Adjectives & Comparisons

Intermediate · Adjectives & Adverbs

Adjectives describe nouns, and in English they come before the noun: "a red car", not "a car red". When you use several adjectives, there is even a natural order native speakers follow without thinking.

To compare two things we use comparatives (-er / more), and to pick out the top one from a group we use superlatives (the -est / the most). Short words add endings; long words use more/most.

How to build it

Comparative: short + -er / more + long (+ than) Superlative: the + short + -est / the most + long

Rules & examples

  1. Adjective order: opinion → size → age → shape → colour → origin → material → purpose.

    You rarely use all of these at once, but the order feels natural.

    • a lovely small old round brown Italian wooden dining table
  2. Comparatives: add -er to short adjectives; use "more" before longer ones.

    One or two syllables usually take -er; three+ take "more".

    • tall → taller than
    • expensive → more expensive than
  3. Superlatives: "the" + -est for short words, "the most" for long ones.

    Picks out the number one in a group.

    • the tallest building
    • the most expensive car
  4. Irregular comparisons must be memorized.

    These do not follow the -er/-est rule.

    • good → better → best
    • bad → worse → worst
    • far → further → furthest
  5. (not) as ... as = comparing things that are (un)equal.

    Shows that two things are the same or different in degree.

    • She is as tall as her brother.
    • It isn't as cold as yesterday.

Tips to remember

  • Never combine two comparative markers: "more taller" ✗. Choose one: "taller" ✓ or "more difficult" ✓.
  • For adjectives ending in -y, change y to i: "happy → happier → happiest".

Common mistakes

  • ✗ She is more taller than me. → ✓ She is taller than me. — Do not use "more" with a word that already has -er.
  • ✗ It is the most easy test. → ✓ It is the easiest test. — Short adjectives take -est, not "most".