Comparatives & Superlatives ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
Comparative and Superlative Predictions
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar: Gap-fill, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work
In this free comparatives and superlatives game, students practice forming, asking, and answering questions with comparative and superlative adjectives and predicting a partner's answers...
Comparative Geography
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar and Writing: Writing Sentences - Group Work
In this creative comparatives and superlatives game, students practice forming comparative and superlative sentences about countries. First, the class names as many adjectives as they can and you write them...
Comparatives and Superlatives Practice
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Writing Questions, Answers and Explanations - Speaking Activity - Pair Work
This productive comparatives and superlatives worksheet helps students to learn and practice forming comparative and superlative adjectives and...
Comparatives and Superlatives Quiz
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Worksheet - Grammar Exercise: Ordering Words, Forming Sentences
In this engaging comparatives and superlatives worksheet, students complete a quiz by ordering sets of words according to an adjective and then writing comparative and superlative sentences about...
Comparatives and Superlatives Survey
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Writing Sentences - Group Work
In this insightful comparatives and superlatives activity, students carry out a group survey and then write comparative and superlative sentences about...
Compare It
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work
In this inventive comparatives and superlatives game, students form comparative and superlative sentences by comparing words from the same category. In groups, students take turns...
Guess the Best
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar: Gap-fill, Guessing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work
Here is an entertaining comparatives and superlatives game to help students practice forming and using comparative and superlative adjectives by completing, asking and answering questions...
Sentence Trio Showdown
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences, Controlled Practice - Pair Work
In this rewarding comparatives and superlatives game, students practice making comparative and superlative sentences with various nouns and adjectives. In pairs, students take turns picking...
Three Classmates
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Activity - Grammar, Reading and Vocabulary: Reading for Detail, Drawing
In this free comparatives and superlatives activity, students draw pictures of three people from comparative and superlative descriptions of their appearance. First, students read comparative...
Comparative and Superlative Dogs
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Worksheet - Grammar and Reading Exercises: True or False, Gap-fill, Writing Sentences
This useful comparatives and superlatives worksheet helps students practice using comparative and superlative adjectives (including 'as ... as' and...
Comparatives and Superlatives Board Game
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work
This fun comparatives and superlatives board game helps students practice forming comparative and superlative sentences that express opinions and facts. Students take turns rolling the dice and...
Comparative and Superlative Slips
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice
In this interesting comparatives and superlatives game, students race to find as many classmates as they can who fit comparative and superlative descriptions. Each student draws a slip...
More and Most Mayhem
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences - Group Work
This imaginative comparatives and superlatives game helps students practice forming and using comparative and superlative sentences on familiar topics with a range of adjectives...
Order of Preference
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Activity - Speaking: Ranking, Forming Sentences, Discussion, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this free comparatives and superlatives speaking activity, students rank their preferences on a short questionnaire and then explain and compare their choices with a partner using comparative...
The Most Interesting Conversation
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work
This enjoyable comparatives and superlatives speaking activity helps students practice forming, asking and answering comparative and superlative conversation...
Talk to Me
ESL Comparatives and Superlatives Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group and Pair Work
In this memorable comparatives and superlatives speaking activity, students complete a variety of comparative and superlative questions and...
Understanding Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparative adjectives compare two people, things, or ideas to show a difference, as in 'This laptop is lighter than my old one', while superlative adjectives identify the highest or lowest degree within a group of three or more, as in 'This is the fastest route to the airport.' To show equality, use as + adjective + as, as in 'This hotel is as comfortable as the last one.' To make a negative comparison, use not as + adjective + as, as in 'The new office isn't as large as the old one.' Students who apply the wrong formation rule, such as adding '-er' to a three-syllable adjective or doubling a consonant incorrectly, produce forms that disrupt both fluency and credibility.
This page covers comparatives and superlatives from A2 to B2 levels, with sixteen activities including worksheets, speaking activities, and classroom games, with three activities available as free downloads.
The table below maps the main adjective types, the formation rule for each, and the comparative and superlative forms.
| Adjective Type | Rule | Base | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One syllable | Add -er / -est | tall | taller | the tallest |
| One syllable ending in -e | Add -r / -st | wide | wider | the widest |
| One syllable ending in consonant-vowel-consonant | Double final consonant + -er / -est | big | bigger | the biggest |
| Two syllables ending in -y | Change -y to -i + -er / -est | happy | happier | the happiest |
| Two syllables (other endings) | Use more / most | peaceful | more peaceful | the most peaceful |
| Three or more syllables | Use more / most | expensive | more expensive | the most expensive |
| Irregular | Learn individually | good / bad / far | better / worse / farther (further) | the best / the worst / the farthest (furthest) |
When to Use Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparing Two Options to Support a Decision: Use a comparative adjective when narrowing a choice between two things, especially when giving a reason for a preference, as in 'The second proposal is more cost-effective than the first, so we recommend moving forward with it.'
Identifying the Best or Worst in a Group: Use a superlative adjective when singling out one item from a set of three or more, such as in recommendations, reviews, or reports, as in 'This is the most efficient process we have tested across all three sites.'
Showing That Two Things Are Equal: Use the as...as structure when you want to highlight similarity rather than difference, which is common in persuasive writing and spoken reassurance, as in 'The online course is just as rigorous as the classroom version.'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Comparatives and Superlatives
1. Introduce the Forms with a Structured Worksheet: Start with the Comparatives and Superlatives Practice worksheet, which opens with a grammar reference section where students read how comparative and superlative adjectives are formed and write the irregular forms. Students then complete a table by writing the comparative and superlative forms of a set of adjectives. Next, they complete questions and answers by supplying the correct form of the adjective in brackets and adding their own truthful answers. After that, students create one comparative question and one superlative question of their own, answer both, and exchange those questions with a partner. The activity closes with a preference stage where students choose between two options and justify their choice using a comparative adjective.
2. Consolidate Word Order with a Ranking Quiz: Follow up with the Comparatives and Superlatives Quiz worksheet, where students rank sets of words according to a given adjective before writing comparative and superlative sentences about them. The task has to be correct on two levels at the same time: the ranking must be logical, and the grammar must be accurate. Checking answers together at the end of the quiz gives a clear read on which form rules still need reinforcement before moving on.
3. Build Fluency Under Competitive Pressure with a Board Game: Close the sequence with the Comparatives and Superlatives Board Game, which forces students to produce both forms quickly and accurately. When a player lands on a shaded square, they make a single comparative sentence. When a player lands on a white square, they must produce both a comparative and a superlative sentence using the adjective and three things shown. The group decides on correctness, and an incorrect sentence sends the player back two squares. The combination of immediate peer feedback and the penalty mechanic pushes students to self-monitor their form in real time.
Common Mistakes with Comparatives and Superlatives
Using 'More' with a One-Syllable Adjective: Students often add 'more' to short adjectives instead of applying the '-er' ending, producing a double comparative. One-syllable adjectives always take '-er' for the comparative and '-est' for the superlative; 'more' and 'most' are reserved for longer adjectives. Wrong: 'This road is more long than the other one.' Correct: 'This road is longer than the other one.'
Omitting 'Than' After a Comparative Adjective: Students frequently drop 'than' when completing a comparison, which leaves the sentence grammatically incomplete. Every comparative adjective that introduces a second element in the comparison requires 'than' to link the two parts. Wrong: 'The new model is faster the old one.' Correct: 'The new model is faster than the old one.'
Common Questions About Teaching Comparatives and Superlatives
What is a good game for practicing comparatives and superlatives?
Comparatives and superlatives games land well when grammar accuracy determines the score. In Comparative and Superlative Predictions, students complete questions with the correct comparative or superlative form, predict a partner's answers in writing, then ask and answer the questions aloud. Each correct prediction scores a point, so accurate form directly affects the result. This activity is available as a free download.
What is a fun card game for comparative and superlative sentences?
Comparatives and superlatives card games are most effective when sentence production is tied to winning cards. In Compare It, students flip two cards from the same category and compare the two words, for example 'A tiger is more dangerous than a mouse.' Two identical cards trigger a superlative sentence instead. Students who cannot produce a correct sentence or respond too slowly return the cards, and the student with the most cards wins.
What is an effective worksheet for practicing comparatives and superlatives?
Comparatives and superlatives worksheets cover the most ground when they combine reading with grammar production. In Comparative and Superlative Dogs, students read a data chart about four large dog breeds, then mark true or false statements and correct the false ones. They then complete gap-fill sentences and answer questions by writing their own comparative and superlative sentences based on the chart data.
What is a free speaking activity for comparatives and superlatives?
Comparatives and superlatives speaking activities work best when students have a personal stake in the outcome. In Order of Preference, students rank three items per question from most to least preferred, then discuss their rankings with a partner using comparative and superlative adjectives to explain their choices. Students finish by sharing one interesting preference from their partner with the class. This activity is available as a free download.
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