Comparative Forms of Adjectives

The Grammar HELP!  Student Handbook - Online!

In today's Grammar HELP! Student Handbook - Online! lesson we continue our unit on Adjectives and Adverbs. Today we focus on comparative forms of adjectives. 

You can read our prior lesson, Demonstrative Adjectives, before you begin today with the exercises.

Comparative Forms

 

What is a comparative form?

Use the comparative form of an adjective when you are comparing two items.

What is a superlative form?

Use the superlative form of an adjective when you are comparing three or more items.

How do you form the comparative and superlative forms of an adjective?

This depends on several factors.  It depends on:

  • how many syllables the adjective has, and

  • what letter of the alphabet the adjective ends in.

The Adjective Has ONE (1) Syllable
e.g. few, tall, large, sad
comparative add ~er
few We have fewer criminals
sad She seems to get sadder and sadder.
   
superlative add the + est
large Who was the largest President?
great Life is the greatest gift.
 
Exceptions  
good comparative: better
superlative:   the best
bad comparative: worse
superlative:   the worst

 

The Adjective Ends in the Letter ~y
e.g. happy, easy, silly
1) First, eliminate the ~y. 2) Then:
comparative add ~ier
happy We have fewer criminals
sad She seems to get sadder and sadder.
superlarative add ~iest
happy The happiest people are those who are satisfied with what they have.
  It was one of the happiest moments in my childhood.

  • Some people are poor and wish to be wealthy.  Some are wealthy and wish they were happy too.  Some people are lonely and wish to have a family.   These fantasies help people to aspire to a better life .

THIS and THAT

 

The singular demonstrative adjectives this and that are used with both count and noncount nouns.

  • I like this sculpture.

  • Many students come to this college from different countries.

  • The flowers in Manta City make this city especially beautiful.

  • This homework is taking me a long time to do.

THESE and THOSE

 

The plural demonstrative adjectives these and those are used with only count  nouns.

Questions:  

1.  Why do you think that these and those are only used before count nouns?
2.  For the sentence in the example above, which fantasies is the writer referring to?

Next... Comparative and Superlative Forms

 

Join us next week for our next lesson, "Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives".

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