Types of comparison
There are three types of comparison:
1. To a higher degree (comparative form + than)
– Mountain climbing is more dangerous than windsurfing.
– The Andes mountains are higher than the Alps.
2. To the same degree (as … as)
– Hiring a car would cost just as much as getting a taxi.
– I don’t enjoy swimming as much as I used to.
3. To a lower degree (with less + than and the least)
– I am less keen on taking risks than I used to be.
– Antarctica is the least densely populated continent.
Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives
1. One-syllable adjectives
Add -er and -est to form the comparative and superlative of one-syllable adjectives:
– Which is the highest mountain in the world?
For one-syllable adjectives ending in a vowel + a consonant, double the consonant:
– hot – hotter – hottest.
For one-syllable adjectives ending in -e, add -r and -st:
– fine – finer – finest.
2. Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y and -ow
For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y after a consonant, drop the -y and add -ier and -iest.
– Childhood is the happiest time of your life.
For two-syllable adjectives ending in -ow, add -er and -est.
– The road became narrower as we went along.
More and most + adjectives
Use more and most with:
– Walking at high altitudes is more tiring than at sea level.
– It was the most boring magazine I’d ever read.
Adjectives with three or more syllables
– This exam was more difficult than the last one.
– This is the most interesting book I’ve read.