This grammar lesson, set in the context of Entertainment, teaches you how to form and use comparatives and superlatives to compare films, songs, actors and shows.
Forming Comparatives and Superlatives
We use comparatives to compare two things and superlatives to compare three or more things and show which one is extreme.
| Adjective Type | Comparative | Superlative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short adjective (1 syllable) | fast → faster | the fastest | This film has a faster pace than the last one. |
| Ending in -e | large → larger | the largest | The new cinema screen is larger than the old one. |
| Consonant-vowel-consonant | big → bigger | the biggest | This is the biggest music festival in the region. |
| Ending in -y | funny → funnier | the funniest | Her second film is funnier than her first. |
| Long adjective (2+ syllables) | popular → more popular | the most popular | This series is more popular than the previous one. |
| Irregular | good → better, bad → worse, far → further | the best, the worst, the furthest | This is the best concert I have ever attended. |
To show that two things are equal, we use as + adjective + as: “This series is as exciting as the last one.” To show they are not equal, we use not as + adjective + as: “The sequel isn’t as good as the original.”
Adding Emphasis and Talking About Experience
To make a comparison stronger, we can add words such as much, a lot, far or by far before a comparative. To soften a comparison, we use a bit or slightly.
- This concert was much more exciting than the last one.
- The new album is a bit better than the previous one.
- It’s by far the most gripping series I’ve ever watched.
Superlatives are also often followed by a clause with the present perfect and ever to talk about experience up to now: “This is the best documentary I have ever seen.” “That was the most disappointing film I’ve ever watched.”
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Complete the sentence with the correct comparative form: ‘This film is ______ (interesting) than the one we watched last week.’
Exercise 2 — Complete the sentence with the correct superlative form: ‘In my opinion, this is ______ (good) concert I have ever attended.’
Exercise 3 — Rewrite the sentence to compare two equally popular songs using ‘as…as’: ‘Song A is very popular. Song B is very popular too.’
Exercise 4 — Choose the correct option: ‘This actor is (gooder / better) than the one in the original film.’
Exercise 5 — Add an intensifier (much, a bit, by far) to strengthen the sentence: ‘This show is ______ more entertaining than the last season.’
Exercise 6 — Correct the mistake in the sentence: ‘This is the most best film I have ever seen.’
Answer Key
Answer 1 — more interesting
Answer 2 — the best
Answer 3 — Example: Song A is as popular as Song B.
Answer 4 — better
Answer 5 — Example: much / by far
Answer 6 — This is the best film I have ever seen.
