PE-67: Comparatives and Superlatives
Bigger, biggest, more beautiful, the most beautiful — the rules, the spelling, the irregulars, and the double-comparative mistake.
PE-67: Comparatives and Superlatives
Uzbek compares things with one tidy suffix: kattaroq, and the best of all is eng katta. English has two systems and makes you choose between them based on how long the adjective is. Once you know where the border runs, the whole topic takes fifteen minutes.
In this lesson you will learn
- When to use -er / -est and when to use more / most
- The spelling changes: big → bigger, easy → easier
- The irregulars: good, bad, far
- How to make a comparison stronger, and the more better trap
1. Where the border runs
| Type of adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 syllable — tall, cheap | taller | the tallest |
| 1 syllable + e — nice, large | nicer | the nicest |
| vowel + consonant — big, hot | bigger | the biggest |
| 2 syllables ending -y — easy, happy | easier | the easiest |
| 2+ syllables — modern, careful | more modern | the most modern |
| 3+ syllables — interesting | more interesting | the most interesting |
Tashkent is bigger than Bukhara, but Bukhara is more beautiful — and Samarkand is the most famous city of all.
Toshkent Buxorodan kattaroq, lekin Buxoro chiroyliroq — Samarqand esa hammasidan mashhur.
2. The irregulars — learn these five
1good
better → the best
2bad
worse → the worst
3far
further / farther → the furthest
4many / much
more → the most
5little
less → the least
!Never double up
more better, the most best ✗
3. than and the
- Comparatives take than: She is taller than me.
- Superlatives take the: He is the tallest in the class.
- Superlative + in for places and groups: the best in the school.
- Superlative + of for a number of things: the best of the three.
Afsona is the best student in our class, and she is more hard-working than anybody I know.
Afsona sinfimizdagi eng yaxshi oʻquvchi va u men bilgan hamma odamdan tirishqoqroq.
4. Making a comparison stronger or weaker
Stronger
- much bigger · far better
- a lot cheaper · even colder
very bigger✗
Weaker
- a bit more expensive
- slightly taller
- a little older
Notice that very cannot strengthen a comparative — use much or far instead.
5. Comparing amounts: more, fewer, less
You can compare quantities as well as qualities. Here the countable / uncountable split from PE-2 comes back one more time.
Countable
- more books · fewer books
- I have fewer mistakes than last time.
Uncountable
- more time · less time
- I have less time than before.
This year we have fewer students but more classrooms, so there is less noise.
Bu yil oʻquvchilar kamroq, lekin sinfxonalar koʻproq, shuning uchun shovqin kamroq.
More works for both; only the "less" side splits into fewer / less.
6. Two elegant patterns
It's getting colder and colder. — The more you practise, the better you get.
Kundan kunga sovuqlashyapti. — Qancha koʻp mashq qilsangiz, shuncha yaxshi boʻlasiz.
Two comparatives joined by and = a growing change. The more…, the better… = two things rising together.
7. Common mistakes
My brother is more taller than me.
My brother is taller than me.
This film is more better.
This film is better.
She is the most intelligent girl of the class.
… the most intelligent girl in the class.
Bukhara is more old that Tashkent.
Bukhara is older than Tashkent.
This bag is very cheaper.
This bag is much cheaper.
Practice
1 Give both forms: hot · easy · expensive · good
Show answer
hotter / the hottest (double the t), easier / the easiest (y → i), more expensive / the most expensive, better / the best (irregular).
2 Correct it: Winter in Tashkent is more colder than in Termez.
Show answer
Winter in Tashkent is colder than in Termez.
Cold is one syllable, so it takes -er alone — never with more.
3 in or of: He is the tallest boy ___ the team, and the tallest ___ all my cousins.
Show answer
in the team … of all my cousins. Groups and places take in; a set of individuals takes of.
4 Complete the pattern: ___ you sleep, ___ you feel. (more / better)
Show answer
The more you sleep, the better you feel.
The is needed in both halves.
5 Compare two cities you know, using one comparative and one superlative.
Show answer
Model: Samarkand is older than Tashkent, but Tashkent is the biggest city in Uzbekistan.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Comparativeorttirma daraja (qiyosiy)
- Superlativeeng yuqori daraja
- Syllableboʻgʻin
- Irregularqoidasiz
- Than...dan (qiyoslashda)
- Slightlybir oz
- Even (colder)hatto, yanada
- Hard-workingtirishqoq
- Expensiveqimmat
- Cheaparzon
🎯 Remember this
- Short adjectives: -er / the -est. Long adjectives: more / the most.
- Spelling: double the consonant (bigger), y → i (easier).
- Irregulars: good–better–best, bad–worse–worst, far–further–furthest.
- Never both:
more better,the most tallest. - Strengthen with much / far / even — not very.