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

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

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

Question 1 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 2

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

A	as good as
B	more good
C	better
D	best

Question 2 Explanation:

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

Question 3

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

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

Question 3 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 4

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 5

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

A	not crowded
B	uncrowded
C	less crowded
D	least crowded

Question 5 Explanation:

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

Question 6

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patientest
B	more patient
C	most patient
D	patienter

Question 6 Explanation:

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

Question 7

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

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

Question 8

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Question 9

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

A	much interesting
B	as interesting as
C	the most interesting
D	more 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 job is pretty bad, but my last job was even __________.

A	worse
B	worst
C	more bad
D	badder

Question 10 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 11

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 12

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 12 Explanation:

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

Question 13

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	popularest
B	more popular
C	most popular
D	less popular

Question 13 Explanation:

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

Question 14

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

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

Question 15

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 16

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

A	more busy
B	busier
C	most busy
D	busiest

Question 16 Explanation:

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

Question 17

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	tallest
B	more tall
C	the most tall
D	taller

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

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

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

Question 18 Explanation:

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

Question 19

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	most relaxed
B	more relaxed
C	least relaxed
D	relaxeder

Question 19 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 20

Which is _____________: gold or silver?