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Comparative Structures in Academic Writing

Adjectives and adverbs can be used to make comparisons. When we compare things in English, we use two main forms.

Comparative Form (-er/more)

The comparative form is used to compare two things and to show that one has more of a quality or trait over the other.

  • The modified protocol was more efficient than the standard procedure.
  • My orange cat is softer than my white cat.

Superlative Form (-est/most)

The superlative form with the word “the” is used to compare three or more and to show that one has the highest degree of a quality or trait.

  • Method C produced the highest accuracy among all three approaches.
  • My black cat is the softest of all my cats.

Formation Rules


One-Syllable Adjectives
For most one-syllable adjectives, add “-er” for the comparative and “-est” for the superlative.

Adjective

Comparative Form
Adjective + “-er”

Superlative Form
“the” + Adjective + “-est”

small

My house is smaller than yours.

My house is the smallest on the street.

fast

The red car is faster than the blue car.

The red car is the fastest car in the race.

large

This room is larger than that one.

This is the largest room in the building.

Most Two-Syllable Adjectives
For most two-syllable adjectives, add “more/less” for the comparative and “most/least” for the superlative.

Adjective

Comparative Form
“more” or “less” + Adjective

Superlative Form
“the most” or “the least” + Adjective

thoughtful

She is more thoughtful than her sister.

She is the most thoughtful person in our family.

useful

This tool is less useful than that one.

This is the least useful tool in the box.

Two-Syllable Adjectives: Special Cases
Some two-syllable adjectives, like those ending in “-y,” “-er,” and “-ow” follow special rules.

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in “-y”

Adjective

Comparative Form

  1. Change the “-y” to “-i”
  2. Add “er”

Superlative Form

  1. Change the “-y” to “-i”
  2. Add “est”

happy

happier

happiest

sleepy

sleepier

sleepiest

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in “-er,” “-le,” “-or,” “or,” “-ow”

Adjective

Comparative Form
Adjective + “-er”

Superlative Form
“the” + Adjective + “-est”

narrow

The street became narrower.

This is the narrowest street in the city.

gentle

She spoke in a gentler tone to calm the baby.

She is known for being the gentlest person in town.

little

This kitten is littler than the one we saw yesterday.

This is the littlest kitten I have ever seen.

Adverbs Ending in “-ly”
For adverbs ending in “-ly,” add “more/less” for the comparative and “most/least” for the superlative.

Unlike adjectives, adverbs ending in “-ly” always form their comparative and superlative forms using “more/less” and “most/least.” You cannot add “-er” or “-est” to these adverbs.

Adverb

Comparative Form
“more” or “less” + Adverb

Superlative Form
“the most” or “the least” + Adverb

carefully

She completed the assignment more carefully than her classmates.

Among all the students, Lucy completed the assignment the most carefully.

efficiently

The new employee worked less efficiently than the experienced staff.

The new employee worked the least efficiently within the department.

Three or More Syllable Adjectives
For adjectives with three or more syllables, add “more/less” for the comparative and “most/least” for the superlative.

Adjective

Comparative Form
“more” or “less” + Adjective

Superlative Form
“the most” or “the least” + Adjective

intelligent

My dog is more intelligent than my fish.

My dog is the most intelligent pet in the house.

important

The project due next month is less important than the one due this week.

The project due next month is the least important task on my list.

Two-Syllable Adjectives That Follow Two Rules
Some two-syllable adjectives can follow two of the previous rules.

Some two-syllable adjectives can follow two different rules. While both forms are grammatically correct, there may be preferences in different contexts. For example, in formal writing contexts, the “more/most” forms are often preferred.

clever

Option #1

Comparative Form

  • “more” + clever = more clever
  • “less” + clever = less clever

Superlative Form

  • “the” + “most” + clever = the most clever
  • “the” + “least” + clever = the least clever

Option #2

Comparative Form

  • clever + “-er” = cleverer

Superlative Form     

  • “the” + “-est” = the cleverest

simple

Option #1

Comparative Form

  • “more” + simple = more simple
  • “less” + simple = less simple

Superlative Form

  • “the” + “most” + simple = the most simple
  • “the” + “least” + simple = the least simple

Option #2

Comparative Form

  • simple + “-er” = simpler

Superlative Form     

  • “the” + “-est” = the simplest

friendly

Option #1

Comparative Form

  • “more” + friendly = more friendly
  • “less” + friendly = less friendly

Superlative Form

  • “the” + “most” + friendly = the most friendly
  • “the” + “least” + friendly = the least friendly

Option #2

Comparative Form

  • friendly + “-er” = friendlier

Superlative Form     

  • “the” + “-est” = the friendliest

Irregular Adjectives
Some common adjectives have completely irregular forms.

Some common adjectives have completely irregular forms that must be memorized as they don't follow standard comparative and superlative patterns.

Adjective

Comparative Form

Superlative Form

good

better

(the) best

bad

worse

(the) worst

far

farther

(the) farthest

little

less

(the) least

few

fewer

(the) fewest

TABLE STYLE

Building Comparative Sentences

Using “than”

To form comparative sentences, use the  comparative with the word “than.”

Examples

  • Fewer participants volunteered for the study than I had anticipated.  
  • Business school was  less expensive than law school.
  • His application was processed  more quickly than he thought.

Using “(not) as...as”

It is also possible to use “(not) as…as” to express a similarity or difference

Examples Expressing Similarity

  • Reading is as enjoyable as writing.
  • The results were as conclusive as in previous studies.

Examples Expressing Difference

  • Finding participants was not as easy as I thought.
  • Her expertise was not as extensive as her employer had hoped.

Common Errors

Using the Comparative Instead of the Superlative

When comparing something to an entire group (more than two items), use the superlative form rather than the comparative form.

Common Error

He is the happier person I know.

cancel

The use of the comparative form “happier” suggests a comparison of two people. However, the phrase “person I know” suggests someone is being compared to all the people you know, which means we likely have a comparison of more than two.

Revision

He is the happiest person I know.

check

This version uses the superlative form to correctly compare one person against all people known.

Doubling Up Comparisons or Superlatives

Never use both forms of comparison (“more” and “-er”) at the same time. Choose either the “-er” ending OR the word “more,” but not both.

Common Error

His car is more faster than mine.

cancel

This incorrectly uses both “more” and “-er,” creating a double comparison.

Revision

His car is faster than mine.

check

This revision correctly uses just the “-er” ending for the one-syllable word “fast.”

Empty Comparisons

An empty comparison occurs when one part is missing, leaving readers wondering, “compared to what?” Every comparison requires two elements: the thing being compared and what it's being compared to.

Common Error

The participants were more experienced.

cancel

In this sentence, it’s unclear who the participants are being compared to.

Revision

The participants were more experienced than the previous group of participants.

check

In this revision, it’s clear the comparison is to the previous group of participants.

Ambiguous Comparisons

Ambiguous comparisons occur when it's unclear what two things are being compared. This often happens when essential words are left out of the comparison, leaving readers uncertain about the intended meaning.

Common Error

She likes pizza better than her husband.

cancel

It’s a bit unclear what is being compared in this sentence. Is pizza being compared to her husband?

Revision

She likes pizza better than her husband does.

check

The addition of “does” to this sentence makes it clear that the comparison is focused on who likes pizza more.

Missing the Article “the” in Superlatives

Superlative forms (words ending in “-est” or using “most/least”) always need the article “the” before them. This shows you're comparing something to all others in a group.

Common Error

Finishing quickly was least important task.

cancel

In this version, “the” is missing before “least.”

Revision

Finishing quickly was the least important task.

check

In this revision, “the” is correctly used before the superlative to show this task's importance is being compared against all other tasks.

Check Your Understanding