Introduction
Adjectives describe nouns. SSC's most-tested adjective topic is degrees of comparison —
the positive, comparative, and superlative forms — along with a handful of commonly confused adjective
pairs.
Degrees of Comparison
| Degree | Use | Example |
|---|
| Positive | Simple quality, no comparison | tall, beautiful |
| Comparative | Comparing two things | taller, more beautiful |
| Superlative | Comparing three or more things (the highest degree) | tallest, most beautiful |
Formation Rules
| Adjective Type | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|
| One syllable | +er (tall → taller) | +est (tall → tallest) |
| Ends in -y (consonant + y) | y→ier (happy → happier) | y→iest (happy → happiest) |
| Two or more syllables | more + adjective | most + adjective |
| Irregular forms | good→better, bad→worse, far→farther/further | good→best, bad→worst, far→farthest/furthest |
⚠️ Common Trap — Double Comparatives: Never combine "more" with an -er ending, or "most" with an -est ending.
Q. Choose the correct sentence: (A) She is more taller than her sister. (B) She is taller than her sister.
"More" + "-er" is a double comparative error — use only one comparison marker
Correct: (B) She is taller than her sister.
Comparative Requires "Than"; Superlative Requires "The"
| Rule |
|---|
| Comparative degree is followed by "than" |
| Superlative degree is preceded by "the" |
Q. Choose the correct sentence: (A) He is tallest boy in the class. (B) He is the tallest boy in the class.
Superlative "tallest" requires "the" before it
Correct: (B) He is the tallest boy in the class.
Commonly Confused Adjective Pairs
| Word | Word | Difference |
|---|
| Elder | Older | "Elder" only for family members (elder brother); "older" for general comparisons |
| Farther | Further | "Farther" for physical distance; "further" for additional/abstract extent |
| Later | Latter | "Later" = time (afterwards); "latter" = the second of two things mentioned |
| Few | A few | "Few" = almost none (negative); "a few" = some, a small positive number |
| Little | A little | "Little" = almost none (negative); "a little" = some, a small positive amount |
Q. Fill in the blank to show a positive meaning: "I have ___ friends, so I'm not lonely."
Positive meaning (has some friends) needs "a few," not just "few" (which implies almost none)
Answer: a few
Order of Adjectives (Multiple Adjectives Before a Noun)
| Order |
|---|
| Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun |
Q. Arrange correctly: (beautiful / old / small / Italian) leather bag
Opinion(beautiful) → Size(small) → Age(old) → Origin(Italian) → Material(leather)
Correct: a beautiful small old Italian leather bag
✅ Practice Focus: Three degrees of comparison and their formation · Avoiding double comparatives (more+er / most+est) · Comparative-than / superlative-the pairing · Confused adjective pairs (elder/older, farther/further, few/a few).