A comparative adjective compares two nouns. A superlative adjective compares three or more nouns.
We add the letters -er to an adjective to make it comparative. We add -est to an adjective to make it superlative.
That dog is big. A lion is bigger than the dog. An elephant is the biggest of all.
Dad is old. Grandpa is older. Great-grandpa is the oldest in our family.
Here are more examples of comparative and superlative adjectives:
This bike trail is longer than the one by school, but the longest trail of all is in the next town.
My dad is wiser than my uncles, but my grandpa is the wisest person in our family.
Jim is taller than me, but Bob is the tallest player on our team.
I ran farther than my sister, but my brother ran the farthest of any of us.
We use a superlative adjective to compare three or more nouns. Add -est to an adjective to make it superlative.
▶It’s your turn. Put the correct superlative adjective into the blank. Jack climbed higher than Bill. Sam climbed the ____ of all the boys. Did you figure out how to make a superlative adjective for the second sentence? Good for you!