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

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	most popular
B	more popular
C	less popular
D	popularest

Question 1 Explanation:

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

Question 2

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

A	more busy
B	most busy
C	busiest
D	busier

Question 2 Explanation:

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

Question 3

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

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

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	taller
B	more tall
C	tallest
D	the most tall

Question 4 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 5

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

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

Question 5 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 6

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

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

Question 7

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

A	worst
B	badder
C	more bad
D	worse

Question 7 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 8

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 9

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

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

Question 9 Explanation:

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

Question 10

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	least relaxed
B	relaxeder
C	most relaxed
D	more relaxed

Question 10 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 11

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	as expensive
B	expensiver
C	expensivest
D	more expensive

Question 11 Explanation:

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

Question 12

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 13

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 14

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Question 15

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

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

Question 16

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

A	better
B	as good as
C	best
D	more good

Question 16 Explanation:

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

Question 17

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

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

Question 17 Explanation:

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

Question 18

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

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

Question 18 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 19

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