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?

Please wait while the activity loads.
If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled.

If loading fails, click here to try again

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

Start

Congratulations - you have completed Quiz: Comparative or Superlative?. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%

Your answers are highlighted below.

Question 1

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	less popular
B	most popular
C	more 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

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

A	badder
B	worst
C	more bad
D	worse

Question 2 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 3

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

A	most busy
B	busiest
C	busier
D	more busy

Question 3 Explanation:

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

Question 4

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

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

Question 4 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 5

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

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

Question 6

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	more expensive
B	expensivest
C	as expensive
D	expensiver

Question 6 Explanation:

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

Question 7

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

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

Question 7 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 8

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

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

Question 8 Explanation:

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

Question 9

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patienter
B	more patient
C	most patient
D	patientest

Question 9 Explanation:

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

Question 10

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

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

Question 10 Explanation:

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

Question 11

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 12

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

A	best
B	as good as
C	more good
D	better

Question 12 Explanation:

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

Question 13

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 13 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 14

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	more relaxed
B	relaxeder
C	most relaxed
D	least relaxed

Question 14 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 15

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 16

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	taller
B	tallest
C	more tall
D	the most tall

Question 16 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 17

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 18

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

A	not crowded
B	least crowded
C	uncrowded
D	less crowded

Question 18 Explanation:

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

Question 19

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

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

Question 20

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results

There are 20 questions to complete.

Master the details of English grammar:

Learn more about this course

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?

Master the details of English grammar:

You might also like...

100 Verb-Preposition Combinations in English

50 Examples of the Passive Voice in English

Is “They” Singular or Plural? English Grammar Explained

Welcome!

Free E-Book: 500+ Real English Phrases