The black horse is bigger than the brown and white one.
That pony is the cuttest animal I've ever seen.
We use comparatives and superlatives to speak about the degree to which things are different. Comparatives usually point out the differences between two elementnts, and superlatives highlight the element which has the most of a certain quality in a group. With superlatives, we often talk about our personal experience with the Present Perfect.
Check these examples:
The black horse is bigger than the brown and white one.
That pony is the cuttest animal I've ever seen.
Comparatives and superlatives have very similar rules, and these depend on the number of syllables of the adjective. There are some cases in which more than one form is acceptable. Let's see these rules.
CVC case
If the adjective ends in "consonant + vowel + consonant", double the consonant and add -er
big - bigger
fat - fatter
thin - thinner
All others
Add -er
old - older
short - shorter
Example: My car is bigger than yours.
Remove the -y and add +ier
happy - happier
friendly - friendlier
Example: That baby is friendlier than me!
If the adjective has more than 1 sylllable use "more" + adjective.
handsome - more handsome
interesting - more interesting
We normally use the word "than" when making a comparison. For example:
My sweater is bigger than yours.
Our new teacher is more relaxed than the previous one.
Example: This exhibition is more interesting than last years's.
CVC case
If the adjective ends in "consonant + vowel + consonant", double the consonant and add -est
big - the biggest
fat - the fattest
thin - the thinnest
All others
Add -est
old - the oldest
short - the shortest
Example: I'm the biggest fan of school.
Remove the -y and add +iest
happy - the happiest
friendly - the friendliest
Example: She's the friendliest person I know.
If the adjective has more than 1 sylllable use "the most" + adjective.
handsome - the most handsome
interesting - the most interesting
Note
Superlatives are preceeded by the article "the" in most cases,
This is the most interesting painting of the gallery.
Example: This is the most interesting painting of the gallery.
There are a few adjectives that will have different comparative and supperlative forms:
Comparative: better
Superlative: the best
Comparative: worse
Superlative: the worst
Comparative: farther
Superlative: the farthest
More literal meaning (distance).
Comparative: further
Superlative: the furthest
*More figurative meaning (beyond).
According to Norris (2008), there are some adjectives that can follow both rules: -er or more + adjective. For example:
Cleverer ✅ or more clever ✅
Commoner or more common ✅
Gentler ✅ or more gentle
Politer or more polite ✅
Quieter ✅ or more quiet
Stupider or more stupid ✅
However, although they might be grammatically correct, there are certain words that will sound more natural or that are generally preferred because of usage. These are the ones marked with a check ✅. Some other examples include:
Simpler or more simple ✅
Narrower ✅ or more narrow
Shallower ✅ or more shallow
We can use as + adj + as... to say that two things are the same. For example:
"He's as tall as his coworker."
We can use this expression in the negative to say that two things are different. The thing that is less of that description goes at the beginning, and the one that is more goes at the end. For example:
"My father isn't as old as yours." - My father's age (45) < your father's (68).
Example: He's as tall as his coworker.
These are some ways in which we can compare amounts:
"I spent three times as much as you." 10 tacos vs 5 tacos
"I ate twice as many tacos as you." 4 vs 2
"She has many more friends than you do." 11 vs 2
"I have much more work now." 10 hours vs 6 hours.
Adverbs generally follow the rule more + adv. For example:
"You're going too fast! Can you drive more slowly, please?"
"We need to do it more carefully next time."
Comparative: better
Superlative: the best
Comparative: worse
Superlative: the worst
Comparative: less
Superlative: the least
Comparative: more
Superlative: the most
Comparative: faster
Superlative: the fastest
Comparative: harder
Superlative: the hardest
Note: "hardly" is a word, but it expresses a different meaning, similar to "barely".
There are some expressions to exagerate or diminish these differences. These are:
A lot, significantly, much, and far. For example:
My friend is far taller than your brother.
This task is significantly more complicated than the previous one.
Slightly, marginally, a bit, a little, and a little bit. For example:
I'm slightly more patient than last year.
My classmate is slightly shorter than me. Only 2 centimeters.
By far. For example:
This is by far the best movie I've ever watched.
Norris, R. (2008). Ready for FCE Coursebook with Key. Macmillan Elt.