Adjectives and Adverbs

Degrees of Comparison

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives and adverbs may be used to compare people or things.

• Special forms of these words are used to make comparisons.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• POSITIVE

• (1) Use the POSITIVE form of the adjective or adverb when you are describing only one person or thing.

• Mary lives in an enormous house.

• Bill ran quickly to the store.

• Kevin is a smart boy.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE

• (2) Use the COMPARATIVE form when you compare a person or thing with one other person or thing (two people or things in total).

Adjectives and Adverbs

• (3) COMPARATIVE forms are created either by adding the suffix –er to the end or placing the word more in front of the adjective or adverb.

*Mnemonic tip:–er has two letters.

More has the letter r, just as –er does.

Two letters to compare two people or things. Match the r.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE

• “When do I use which?”

• (4) For most one-syllable adjectives or adverbs, add –er to form the COMPARATIVE modifier.

• bigger smoother faster older smaller

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE• (5) For some two-syllable adjectives, you can

still use –er, but with others and with most three-syllable adjectives or adverbs, use the word more in front of the modifier.

• Adjectives:prettier more careful more dangerous

• Adverbsmore quickly more clumsily

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE

• Seattle is cloudier than Phoenix.

• William is taller than Joseph.

• Between Carl and Ted, Ted is faster.

• Deidra is more talkative than Lydia.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• SUPERLATIVE

• (6) Use the SUPERLATIVE form when you compare a person or thing with two or more other persons or things (three or more total).

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Seattle is the cloudiest city in the U.S.

• Bill is the tallest boy in the class.

• Of all the girls, Samantha is the most talkative.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• (7) SUPERLATIVE forms are created either by adding the suffix –est to the end or placing the word most in front of the adjective or adverb.

*Mnemonic tip: Notice that –est has three letters.

Notice that most has the letter s, just as –est does.

Three letters to compare three or more people or things.

Most is used when the word is too long to use –est.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• SUPERLATIVE

• (8) For most one-syllable adjectives or adverbs, add –est to form the SUPERLATIVE modifier.

• biggest smoothest fastest oldest smallest

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE

• (9) For some two-syllable adjectives, you can still use –est, but with others and with most three-syllable adjectives or adverbs, use the word most in front of the modifier.

Adjectives and Adverbs

• SUPERLATIVE

• Adjectives:prettiest most careful most dangerous

• Adverbsmost quickly most clumsily

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

• (10) Be sure to use only one sign of comparison at a time (harder, not more harder).

harder more harder

Adjectives and Adverbs

• COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

• (11) The comparative and superlative forms of some adjectives and adverbs are formed in irregular ways:

• good, better, best• bad, worse, worst• much, more, most• little, less, least