Comparative or Superlative?

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives — Comparatives: 2 things. Superlatives: 3+ things.

Comparative: To compare 2 things.

The boy is taller than the girl.
The girl is shorter than the boy.
The boy is older than the girl.
The girl has longer hair than the boy.

Click here to review comparative adjectives.

Superlative: To compare 3 or more things.

The brush on the left is the biggest.
The brush on the right is the smallest.

Click here to review superlative adjectives.

Now take the quiz to test your understanding of comparative and superlative adjectives:

Quiz: Comparative or Superlative?

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Choose the correct adjective to complete the sentence - comparative or superlative.

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Question 1

______________ thing I've ever had to do was to tell my daughter that her puppy had died.

A	The more hard
B	The hardest
C	The most hard
D	The worst hard

Question 1 Explanation:

We are comparing this situation with all other situations in life, so we use the superlative.

Question 2

February is ____________ month of the year.

A	less short
B	the least short
C	the shortest
D	shorter

Question 3

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patienter
B	more patient
C	patientest
D	most patient

Question 3 Explanation:

Note: "patienter" and "patientest" do not exist.

Question 4

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	more relaxed
B	relaxeder
C	most relaxed
D	least relaxed

Question 4 Explanation:

We are comparing two things - his feelings before the test and his feelings after the test. So "more relaxed" is correct. ("Relaxeder" does not exist)

Question 5

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

A	not as difficult
B	less difficult
C	least difficult
D	the most difficult

Question 6

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

A	the worst
B	as worse as
C	as bad as
D	more bad

Question 7

This job is pretty bad, but my last job was even __________.

A	worse
B	badder
C	worst
D	more bad

Question 7 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 8

Let's go to the restaurant across the street. It looks ______________ than this one.

A	not crowded
B	least crowded
C	less crowded
D	uncrowded

Question 8 Explanation:

We are comparing two things: this restaurant, and the restaurant across the street - so we use the comparative "less crowded"

Question 9

That book wasn't ____________ I thought it'd be.

A	more interesting
B	much interesting
C	as interesting as
D	the most interesting

Question 9 Explanation:

We are comparing two things - my idea about the book, and the reality of the book - so we use the comparative. Because it's a negative sentence ("wasn't") - we use "as interesting as"

Question 10

This is ___________ book I've ever read. It doesn't help at all.

A	the less useful
B	the most useful
C	the more useful
D	the least useful

Question 10 Explanation:

We are comparing this book with all the other books I have read in my life - so "the least useful" (superlative) is correct.

Question 11

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	expensiver
B	as expensive
C	more expensive
D	expensivest

Question 11 Explanation:

Note: "expensiver" and "expensivest" don't exist.

Question 12

Playing games on Facebook is not __________ use of your time.

A	as good
B	the good
C	the better
D	the best

Question 12 Explanation:

We are comparing one thing (playing games) with all the other possible ways to spend time, so we use the superlative, "the best"

Question 13

What's _________ mountain in the world?

A	the most high
B	as high as
C	higher
D	the highest

Question 14

I canceled my cell phone contract. I'm looking for a provider with __________ customer service.

A	as good as
B	better
C	more good
D	best

Question 14 Explanation:

We are comparing two things - my previous cell phone provider with my future cell phone provider - so we use the comparative, "better"

Question 15

The scandal involving the President is ______________ issue in the news today.

A	the most controversial
B	as controversial as
C	more controversial
D	very controversial

Question 15 Explanation:

We are comparing this issue with all the other issues in the news today - so we use the superlative.

Question 16

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

A	as far as
B	the farthest
C	the most far
D	farther than

Question 17

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

A	the more lucky
B	the luckiest
C	the most luckiest
D	luckier

Question 18

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	most popular
B	more popular
C	popularest
D	less popular

Question 18 Explanation:

We are comparing this bar with all the other bars in the city - so we use the superlative. ("Popularest" does not exist)

Question 19

Yesterday was a slow day at my company, but today was ______________.

A	most busy
B	busiest
C	more busy
D	busier

Question 19 Explanation:

We are comparing two things - yesterday and today - so we use the comparative.

Question 20

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	tallest
B	more tall
C	taller
D	the most tall

Question 20 Explanation:

We are comparing two things - how tall he was before and how tall he is after a year - so we use the comparative.

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Comparative or Superlative?

Click here to review comparative adjectives.

Superlative: To compare 3 or more things.

Click here to review superlative adjectives.

Quiz: Comparative or Superlative?

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