and make comparatives…
Rob
Now we’re going to tell you what superlatives are and how to use them. Sophie, are you good at geography?
Sophie
I’ll have a go.
Rob
OK. Here’s a question for you: What’s the longest river in the world?
Sophie
Well, the Nile is a very long river, but I think that the longest river in the world is the Amazon.
Rob
And… you’re right! It is the Amazon. ‘The longest river’ is a superlative. We use superlative forms to compare one person or thing with several others in a group. We often use them to say which thing or person is the greatest, the biggest…
Sophie
…the most beautiful, the best… in some way.
Rob
To make the superlative of short words like high, deep, tall, add ‘est’. That’s spelled e-s-t.
Sophie
So, the highest mountain, the deepest ocean, the tallest person…
Rob
And remember to put ‘the’ before the adjective. So it’s: I’m the tallest person in my family.
Sophie
Now for longer adjectives, with two or more syllables, we use most. Rob, who is the most famous actor in the world?
Rob
Well, there are many, aren’t there, but I think Brad Pitt is the most famous actor in the world.
Sophie
…’the most famous actor’. So it’s the + most + adjective.
Rob
For adjectives that end in /i/ – spelled ‘y’ – like funny, and happy, we add ‘iest’ – that’s i-e-s-t. Here’s an example.
Neil
The funniest show on TV is ‘The Simpsons’.
Sophie
Now, finally, look out for the irregular comparatives and superlatives.
Neil
My iPhone 5 was better than my iPhone 4, but the iPhone 6 is the best phone on the market now, in my opinion.
Rob
The comparative form of good is better and the superlative form is best.
Sophie
The comparative of bad is worse.
Rob
…and the superlative is worst. Listen to these examples:
Neil
Winters have been bad the last few years. 2012 was worse than 2011, but 2013 was the worst winter since records began.
Sophie
Now for the quiz. I’ll give you an adjective and a sentence and you have to complete the gap with a comparative or superlative.
Rob
OK. Number 1: the word is ‘old’. Jenny is ten and Simon is fifteen, so Simon is ______ than Jenny.
Sophie
And the answer is: older. Simon is older than Jenny.
Rob
Next word: ‘beautiful’. The Taj Mahal is the ___________ building I’ve ever seen.
Sophie
And the answer is: most beautiful. The Taj Mahal is the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen.
Rob
Final word: ‘good’. Using BBC Learning English is the _____ way to improve your English.
Sophie
Best. Using BBC Learning English is the best way to improve your English.
Rob
There’s lots more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar soon.
Both
Bye.
End of Session 2
That’s it for Session 2. Hopefully you’ve got a better understanding of comparatives and superlatives and the many rules about using them. In Session 3 you’re going to get your own personal guide around Broadcasting House and hear some adjectives in action. See you there!
Grammar Reference
Comparatives and Superlatives
Meaning and Use
Comparatives
Meaning and use
We use comparatives to compare one person or thing with another person or thing.
My new phone is smaller than my old phone.
The film is more exciting than the book.
He’s better than me at tennis.
We use superlatives to compare one person or thing with several other people or things of the same kind. Superlatives tell us which thing or person is the greatest in some way.
It’s the smallest room in the house.
We’ve got the cutest dog in the world.
Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth.
Form
Comparatives
We make comparatives in two ways: by adding -er to an adjective or by putting more in front of the adjective. We often use the word than after the comparative, but not always.
David is older than Juan.
Who is more famous – Brad Pitt or Benedict Cumberbatch?
We add –er to adjectives with one syllable, but if the adjective ends in -e, just add
-r.
old – older
small – smaller
nice – nicer
wide – wider
If an adjective ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant and add
-er (except when the final consonant is ‘w’).
hot – hotter
big – bigger
new – newer
few –fewer
If an adjective has two syllables and ends in -y, change the y to i and add -ier.
happy – happier
noisy – noisier
easy – easier
We put more before other adjectives with two or more syllables.
Sit in the chair – it’s more comfortable than the sofa.
A tablet is more useful than a desktop.
Take note: (not) as … as
To say that two things or people are similar in some way, use as + adjective + as.
I think that skiing is as dangerous as snowboarding.
We can use not as + adjective + as to say that two things or people are not equal in some way.
Isabel is not as successful as her sister.
Superlatives
We make superlatives in two ways: by adding -est to an adjective or by putting most in front of the adjective. We usually use the before the superlative.
Usain Bolt is probably the fastest man in the world.
It’s the cheapest restaurant in town.
If an adjective has one syllable, add -est to form the superlative, but if the adjective already ends in -e, just add –st.
high – highest
small – smallest
nice – nicest
wide – widest
If an adjective ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant and add
-est (except when it ends in –w)
hot – hottest
big – biggest
new – newest
If an adjective has two syllables and ends in -y, change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add -est
happy – happiest funny – funniest
We put mostbefore adjectives with two or more syllables.
It’s the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen.
Take note: superlative and present perfect
We often use the superlative with the present perfect.
It’s the most delicious meal I’ve ever had.
Anna is the friendliest girl he’s ever met.
Remember!
After superlative adjectives, we usually use in, not of.
He was the tallest person in his family.
Take note: irregular comparatives and superlatives
Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
good – better – best
bad – worse – worst
It’s the best film I’ve seen in a long time.
It’s the worst winter in history.