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In this video, we’ll learn to form the three degrees of comparison in adjectives.
A spaceship was flitting around in the sky with a whirring sound.
Staring through the glass dome was Zorg,
an alien from the other planet.
He was exploring the Earth.
He saw three skyscrapers of different heights.
One was tall,
the other was taller,
and the third was the tallest.
The words tall, taller, and tallest are the
positive,
comparative,
and superlative degrees of adjectives.
The positive degree of the adjective is used to describe the height of the skyscraper.
Positive adjectives are also used to make equal comparisons.
For instance, we can say,
The skyscraper was as tall as the tower.
But to compare the height of two skyscrapers,
we need to use the comparative adjective.
We can form comparative adjectives by adding the suffix -er.
To compare more than two skyscrapers,
we need to use the superlative degree.
We can form superlative adjectives by adding the suffix –est.
Thus we can describe the three skyscrapers as tall, taller, and tallest.
Not all comparative and superlative adjectives are formed by adding -er and -est.
When the adjective ends in -e, adding an -r and -st will work fine.
Zorg then compared three birds.
The pelican was large,
the crane was larger than the pelican,
and the ostrich was the largest of the three.
Zorg went on to compare a grizzly,
a panda,
and a raccoon.
The raccoon was fat,
the panda was fatter than the raccoon,
and the grizzly was the fattest of the three.
We have our third rule here:
When the base adjective is in a consonant-vowel-consonant format,
we should double the consonant before adding the suffix -er or -est.
So we have fat, fatter, fattest
And big, bigger, biggest.
Zorg flew across a park.
He saw kids playing there.
The kid on the slide was happy.
The boy in the sandbox was happier.
The girl climbing the monkey bars was the happiest.
From this we have our next rule,
When a two-syllable adjective ends in -y,
as in “happy” or “easy”,
change the -y to -i and add -er and -est to make the comparative and superlative adjectives.
Now was that rule easy, easier, or the easiest to remember?
Some two-syllable adjectives ending in -le, -ow, or –er
take -r or -er to form the comparatives
and -st or -est to form superlatives,
as in simple, simpler, and simplest;
narrow, narrower, and narrowest;
and clever, cleverer, and cleverest.
Zorg steered his spaceship and accidentally bumped into a tree,
which damaged a part of the vehicle, bringing it to a halt.
He started mending his spaceship.
His drill gun was helpful.
But his hand welder was more helpful than the drill gun.
The maintenance jack was the most helpful.
Did you notice the words more and most?
We don’t normally use the -er and -est endings with two-syllable adjectives
ending in –ful, -ing, or -ed.
Instead, we use “more” and “most” to form comparative and superlative adjectives.
The last rule says,
Adjectives of three or more syllables form the comparative with “more/less”
and the superlative with “most/least”.
Zorg was hungry.
His tractor beam attracted a few items from the mobile food truck parked at a distance.
He took a bite of the sandwich.
It was delicious.
The burger, however, was more delicious than the sandwich.
But the pizza was the most delicious of all things he had ever eaten.
He wanted to rest.
“A sleeping bag should be good”, he thought.
“A rocking chair would be better”, he imagined.
“A hammock would be the best”, he decided.
The irregular comparative and superlative adjectives
good,
better,
and best have brought us to the end of our video.
Zorg tied his hammock to the trees and rested a while.
Just then the alarm started ringing, and it was time to go.
A push at the button elevated the spaceship.
A tractor beam from the spaceship filled the place and drew Zorg toward it.
And Zorg set off to his planet.
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