Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Comparison | 761

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IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES (BAD, GOOD, ILL, WELL)

464

Some very frequent adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Examples of the comparative and superlative of irregular adjectives

adjective

comparative

superlative

good

better

best

well

better

best

bad

worse

worst

ill

worse

worst

old

older/elder

oldest/eldest

far

farther/further

farthest/furthest

little

smaller

smallest/littlest

The weather in Scotland was 

better than we thought.

Compared with the other teams in the division, they have had the 

worst results.

He was ill last week; this week he is 

worse.

The same applies to the use of these words in compound adjectives:

It’s always advisable to book with the 

best-known company.

Don’t you think she is 

better-looking than her sister?

That was one of the 

worst-organised trips I’ve ever been on.

✪

Older/elder; farther/further 

Note that when talking about members of a family, elder/eldest may be used. In

other contexts older/oldest are used:

Janet is my 

elder sister but Mary is the eldest.

Their 

eldest daughter has just won a swimming scholarship to an American

university. 

(preferred to: Their oldest daughter …)

The cathedral is the 

oldest in Northern Europe.

(The cathedral is the eldest in Northern Europe.)

Elder

may not be used with than:

My sister’s 

older than me.

(My sister’s elder than me.)

There is no difference in meaning between farther and further when both refer

to distances. However, only further is used when the meaning is ‘extra’ or

‘additional’: 

I just can’t walk any 

farther.

The 

furthest road is sometimes the best road to take. 

For 

further information, see your Weekend magazine supplement this

Saturday.

(For farther information see …)

762 | Comparison

Cambridge Grammar of English

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COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS

465

Short adverbs normally have comparative and superlative forms with -er and -est.

The most common examples are: early, fast, hard, high, late, long, loud, low, near,

soon

:

Isn’t it possible for them to come 

earlier?

Who jumped 

highest in last year’s Olympics?

They said they couldn’t finish the job 

sooner than midday.

Adverbs with two or more syllables form the comparative and superlative with

more

and most:

This book explains things a bit 

more comprehensively than the other one.

The new hotel is the 

most elegantly designed building in the city.

The adverbs well and badly have the same comparative and superlative forms as

the adjectives good (better, best) and bad (worse, worst):

The whole team excelled themselves but Jane performed 

better than I expected.

We all sang badly but I sang 

worst of all.