Spelling of comparative and superlative forms

1 Most one-syllable adjectives form their comparatives and superlatives like clean: -er and -est are added to their basic forms. Other examples like clean are: cold cool great hard, high low neat new short small thick weak.

2 Many one-syllable adjectives end with a single consonant after a single vowel-letter. This consonant doubles in the comparative and superlative, as in the case of big. Other examples like big are: fa' fatter fattest sad sadder saddest thin thinner thinnest wet wetter wettest. Compare adjectives like full small tall, etc. which end with a double consonant and form their comparatives and superlatives like clean: tall taller tallest.

3 Many one-syllable adjectives end in -e, like nice. These add -r and -st to the basic form, pronounced e.g./naisəst/. Other examples like nice are: fine large late safe strange. And note free freer.

4 Some adjectives, like tidy, end in -y with a consonant letter before it. These adjectives are usually two-syllable. In the comparative and

The comparison of adjectives

superlative -y is replaced by/ (tidy, tidier, tidiest). Other examples like tidy are: busy dirty, dry early easy empty, funny, heavy ready, sleepy. (But note shy shyer shyest.) A few adjectives have a vowel before a -y ending, like gay grey fey, and these simply take the endings -er and -est. 5 Some other two-syllable adjectives can form their comparatives and superlatives regularly. Other examples like narrow are: clever common gentle simple [> 6.26n.1].

Pronunciation of comparative and superlative forms

In comparatives and superlatives containing the letters ng, /g/ is pronounced /ŋ/after e.g.younger longer strongest. In other words containing ng /g/ is not pronounced: e.g. singer /siŋə /

Some irregular comparative and superlative forms