Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparatives, well, they compare! And it really is that simple, at least to begin with. We use comparative forms when we are comparing two objects.
The superlative forms are used when showing one object is superior to two or more other similar objects.
ESL writers often have a difficult time choosing between the comparative and superlative forms. There's no better way to learn to edit for these errors than to learn how comparative and superlative forms are used. Lucky for us editors, comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs are handled almost the same way. Let's look at some examples.
As we've said, comparatives compare two items or groups of items. There are a lot of ins and outs to comparatives and superlatives that we cover in other chapters, but we'll quickly recap the ground rules.
Add -er to one-syllable adjectives and adverbs as well as adjectives and adverbs that end in -y (the -y changes to -i).
Use more or less with adjectives and adverbs that have two or more syllables and do not end in -y (adjectives) and for words that end in -ly (adverbs).
Irregular adverbs and adjectives must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Let's look at some examples of the comparative in action. For the sake of brevity, these are simple examples.
John can jump high. Bill can jump higher.
Those red flowers are pretty, but the yellow flowers are prettier.
Look at how quickly the rain filled up that large bucket! It filled up the smaller bucket even more quickly.
Those mountains are so beautiful. But the clouds behind them are more beautiful.
In the first sentence, the word high is only one syllable, so -er has been added. In the second sentence, the word pretty ends in -y, so -er is added. In the third sentence, the word quickly ends in -ly, so we use more. In the fourth sentence, the word beautiful has three syllables, so we use more. The irregular adverbs and adjectives are where many ESL learners begin to have problems distinguishing between comparatives and superlatives. But before we get to that, let's look at superlatives.
Superlative adjectives and adverbs are, as the name suggests, super! They are considered to be the best (or worst) among all other things to which they are compared. Again, there are some general rules to follow.
Add -est to one-syllable adjectives and adverbs as well as adjectives and adverbs that end in -y (the -y changes to -i).
Use the most or the least with adjectives and adverbs that have two or more syllables and do not end in -y (adjectives) and for words that end in -ly (adverbs).
Irregular adverbs and adjectives must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Notice anything familiar here? The rules are virtually the same; we've just replaced a few suffixes and other words. Syllable count and word ending have the biggest effect on the comparative and superlative degrees. Let's look at some examples.
You can jump high, but I can jump the highest out of all the students here.
That restaurant seems pretty busy, but the one across the street is the busiest I've ever seen!
This painting is completely fascinating. But the one next to it is the least fascinating painting I have ever laid my eyes on.
If you think Mrs. Crenshaw speaks bluntly, you should meet my father. He speaks the most bluntly out of all the people I know.
Now let's get to some things that are particularly troubling for ESL learners.
Irregular adjectives and adverbs are the most difficult because they seem to follow no real rationale. Luckily, they are fairly easy to memorize. The most notorious are the following: good, well, bad, badly, little, much, and far.
We'll start with good (adjective) and well (adverb). Lucky for us, both of these words share comparative and superlative forms.
He is a good swimmer, but I am much better. (comparative)
You played well today, but I played much better. (comparative)
Our meal on Tuesday was good, but the meal we had tonight was the best I've had in weeks! (superlative)
The patient on the right felt pretty well this morning, but the patient down the hall feels the best out of all of them. (superlative)
Bad (adjective) and badly (adverb) are just as easy to remember because they also share comparative and superlative forms.
That was such a bad case of the flu, but the one I had last year was so much worse. (comparative)
My knee hurts badly after bumping into that table, but my head hurts worse from the fall! (comparative)
That's a bad lot of toys, but the previous lot was the worst we've had all year. (superlative)
Our overhead was badly affected by the economic downturn, but the Depression of '05 affected our total solubility the worst of all. (superlative)
We can take care of little, much, and far with just a few examples. All three of these words can act as adjectives or adverbs. We'll start with little, and then move on to much and far.
There's very little flour in the bin, but there is even less sugar. (comparative)
Of all the children in the family, she reminds me a little of her parents, but her brother reminds me of them the least. (superlative)
I have much to do, Greta has more (comparative) to do, but Alexander has the most (superlative) to do out of the three of us.
The gas station is pretty far from here, the grocery store is a little farther (comparative), but the cinema is the farthest (superlative) from this point.
By going to high school your understanding will expand pretty far, by going to college it will expand further (comparative), but going to post-graduate school will make your mind expand the furthest (superlative).
When editing ESL documents for comparatives and superlatives, pay special attention to whether the author has used the correct form. Remember that the decision to use more or less, most or least, or to change the ending of a word depends on a number of factors. If necessary, query the author to determine his or her intended meaning .
Last Updated: 09/29/2022