Meaning
Comparatives express that the count or a measurable quality of an item is greater than, less than, or equal to that of other indicated items in the context. Comparatives are also used in relation to one other item, but it is possible to consider multiple other items.
Superlatives, on the other hand, express that the count or a measurable quality of an item is greater than or less than that of all other items in the context (for which we would say it is “the greatest” or “the least”).
| Here, the term ‘item’ is not necessarily a physical object, but is as an item on a list. An ‘item’ may be a noun, a modifier, or a verb. When comparing items, all should be the same part of speech. |
Comparatives and Superlatives may be applied to nouns, modifiers, or verbs.
- FOR NOUNS: the quantity of each noun.
- FOR MODIFIERS: the degree or extent of the modifier.
- FOR VERBS: usually the frequency or duration of the verb; may instead be the measure of an unspoken direct object or the extent of an unspoken adverb.
Comparative and Superlative forms can be superior — indicating a higher quantity — or inferior — indicating a lower quantity. A third option for Comparatives is to indicate a matching quantity (the same or similar) to that of the compared item(s).
Structure
Comparatives and Superlatives typically make use of a few key terms:
COMPARATIVE:
-
- superior: more [than]
- matching: as ____ [as]
- inferior: less [than]
SUPERLATIVE:
-
- superior: most
- inferior: least
Sometimes they are supplemented with ‘than’ or ‘as’ when referring to compared items. Other terms may be used more selectively, as you can read below.
Before Nouns
Comparatives
We place key terms at the start of noun phrases to indicate their quantity relative to that of a different item.
| for countable nouns | for uncountable nouns | |
| for a higher quantity: | ‘more‘ | |
| for a similar quantity: | ‘as many‘ / ‘as few‘ | ‘as much‘ / ‘as little‘ |
| for a lower quantity: | ‘fewer‘ | ‘less‘ |
These key terms are determiners and therefore come before adjectives.
Sometimes the specific term depends on the countability of the noun. Countable nouns use ‘as many as’ and ‘fewer’, while uncountable nouns use ‘as much as’ and ‘less’. All nouns use ‘more’.
For example:
- “More eager and wealthy visitors arrive each year.”
- “She has as many earrings as you have.”
- “I ate fewer pizza slices than I thought I would.”
When the compared item is stated in the sentence, we use than or as before that noun phrase: than for higher or lower quantities; as for matching quantities.
Superlatives
To indicate that a noun has the highest quantity of all comparable items in a context, use ‘most‘ at the start of the noun phrases. Use ‘fewest‘ (for countable nouns) or ‘least‘ (for uncountable nouns) instead for a noun with the lowest quantity.
‘Most’, ‘fewest’, and ‘least’ are post-determiners, which means they come before adjectives in their noun phrases. However, these key terms also must come after the determiner ‘the’.
For example:
- “Let’s see who can do the most pushups.”
- “Sandra has the least interest in this game.”
- “The contestant who makes the fewest failed attempts wins the round!”
We don’t use than or as with Superlatives.
Modifier Forms
Superior Comparative and Superlative modifiers have two distinct forms:
-
- Almost all modifiers that are only a single syllable long — and some modifiers that are two syllables long — have a special suffix: either -er or -est.
- All modifiers that are three or more syllables long — and some modifiers that are two syllables long — are preceded by a key term (‘more’ or ‘most’).
Matching and inferior modifiers only have one form: the are preceded by a key term (‘as’, ‘less’ or ‘least’).
Comparatives
| superior: | ‘more [modifier]‘ | ‘[modifier]er‘ |
| matching: | ‘as [modifier]‘ | — |
| inferior: | ‘less [modifier]‘ | — |
When the compared item is stated in the sentence, we use than before that noun phrase for superior or inferior comparisons; we use as before that noun phrase for matching comparisons.
For example:
- “We took the more scenic route back to the cabin.”
- “That skyscraper is even taller than I thought it would be!”
- “He’s as bewildered as you are.”
- “I couldn’t be less interested.”
Sometimes there are unspoken items that are implied by the speaker. For instance, the last example above could instead read, “I couldn’t be less interested than I am right now.”
Superlatives
The Superlative adjective forms are ‘most [modifier]’ or ‘[modifier]est‘ for the superior, or ‘least [modifier]’ for the inferior. Furthermore, Superlative adjectives must be preceded either by the or by a possessive determiner (like ‘my’ or ‘your’).
For example:
- “That was the quickest flight I’ve ever taken.”
- “My most challenging leg of the triathlon was the swimming portion.”
- “Of all the cakes on the counter, she found the blue one to be the least appealing.”
Irregular Modifiers
A handful of modifiers have irregular Comparative and Superlative forms; that is, instead of taking on the traditional -er or -est endings, their words undergo different changes. For example, the Comparative form of ‘good’ isn’t ‘gooder‘, but ‘better’.
Here are the few irregular modifiers:
|
AFFIRMATIVE: |
good / well |
far1 |
little2 |
many / much |
bad / badly / ill |
|
|
COMPARATIVE: |
better |
farther |
further |
less |
more |
worse |
|
SUPERLATIVE: |
best |
farthest |
furthest |
least |
most |
worst |
- ‘farther’ and ‘farthest’ refer to physical distances, while ‘further’ and ‘furthest’ refer to non-physical extents.
- ‘little’ here is a determiner of amount. For an adjective of size, ‘little’ has regular forms.
Additionally, the Comparative and Superlative forms of ‘old’ are typically ‘older’ and ‘oldest’, respectively. However, when referring to people in a close relationship, such as family members or mentors, we may instead use the forms ‘elder’ and ‘eldest’.
Modifier Placement
Adjectives
Comparative and Superlative adjectives can come…
- directly before the nouns they modify (pre-nominal);
- after linking verbs (predicative) to modify subjects;
- after the preposition as (prepositional).
When a Comparative or Superlative adjective is present among a string of multiple adjectives, it must be the first such adjective: coming after determiners but before any other adjectives. For example, we could say, “the tallest healthy green tree,” but not “the healthy green tallest tree,” or “healthy the tallest green tree,” etc.
While it’s less common, a Comparative adjective can work as a discourse adjunct and be placed at the start of a sentence, as in “More convinced now, Connie finally yielded to their request.”
Adverbs
Comparative and Superlative adverbs modifying verbs often come immediately after those verbs, but they can also come after other elements of the predicate, like prepositional phrases or direct objects. Adverbs should come after prepositional phrases, direct objects, etc. when those elements are essential to qualifying the verb that the Comparatives or Superlatives are assessing. For example, in “Orion chops onions the fastest,” Orion may or may not be the fastest chopper overall, but he is the fastest chopper at least when it comes to onions. For adverbs that can come just before the main verb, Comparative and Superlative forms may work before the verb as well, but this is less common.
Although determiners don’t normally accompany adverbs, the article the needs to proceed any Superlative adverbs.
After Verbs
The key terms can follow a verb string, as in “Jessica ran the most,” or “We enjoy singing less than they do,” for instance. In such cases, the Comparative or Superlative form probably relates to 1) the intensity of the verb; 2) the frequency or duration of the verb; or 3) the extent of an unvoiced direct object.
With the “Jessica ran the most” example, it could mean that on a given day, Jessica ran a longer distance than her competitors. Or it could mean that Jessica ran for a longer time period than her friends. Or, in a different situation, maybe it means that Jessica ran more often than other members of her family. While multiple interpretations are possible, the intended meaning would hopefully be clear when this sentence is presented in context. If not, the speaker may have to adjust the sentence to provide more specificity.
Usage
If Comparatives and Superlatives are defined by expressing the measure of one item in relation to another (or all others), then let’s consider what the indicated items may be in relation to. We’ll do this though examples:
- “Amber received a higher math score than Bellamy.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than reading score.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than last time.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than she thought.”
- “If Amber had received a higher math score, she could’ve gotten into her dream university.”
In (1), we compare Amber to Bellamy, but after that, we compare Amber with herself. (2) compares her math score to her reading score while (3) compares her current math score to her previous math score. (4) compares reality to expectation while (5) compares a hypothetical scenario and its outcome with reality.
Another way to think about it is like this:
- relating the subject (‘Amber’) to an object (‘Bellamy’);
- relating one object (‘math score’) to another object (‘reading score’);
- relating one modifier (the unstated ‘this time’) to another modifier (‘last time’);
- relating one verb (‘received’) to another verb (‘thought’);
- using a Conditional to relate one situation with another.
There are more ways to draw relations than what’s shown here. Also, although the examples use Comparatives, they generally work with Superlatives as well (in which case the item isn’t related to a specific other item, but to an entire category of items, which may or may not be expressed in the sentence).
Colloquialisms
Shortening Compared Items
When a compared item is stated, we typically only call out the item itself as it differs from the original item that the sentence focuses on. However, we may also express that item in a full clause that mirrors the original.
For example, we can rework the examples from the Usage section above to read:
- “Amber received a higher math score than Bellamy received.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than she did a reading score.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than she received last time.”
- “Amber received a higher math score than she thought she would’ve received.”
Sometimes these extra details are helpful in communicating clarity. But for the most part, we use the shorter option, especially in casual speech.
Double Comparatives & Superlatives
We can use ‘more’ or the suffix -er for Comparative modifiers, but we don’t use both, as that would be redundant. It’s considered improper grammar to use both, as in “more faster“, especially in formal contexts. However, a speaker may choose to apply both for emphasis, especially if done in a joking manner.
Similarly, we don’t need — and usually should not use — both ‘most’ and the suffix -est for Superlative modifiers, as in “the most hardest“. But, again, a speaker may choose to apply both for humor and/or for emphasis.
Advanced Concepts
Specifying Degrees
We can use Adverbs of Degree before Comparatives to express the gap between the compared entities or attributes. Consider “much higher“, “a little closer“, “barely longer“, and “considerably heavier“, for example.
Similarly, we can use approximators when matching, as in “almost as tired” or “roughly as difficult“.
Ambiguous Pre-Nominal Expressions
Sometimes Comparatives and Superlatives can have more than one interpretation, especially when the key terms come before adjectives which come before nouns.
For example, “more yellow pencils” could refer to (a) a higher number of yellow pencils; or (b) pencils that are colored with a more vibrant yellow. Similarly, “the most troublesome little creatures” could refer to (a) the little creatures that cause the most trouble; or (b) the highest quantity of creatures that are troublesome and small.
The correct interpretation is often evident based on the context, but sometimes clarification is needed.
Pronouns Following ‘Than’
One point of contention comes with pronouns following ‘than’:
- On one hand, since than may be regarded as a preposition, then any following pronoun should be in the object form, as in “You can sing louder than her.”
- On the other hand, than may be regarded as a subordinating conjunction leading into an embedded clause, in which case the sentence should go: “You can sing louder than she.” Here, the embedded clause is abbreviated, so the full sentiment would read “You can sing louder than she can sing,” (or we can find some middle ground with “You can sing louder than she can”).
The latter argument enforces parallelism, in which two (or more) compared items should be expressed as the same part of speech — and even reflect the role within the sentence. Insights to English favors this method, but the former method tends to be more common in casual speech.
Absolute Adjectives and Limiters
Absolute Adjectives and Limiting Adjectives should generally not be used in Comparative for Superlative forms, except when done in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.
Absolute Adjectives, or non-gradable adjectives, do not have varying degrees. Therefore, one noun with such an adjective cannot be any more or less of that adjective than another noun. We cannot, for instance, say, “the most empty” or “less frozen than“.
Limiting Adjectives, or Limiters, express how the noun is unique or how it otherwise stands apart. Therefore, it makes no sense to modify those identifying factors with Comparative or Superlative forms. For example, we cannot say, “more only than” or “the least previous“.
Teaching Tips
Keep it Simple
This page covers a lot of details about Comparatives and Superlatives, but keeping it simple in the classroom usually proves to be an effective way to go. In most cases, it should be sufficient if introduce the key terms, but partner them with the particles that often accompany them:
the most | more than | less than | the least
Start with either nouns or adjectives, then focus on the other of the two then next time you present this topic. Comparative & Superlative adverbs and verbs can come later; by that point, most students will have no trouble adapting the key terms to new scenarios.
Relative vs. Absolute
Demonstrate that Comparatives are relative while Superlatives are absolute (although students don’t necessarily need to learn the terms relative and absolute). For example, if you’re assessing the heights of each student in the class, you could say that “Caroline is shorter than Baljeet, but Caroline is taller than Antonia and Mila.” Whether Caroline is taller or shorter depends on who you’re comparing her to. But if you say, “Carlos is the tallest student,” it doesn’t matter who else is in consideration; Carlos is the tallest, period.
Further Reading
Encyclopedia Pages
- Adjectives – can be in Comparative or Superlative form
- Adverbs – can be in Comparative or Superlative form
- Adverbial Clauses – can begin with the Subordinating Conjunction ‘than’
Insights Articles
- project: Surveys
- project: What’s the Difference?
- Exam Prep: Writing Essays
Intermediate Topics
CEFR Levels B1-B2: Pre-Intermediate to Upper Intermediate courses