- English Grammar A1 Level - https://open.books4languages.com/english-a1-grammar -

Irregular Comparative and Superlative

Introduction

Comparative are used to compare two things, people or actions while superlative express the superiority of one thing, person or action.

There are some adjectives and adverbs with irregular comparative and superlative.

Form

Irregular comparative and superlative do not follow the general formation rule, we have to learn them by heart. The most commonly used irregular comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs are:

Adjectives Adverbs Comparative Superlative
bad (adj.) badly (adv.) worse the worst
good (adj.) well (adv.) better the best
far far farther/further the farthest/furthest
little little less the least
much much more the most

Example

  • My german is worse than my english. 
  • Susan is a better friend than her sister.
  • She runs further than I do. 
  • Peter is going to talk to him later about the house.
  • This is the worst day of my life. 
  • John is the best assistant in the office.
  • This is the furthest point I’ve ever reached in the agency!
  • This is the latest version of the software. 

Use

We use irregular comparative and superlative in the same way as the regular ones.

Summary

With irregular adjectives/adverbs, the comparative and superlative forms cannot be created in the same way as the regular ones and they should be learned by heart.

The most commonly used are:

  • bad (adj.) – badly (adv.) ⇒ worse (comp.) – the worst (super.);
  • good (adj.) – well (adv.) ⇒ better (comp.) – the best (super.).

For example:
— Comparative: “You can write a good CV.” ⇒ “You can write a better CV.” / “You can write a gooder CV.
— Superlative: “You can write a good CV.” ⇒ “You can write the best CV.” / “You can write the goodest CV.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.