Comparative and superlative adjectives

Sophie is working in Rome this week. Oliver, Alfie and Daisy have decided to eat out tonight.

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of comparatives and superlative adjectives. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, comparatives and superlative adjectives correctly.

Transcript

Oliver: So, where do you get the best pizza in London?
Alfie: No doubt about it, it has to be Pietro’s.
Daisy: No way! The pizzas in La Bella Napoli, just around the corner, are so much tastier ... and they’ve got more variety ... and the friendliest waiters!
Oliver: Yeah, I think she’s right, Alfie; much better quality. It’s not the cheapest though, but they’re so good!
Alfie: All right then, yeah, La Bella Napoli is nearer than Pietro’s. The cheese isn’t as good though, and for me it’s all in the cheese!
Daisy: You could have pasta?
Alfie: Pasta in La Bella Napoli? They do the most disgusting pasta I’ve ever tasted.
Daisy: All right!

Daisy: Hi, Mum. How’s Rome?
Sophie: Hello, love, yes, all’s well, thanks. What are you doing?
Daisy: I’m with Oliver and Alfie. We’re going to have a pizza. I’ll put you on speaker phone.
Sophie: That’s a coincidence! I’ve just eaten the most amazing pizza ever. It was the best I’ve ever had.  
Daisy: Sounds good!
Oliver: Was the base good, Mum?
Sophie: Oh yes, the crispiest base ever, really delicious.
Alfie: I wish you could send it over here, Mrs G!
Sophie: I’ll save you a slice, Alfie! So, where are you all going to eat?
Oliver: La Bella Napoli.
Sophie: Oh yes, they’re not bad. They use the worst cheese though. For me, it’s all in the cheese!
Alfie: That’s just what I said, Mrs G!
Oliver: Yeah, maybe the pizza at La Bella Napoli isn’t as good as I remember.
Daisy: Thanks a lot, Mum ... I like the pizza there. Obviously not as good as the pizza you get to eat in Rome, but it’s absolutely fine! Shall we speak tomorrow, Mum?
Sophie: OK, love, enjoy your pizza.

Daisy: Oh, I really fancied a pizza ... until Mum called.
Oliver: Yeah, me too, but thinking about the pizza in Rome ...
Alfie: It sounded so delicious!
Oliver: How about fish and chips?
Daisy: Good idea, you can’t go wrong with fish and chips.
Alfie: Yeah, you know what they say ... When in Rome ...
Oliver: When in Rome? What do you mean?
Alfie: You know that saying ... When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Oliver: Ah ...
Daisy: Fish and chips it is then - but should we go to Hubbard’s or The Dolphin?

When we want to compare two or more things, we can change the form of adjectives by adding –er or –est. We can also use extra words like more or most and expressions like not as … as.

Here are some examples:

I think you're taller than me. (tall)
She's the tallest in the group. (tall)
The pizzas in La Bella Napoli are better than the ones in Pietro's. (good)
It was the best pizza I've ever had! (good)
People say Bioshock is a more exciting game than Skyrim. (exciting)
Grand Theft Auto is the most exciting video game. (exciting)

Mmm, I don't quite see what the rule is here.

With most one-syllable adjectives, we add –er or est, and with most adjectives with two syllables or more, we add more or (the) most. In comparatives, we also use than before the second thing which is compared, if it is mentioned.

La Bella Napoli is nearer than Pietro's. (near)
It's not the cheapest restaurant though. (cheap)

With one-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant, remember to double the final consonant before –er/est.

big bigger biggest

If the adjective ends in –e, just add –r or st.

large larger largest

So what are the exceptions, apart from good better best?

Other exceptions are bad worse worst and far further/farther furthest/farthest.

      They use the worst cheese.

What about adjectives ending in –y, like crazy? My brother is crazier than me.

Yes, that's correct. With adjectives ending in y, you change the y to i and add er/ est.

lucky luckier luckiest             happy happier happiest

They've got the friendliest waiters!

With most adjectives with typical adjective endings, and with two or more syllables, you use more/most + adjective.

They do the most disgusting pasta I've ever tasted.

What other ways of comparing things are there?

We often use not as … as.

I'm not as tall as you. (= I'm smaller than you)
Maybe the pizza at La Bella Napoli isn't as good as I remember. 

And what about less and least?

Yes, less and least are also ways of comparing things. They are used more in writing.

It is less cold in the north of the country than in the south. (the north is warmer, but both north and south are cold)
Of the four participants, Bill is the least experienced. (the other three have more experience)

OK, this isn't as hard as I thought. I think I've got it, more or less.

 

Discussion

Which meal do you think is tastier, fish and chips or pizza? Where do you get the best pizza where you live?

Average: 4.2 (15 votes)
Personal online tutoring
EnglishScore Tutors is the British Council’s one-to-one tutoring platform for 13- to 17-year-olds.

Comments

Submitted by ballerinichiara on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 14:37

I think pizza is more tastiest than fish and chips! I really like it and my favourite is pizza with buffalo mozzarella. The best pizzeria near my home is Krabon, here the ingredients are all Italian and you feel sure that they are fresh!

Submitted by BttChiara on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 14:23

I think that the tastier meal is pizza. This is my favorite food. My favorite pizza is the Margherita, it is really simple but delicius at the same time. I ate the best pizza in Sicily, on a restourant near the sea. I also like chips but I don’t like some types of fish.

Submitted by Ely on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 14:17

in my opinion pizza is better than fish and chips. pizza is my favorite food. the best place where i eat pizza is "Da Poldo"

Submitted by Naogiosu7 on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 13:11

I've never eaten real fish and chips so l don't judge, but the pizza will always be my favorite dish. The best pizza i ate was when my mom and a pizzeria, here in Turin in piedmont in italy

Submitted by gattifederica on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 12:54

I think pizza is better than fish and chips, in fact my favourite food is pizza. I got the best pizza at the restaurant “Il Bisogno”, in Rivoli, near Turin. In this restaurant you can eat pizza or gnocchi and I often go there with my family and my friends once a week.

Submitted by rrfalletto on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 12:53

I think that the tasty meal is pizza, I love pizza. I live in Italy, the best place where you can eat pizza is a place called Padellino, near my house

Submitted by Carolina000 on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 12:16

I think the tastiest food there is is pizza, I like it a lot because it is an explosion of fantastic tastes. The pizza I eat usually makes my mom and I think it’s the best.

Submitted by beasam0109 on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 10:30

Hi, I'm beatrice and I much prefer pizza than fish. In London I tasted fish and chips but I didn't like it very much, while pizza is my favorite dish.

Submitted by JasmineD03 on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 10:20

Personally I can say that the tastiest meal is definitely pizza. I live in Turin and I can say that here you can find many very good pizzerias, but one of the best you can find it in a restaurant called ''Pizza Ad Hoc'', it's super good.

Submitted by Desy on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 16:21

I like both dishes, but I prefer pizza, because it is one of the typical dishes of my country. Where I live the best pizza is from Pizzalandia.

Submitted by MatildePace on Wed, 03/18/2020 - 17:09

In my opinion the tasty meal is pizza. I love pizza, it's my favorite food. I don't like fish, but I tested fish and chips and I liked it but nothing compared to pizza. My favorite pizza is Margherita, with only tomato and mozzarella, because it's simple and I like simple things. The best place to eat pizza where I live is at Salsa Rossa, a restaurant near my house.

Submitted by _auro_ on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 13:52

In my opinion the tasty food between the two is pizza. I love pizza! This is my favorite dish besides ice cream. My favorite pizza is the one with ham. I tasted fish and chips in London, but pizza is better anyway. The best place when I eat the best pizza is in Naples.

In reply to by MatildePace

Submitted by giorgia_marchetti on Fri, 03/20/2020 - 14:25

Pizza is my favourite food,i love it. I usually eat 1 time a week. My favourite pizza is Margherita. My favourite pizza is my grandmother pizza, she’s really good to cook

In reply to by MatildePace

Submitted by Roga on Wed, 11/06/2019 - 16:14

Pizza and fish are my favorite foods. Both are delicious and can be enjoyed on any day of the year.

Submitted by Daniela on Mon, 11/04/2019 - 03:38

I love pizza is my favorite food, and french fries are more delicious than fish but eating potatoes and fish at the same time there is a possibility that it is tastier than pizza.

Submitted by Zyanmi on Mon, 11/04/2019 - 01:59

My favorite dish is pizza, I prefer Hawaiian pizza and it is very toasted. I like to buy pizza at a local stand in my neighborhood, although sometimes I like to cook pizza

Submitted by 666ferlo666 on Fri, 02/28/2020 - 10:27

Excuse me bro, I’m Italian and I can swear to you that “Hawaiian pizza” is not a pizza.

In reply to by Zyanmi

Submitted by Nicbrey on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 22:47

I think that the most tasty food, is the pizza, because the fish has a high probability of descomposing in 3 days, and the fries contain a high salt content, even more tan pizza, the best pizza here in mexico is the pizza domino's and in any domino's Branch you can find.

Submitted by BH on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 21:57

i think pizza is more delicious than fish and chips because sometimes fish doesn´t taste good, sometimes chips has a lot of fat, pizza has melted cheese, and lots of tasty ingredients.

Submitted by alonee7 on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 20:17

I think that pizza is better than fish because it has a lot of cheese, I prefer Domino's pizza

Submitted by LuCF10 on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 19:10

I think pizza is much better than the fish and chips because I personally don't like sea food. My favorite place to eat pizza is Domino's in addition to the complements they sell there are delicious like papotas and canelazos

Submitted by Morrogomes123 on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 18:53

I can eat fish and chips, but I really don't love it or enjoy it if I eat pizza is another thing I love to eat any pizza from anywhere they sell them, but my favorite and i consider the best pizza ever is in a place of puerto escondido is pizza with a style italinann

Submitted by JULIO_GUZMAN on Sat, 11/02/2019 - 18:03

It is hard to choose but I think that pizza is my favorite, the tastiest pizza that I have eaten in Mexico City is on "Pizza del perro negro".

Submitted by AngelMiranda on Sat, 11/02/2019 - 03:00

I like the pizza. It is tastier than fish. I also like chips, but not as much as pizza. However, I know that the healthiest of the three is fish.
Profile picture for user empty

Submitted by empty on Wed, 04/24/2019 - 08:42

I've never eaten fish and chips before so I don't know how does it taste like.But in my opinion,pizza(especially the cheese) is yummy.can u explain me what actually fish and chips is? thanks a dozen times!!!!!!
Profile picture for user empty

Submitted by empty on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 09:56

Hi dear Jo Thanks for your help ☺

In reply to by JoModerator

Submitted by FastAmulet1001 on Thu, 04/11/2019 - 11:23

I prefer pizza because is very good. In my town the best pizza is in restaurant Italiana.

Submitted by CoolCrystal90 on Thu, 04/11/2019 - 11:23

I think that pizza is better than fish and chips because pizza so very good. in my town the best pizza is in restaurant Italiana.

Submitted by September on Wed, 08/22/2018 - 23:38

I usually prefer pizza over fish and chips but there is a place in Beechworth that sell the most tasty fish and chips ever! There is also a shop called Don Giovanni’s in Wangaratta that sells really nice Pizza.
English courses near you