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

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 2

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Question 3

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 4

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

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

Question 4 Explanation:

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

Question 5

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

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

Question 5 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 6

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

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

Question 7

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	least relaxed
B	relaxeder
C	most relaxed
D	more relaxed

Question 7 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 8

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

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

Question 9

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

A	busier
B	most busy
C	busiest
D	more busy

Question 9 Explanation:

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

Question 10

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	popularest
B	most popular
C	more popular
D	less popular

Question 10 Explanation:

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

Question 11

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

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

Question 11 Explanation:

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

Question 12

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	expensivest
B	expensiver
C	more expensive
D	as expensive

Question 12 Explanation:

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

Question 13

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patientest
B	more patient
C	most patient
D	patienter

Question 13 Explanation:

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

Question 14

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

A	least crowded
B	uncrowded
C	less crowded
D	not crowded

Question 14 Explanation:

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

Question 15

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 16

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

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

Question 16 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 17

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	more tall
B	taller
C	tallest
D	the most tall

Question 17 Explanation:

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

Question 18

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

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

Question 18 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 19

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

A	worst
B	more bad
C	badder
D	worse

Question 19 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 20

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

A	best
B	more good
C	as good as
D	better

Question 20 Explanation:

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

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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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