Rule 1: For adjective which contains one syllable; we add “ER” at the end of the adjective to make comparative form and we add “EST” to make superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| black small tall | blacker smaller taller | blackest smallest tallest |
Rule 2: For adjective which contains one syllable, but ending in “E” we only add “R” to make comparative form and “ST” to make superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| brave white large | braver whiter larger | bravest whitest largest |
Rule 3: For adjective which contains one syllable, but there is a vowel between consonants we use double letters for the last consonant before adding “ER” or “EST” to make comparative and superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| red big thin | redder bigger thinner | reddest biggest thinnest |
Rule 4: For adjective which contains two or more syllables, but ending in “Y” we change “Y” to “IER” or “IEST” to make comparative or superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| happy merry dirty | happier merrier dirtier | happiest merriest dirtiest |
NOTE 1: If the adjective ending in “Y”, but before “Y” there is a vowel we don’t change “Y” to “IER” or “IEST” we only add “ER” or “EST” to make comparative or superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| gray gay | grayer gayer | grayest gayest |
NOTE 2: If the adjective ending in “Y”, but contains only one syllable; we don’t change “Y” to “IER” or “IEST”: we only add “ER” or “EST” to make comparative or superlative form.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| shy sly | shyer slyer | shyest slyest |
Rule 5: For adjective that comprises two or more syllables; when we want to make comparative or superlative form we use “MORE” or “MOST”.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| beautiful expensive handsome | more beautiful more expensive more handsome | most beautiful most expensive most handsome |
NOTE: For some adjectives can take both forms “ER” and “EST” or “MORE” and “MOST”.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| polite common pleasant stupid clever | politer/more polite commoner/more common pleasanter/more pleasant stupider/more stupid cleverer/more clever | politest/most polite commonest/most common pleasantest/most pleasant stupidest/most stupid cleverest/most clever |
Rule 6: For some adjectives can change their forms from positive to comparative or superlative without adding “ER” or “EST” and “MORE” or MOST”.
This kind of adjective is called “Irregular Adjective”.
| Positive Degree | Comparative Degree | Superlative Degree |
| bad good little many/much far fore in out near | worse better less more farther/further former inner outer nearer | worst best least most farthest/furthest first innermost outermost nearest/next |
