Lesson 10: Comparatives & Superlatives — Stronger, Best, Most Fragrant (A2)
A2⏱ 5 min
Comparatives & Superlatives
By Sourov Deb — Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.
Living across three continents gives you lots to compare: “Australian coffee is
stronger than French coffee, but Réunion’s vanilla is
the most fragrant I’ve ever tasted.” Comparatives and superlatives
help me describe these beautiful differences.
stronger than French coffee, but Réunion’s vanilla is
the most fragrant I’ve ever tasted.” Comparatives and superlatives
help me describe these beautiful differences.
🎯 Aim: Form and use comparatives and superlatives to compare people, places, and things.
How to Form Them
| Adjective type | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Short (1 syllable): tall | taller | the tallest |
| Ends in -y: happy | happier | the happiest |
| Long (2+ syllables): fragrant | more fragrant | the most fragrant |
| Irregular: good | better | the best |
| Irregular: bad | worse | the worst |
| Irregular: far | farther / further | the farthest / furthest |
Key Structures
Comparative + than: Sydney is bigger than Chittagong.
The + superlative: La Réunion is the most beautiful island I’ve visited.
As…as (equality): French bread is as good as anything in the world.
Not as…as: The winters in Dhaka are not as cold as in Paris.
The + superlative: La Réunion is the most beautiful island I’ve visited.
As…as (equality): French bread is as good as anything in the world.
Not as…as: The winters in Dhaka are not as cold as in Paris.
Examples in Context
- Australian cities are more multicultural than many European ones.
- Réunion’s beaches are the most stunning I have ever seen.
- French grammar is harder than English grammar for many learners.
- The rainy season in Bangladesh is wetter than anything in Sydney.
- This is the best vanilla in the world — from Réunion, of course!
Practice Task
Complete the sentences using the correct comparative or superlative form.
- Bangladesh is _____ (hot) than France in summer.
- That was _____ (bad) flight of my life!
- Sydney’s harbour is _____ (beautiful) than I expected.
- She speaks English _____ (fluently) than her brother.
- This is _____ (good) coffee I’ve ever had.
Show Answers
- hotter than
- the worst
- more beautiful than
- more fluently than
- the best
💡 Takeaway: Short adjectives add -er/-est. Long adjectives use more/most. Good/bad are irregular. Always use the with superlatives.
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