Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives: are adjectives that compare two things.
Superlatives: are adjectives that compare more than two things.

In order to use comparatives and superlatives we must follow the following rules.

Adjectives with one syllable

For adjectives with one syllable we have the following grammatical structure

• Comparative: adjective + er + than
• Superlative: the + adjective + est

For instance, using the previous adjectives we have

• My brother is taller than I am.
• A rock is harder than a pair of scissors.
• The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world.

Adjectives with two or more syllables

For adjectives that have two or more syllables and that do not end in y

Adjectives not ending in 'y'

Grammatical Structure

• Comparative: more + adjective + than
• Superlative: the most + adjective

Adjectives ending in 'y'

Grammatical Structure

• Comparative: adjective - y + ier + than
• Superlative: the + adjective - y + iest

Adjectives ending in 'er', 'ow' or 'le'

Grammatical Structure

• Comparative: Adjective + er + than
• Superlative: Adjective + the + est

Note: in the case of clever, "more clever" and "most clever" is also correct.

Exceptions

The following is an exhaustive list of adjectives that do not follow any of the rules mentioned above