Improve_Your_Written_English

happy happier happiest

slow slower slowest

tall taller tallest

Adrian is thebiggest of all the boys.

Mary is thetallest of the four girls.

Some words are so constructed that to add the suffix ‘-er’ or
‘- est’ would produce clumsy words. In this case ‘more’ and
‘most’ are put before the adjective instead:

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful

excitable more excitable most excitable

intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

irritable more irritable most irritable

Joanne was the most beautiful girl Frank had ever seen.

Gail was the most intelligent student in the class.

‘More’ and ‘most’ cannot be used if ‘-er’ or ‘-est’ have

been used.

‘Bad’, ‘good’ and ‘little’ do not follow the rules and have
their own words for comparison:

bad worse worst

good better best

little less least

The patient isworse today.

Clive is thebest pupil I have ever taught.

That is theleast of my worries.

IMPROVING YOUR STYLE / 85