Is it 'more bigger' or 'bigger'?

It's 'bigger'. Don't combine 'more' with '-er', and don't say 'the most easiest' — use 'the easiest'.

Is it 'older that me' or 'older than me'?

It's 'older than me'. Comparatives are followed by 'than', not 'that'.

Do you need 'the' before a superlative?

Yes. Say 'the biggest city in the country', not 'biggest city'. Superlatives take 'the'.

Grammar Level A2

Comparatives and Superlatives

How to compare in English: -er and more for comparatives, the -est and most for superlatives, irregular forms, the common mistakes, and a quick exercise.

compare two · or top them all

To compare two things, use a comparative (bigger, more useful) with than. To pick the top of a group, use a superlative (the biggest, the most useful) with the. The main thing to learn is which form a word usually takes — and that depends on length, ending, and a few common exceptions.

Short vs long adjectives

One-syllable adjectives usually take -er / -est. Longer adjectives usually take more / the most. Two-syllable adjectives vary: words ending in -y usually become -ier / -iest, and some common two-syllable adjectives can use either form.

cheap → cheaper → the cheapest
expensive → more expensive → the most expensive
happy → happier → the happiest
simple → simpler / more simple → the simplest / most simple

Watch the spelling when you add -er / -est:

big → bigger (double the consonant) · nice → nicer (just add -r) · happy → happier (-y → -ier)

Irregular forms

A few common adjectives don't follow the rules — learn them as they are.

good → better → the best · bad → worse → the worst · far → farther/further → the farthest/furthest

than, the, and (not) as … as

Comparative + than: She's taller than me.
Superlative + the: It's the best day.
Equal: as … as: He's as tall as his brother / not as expensive as I thought.

Common mistakes

Doubling up — "more" + "-er".

✕more bigger · the most easiest
✓bigger · the easiest

"that" instead of "than".

✕She's older that me.
✓She's older than me.

Dropping "the" before a superlative. "This is biggest city in the country" → This is the biggest city in the country.

Quick exercise

Write the comparative or superlative.

This bag is ___ (cheap) than that one.
It's the ___ (good) film I've ever seen.
Today is ___ (hot) than yesterday.
She's the ___ (intelligent) person in the team.
My new phone is ___ (bad) than my old one.

Answer key

cheaper
the best (irregular)
hotter (double the t)
the most intelligent (long adjective)
worse (irregular)

Practice this in Recursio

Comparing is everywhere in real English — and the spelling rules, two-syllable forms, and irregulars are easy to slip on. Recursio's AI Coach drills comparatives and superlatives in natural sentences and the Daily Mixed Review keeps "better", "the best" and "more expensive" coming back until they're automatic.

Practice grammar in Recursio → · Free to start, on iOS and Android.