Comparatives & Superlatives: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly - The Grammar-Us Blog - Grammar-Us

The bestest way to make a much worser impression on a prospective employer is to misuse superlative or comparative forms of adjectives! If you looked at the preceding sentence and cringed, that is a good sign, because it means that you recognized my blatant use of the non-words “bestest” and “worser.” If you did not, then, please read further.

We use adjectives when describing people or things, because we are using our words to paint a picture for our listeners or readers. Sometimes, the adjective alone is not enough; we want to put even MORE emphasis on the characteristic we are describing. To do so, we sometimes alter the adjective, especially if we are comparing one or more things to the thing that to which we are referring.  

In the vast majority of these instances, we can add either “er” or “est” to the adjective. For example, the word “ugly” becomes a comparative adjective when you change the “y” to “i” and add “er” – uglier. That simply means that whatever you are describing is more ugly than one other person or thing. If more than one person or thing is being compared to yours, to make yours the MOST ugly, add “est,” and you have ugliest. Here are some other examples, where the addition of “er” or “est” has transformed the word into either a comparative or a superlative:

• CLOSE (near), CLOSER (more near), CLOSEST (the most near)

• PRETTY (attractive), PRETTIER (more attractive) PRETTIEST (the most attractive)

• SLEEPY (drowsy), SLEEPIER (more drowsy), SLEEPIEST (the most drowsy)

• HARD (difficult or solid), HARDER (more difficult or solid), HARDEST (most difficult or solid)

• OLD (aged), OLDER (more aged), OLDEST (most aged)

Please note: If you use “er/est,” you do NOT need “more/most”! (For example, do NOT say: This hotel is more closer to the airport. Or: This hotel is the most closest to the museum.) The use of “more” or “most” is totally unnecessary, because the very act of adding the “er” or “est” to the adjective implies the “more” or “most” designation.

Because we are talking about the English language here, which is particularly flaky, we all know there’s bound to be an exception to every rule! There are actually times when you do NOT want to add an “er” or “est” to a word to make it comparative or superlative. This exception most often occurs if the word ends in “ful.” Examples include beautiful, thoughtful, and delightful.  For these words, you need to insert the word “more” or “most” before it in order to make a comparative or superlative statement. Examples are as follows:

That is the most beautiful rose I have ever seen.
Patricia’s answer to the question was more thoughtful than Steven’s.
Musicals are the most delightful form of entertainment.

In the case of a word which requires the use of “more” or “most” preceding it in order to designate a comparative or superlative, you do NOT need “er/est.” There is no such word as “beautifuller,” “thoughtfuller,” or “delightfuller”!!!

Another exception that involves neither “er/est” nor “more/most” is when you are comparing good things or bad things. Here are their forms:

GOOD, BETTER, BEST (Example: I had good grades, but Robert’s were better than mine, and Pricilla had the best grades in the class.)

BAD, WORSE, WORST (Example: The cornbread was bad, but the lima beans were worse, and the liver and onions were the worst of all!)

BONUS TIP:

I have written about this before, but it bears repeating: When you compare, you use THAN – not “then.” “Then” is a point in time!

BONUS TIP:

I have written about this before, but it bears repeating: When you compare, you use THAN – not “then.” “Then” is a point in time!