All You Wanted to Know about Comparative & Superlative forms of Adjectives!
by michelle (1996, modified in 2009) - used with permission of talkingpeople.net
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Comparación: de superioridad (más que...), igualdad (tan... como...), inferioridad (menos que...)
Superlativo: el/la/los/las más...
General rule: short adjectives take the inflected form (suffix) and long adjectives take the periphrastic form (a word preceding the adjective or adverb)
ADJECTIVE |
COMPARATIVE |
SUPERLATIVE |
SUPERIORITY |
EQUALITY |
INFERIORITY |
| big (1) |
bigger (than) |
(not) as big (as) |
less big (than) |
the biggest |
| nice (1) |
nicer (than) |
(not) as nice (as) |
less nice (than) |
the nicest |
| bored (1) |
more bored |
(not) as bored (as) |
less bored (than) |
the most bored |
| funny (2, –y) |
funnier (than) |
(not) as funny (as) |
less funny (than) |
the funniest |
| sleepy (2, -y) |
sleepier (than) |
(not) as sleepy (as) |
less sleepy (than) |
the sleepiest |
| hungry (2, -y) |
hungrier (than) |
(not) as hungry (as) |
less hungry (than) |
the hungriest |
| careful (2) |
more careful (than) |
(not) as careful (as) |
less careful (than) |
the most careful |
| nervous (2) |
more nervous (than) |
(not) as nervous (as) |
less nervous (than) |
the most nervous |
| relaxed (2) |
more relaxed (than) |
(not) as relaxed (as) |
less relaxed (than) |
the most relaxed |
| boring (2) |
more boring (than) |
(not) as boring (as) |
less boring (than) |
the most boring |
| playful (2) |
more playful (than) |
(not) as playful (as) |
less playful (than) |
the most playful |
| clever (2) |
more clever (than)
cleverer (than) |
(not) as clever (as) |
less clever (than) |
the most clever
the cleverest |
| exciting (3) |
more exciting (than) |
(not) as exciting (as) |
less exciting (than) |
the most exciting |
| emotional (4) |
more emotional(than) |
(not) as emotional (as) |
less emotional (than) |
the most emotional |
| intelligent (4) |
more intelligent (than) |
(not) as intelligent (as) |
less intelligent (than) |
the most intelligent |
| simpatico (4) |
More simpatico (than) |
(not) as simpatico (as) |
less simpatico (than) |
The most simpatico |
But… Read this!
And then think about this: for the confusing cases, keep in mind that human beings tend to use what makes things clearer, or what makes words easier to be pronounced, easier to be understood, less confusing… This makes prescriptivists very nervous, but it's a fact in life that language is alive and changes due to what people say!
1 syllable adjectives:
suffix (inflected)
Except:
Monosyllables ending in –ed
bored – more bored
Some monosyllabic words can take both the suffix AND the word:
free – freer (more free)
just – juster (more just)
fair – fairer (more fair)
plain – plainer (more plain)
quiet – quieter (more quiet)
simple – simpler (more simple)
We are striving for a freer, fairer and juster world! J
If you want to be academic-correct, use the rule. If you want people to understand you better, you might want to use the periphrastic form.
Question: Is "simple" monosyllabic or disyllabic?
/simpl/ (1) ; /'simpəl/ (2) |
|
2 syllables:
same as 3 syllable-adjectives
But
there are disyllabic words we are constantly using which need (or tend to use) the suffix (inflected):
Disyllable words ending in an unstressed vowel.
This is the case of words in an -ow ending:
Yellow – yellower (more yellow)
Narrow – narrower (more narrow)
Of the –er ending: Clever – cleverer (more clever)
But in this case, making pronunciation/being understood simpler, makes people prefer more clever…
Words ending in –y (the "y" is unstressed): Happy – happier
And hundreds of very daily words!!!
And then the –le words we mentioned before:
Simple – more simple (simpler) |
A note on…
IRREGULAR COMPARISON
good better best
bad worse worst
many more most
much more most
little less least
old older (people, things) oldest (people, things)
elder* eldest*
What's better (this or that)?
What's the best option?
It's getting worse and worse!
This is the worst movie I ever saw
This is the worst film I've ever seen
We need less sugar and more exercise!
We need the least people here, so please, go away, come on!
We use "elder" and "eldest" when we talk about our siblings (brothers and sisters)
My elder brother, my eldest sister…
We use "the elderly" "elderly people" when we want to refer to "old people" in a more indirect way.
Some elderly people want to live on their own – free from obeying or serving anyone.
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