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Home > English Grammar > Formation of Adjectives
     
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  ENGLISH GRAMMAR  
Alphabet
Vowels & Consonants
Word Building
Sentences
Articles
Cardinal-Ordinal Numbers
Noun
Pronoun
Verb
Adverb
Adjective
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection
Tenses
Opposites
Active & Passive Voice
Direct & Indirect Speech
Vocabulary
ADJECTIVE
Types of Adjective Adjective of Quality Adjective of Quantity
Demonstrative Adjective Interrogative Adjective Possessive Adjective
Distributive Adjective Degrees of Comparison Formation of Adjective
FORMATION OF ADJECTIVES

Some original adverbs: seldom, always, yesterday, today, tomorrow, here, there, never, well.

  Formation of adjectives:

Comparative & superlative degrees are formed by adding ‘er’ and ‘est’ to the positive degree.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Tall Taller Tallest
Thick Thicker Thickest
Short Shorter Shortest
Kind Kinder Kindest
Great Greater Greatest
Poor Poorer Poorest

When the positive (adjective) ends in ‘e’, only ‘r’ and ‘st’ are added to comparative & superlative respectively.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Brave Braver Bravest
Large Larger Largest
Wise Wiser Wisest
Fine Finer Finest

When positive (adjective) ends with ‘y’ and has a consonant before it - ‘y’ is changed into ‘i’ and ‘er’. and ‘est’ are added.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Happy Happier Happiest
Heavy Heavier Heaviest
Lazy Lazier Laziest
Easy Easier Easiest

When adjective ends with vowel + y, ‘er’ and ‘est’ is added.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Gray Grayer Grayest
Pray Prayer Prayest

In small words - when a single consonant is at the end, we double the consonant in comparative and superlative respectively and add er and est.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Fat Fatter Fattest
Big Bigger Biggest
Sad Sadder Saddest
Hot Hotter Hottest
Thin Thinner Thinnest

IRREGULAR COMPARISON: Some adjectives do not follow any rules and they have their comparatives & superlatives.

 
Examples
  Positive Comparative Superlative
Bad Worse Worst
Good Better Best
Little Less Least
Many More Most
Old Older Oldest
Elder Elder Eldest
Far Farther Farthest (distance)
    Further Furthest (position)
Some positive adjectives normally do not have comparatives and superlatives. eg. Round, unique, external, infinite, parallel, square, perfect etc.

 

You may also like to see
Types of Adjective Adjective of Quality Adjective of Quantity
Demonstrative Adjective Interrogative Adjective Possessive Adjective
Distributive Adjective Degrees of Comparison Formation of Adjective