Degrees of Comparison

October 20, 2025

GRAMMAR. DEGREES OF COMPARISON

(Gramatika. Būdvardžių laipsniavimas)

Būdvardžiai anglų kalboje nekeičiami nei giminėmis, nei skaičiais, nei linksniais.
Jų forma kinta tik laipsniuojant.
Būdvardžiai turi tris laipsnius:

  1. Positive degree – nelyginamasis
  2. Comparative degree – aukštesnysis
  3. Superlative degree – aukščiausiasis

Positive Degree

Just names a quality without comparing it.

Comparative Degree

Shows that one of two things has a greater degree of the quality.

Superlative Degree

Shows that one of three or more things has the greatest degree of the quality.


One-syllable adjectives

Add the endings:

  • -er (comparative)
  • -est (superlative)

Use the before the superlative form.

Positive Comparative Superlative Vertimas
long longer the longest ilgas – ilgesnis – ilgiausias

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, -ow, -le, -er

Positive Comparative Superlative Vertimas
clever cleverer the cleverest protingas – protingesnis – protingiausias
happy happier the happiest laimingas – laimingesnis – laimingiausias
narrow narrower the narrowest siauras – siauresnis – siauriausias
simple simpler the simplest paprastas – paprastesnis – paprasčiausias

Multi-syllable adjectives

Use more and the most:

Positive Comparative Superlative Vertimas
difficult more difficult the most difficult sunkus – sunkesnis – sunkiausias

Spelling rules

  1. Double the final consonant after a short vowel:

    • hot → hotter → the hottest
    • thin → thinner → the thinnest
  2. Change y to i after a consonant:

    • dry → drier → the driest
  3. Drop final -e before adding endings:

    • nice → nicer → the nicest

CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

Christmas, the twenty-fifth of December, is a national holiday in England.
A great Christmas tree stands in Trafalgar Square. It is a gift from Norway.
People decorate it with lamps, tinsel, balloons, and toys.

At midnight, when Big Ben begins to strike, people hold hands and sing Auld Lang Syne.
They send cards, buy presents, and wait for Santa Claus.


Vocabulary

English IPA Lietuviškai
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ Kalėdos
holiday /ˈhɒlədeɪ/ šventė
Trafalgar Square /trəˈfælɡə skweə/ Trafalgaro aikštė
present /ˈpreznt/ dovana
decorate /ˈdekəreɪt/ puošti
tinsel /ˈtɪnsl/ blizgučiai
balloon /bəˈluːn/ balionas
Big Ben Didysis Benas
strike /straɪk/ mušti (valandas)
join /dʒɔɪn/ su(si)jungti
Auld Lang Syne /ˌɔːld ˌlæŋ ˈsaɪn/ seniai praėję metai
acquaintance /əˈkweɪntəns/ pažintis
kindness /ˈkaɪndnəs/ gerumas
trusty /ˈtrʌsti/ ištikimas

Exercises

Exercise 1Fill in the blanks

Complete with the correct form of the adjective:

  1. My house is ___ (big) than yours.
  2. This exercise is ___ (easy) than the last one.
  3. Today is the ___ (hot) day of the year.
  4. This test is ___ (difficult) than I expected.
  5. Tom is the ___ (clever) student in our class.

Exercise 2Choose the correct form

Choose the correct answer.

  1. This book is (more interesting / interestinger) than that one.
  2. My car is (fast / faster / fastest) than yours.
  3. It’s the (most cold / coldest / colder) winter ever.
  4. She is (happyer / happier / more happy) now.
  5. Which river is (long / longer / the longest)?

Exercise 3Complete with 'more' or 'the most'

Fill in the blanks with more or the most.

  1. This job is ___ difficult than that one.
  2. She is ___ beautiful girl in the group.
  3. London is ___ expensive than Manchester.
  4. This topic is ___ important in the lesson.
  5. Reading is ___ interesting than watching TV.

Exercise 4Correct the mistakes

Each sentence has a mistake. Write the correct version.

  1. My bag is more big than yours.
  2. This is the most shortest way home.
  3. He is beautifuller than his brother.
  4. Today is more cold than yesterday.
  5. This book is interestinger.

Exercise 5True or False

Mark True (T) or False (F):

  1. The comparative of "happy" is "more happy".
  2. The superlative of "long" is "the longest".
  3. "More beautiful" is correct.
  4. The word "cleverer" exists in English.
  5. We always use "the" before superlatives.

Exercise 6Match columns

Match the adjectives with their correct comparative and superlative forms.

Positive Comparative Superlative
good ? ?
bad ? ?
far ? ?
old ? ?
happy ? ?

Exercise 7Translate to English

Translate into English using degrees of comparison.

  1. Mano kambarys yra didesnis.
  2. Tai buvo sunkiausia pamoka.
  3. Šiandien oras šiltesnis.
  4. Londonas yra didesnis už Vilnių.
  5. Tai buvo pati gražiausia eglutė.

Exercise 8Describe Christmas in London

Write 5 sentences about Christmas in London using adjectives and their degrees of comparison.

Example:
The Christmas tree in London is bigger than the one in my town.

Exercise 9Fill in adjectives

Fill in the missing adjectives:

  1. Trafalgar Square is one of the ___ places in London.
  2. December is usually ___ than November.
  3. The lights are ___ this year than last year.
  4. Santa is the ___ guest for children.
  5. Christmas cards are getting ___ popular every year.

Exercise 10Write comparisons

Write five comparison sentences of your own.

Example:

  • My dog is faster than my cat.
  • This year is better than the last one.