COMPARATIVOS E SUPERLATIVOS
Autor: Heloisa Helena | Publicado: 2010-11-18T15:15:00-08:00

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Usamos o comparativo para comparar uma pessoa ou coisa com uma outra;
usamos o superlativo para comparar uma pessoa ou coisa com mais de uma outra.


Há três coisas que devemos lembrar quando falamos de comparativos e superlativos:


1 Adjetivos de uma sílaba;
2 adjetivos de duas sílabas
3 adjetivos de três ou mais sílabas.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Comparativos 
Uma sílaba: Adicionamos er para formar o compartivo da maioria dos adjetivos com uma sílaba:

Curitiba is smaller than Sao Paulo.
Curitiba é menor que São Paulo.

clean - cleaner
cold - colder
tall - taller

Note: Adjetivos como hot, big, fat, sad, wet (isto é, se os verbos forem formados por consoante, vogal, consoante - ou se terminarem com esta sequência), dobramos a consoante final:

hotter, bigger, fatter, sadder, wetter.

Duas sílabas com 'y' (heavy): Se o adjetivo tiver duas sílabas e terminar em 'y', trocamos o 'y' por 'i' e acrescentamos er:

Is an elephant heavier than a horse?
Um elefante é mais pesado que um cavalo?

busy - busier
pretty - prettier
noizy - noisier

Note: Se o adjetivo tiver duas sílabas e não terminar com 'y', seguiremos a regra das três sílabas, como segue abaixo:

Três ou mais sílabas: Usamos more antes de adjetivos com três sílabas ou mais:

This car is more comfortable than that one.
Este carro é mais confortável que alquele.

expensive - more expensive
beautiful - more beautiful
handsome - more handsome
upset - more upset (duas sílabas não terminando com 'y')
boring - more boring (duas sílabas não terimando com 'y')

Note: Com alguns adjetivos de duas sílabas como (clever, common, narrow, pleasant, quiet, simple, stupid) podemos usar as duas formas:

cleverer ou more clever
commoner ou more common etc

Superlativos 
Uma sílaba: Formamos o superlativo acrescentando est no adjetivo:

I have the smallest car.
Eu tenho o menor carro (de todos).

clean - cleanest
cold - coldest
tall - tallest

Duas sílabas com 'y' (heavy): Se o adjetivo tiver duas sílabas e terminar em 'y', trocamos o 'y' por 'i' e acrescentamos est:

He is the heaviest
Ele é o mais pesado (de todos)

busy - busiest
pretty - prettiest
noizy - noisiest

Três ou mias sílabas: usamos most antes de adjetivos com três ou mais sílabas:

Who has the most comfortable car?
Quem tem o carro mais confortável? (de todos)

expensive - most expensive
beautivul - the most beautiful
handsome – the most handsome

Irregular comparatives:

bad worse the worst
far farther the farthest
good better the best
Little less the least
Much, many more the most


Compare:

He has the most money = Ele é quem tem mais dinheiro.
She has the least money = Ela é quem tem menos dinheiro.

I hope that helps!
Forming Comparative and Superlative AdjectivesOne-syllable adjectives.Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.
    One-Syllable Adjective    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   tall   taller   The tallest  
   old   older   The oldest  
   long   Longer   The longest
  
Mary is&nbsp;taller&nbsp;than&nbsp;Max.Mary is&nbsp;the tallest&nbsp;of&nbsp;all the students.Max is&nbsp;older&nbsp;than&nbsp;John.Of&nbsp;the three students, Max is&nbsp;the oldest.My hair is&nbsp;longer&nbsp;than&nbsp;your hair.Max's story is&nbsp;the longest&nbsp;story I've ever heard.If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.
    One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   large   larger   The largest  
   wise   wiser   The wisest  
Mary's car is&nbsp;larger&nbsp;than&nbsp;Max's car.Mary's house is&nbsp;the tallest&nbsp;of&nbsp;all the houses on the block.Max is&nbsp;wiser&nbsp;than&nbsp;his brother.Max is&nbsp;the wisest&nbsp;person I know.
If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.
    One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant    with a Single Vowel before It    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   big   bigger   The biggest  
   thin   thinner   The thinnest  
   fat   fatter   The fattest  
My dog is&nbsp;bigger&nbsp;than&nbsp;your dog.My dog is&nbsp;the biggest&nbsp;of&nbsp;all the dogs in the neighborhood.Max is&nbsp;thinner&nbsp;than&nbsp;John.Of&nbsp;all the students in the class, Max is&nbsp;the thinnest.My mother is&nbsp;fatter&nbsp;than&nbsp;your mother.Mary is&nbsp;the fattest&nbsp;person I've ever seen.
Two-syllable adjectives.With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
    Two-Syllable Adjective    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   peaceful   more peaceful   The most peaceful  
   pleasant   more pleasant   The most pleasant  
   careful   more careful   The most careful  
   thoughtful   more thoughtful   The most thoughtful  

This morning is&nbsp;more peaceful&nbsp;than&nbsp;yesterday morning.Max's house in the mountains is&nbsp;the most peaceful&nbsp;in&nbsp;the world.Max is&nbsp;more careful&nbsp;than&nbsp;Mike.Of&nbsp;all the taxi drivers, Jack is&nbsp;the most careful.Jill is&nbsp;more thoughtful&nbsp;than&nbsp;your sister.Mary is&nbsp;the most thoughtful&nbsp;person I've ever met.If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the&nbsp;y&nbsp;to&nbsp;i&nbsp;and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the&nbsp;y&nbsp;to&nbsp;i and&nbsp;add –est.

    Two-Syllable Adjective Ending    with -y    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   happy   happier   The happiest  
   angry   angrier   The angriest  
   busy   busier   The busiest  

John is&nbsp;happier&nbsp;today&nbsp;than&nbsp;he was yesterday.John is&nbsp;the happiest&nbsp;boy&nbsp;in&nbsp;the world.Max is&nbsp;angrier&nbsp;than&nbsp;Mary.Of&nbsp;all of John's victims, Max is&nbsp;the angriest.Mary is&nbsp;busier&nbsp;than&nbsp;Max.Mary is&nbsp;the busiest&nbsp;person I've ever met.
Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.
    Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   narrow   narrower   narrowest  
   gentle   gentler   The gentlest  
The roads in this town are&nbsp;narrower&nbsp;than&nbsp;the roads in the city.This road is the&nbsp;narrowest&nbsp;of&nbsp;all the roads in California.Big dogs are&nbsp;gentler&nbsp;than&nbsp;small dogs.Of&nbsp;all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are&nbsp;the gentlest.Adjectives with three or more syllables.For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

    Adjective with Three or More    Syllables    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   generous   more generous   The most generous  
   important   more important   The most important  
   intelligent   more intelligent   The most intelligent  
John is&nbsp;more generous&nbsp;than&nbsp;Jack.John is&nbsp;the most generous&nbsp;of&nbsp;all the people I know.Health is&nbsp;more important&nbsp;than&nbsp;money.Of&nbsp;all the people I know, Max is&nbsp;the most important.Women are&nbsp;more intelligent&nbsp;than&nbsp;men.Mary is&nbsp;the most intelligent&nbsp;person I've ever met.
Exceptions.Irregular adjectives.
    Irregular Adjective    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   good   Better&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the   best  
   bad   Worse&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the   worst  
   far   Farther&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the   farthest  
   little   Less&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   least  
   many   More&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the   most  
Italian food is&nbsp;better&nbsp;than&nbsp;American food.My dog is&nbsp;the best&nbsp;dog&nbsp;in&nbsp;the world.My mother's cooking is&nbsp;worse&nbsp;than&nbsp;your mother's cooking.Of&nbsp;all the students in the class, Max is&nbsp;the worst.Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.
    Two-Syllable Adjective    Comparative Form    Superlative Form   
  
   clever   cleverer   The cleverest  
   clever   more clever   The most clever  
   gentle   gentler   The gentlest  
   gentle   more gentle   The most gentle  
   friendly   friendlier   The friendliest  
   friendly   more friendly   The most friendly  
   quiet   quieter   The quietest  
   quiet   more quiet   The most quiet  
   simple   simpler   The simplest  
   simple   more simple   The most simple  
Big dogs are&nbsp;gentler&nbsp;than&nbsp;small dogs.Of&nbsp;all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are&nbsp;the gentlest.Big dogs are&nbsp;more gentle&nbsp;than&nbsp;small dogs.Of&nbsp;all the dogs in the world
Comparatives adjectives
   Adjectives of just one syllable   form the&nbsp;comparative&nbsp;by adding "-er"Brigth.. brighterClear…clearerFast….&nbsp; Faster
If a one syllable adjective ends   in "e", simply add "r":Nice……nicerFine…….finerRipe……riper
For some adjectives, it is   necessary to double the last letter before adding "-er". (For   spelling: doubling letters, see next week's grammar question).Big…. BiggerSlim…slimmerFlat…..flatter
All adjectives of three or more   syllables form the&nbsp;comparative&nbsp;with "more ".Beautiful….more beautifulComfortable…more comfortableTypical….. more typical
Adjectives of two syllables are   more complicated. To see which is the usual form you should see your   dictionary. Most adjectives of two syllables form   the&nbsp;comparative&nbsp;with "more":Famous....more famousThankful... more thankfulBoring….more boringFaithless… more faithless
However, some adjectives of two   syllables form the&nbsp;comparative with "-er":Those that end in "y", change the "y"   to "i" and add "-er":Happy...happierFunny...funnierEasy....easier
Those ending in a vowel-sound that   is not stressed:Yellow…..yellowerSimple….simplerTender….tender
In addition, there are some   (common) irregular&nbsp;comparativeadjectives:Good….betterBad…worseFar…farthet ou furtherLittle (quantity) … lessMuch…moreOld… older ou elder
Fonte:&nbsp;
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/ADJECTIVES6.cfmFor more information on comparative adjectives see the following web sites:http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/ADJECTIVES5.cfmFor a quiz on comparative adjectives, see:http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/vm/compsup.htm&nbsp;(Acesso em 10/11/2010)&nbsp;