Comparatives and Superlatives: Bigger, Biggest, More Interesting

Comparing is one of the most useful things you can do at A2, and English does it in two different ways depending on the length of the word. Superlatives also always take the — that part never varies.

Short adjectives: add -er / -est

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
cheap	cheaper	the cheapest
big	bigger	the biggest
easy	easier	the easiest
nice	nicer	the nicest

Spelling: double the final consonant after a short vowel (big → bigger); y becomes i (easy → easier); a silent e just adds -r (nice → nicer).

Long adjectives: more / most

Two syllables or more (except those ending in -y):

• expensive → more expensive → the most expensive
• interesting → more interesting → the most interesting

❌ more cheaper — never use both. One or the other.

The two-syllable middle ground

Some two-syllable adjectives accept either form, and both are correct: those ending in -y, -er, -ow, -le.

• clever → cleverer or more clever
• narrow → narrower or more narrow
• simple → simpler or more simple
• quiet → quieter or more quiet

If you are unsure with any other two-syllable word, more is the safer choice — it is never ungrammatical, only occasionally less elegant.

The irregulars

	Comparative	Superlative
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst
far	further / farther	the furthest
little	less	the least
much / many	more	the most

Comparing adverbs too

Adverbs follow the same logic: short ones take -er, and the -ly ones take more.

• She runs faster than me. · He works harder than anyone.
• Please speak more slowly. · It happened more quickly than expected.

Note well → better and badly → worse: She sings better than I do.

The structures around them

than with comparatives:

This one is cheaper than that one.

the with superlatives:

It is the cheapest in the shop. (not of the shop)

as … as for equality:

Mine is as good as yours.

It isn't as expensive as I thought.

much / a bit to grade the difference:

It's much better. / It's a bit colder today.

Other graders: far, slightly, a lot, no — It's far cheaper. · It's no better than the last one.

Three patterns worth stealing

Going in the other direction: less / the least. This one is less expensive. · It was the least useful part of the course.

Change over time: -er and -er. The queue is getting longer and longer. · It's becoming more and more difficult.

Linked change: the … the …. The more you practise, the easier it gets. · The sooner, the better.

Superlative + ever. It's the best film I've ever seen. · That was the worst meal we've ever had.

And note the shape of one of the: it takes a plural noun. It's one of the biggest cities in Europe. (not "one of the biggest city")

Common mistakes

❌ She is more taller than me. → ✅ She is taller than me. ❌ It is the most cheap. → ✅ It is the cheapest. ❌ He is more good at maths. → ✅ He is better at maths. ❌ It's the same like mine. → ✅ It's the same as mine.

Comparing two phones

A: This one's a bit more expensive, but the camera's much better.

B: Is it? The other one has a bigger screen, and it's one of the lightest they make.

A: True. The more I look at it, the harder it gets to choose.

B: Then take the cheaper one — it isn't as good, but it's good enough.

Six comparative structures in four lines, which is about the normal density for a real conversation.

Test yourself

The quiz below covers spelling, the irregulars and the structures.