First Grade English: Comparing Endings (-er, -est)
When you look at the world around you, you are constantly noticing how things compare to one another. One puppy is small, but another puppy is even smaller, and the third puppy might be the smallest of the whole litter! In the English language, we have two special comparison endings that attach to descriptive adjectives: the comparative ending -er, and the superlative ending -est. In this chapter, you will master how to use these endings to compare objects, animals, and actions with precision.
The Power of Comparing
Descriptive words (adjectives) paint vivid pictures in our minds. When we add -er or -est, we turn a simple description into a vivid comparison scale.
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| THE THREE-STEP COMPARISON SCALE |
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| Step 1: BASE Step 2: -ER Step 3: -EST
| (One thing) (Two things) (Three+ things)
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| TALL TALLER TALLEST |
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| A friendly tree. A taller tree. The tallest! |
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The Number Rule for Comparison
Here is the golden rule to remember: When comparing TWO things, use -er. When comparing THREE OR MORE things, use -est.
Using the Comparative Ending: -ER
The ending -er means "more." When you attach -er to a base adjective, you are stating that one item has more of that quality than a second item.
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| THE COMPARATIVE -ER |
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| Base Adjective | + -ER Ending | Comparison Sentence |
| -----------------+----------------+------------------------|
| fast | faster | The cheetah is faster |
| | | than the turtle. |
| sweet | sweeter | The red apple is |
| | | sweeter than the green.|
| cold | colder | Winter is colder |
| | | than spring. |
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Signal Word: "Than"
Whenever you see the comparative ending -er in a sentence, you will almost always spot the signal word "than" nearby! "My brother is taller than me." "This rock is heavier than that leaf."
Using the Superlative Ending: -EST
The ending -est means "most." When you attach -est to a base adjective, you are declaring that this item has the absolute most of that quality out of the entire group.
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| THE SUPERLATIVE -EST |
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| Base Adjective | + -EST Ending | Superlative Sentence |
| -----------------+----------------+------------------------|
| bright | brightest | The sun is the |
| | | brightest star seen. |
| loud | loudest | Leo had the loudest |
| | | cheer of all. |
| deep | deepest | That trench is the |
| | | deepest part of ocean. |
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Signal Word: "The"
Because the superlative ending describes the single champion of a group, it is almost always introduced by the word "the"! "The fastest runner," "the tallest mountain," "the sweetest fruit."
Spelling Rules for Adding -ER and -EST
Adding endings to simple base words is straightforward, but keep these two first-grade spelling guidelines in mind:
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| SPELLING ADJUSTMENT RULES |
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| 1. Base Words Ending in E: Drop the silent e before -er! |
| brave + er ===> braver (Not "braveer") |
| brave + est ===> bravest (Not "braveest") |
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| 2. Short Vowel CVC Words: Double the final consonant! |
| big + er ===> bigger (Double the 'g'!) |
| big + est ===> biggest (Double the 'g'!) |
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Protecting the Short Vowel
Why do we double the consonant in "bigger"? If you wrote "biger" with a single g, the letter e might act like a magic silent e and make the i long ("by-ger")! Doubling the consonant into "-gg-" keeps the short i sound safe and protected.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Read the following sentences and choose whether the base adjective needs the ending -er or -est: A rabbit is (quick, quicker, quickest) than a snail. Mount Everest is the (high, higher, highest) mountain in the whole world. My warm blanket is (soft, softer, softest) than the wooden floor.
Exercise 2: Build the -er and -est forms for each of the following base words: clean, cold, strong, and small.
Exercise Solutions
Solution to Exercise 1: In the first sentence, comparing two animals requires "quicker" (A rabbit is quicker than a snail). In the second sentence, describing the single top mountain in the whole world requires "highest" (Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the whole world). In the third sentence, comparing the blanket to the floor requires "softer" (My warm blanket is softer than the wooden floor).
Solution to Exercise 2: For "clean": cleaner, cleanest. For "cold": colder, coldest. For "strong": stronger, strongest. For "small": smaller, smallest.