English Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative Forms
Mastering English Adjectives: Comparative & Superlative Forms
Understanding how to form comparative and superlative adjectives is crucial for describing differences and extremes in English. This document provides a comprehensive list of common adjectives and their comparative and superlative forms, categorized by their formation rules.
1. Regular Adjectives (One or Two Syllables)
Most one-syllable adjectives, and some two-syllable adjectives, form their comparative by adding -er and their superlative by adding -est.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Long – largo | Longer | Longest |
| Short – corto/bajo | Shorter | Shortest |
| Old – viejo | Older | Oldest |
| Young – joven | Younger | Youngest |
| High – alto | Higher | Highest |
| Low – bajo | Lower | Lowest |
| Cheap – barato | Cheaper | Cheapest |
| Fast – rápido | Faster | Fastest |
| Slow – lento | Slower | Slowest |
| Wide – ancho | Wider | Widest |
| Narrow – estrecho | Narrower | Narrowest |
| Strong – fuerte | Stronger | Strongest |
| Weak – débil | Weaker | Weakest |
| Great – grande | Greater | Greatest |
| Calm – tranquilo | Calmer | Calmest |
| Hard – duro/difícil | Harder | Hardest |
| Soft – blando (también el opuesto de ‘loud’) | Softer | Softest |
| Loud – fuerte (ruido) | Louder | Loudest |
| Cold – frío | Colder | Coldest |
| Clean – limpio | Cleaner | Cleanest |
| Smart – listo | Smarter | Smartest |
| Stupid – estúpido | Stupider | Stupidest |
2. Irregular Adjectives
Some common adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms that do not follow standard rules. These must be memorized.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Good – bueno | Better | Best |
| Bad – malo | Worse | Worst |
| Much/Many – mucho/a (quantifier) | More | Most |
Note: “A lot” is a quantifier, not an adjective. Its comparative and superlative forms are “more” and “most” when referring to quantity.
3. Adjectives Ending in -e
For adjectives ending in -e, simply add -r for the comparative and -st for the superlative.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Nice – amable | Nicer | Nicest |
| Late – tarde | Later | Latest |
| Rare – raro/poco común | Rarer | Rarest |
4. Adjectives Ending in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC)
If a one-syllable adjective ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant before adding -er or -est.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Fat – gordo | Fatter | Fattest |
| Thin – delgado | Thinner | Thinnest |
| Hot – caliente | Hotter | Hottest |
| Big – grande | Bigger | Biggest |
| Wet – mojado | Wetter | Wettest |
| Sad – triste | Sadder | Saddest |
5. Adjectives Ending in -y
For adjectives ending in -y, change the -y to -i before adding -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny – soleado | Sunnier | Sunniest |
| Happy – feliz | Happier | Happiest |
| Funny – gracioso | Funnier | Funniest |
| Pretty – bonito | Prettier | Prettiest |
| Tasty – sabroso | Tastier | Tastiest |
| Dusty – empolvado | Dustier | Dustiest |
| Dirty – sucio | Dirtier | Dirtiest |
| Heavy – pesado | Heavier | Heaviest |
| Rainy – lluvioso | Rainier | Rainiest |
| Cloudy – nublado | Cloudier | Cloudiest |
| Scary – miedoso | Scarier | Scariest |
| Early – temprano | Earlier | Earliest |
| Dry – seco | Drier | Driest |
| Hungry – hambriento | Hungrier | Hungriest |
| Thirsty – sediento | Thirstier | Thirstiest |
6. Multi-Syllable Adjectives
Adjectives with three or more syllables (and some two-syllable adjectives) form their comparative by using more before the adjective and their superlative by using most before the adjective.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Beautiful – bonito | More beautiful | Most beautiful |
| Careful – cuidadoso | More careful | Most careful |
| Interesting – interesante | More interesting | Most interesting |
| Boring – aburrido | More boring | Most boring |
| Ridiculous – ridículo | More ridiculous | Most ridiculous |
| Childish – infantil | More childish | Most childish |
| Selfish – egoísta | More selfish | Most selfish |
| Delicious – delicioso | More delicious | Most delicious |
| Exciting – emocionante | More exciting | Most exciting |
| Complicated – complicado | More complicated | Most complicated |
| Intuitive – intuitivo | More intuitive | Most intuitive |
| Informative – informativo | More informative | Most informative |
| Compulsive – compulsivo | More compulsive | Most compulsive |
| Obsessive – obsesivo | More obsessive | Most obsessive |
| Creative – creativo | More creative | Most creative |
| Selective – selectivo | More selective | Most selective |
| Pensive – pensativo | More pensative | Most pensative |
| Comfortable – cómodo | More comfortable | Most comfortable |
| Tolerable – soportable | More tolerable | Most tolerable |
| Bearable – aguantable | More bearable | Most bearable |
| Economical – económico | More economical | Most economical |
| Expensive – costoso | More expensive | Most expensive |
| Conservative – conservador | More conservative | Most conservative |
| Liberal – liberal | More liberal | Most liberal |
| Suspicious – sospechoso | More suspicious | Most suspicious |
| Gracious – amable | More gracious | Most gracious |
| Generous – generoso | More generous | Most generous |
| Impressive – impresionante | More impressive | Most impressive |
| Painful – doloroso | More painful | Most painful |
| Joyful – alegre | More joyful | Most joyful |
| Sinful – pecador | More sinful | Most sinful |
| Grateful – agradecido | More grateful | Most grateful |
| Thankful – agradecido | More thankful | Most thankful |
| Protected – protegido | More protected | Most protected |
| Scared – asustado | More scared | Most scared |
| Frightened – asustado | More frightened | Most frightened |
| Reserved – reservado | More reserved | Most reserved |
| Satisfied – satisfecho | More satisfied | Most satisfied |