COMPARATIVE

AND

SUPERLATIVE

COMPARATIVE

INFERIORITY

SIMILARITY

SUPERIORITY

INFERIOTITY(menos.......que)

LESS + ADJECTIVE/ADVERB (+ THAN)

Mary is less attractive than Susan

LESS + PLURAL/UNCOUNTABLE NOUN (+ THAN)

I have less cars than you

My coffee has less sugar (than yours)

SIMILARITY(tan/tantos/as/o/a......como)

(NOT) AS + ADJECTIVE/ADVERB + AS

She is not as strong as me (NOT) AS MANY + COUNTABLE PLURAL

NOUN + AS

Jane has got as many friends as Mary (NOT) AS MUCH + UNCOUNTABLE NOUN

+ AS

Paris has as much traffic as Madrid

SUPERIORITY(más......que)

SHORT ADJECTIVE/ADVERB-ER (+ THAN)

My house is smaller than Peter's (house) MORE + LONG ADJECTIVE/ADVERB (+

THAN)

This car is more expensive than that one MORE + PLURAL/UNCOUNTABLE NOUN

(+ THAN)

You have more cars than me

Short vs. Long Adjectives/Adverbs

SHORT ADJECTIVES

One or two syllables (pronunciation): small, nice, big, warm, common

Two syllables ending in -y: happy, busy, easy, funny

Two syllables ending in -er, -le, -ow can take the short or the long form: narrow, clever, simple

LONG ADJECTIVES

More than two syllables (pronunciation): elegant, expensive

Two syllables ending in a suffix: careful, boring, hopeless, interesting

Two syllables ending in -er, -le, -ow can take the short or the long form: narrow, clever, simple

Spelling rules

When adding the suffix -er e → eer

nice → nicer y → yier

happy → happier CVC → CVCCer

hot → hotter

SUPERLATIVE

SUPERLATIVE(El más/la más/lo más...)

THE + SHORT ADJECTIVE/ADVERB-EST

My house is the smallest house in the village

THE MOST + LONG ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

This car is the most expensive car of the year

Short vs. Long Adjectives/Adverbs

SHORT ADJECTIVES One or two syllables (pronunciation): small, nice, big, warm,

common Two syllables ending in -y: happy, busy, easy, funny Two syllables ending in -er, -le, -ow can take the short or the

long form: narrow, clever, simple

LONG ADJECTIVES More than two syllables (pronunciation): elegant, expensive Two syllables ending in a suffix: careful, boring, hopeless,

interesting Two syllables ending in -er, -le, -ow can take the short or the

long form: narrow, clever, simple

Spelling rules

When adding the suffix -est e → eest

nice → nicest y → yiest

happy → happiest CVC → CVCCest

hot → hottest

Irregular adjectives and adverbsADJECTIVE/ADVERB

COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE

GOOD/WELL BETTER THE BEST

BAD/BADLY WORSE THE WORST

FAR FURTHER/FARTHER THE FURTHEST/ FARTHEST

LITTLE LESS THE LEAST

MUCH/MANY MORE THE MOST

ILL WORSE THE WORST

OLD OLDERELDER (when talking

about members of a family, not used with

than)

THE OLDEST/ELDEST

SPECIAL USES

Superlative + Present Perfect + ever

- This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen

- Este es el lugar más bonito que jamás he visto

Present continuous + comparative + and + comparative

- He is getting taller and taller

Él es cada vez más (y más) alto