English is a language with its fair share of rules as well as exceptions to those rules.
As a result, even the most skilled writers can slip up from time to time, which is why a short refresher from our Writer’s University on topics such as comparative and superlative adjectives can prove so useful.
Here is a short overview of what the lesson covers:
What Are Comparative and Superlative Adjectives?
The lesson begins by defining comparative and superlative adjectives. Like their name suggests, comparative adjectives are used to compare two objects in the same sentence.
In contrast, superlative adjectives describe a single object as being at either the upper end or the lower end of a particular characteristic.
The Simple Cases
Some examples are simple to remember because they tend to follow the rules. For example, one-syllable adjectives tend to use -er and -est for their comparative and superlative forms, whereas three-syllable adjectives tend to use more and most in front of them.
Similarly, adjectives that end up in y tend to use -er and -est as well after the y has been replaced by an i.
The Not So Simple Cases
Of course, English wouldn’t be English with its exceptions, which is why some two-syllable adjectives use -er and -est, some use more and most, and some use both.
Even worse, there are irregular adjectives such as good and bad that use none of the rules mentioned here, meaning that writers should always have Google ready as a reference if they are not sure. In most cases, Merriam-Webster is a great go-to source.
This is but one of the lessons that can be found on Writer’s University, stay tuned for more previews soon.
