Irregular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

Irregular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

➲Use -er, more, or less to form the comparative degree of many two-syllable modifiers or
describers.

➲ Adverbs that end in -ly always use more or less to form the comparative degree and
most and least to form the superlative degree.

➲ When forming the comparative and superlative degrees of modifiers (adjectives and
adverbs) that have two syllables, ‘‘Let your ear be your gear.’’ In other words, if adding
-er or -est makes the word hard or clumsy to pronounce, use more (or less) and most (or
least) instead.

➲ Modifiers of three or more syllables, such as intelligent, cumbersome, and beautiful,
always form their comparative degrees with more (or less) and their superlative degrees
with most (or least). Examples include less magnificent, more interesting, and most
spectacular.

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
lovely	more lovely	most lovely
funny	funnier	funniest
crowded	less crowded	least crowded
plentiful	more plentifu	l most plentiful