Year 7 English: Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives

What are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe nouns (people, places, things, or ideas). When we want to compare things, we use comparative and superlative adjectives. These allow us to describe how two or more things are similar or different.

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two things. They help us describe how one thing is different from another. Usually, we add “-er” to the end of a short adjective or use “more” before a longer adjective.

Examples:

• My cat is faster than my dog.
• This book is more interesting than the other one.

Key Rules for Comparatives:

1. One-syllable adjectives: Add “-er” to the end.

• Fast → faster
• Small → smaller

1. Adjectives ending in “e”: Just add “-r”.

• Large → larger
• Nice → nicer

1. Adjectives ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern: Double the final consonant and add “-er”.

• Big → bigger
• Hot → hotter

1. Two or more syllable adjectives: Use “more” before the adjective.

• Beautiful → more beautiful
• Difficult → more difficult

Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives are used to compare more than two things. They help us describe the most extreme qualities of something in a group. Usually, we add “-est” to the end of a short adjective or use “most” before a longer adjective.

Examples:

• My cat is the fastest of all.
• This book is the most interesting in the series.

Key Rules for Superlatives:

1. One-syllable adjectives: Add “-est” to the end.

• Fast → fastest
• Small → smallest

1. Adjectives ending in “e”: Just add “-st”.

• Large → largest
• Nice → nicest

1. Adjectives ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern: Double the final consonant and add “-est”.

• Big → biggest
• Hot → hottest

1. Two or more syllable adjectives: Use “most” before the adjective.

• Beautiful → most beautiful
• Difficult → most difficult

Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

Some adjectives do not follow the normal rules. These are called irregular adjectives. You have to learn them separately.

Examples:

• Good → better (comparative), best (superlative)
• Bad → worse (comparative), worst (superlative)
• Far → farther or further (comparative), farthest or furthest (superlative)

Tips and Tricks

• If an adjective has one syllable, add “-er” for the comparative and “-est” for the superlative.
• If an adjective has two syllables and ends in “-y”, change the “y” to “i” and add “-er” or “-est” (e.g., happy → happier, happiest).
• Use “more” and “most” for adjectives with two or more syllables that don’t end in “-y”.
• Watch out for irregular adjectives like good, bad, and far, which don’t follow the usual rules.

Questions

Easy Difficulty

1. What is the comparative form of “fast”?
2. What is the superlative form of “big”?
3. What is the comparative form of “nice”?
4. What is the superlative form of “small”?
5. What is the comparative form of “happy”?
6. What is the superlative form of “hot”?
7. What word is used for comparing two things: comparative or superlative?
8. What is the comparative form of “bad”?
9. What is the superlative form of “good”?
10. What is the comparative form of “easy”?
11. What is the superlative form of “large”?
12. Which is correct: “more big” or “bigger”?
13. What is the comparative form of “strong”?
14. What is the superlative form of “kind”?
15. What is the comparative form of “new”?
16. What is the superlative form of “cold”?
17. What is the comparative form of “far”?
18. What is the superlative form of “good”?
19. What is the comparative form of “quick”?
20. What is the superlative form of “funny”?

Medium Difficulty

1. What is the comparative form of “beautiful”?
2. What is the superlative form of “intelligent”?
3. What is the comparative form of “important”?
4. What is the superlative form of “expensive”?
5. What is the comparative form of “early”?
6. What is the superlative form of “short”?
7. Which is correct: “more fast” or “faster”?
8. What is the comparative form of “angry”?
9. What is the superlative form of “dangerous”?
10. What is the comparative form of “lazy”?
11. What is the superlative form of “delicious”?
12. Which is correct: “more friendly” or “friendlier”?
13. What is the comparative form of “brave”?
14. What is the superlative form of “young”?
15. What is the comparative form of “quiet”?
16. What is the superlative form of “dirty”?
17. What is the comparative form of “narrow”?
18. What is the superlative form of “far”?
19. What is the comparative form of “comfortable”?
20. What is the superlative form of “rich”?

High Difficulty

1. What is the comparative form of “interesting”?
2. What is the superlative form of “efficient”?
3. What is the comparative form of “generous”?
4. What is the superlative form of “reliable”?
5. What is the comparative form of “curious”?
6. What is the superlative form of “sophisticated”?
7. What is the comparative form of “creative”?
8. What is the superlative form of “difficult”?
9. What is the comparative form of “ambitious”?
10. What is the superlative form of “delicate”?
11. What is the comparative form of “talented”?
12. What is the superlative form of “famous”?
13. What is the comparative form of “serious”?
14. What is the superlative form of “complicated”?
15. What is the comparative form of “polite”?
16. What is the superlative form of “brilliant”?
17. What is the comparative form of “sincere”?
18. What is the superlative form of “relevant”?
19. What is the comparative form of “productive”?
20. What is the superlative form of “responsible”?

Answers

Easy Difficulty

1. Faster
2. Biggest
3. Nicer
4. Smallest
5. Happier
6. Hottest
7. Comparative
8. Worse
9. Best
10. Easier
11. Largest
12. Bigger
13. Stronger
14. Kindest
15. Newer
16. Coldest
17. Farther/Further
18. Best
19. Quicker
20. Funniest

Medium Difficulty

1. More beautiful
2. Most intelligent
3. More important
4. Most expensive
5. Earlier
6. Shortest
7. Faster
8. Angrier
9. Most dangerous
10. Lazier
11. Most delicious
12. Friendlier
13. Braver
14. Youngest
15. Quieter
16. Dirtiest
17. Narrower
18. Farthest/Furthest
19. More comfortable
20. Richest

High Difficulty

1. More interesting
2. Most efficient
3. More generous
4. Most reliable
5. More curious
6. Most sophisticated
7. More creative
8. Most difficult
9. More ambitious
10. Most delicate
11. More talented
12. Most famous
13. More serious
14. Most complicated
15. More polite
16. Most brilliant
17. More sincere
18. Most relevant
19. More productive
20. Most responsible

By understanding and practising how to form comparative and superlative adjectives, you’ll improve both your writing and speaking skills, allowing you to describe things in more detail.