{"id":49989,"date":"2023-05-03T17:22:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T15:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=49989"},"modified":"2023-05-03T17:22:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T15:22:17","slug":"5-spelling-rules-for-comparative-and-superlative-adjectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/5-spelling-rules-for-comparative-and-superlative-adjectives\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Spelling Rules For Comparative And Superlative Adjectives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Messi or Ronaldo? Pizza or sushi? Going to the cinema or bingeing on<\/strong><\/span><\/em> a series at home? A beach holiday or a walking trip in the mountains? Who is the number one superhero? Which jungle animal do you really need to fear and why? <\/p>\n

We all have different answers to these questions and love going into detail about the varying<\/strong><\/span><\/em> degrees of comparison. Most of all, everyone likes to explain their opinion! But how? With comparative and superlative adjectives, of course! <\/p>\n

In this blog, you\u2019ll learn when to use comparative and superlative adjectives, the different adjective forms and what spelling changes you need to make. Plus you\u2019ll find out mistakes you must avoid making, and our favourite part: how you can bring them into conversation! Are you ready? Let\u2019s go! <\/p>\n

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What is a comparative adjective? <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Comparative adjectives are words we use to make comparisons in English. We need to change the form of the adjective, make different spelling changes and almost always use \u2018than\u2019. Let\u2019s look at some examples!<\/p>\n

Ronaldo is taller than<\/u><\/em> Messi.<\/p>\n

Mexican food is spicier than<\/u><\/em> Spanish food.<\/p>\n

The Pacific Ocean is bigger than<\/u><\/em> the Atlantic Ocean. <\/p>\n

\"Comparative1_Oxford<\/p>\n

Are killer whales more dangerous than<\/u><\/em> sharks?<\/p>\n

\"Comparative2_Oxford<\/p>\n

Which is better<\/u><\/em>? McDonald\u2019s or Burger King?<\/p>\n

How do we know what spelling changes to make?<\/p>\n

\"Rule1_Oxford<\/p>\n

Giraffes are taller<\/u><\/em> than camels. <\/p>\n

John is braver<\/u><\/em> than his brother, so he went into the haunted house first.<\/p>\n

\"Rule2_Oxford<\/p>\n

Canada is bigger<\/u><\/em> than France. <\/p>\n

Summer is hotter<\/u><\/em> than winter. <\/p>\n

\"Rule3_Oxford<\/p>\n

Sushi is tastier<\/u><\/em> than pizza. <\/p>\n

My sister is busier<\/u><\/em> than I am, because she works as a babysitter in the evenings.<\/p>\n

\"Rule4_Oxford<\/p>\n

Crocodiles are more dangerous<\/u><\/em> than bears. <\/p>\n

My new phone is more modern<\/u><\/em> than the one I had before.<\/p>\n

\"Rule5_Oxford<\/p>\n

Hang on! Irregular adjectives? <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry! Here is a table with the most typical irregular comparative adjectives:<\/p>\n

\"Irregular<\/p>\n

Is Messi better than<\/u><\/em> Ronaldo? Is English food worse than<\/u><\/em> Spanish food? <\/p>\n

What do you think?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How can I practise comparative adjectives?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Easy! Do you remember these questions at the beginning of the blog? Answer them using comparative adjectives!<\/p>\n

Messi or Ronaldo? Pizza or sushi? Going to the cinema or bingeing on a series at home? A beach holiday or a walking trip in the mountains?<\/p>\n

For example,<\/p>\n

Messi is more skillful<\/strong><\/span> than<\/u><\/em> Ronaldo, but Ronaldo is stronger than<\/u><\/em> Messi.<\/p>\n

Pizza is cheaper than<\/u><\/em> sushi. It\u2019s easier<\/u><\/em> to make too!<\/p>\n

Going to the cinema is more expensive than<\/u><\/em> bingeing on a series at home. <\/p>\n

You can also make a list of all the English adjectives you know. Which rule does each one follow? Once you\u2019ve figured it out<\/strong><\/span><\/em>, write a question!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is a superlative adjective? <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Superlative adjectives are words we use to compare one thing to two or more things. Think about a group of people or things in a competition. Now imagine one of them is the winner. We use a superlative adjective to say that person or thing has the quality of the adjective to the highest degree.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some examples of superlative adjectives!<\/p>\n

Jupiter is the largest<\/u><\/em> planet in our solar system.<\/p>\n

Mount Everest is the highest<\/u><\/em> peak in the world. <\/p>\n

We always use \u2018the\u2019 in superlative adjectives because we\u2019re talking about one unique thing.<\/p>\n

How do we make superlative adjectives?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Luckily, the information you have already learnt about comparative adjectives will come in handy<\/strong><\/span><\/em> here. We can separate superlative adjectives into five groups as well. Remember how you have to make specific changes and either add ‘er’ or ‘more’ when you want to make comparative adjectives?<\/p>\n

Great news! If you want to make a superlative adjective, you only need to follow the same rule, but instead of adding ‘-er’ or ‘more’, you add ‘-est’ or ‘most’. <\/p>\n

\"Superlative<\/p>\n

Remember those irregular adjectives from rule 5? Here are the common superlative forms as well:<\/p>\n

\"Common<\/p>\n

How can I practise superlative adjectives?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Well, the best place to start is by forming some questions. Here are some we\u2019ve created for you:<\/p>\n

Food<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most expensive restaurant in your city? What\u2019s the spiciest food you\u2019ve ever tried? What\u2019s the most delicious pizza topping<\/strong><\/span><\/em>? What\u2019s the sweetest ice cream flavour?<\/p>\n

Sports<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the fastest runner? Who\u2019s the strongest rugby player? Which footballer has scored the quickest hat-trick<\/strong><\/span><\/em>? What\u2019s the most exciting match you\u2019ve ever seen? <\/p>\n

Travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the longest journey you\u2019ve been on? Where\u2019s the furthest you\u2019ve been from home? What\u2019s the most beautiful sunset you\u2019ve ever seen? What\u2019s the tallest building you\u2019ve ever been to the top of? <\/p>\n

What next? Well, the best thing about learning English is practising it! Ask your friends your questions. Do they agree? No? Well, it\u2019s your job to talk them round<\/strong><\/span><\/em>! <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Be careful!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Apart from studying the spelling rules, here are four more things you should remember:<\/p>\n