Comparative and superlative adverbs

1. Comparative adverbs
Level: beginner

We can use comparative adverbs to show change or make comparisons:

P I forget things more often nowadays.
P She began to speak more quickly.
P They are working harder now.

We often use than with comparative adverbs:

P I forget things more often than I used to.
P Girls usually work harder than boys.

Level: intermediate

We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with comparatives:

much far a lot quite a lot

a great deal a good deal a good bit a fair bit

P I forget things much more often nowadays (today).

We use these words and phrases as mitigators (atténuateurs):

a bit slightly rather

a a little bit just a little bit
little

P She began to speak a bit more quickly.

2. Superlative adverbs
Level: beginner

We can use superlative adverbs to make comparisons:

P His ankles hurt badly, but his knees hurt worst.
P It rains most often at the beginning of the year.

Level: intermediate

We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with superlatives:

easily by far much
When we intensify a superlative adverb, we often put the in front of the adverb:
P In our office, Jill works by far the hardest.
P Of the three brothers, Brian easily runs the fastest.

3. How to form comparative and superlative

adverbs
Level: beginner

We make comparative and superlative adverbs using the same rules as for comparative and
superlative adjectives.

For example:
Comparative Superlative
One syllable: Jill works fast. faster fastest
One syllable ending in –e: They arrived late. later latest
Two or more syllables: Alan finished the test quickly. more quickly most quickly
well: She speaks English well. better best
badly: She speaks German badly. worse worst
far: He'll go far. farther/further farthest/furthest

4. As … as
We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we are comparing
are equal in some way:
P The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.
P The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks.
P You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile.

Not as … as
We use not as … as to make comparisons between things which aren’t equal:

P It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be, actually.

P Rory hasn’t grown as tall as Tommy yet.
P She’s not singing as loudly as she can.
P They didn’t play as well as they usually do.

We can modify not as … as by using not quite as…as or not nearly as…as:

P The second race was not quite as easy as the first one. (The second race was easy but
the first one was easier.)
P These new shoes are not nearly as comfortable as my old ones. (My old shoes are a
lot more comfortable than these new shoes.)

We can also use not so … as. Not so … as is less common than not as … as:
 P The cycling was good but not so hard as the cross country skiing we did.

As … as + possibility
We often use expressions of possibility or ability after as … as:
P Can you come as soon as possible?
P Go to as many places as you can.
P We got here as fast as we could.

As much as, as many as

When we want to make comparisons referring to quantity, we use as much as with

uncountable nouns and as many as with plural nouns:
P Greg makes as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil.
P They try to give them as much freedom as they can.
P There weren’t as many people there as I expected.
We can use as much as and as many as before a number to refer to a large number of
something:
P Scientists have discovered a planet which weighs as much as 2,500 times the weight
of Earth.
P There were as many as 50 people crowded into the tiny room.
Comparison: adjectives (bigger, biggest, more interesting)
1. Comparative and superlative adjectives

Comparative adjectives

Comparative adjectives compare one person or thing with another and enable us to say
whether a person or thing has more or less of a particular quality:
P Josh is taller than his sister.
P I’m more interested in music than sport.
P Big cars that use a lot of petrol are less popular now than twenty years ago.

Superlative adjectives

Superlative adjectives describe one person or thing as having more of a quality than all other
people or things in a group:
P The ‘Silver Arrow’ will be the fastest train in the world when it is built.
P The most frightening film I’ve ever seen was Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’.
P What is the least expensive way of travelling in Japan?

Comparative or superlative?

A comparative compares a person or thing with another person or thing. A superlative

compares a person or thing with the whole group of which that person or thing is a member:
P Joe’s older than Mike. (comparing one person with another)
P Sheila is the youngest girl in the family. (comparing one person with the whole group
she belongs to)

When there are just two members in a group, traditionally, we use the comparative. However,
in informal situations people often use the superlative:
P Who is younger, Rowan or Tony? (traditional usage)
P Jan and Barbara are both tall, but Jan’s the tallest. (more informal)

2. Comparative and superlative adjectives: form

One-syllable adjectives (big, cold, hot, long, nice, old, tall)

To form the comparative, we use the -er suffix with adjectives of one syllable:
P It’s colder today than yesterday.
P It was a longer holiday than the one we had last year.
P Sasha is older than Mark.

To form the superlative, we use the -est suffix with adjectives of one syllable. We normally
use the before a superlative adjective:
P I think that’s the biggest apple I’ve ever seen!
P At one time, the Empire State building in New York was the tallest building in the
world.
P They have three boys. Richard is the oldest and Simon is the youngest.
Spelling of comparatives and superlatives with one-syllable adjectives
 type of adjective comparative superlative
most adjectives add -er: add -est:
cheaper, richer, smaller, cheapest, richest, smallest,
younger youngest
adjectives ending in -e add -r: add -st:
finer, nicer, rarer finest, nicest, rarest
adjectives with one vowel + one double the final double the final consonant
consonant consonant and add -er: and add -est:
bigger, hotter, thinner biggest, hottest, thinnest

Note the pronunciation of these comparatives and superlatives:

1. long /lɒŋ/ longer /lɒŋgə(r)/ longest /lɒŋgəst/
2. strong /strɒŋ/ stronger /strɒŋgə(r)/ strongest /strɒŋgəst/
3. young /jʌŋ/ younger /jʌŋgə(r)/ youngest /jʌŋgəst/

One-syllable adjectives which are irregular

Some one-syllable adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:

1. bad, worse, worst far, farther/further, farthest/furthest
2. good, better, best old, older/elder, oldest/eldest
P The morning flight is better than the afternoon one.
P His elder sister works for the government.
P Olivia is Denise’s best friend.
P I think that was the worst film I’ve ever seen!
P Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun in our solar system.

Warning:
We do not use more or most together with an -er or -est ending:
P They emigrate because they are looking for a better life.
Not: … a more better life
P The beach at Marmaris is one of the biggest in Turkey.
Not: … the most biggest …

See also:
 Farther, farthest or further, furthest?
 Elder, eldest or older, oldest?

Two-syllable adjectives

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y change y to i and take the -er and -est endings:
busy, busier, busies happy, happier, happies
t t

easy, easier, easiest funny, funnier, funniest

P We were busier last week than this week.
P Are you happier now that you’ve changed your job?
P That was the easiest exam I’ve ever taken.
Some other two-syllable adjectives (especially those ending in an unstressed vowel sound)
can also take the -er and -est endings:
 clever, cleverer, cleverest quiet, quieter, quietest

narrow, simple,
narrower, narrowest simpler, simplest

P I’ve always thought that Donald was cleverer than his brother.
P This new bed is narrower than the old one.
P The guest bedroom is the quietest room in the house because it overlooks the garden.

We don’t normally use the -er and -est endings with two-syllable adjectives ending in -ful.

Instead, we use more and most/least:

P This dictionary is more useful than the one we had before.
Not: This dictionary is usefuller …
P You’ll have to try to be more careful in future.
P The most useful tool in the kitchen is a good sharp knife.
Not: The usefulest tool in the kitchen …
This is the least harmful chemical in terms of the environment.

Longer adjectives

Adjectives of three or more syllables form the comparative with more/less and the
superlative with most/least:

P The second lecture was more interesting than the first.

Not: The second lecture was interestinger …
P That way of calculating the figures seems less complicated to me.
P London is the most popular tourist destination in England.
Not: London is the popularest …
P If you are going as a group, the least expensive option is to rent an apartment or
villa.

3. Comparative adjectives: using much, a lot, far, etc.

We can strengthen or emphasize a comparative adjective using words such as much, a lot,
far, even or rather, or by using than ever after the adjective:

P This food is much better than the food we had yesterday.

P The town is a lot more crowded these days because of the new shopping center.
P Alex is far less intelligent than the other kids in the class.
P We’ve been busier than ever at work this last month or so.

We can soften a comparative adjective using a little or a bit. A bit is less formal:

P She feels a little more confident now that she’s given her first public performance.
P or She feels a bit more confident … (less formal)
 4. Comparative adjectives: using than

We use than when we mention the second person or thing in the comparison. If the second
person mentioned takes the form of a personal pronoun, we normally use the object form of
the pronoun (me, you, him, her, us, them):

P Could you carry this? You’re stronger than me.

Not: You’re stronger than I.
P Why did you choose Robert? Marie is more experienced than him.

In more formal situations, instead of than + object pronoun, we can use than + subject
pronoun + be:
P You managed to answer the ten questions correctly? Well, you’re definitely
cleverer than I am!
P I preferred Henrietta to Dennis. She was always more sociable than he was.

5. Comparative adjectives: -er and -er, more and more

To talk about how a person or thing is changing and gaining more of a particular quality, we
can use two -er form adjectives connected by and, or we can use more and more before an
adjective. We don’t follow such comparisons with than:
P The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
P I’m getting more and more interested in conservation these days.

6. Comparative adjectives: the -er, the -er and the more …, the more …

If a person or things gains more of a particular quality and this causes a parallel increase of
another quality, we can repeat the + a comparative adjective:
P The colder it is, the hungrier I get. (as the weather gets colder, I get hungrier)
P The more generous you are towards others, the more generous they are likely to be
towards you.
P
7. Reduced forms after comparatives

After than, we often don’t repeat subject pronouns with impersonal subjects, or auxiliary
verbs with passive voice verbs:
P The exam results were better than predicted. (preferred to … better than people
predicted.)
P Temperatures that summer were higher than previously recorded. (preferred to
… than were previously recorded.)

8. Less and not as/not so with comparatives

We use less with longer adjectives (interesting, beautiful, complicated), but we don’t
normally use less with short adjectives of one syllable (big, good, high, small). Instead we
use not as … as …, or not so … as … Not as is more common than not so:
P The second method was less complicated than the first one.
P This new laptop is not as fast as my old one. I’m sorry I bought it now. (preferred
to is less fast than my old one.)
 9. Prepositions after superlative adjectives

We don’t normally use of before a singular name of a place or group after a superlative
adjective:
P The castle is the oldest building in the city.
Not: The castle is the oldest building of the city …
P She’s the youngest musician in the orchestra.

However, we can use of with a plural word referring to a group:

P All the sisters are pretty, but Sarah’s the prettiest of them all.

10. The with superlative adjectives

When a superlative adjective is followed by a noun, we normally use the:

P This is the best meal I’ve had for a long time.
Not: This is best meal …

In informal situations, we can often omit the after a linking verb (be, seem) or a verb of the
senses (look, taste) if there is no noun:
P They’ve got them in red, green or grey. Which looks best? [talking about sweaters in a
shop]
P If you want to get a message to Peter, email is quickest. He never answers the phone.

11. Other determiners with superlative adjectives

Before a superlative adjective, we can use a possessive determiner (my, his, their), or the + a
number (two, three, first, second), or a possessive determiner + a number:

P My worst score ever in an exam was zero. I just couldn’t answer any of the questions.
P Birmingham is the second biggest city in England.
P His two best friends organized a surprise party for him on his fortieth birthday.

12. Emphasising superlative adjectives

We can make a superlative adjective stronger with by far, easily or of all:

P The Beatles were by far the most successful rock band of the 1960s.
P This method is by far the least complicated.
P She’s easily the best dancer in the group. No one is as elegant as her.
P There were a number of excellent poems entered for the competition, but the
best poem of all was written by a ten-year-old boy.

In more formal situations, we can use quite:

P This is quite the most irresponsible behaviour I have ever seen.

13. To-infinitives after superlative adjectives

We can use a to-infinitive after a superlative adjective, with a meaning similar to a relative
clause with who, which or that:
Who was the oldest person to compete in the London Marathon of 2008? (Who was the
oldest person who competed …?)
The Golden Swan was the largest sailing-ship ever to be used in battle.

14. Comparative adjectives: typical errors

A comparative adjective is followed by than, not that or as:

P The next hotel we tried was more expensive than the first one.
Not: … more expensive that the first one … or …more expensive as the first one …

After a superlative adjective, we don’t normally use of before a singular name of a place or
group:

P She was the tallest girl in the team.

Not: She was the tallest girl of the team.

We use the superlative, not the comparative, when we compare more than two people or
things:

P Which is the city’s biggest hotel?

Not: … bigger hotel
 Farther, farthest or further, furthest

15. Comparative forms

Farther and further are comparative adverbs or adjectives. They are the
irregular comparative forms of far. We use them to talk about distance. There is no difference
in meaning between them. Further is more common:

P We can’t go any further, the road’s blocked.

P After this, I felt a little refreshed but as I came over the hill, my legs rebelled. I could
walk no further.
P How much farther are we going?

Farther, and, much less commonly, further can be used as adjectives to refer to distance away
from the speaker:
P He could see a small boat on the farther shore.
P At the further end of the village stood an old ruined house.

We often repeat farther or further to emphasise the distance:

P ‘I am just a little ship,’ Aunt Emily said, ‘drifting farther and farther out to sea.’

We often use along with farther and further:

P Ben Gunn had told me his boat was hidden near the white rock, and I found that
rock farther along the beach.

We often use a little, a bit or a lot before further and farther:

P Now push and stretch that arm just a little further and count to ten. [in an aerobics
exercise class]

16. Superlative forms

Farthest and furthest are superlative adjectives or adverbs. They are the
irregular superlative forms of far. We use them to talk about distance. There is no difference
in meaning between them. Furthest is more common than farthest:

P The furthest galaxies are about three thousand million light years away.
P Go on, boys! Let’s see who can run furthest.
P Viv took a corner seat farthest away from the door.

17. Further (but not farther)

There are some occasions when we can use further but not farther.

We use further before a noun to mean ‘extra’, ‘additional’ or ‘a higher level’:

P For further information, please ring 095-6710090.
P A further door led off to the right, with a tiled passage taking her to the bathroom,
and another large square room at the end, which was probably the dining-room.
P She’s gone to a college of further education. (a place to study practical subjects from
age 17)
We also use further to mean ‘more’:
P I do not propose to discuss it any further.
P Before you look at your program, let me explain a little further.

The expression further to is often used in formal letters and emails when someone writes as a
follow-up to a previous letter or email: (suite à)
P Further to my email of 22nd January, I’m now writing to ask if you have considered
our offer and whether you wish to proceed with the contract.