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

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

A	least crowded
B	less crowded
C	not crowded
D	uncrowded

Question 1 Explanation:

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

Question 2

My wife is ________ than I am.

A	patientest
B	most patient
C	patienter
D	more patient

Question 2 Explanation:

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

Question 3

Running a marathon is ____________ than doing a triathlon.

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

Question 4

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 4 Explanation:

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

Question 5

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

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

Question 5 Explanation:

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

Question 6

What's _________ mountain in the world?

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

Question 7

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

A	busiest
B	busier
C	most busy
D	more busy

Question 7 Explanation:

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

Question 8

After he finished the test, he felt ____________.

A	least relaxed
B	most relaxed
C	more relaxed
D	relaxeder

Question 8 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 9

This is the city's ______________ bar.

A	more popular
B	less popular
C	most popular
D	popularest

Question 9 Explanation:

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

Question 10

My son is getting __________ every year.

A	taller
B	more tall
C	the most tall
D	tallest

Question 10 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 11

Which is _____________: gold or silver?

A	expensivest
B	as expensive
C	more expensive
D	expensiver

Question 11 Explanation:

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

Question 12

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

A	more good
B	as good as
C	best
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 job is pretty bad, but my last job was even __________.

A	badder
B	more bad
C	worst
D	worse

Question 13 Explanation:

"More bad" and "badder" do not exist

Question 14

The problems weren't ____________ I'd imagined.

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

Question 15

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

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

Question 15 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 16

February is ____________ month of the year.

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

Question 17

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

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

Question 17 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 18

I'm ___________ man on the planet!

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

Question 19

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

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

Question 19 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 20

What's __________ you've ever traveled?