Year 7 English: Understanding “Good,” “Better,” “Best,” “Bad,” “Worse,” and “Worst”

In English, we use words like good, better, best, bad, worse, and worst to compare things and describe how one thing is different from another. These are called comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. They help us explain if something is better or worse than another thing or the best or worst of all.

1. Good, Better, Best

These words are used to describe things in a positive way.

Good

• Good is the basic adjective we use to say something is nice, pleasant, or of high quality. Example:
• “This cake is good.”

Better

• Better is the comparative form of “good.” We use it when comparing two things, and one is higher in quality or more favourable than the other. Example:
• “This cake is good, but that cake is better.”
• (We are comparing two cakes, and the second one is of higher quality.)

Best

• Best is the superlative form of “good.” We use it when comparing three or more things, and one is the highest in quality or most favourable. Example:
• “This cake is the best of all.”
• (Out of all the cakes, this one is the highest quality.)

2. Bad, Worse, Worst

These words are used to describe things in a negative way.

Bad

• Bad is the basic adjective we use to say something is unpleasant, poor, or of low quality. Example:
• “The weather today is bad.”

Worse

• Worse is the comparative form of “bad.” We use it when comparing two things, and one is lower in quality or more negative than the other. Example:
• “The weather yesterday was bad, but today’s weather is worse.”
• (We are comparing the weather of two days, and today’s weather is more negative.)

Worst

• Worst is the superlative form of “bad.” We use it when comparing three or more things, and one is the lowest in quality or most negative. Example:
• “This is the worst weather we’ve had all year.”
• (Out of all the days, this one is the most negative.)

Tips and Tricks to Remember

• Comparative forms compare two things:
• Better (good) or worse (bad).
• Superlative forms compare three or more things:
• Best (good) or worst (bad).
• Good and bad are the base forms used to describe one thing.
• You often see “than” after the comparative form, as it compares two things. For example:
• “This cake is better than that one.”
• You often see “the” before the superlative form, as it shows the top quality or lowest quality in a group. For example:
• “This is the best movie I’ve ever seen.”

Examples in Sentences

1. Good, Better, Best

• “The film was good.” (basic description)
• “The sequel was better than the first one.” (comparing two films)
• “But the third film was the best of all!” (comparing three or more films)

1. Bad, Worse, Worst

• “The food was bad.” (basic description)
• “The service was even worse than the food.” (comparing two things)
• “This was the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to.” (comparing more than two things)

Questions

Easy Difficulty

1. What is the comparative form of “good”?
2. What is the superlative form of “good”?
3. What is the comparative form of “bad”?
4. What is the superlative form of “bad”?
5. Is “better” used to describe one thing or to compare two things?
6. Is “best” used to compare two things or three or more things?
7. What word do you use to describe the lowest quality among many things?
8. What is the base form of the word that compares using “better” and “best”?
9. Which word would you use to describe two bad events where one is worse: “bad” or “worse”?
10. Which word would you use to describe the highest quality out of three things: “good” or “best”?
11. What is the base form of the word that compares using “worse” and “worst”?
12. In the sentence “This is the worst cake I’ve ever tasted,” how many cakes are being compared?
13. In the sentence “She’s better at maths than me,” how many people are being compared?
14. Which form, “bad” or “worst,” would you use to describe something very negative among many things?
15. Fill in the blank: “This phone is good, but the newer one is __.”
16. Fill in the blank: “This is the __ day of the year.” (best or worst)
17. What is the opposite of “good”?
18. What is the opposite of “bad”?
19. What word do we use when two things are not equally bad: “bad” or “worse”?
20. What word do we use when two things are not equally good: “good” or “better”?

Medium Difficulty

1. What is the difference between “better” and “best”?
2. Is “best” used when comparing one thing or many things?
3. How do you know when to use “worse” instead of “worst”?
4. In the sentence “This painting is the best in the gallery,” what does “best” mean?
5. Which form do we use to say something is the most negative: “bad,” “worse,” or “worst”?
6. What is the superlative form of “good,” and how do we use it in a sentence?
7. Which word would you use to compare two movies: “best” or “better”?
8. Which word would you use to describe the most positive option: “better” or “best”?
9. In the sentence “That test was worse than the last one,” what two things are being compared?
10. What is the opposite of “worse”?
11. What is the opposite of “best”?
12. Fill in the blank: “Today’s weather is worse __ yesterday’s.”
13. In the sentence “He’s the best footballer in the world,” how many footballers are being compared?
14. Which word describes something that’s better than everything else?
15. What word do we use when something is not just bad, but worse than others?
16. Fill in the blank: “This book is __ than the one I read last week.” (better or best)
17. Fill in the blank: “This is the __ idea I’ve heard all day.” (best or worst)
18. In what type of sentence would you use “better”: when comparing one thing or two things?
19. Fill in the blank: “This is the __ song on the album.” (best or worst)
20. What word describes something that’s not as bad as “worst,” but still worse than others?

High Difficulty

1. What is the main difference between a comparative and a superlative adjective?
2. Give an example of a sentence using the word “better” correctly.
3. What makes “best” a superlative adjective, and how is it different from “better”?
4. How do we know when to use “worse” instead of “worst” in a sentence?
5. Why is “worst” used in this sentence: “That was the worst mistake I’ve made”?
6. Give an example of a sentence using the word “worse” correctly.
7. How would you rewrite this sentence using the superlative form: “This phone is better than all the others”?
8. Fill in the blank: “This is the __ (good) day of my life.”
9. Why do we use “best” in this sentence: “This is the best birthday cake I’ve ever had”?
10. In the sentence “This was the worst year ever,” what makes “worst” a superlative?
11. Fill in the blank: “This movie is __ than the last one.” (better or best)
12. What word would you use to compare more than two negative experiences?
13. What word would you use to say something is the most positive?
14. Why is “best” used in this sentence: “She was the best singer at the concert”?
15. Fill in the blank: “This book is __ than the one I read last month.” (better or best)
16. Give an example of a sentence using the word “worst” correctly.
17. In what type of sentence would you use “best”: when comparing two things or more than two?
18. Why is “worse” a comparative adjective, and how do you know when to use it?
19. In the sentence “This film was better than the last one,” how many films are being compared?
20. Fill in the blank

: “That was the __ idea I’ve ever heard.” (best or worst)

Answers

Easy Difficulty

1. Better
2. Best
3. Worse
4. Worst
5. To compare two things
6. Three or more things
7. Worst
8. Good
9. Worse
10. Best
11. Bad
12. More than two cakes
13. Two people
14. Worst
15. Better
16. Worst
17. Bad
18. Good
19. Worse
20. Better

Medium Difficulty

1. “Better” compares two things; “best” compares three or more things.
2. Many things
3. “Worse” compares two things; “worst” compares three or more things.
4. It means the painting is the highest quality in the gallery.
5. Worst
6. Best: “This is the best holiday I’ve ever had.”
7. Better
8. Best
9. Two tests
10. Better
11. Worst
12. Than
13. Many footballers
14. Best
15. Worse
16. Better
17. Worst
18. Comparing two things
19. Best
20. Worse

High Difficulty

1. A comparative adjective compares two things; a superlative compares three or more.
2. “This car is better than the old one.”
3. “Best” is a superlative because it describes the highest quality out of many.
4. “Worse” compares two things; “worst” compares more than two.
5. “Worst” shows that it’s the most negative of all mistakes made.
6. “This exam was worse than the last one.”
7. “This phone is the best of all.”
8. Best
9. “Best” shows it is the highest quality cake ever tasted.
10. “Worst” compares more than two years.
11. Better
12. Worst
13. Best
14. “Best” shows she was the highest-quality singer.
15. Better
16. “That was the worst holiday I’ve ever had.”
17. More than two
18. It compares two things to show one is more negative.
19. Two films
20. Worst