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

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Question 1

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Question 2

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

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

Question 2 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 3

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

A	busier
B	most busy
C	more busy
D	busiest

Question 3 Explanation:

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

Question 4

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 5

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	the most tall
B	more tall
C	tallest
D	taller

Question 5 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 6

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	most popular
B	popularest
C	more popular
D	less popular

Question 6 Explanation:

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

Question 7

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

A	uncrowded
B	less crowded
C	least crowded
D	not crowded

Question 7 Explanation:

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

Question 8

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

A	more bad
B	worst
C	worse
D	badder

Question 8 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 9

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	as expensive
B	expensivest
C	expensiver
D	more expensive

Question 9 Explanation:

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

Question 10

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 11

What's __________ you've ever traveled?

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

Question 12

______________ 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 hardest
D	The more hard

Question 12 Explanation:

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

Question 13

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 14

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patienter
B	patientest
C	more patient
D	most patient

Question 14 Explanation:

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

Question 15

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

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

Question 15 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 16

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

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

Question 16 Explanation:

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

Question 17

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	relaxeder
B	least relaxed
C	most relaxed
D	more relaxed

Question 17 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 18

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

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

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.