2. Comparing Two Things
Discuss
You can use
adjectives to compare two things, or to tell how the two things are
alike or different. Read these examples together. What do you add to show the
comparison?
1. The movie was strange.
It was stranger than the movie I saw last week.
2. The music was loud.
It was louder than the music on the tape.
3. Jake is happy about the test results.
He is happier than his brother is.
Some adjectives are longer than the ones above. They have more than two syllables.
peculiar
Say these examples:
interesting
amazing
fascinating
With long adjectives like these, you don’t add -er to compare two things. Instead, you
add more before the word. Read aloud these examples.
This mystery story was more peculiar than the last one we read.
The plot was more interesting than the one in the other book.
The outcome of the story was more amazing than the one in the first book.
The characters are more fascinating than the ones in the last book.
Writing Practice
1. On the line in each sentence, choose and write the correct comparative form of the
adjective. It will help if you say the adjective aloud to yourself first to figure out how many
syllables it has.
a. big
Their house is
than ours.
bigger, more big
b. long
than mine.
Her story is
more long, longer
c. terrifying
than the one I wrote.
His ghost story was
terrifyinger, more terrifying
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Use what you’ve learned.
d. deep
Sutter Lake is
than Long Lake.
deeper, more deep
e. unusual
than yours.
The end of her story is
more unusual, unusualer
2. Now, draw an arrow
from the adjectives you wrote in part 1 to the nouns they describe.
Example: The end of her story is more unusual than yours.
Writing on Your Own
Use each adjective below in a sentence of your
own that compares two things.
Partner Work
easier sweeter more exciting less interesting
1. With your partner, read aloud the sentences
funnier more helpful sadder less helpful
you completed for part 1 in Writing Practice.
Make any corrections that are needed.
1.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________
2. With your partner, write the comparative
form of each adjective below.
__________________________________________________
3.________________________________________________
a. cute ______________________________________
b. nice ______________________________________
__________________________________________________
4.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
c. intelligent ________________________________
d. tough ____________________________________
e. inquisitive ________________________________
5.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
6.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
7.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
8.________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
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3. Comparing More Than Two Things
Discuss
Read aloud the sentences in the box below. How does the
Base Form
Comparative Form
(Describes one thing.)
(Compares two things.)
adjective change?
Superlative Form
(Compares more than two things.)
1. This band is loud.
2. It is louder than the band
we heard yesterday.
3. In fact, it is the loudest band
I’ve ever heard!
1. The movie was funny.
2. It was funnier than the
movie we saw last week.
3. The funniest part was when the
whale ate the car.
1. The riddle was silly.
2. It was sillier than the one
you told last week.
3. It’s the silliest riddle I’ve ever heard.
In the second sentences above, two things are being compared. What ending is
added to the adjective?
In the third sentences above, more than two things are being compared. What ending
is added to make the superlative form?
With adjectives that have one syllable, like loud, you usually add -est to form the
superlative. Note: Many two-syllable adjectives that end in -y, like funny and silly,
change -y to -i before adding -er or -est.
Now, say the base forms and sentences below. How many syllables are in the base
form of each adjective? What is the superlative form of each adjective?
(Base forms)
1. (expensive) This car is the most expensive one on the lot.
2. (beautiful) It is the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen.
3. (comfortable) Of all the cars, however, it is the least comfortable.
4. (reasonable) I’ll buy the car that is most reasonable.
To form the superlative of longer adjectives, use most or least before the base form.
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Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Use what you’ve learned.
e. They have the
Writing Practice
1. Complete the sentences below. Write the
superlative form of the adjective under the line.
a. That’s the
dog I’ve ever seen!
block.
test we’d had all year.
difficult
book you’ve ever
c. What’s the
long
short
2. For each sentence in part 1 above, draw an
arrow from the adjective you wrote to the noun
it describes.
Example:
read?
d. The mayor holds the
route to the park.
f. We took the
small
b. It was the
garden on our
beautiful
job
responsible
She won the prize for the most unusual costume.
unusual
in our town.
Writing on Your Own
Partner Work
Read the following paragraph and decide which
adjectives are correct. Circle the correct adjectives.
Then write the paragraph correctly.
With your partner, read aloud the sentences
you completed in Writing Practice. Identify
the superlative form of the adjective and the
The (most new, newest) store at the mall is
SellMore. They claim to have the (lowest, most
low) prices and the (helpfulest, most helpful) staff
of any store around here. However, the signs in
the store are the (confusingest, most confusing)
I’ve ever seen. The (most peculiar, peculiarest)
sign said Not in This Section.
noun it describes. If you disagree, explain
your choices, then make any corrections
that are needed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Real-Life Writing © Scholastic Teaching Resources
pp. 44–45
Writing Practice
1 and 2
a. Their house is bigger than ours.
b. Her story is longer than mine.
c. His ghost story was more terrifying than
the one I wrote.
Partner Work
2. a. cuter b. nicer c. more intelligent
d. tougher e. more inquisitive
Writing on Your Own
Answers will vary.
pp. 46–47
Writing Practice
1 and 2
d. Sutter Lake is deeper than Long Lake.
a. That’s the smallest dog I’ve ever seen!
e. The end of her story is more unusual
than yours.
b. It was the most difficult test we’d had
all year.
c. What’s the longest book you’ve ever
read?
d. The mayor has the most responsible job
in our town.
e. They have the most beautiful garden on
our block.
f. We took the shortest route to the park.
Writing on Your Own
The newest store at the mall is SellMore.
They claim to have the lowest prices and
the most helpful staff of any store around
here. However, the signs in the store are
the most confusing I’ve ever seen. The
most peculiar sign said Not in This
Section.
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