What is the Difference Between Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between comparative and superlative adjectives lies in the number of objects they are used to compare. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two objects, while superlative adjectives are used to compare more than two objects.
Comparative Adjectives:
- Used to compare two objects directly.
- Typically end in -er or use the words more or less.
- Followed by the word 'than' when used in sentences.
- Example: "Mick is taller than Jack".
Superlative Adjectives:
- Used to compare one object to several others.
- Typically end in -est or use the words most and least.
- Preceded by the word 'the' when used in sentences.
- Example: "Mick is the tallest person in the family".
In summary, comparative adjectives express differences between two objects, while superlative adjectives show differences between one object and multiple others. Comparative adjectives often end in -er or use more/less, while superlative adjectives end in -est or use most/least.
Comparative Table: Comparative vs Superlative Adjectives
The main difference between comparative and superlative adjectives lies in the number of nouns they compare. Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns, while superlative adjectives are used to compare three or more nouns. Here is a table summarizing the differences:
Feature | Comparative Adjectives | Superlative Adjectives |
---|---|---|
Number of Nouns Compared | 2 | 3 or more |
Word Endings | '-er' | '-est' |
Sentence Structure | Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object) | Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object) |
Examples | My house is larger than hers. | She is the tallest person in the room. |
In some cases, irregular adjectives have unique comparative and superlative forms, such as good-better-best and bad-worse-worst.
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