ADJECTIVES COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES FOR IELTS AND PTE STUDENTS

Maher
Aug 18
4 min read

Adjectives, Comparatives, and Superlatives

1. What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe nouns (nouns = people, places, things, or ideas).

Example: Sydney is a big city. Here, big is the adjective describing “city.”

2. What are Comparatives?

Comparatives are adjectives used to compare two things. They often use –er or the word more.

Example: Sydney is bigger than Melbourne.
Example: Online courses are more convenient than face-to-face classes.

Students always get confused between when to use –er / –est and when to use more / most. Here’s a clear breakdown.

Comparatives always answer the question: Which one is more…?

3. What are Superlatives?

Superlatives are adjectives used to show that one thing is the most or least in a group of three or more. They often use –est or the word most.

Example: Sydney is the biggest city in Australia.
Example: IELTS is the most popular English test worldwide.

Superlatives answer the question: Which one is the most…?

So, we start with an adjective → then create the comparative (to compare two) → then the superlative (to compare many).

ER/EST vs. MORE/MOST

–er and –est

We usually add –er (comparative) or –est (superlative) to short adjectives (1 syllable, and some 2-syllable words ending in –y).
Examples:
- tall → taller → tallest
- fast → faster → fastest
- happy → happier → happiest

Rule: Short adjectives take –er / –est.

more and most

We usually use more (comparative) or most (superlative) with long adjectives (2 or more syllables that don’t end in –y).
Examples:
- expensive → more expensive → most expensive
- difficult → more difficult → most difficult
- beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful

Rule: Long adjectives take more / most.

Common Mistakes

❌ Sydney is more bigger than Melbourne.
✅ Sydney is bigger than Melbourne. (never use more with an –er form)
❌ This book is the most easiest.
✅ This book is the easiest. (don’t double the form)

Spelling Rules for Comparatives & Superlatives

Most adjectives just add –er / –est

tall → taller → the tallest
cold → colder → the coldest

If an adjective ends in –e, just add –r / –st

large → larger → the largest
late → later → the latest

If an adjective ends in a consonant + y, change y → i

happy → happier → the happiest
busy → busier → the busiest

If a short adjective ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the last consonant

big → bigger → the biggest
hot → hotter → the hottest
thin → thinner → the thinnest

IELTS Connection

In IELTS Writing Task 1, you often need to compare data:
- The train was faster than the bus.
- Studying abroad is more expensive than studying online.
In IELTS Speaking, superlatives help to give strong opinions:
- Sydney is the best city I’ve ever lived in.
- English is the most important skill for my future career.

1. Regular Adjectives (add –er / –est)

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
tall	taller than	the tallest
fast	faster than	the fastest
small	smaller than	the smallest
old	older than	the oldest
young	younger than	the youngest
short	shorter than	the shortest
long	longer than	the longest
clean	cleaner than	the cleanest
large	larger than	the largest
strong	stronger than	the strongest
warm	warmer than	the warmest
cold	colder than	the coldest
bright	brighter than	the brightest
dark	darker than	the darkest
cheap	cheaper than	the cheapest

2. Adjectives Ending in –y (change y → i + –er / –est)

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
happy	happier than	the happiest
easy	easier than	the easiest
busy	busier than	the busiest
heavy	heavier than	the heaviest
noisy	noisier than	the noisiest
lucky	luckier than	the luckiest
pretty	prettier than	the prettiest
early	earlier than	the earliest
funny	funnier than	the funniest
dry	drier than	the driest

3. Longer Adjectives (use more / most)

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
beautiful	more beautiful than	the most beautiful
expensive	more expensive than	the most expensive
comfortable	more comfortable than	the most comfortable
important	more important than	the most important
difficult	more difficult than	the most difficult
interesting	more interesting than	the most interesting
careful	more careful than	the most careful
exciting	more exciting than	the most exciting
dangerous	more dangerous than	the most dangerous
useful	more useful than	the most useful

4. Irregular Adjectives (special forms)

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
good	better than	the best
bad	worse than	the worst
far	farther / further than	the farthest / the furthest
little (amount)	less than	the least
much / many	more than	the most

At Master English Australia, we train students to use comparatives and superlatives accurately so their grammar is strong in both IELTS Writing and Speaking.

“Master the details of English grammar with Maher and the team at Master English. Our expert teachers will help you use comparatives and superlatives correctly so you can boost your IELTS Writing and Speaking scores. Whether you’re looking for an IELTS course Sydney, an IELTS course Australia, or an IELTS course online, book your free consultation today and take the first step towards your target band score.”