Comparatives and Superlatives

Read these sentences and try to find the patterns.

• Earth is bigger than Mercury.
• Jupiter is the biggest planet.
• Earth is closer to the sun than Mars.
• Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
• Neptune is the farthest from the sun.
• Pluto is the loneliest.

Mercury – ดาวพระพุธ, Venus – ดาวพระศุกร์, Earth – โลก, Mars – ดาวพระอังคาร, Jupiter – ดาวพระพฤหัสฯ, Saturn – ดาวพระเสาร์, Uranus – ดาวพระมฤตยู, Neptune – ดาวพระเกตุ, Pluto - ดาวพระยม, More

Jeff and John

Comparatives: When we compare 2 items, we use -ER/MORE.

• John is taller than Jeff. (สูงกว่า)
• Jeff is more handsome than John.
• John is taller. (You can omit "than John" when the context makes it clear.)

Superlatives: When we talk about the number 1 item in a group, we use -EST/MOST.

• John is the tallest person in our class. (สูงที่สุด)
• Jeff is the most handsome person in our class.
• You don't need to say the name of the group if it is understood from the context.
  -> Jeff is the most handsome.

MORE/MOST - We use MORE/MOST with long words (2+ syllables) that don't end in -Y.

• Beautiful has three syllables so we use more beautiful or the most beautiful.
• Handsome has two syllables so we use more handsome or the most handsome.
• Pretty has two syllables but ends in Y so we use prettier or the prettiest.
• Big has one syllable so use bigger or the biggest.

What's a syllable? Watch this YouTube video.

Spelling Rules

1. We can usually just add -ER or -EST.

   • loud -> louder -> the loudest
   • tall -> taller -> the tallest
   • small -> ->
   • fast -> ->

2. E Rule
   If the last letter is an E, we just add -R/-ST.

   • late -> later -> the latest
   • cute -> cuter -> the cutest
   • huge -> ->
   • brave -> ->

3. CVC Rule
   If the last 3 letters of the word are a consonant, a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the last letter. We do not double W,X, or Y.

   • big -> bigger -> the biggest
   • wet -> wetter -> the wettest
   • slim -> ->
   • red -> ->

V = Vowel (AEIOU), C = Consonant (BCDF...)

4. Y Rule
   Change the final Y to I. Use -IER/-IEST for long words too.

   • pretty -> prettier -> the prettiest
   • tricky -> trickier -> the trickiest
   • tacky -> ->
   • lovely -> ->

Exceptions: Here are some exceptions to these rules.

• good -> better -> the best
• bad -> worse -> the worst
• little -> less -> the least
• far -> farther/further -> the farthest/furthest
• More from the English Zone

Sentence Practice

1. big
   The lion is the fox.
2. fast
   The cheetah is .
3. majestic
   The eagle is the giraffe.
4. sneaky
   The fox is .
5. brave
   The lion is the fox.
6. long
   The giraffe has neck.
7. strong
   The lion is .
8. funny
   The giraffe is .
9. tall
   The giraffe is the lion.
10. beautiful
    The cheetah is .

More Practice
Kahoot

Classroom Survey Using Smartphones - Kahoot

Quizlet Flashcards

Rock'n English Song

Gravity Game

The Sentence Monkey

Still Confused? - Try a Thai explanation.