Adjectives are describing words. We can describe people, places and things.
Do you know lots of adjectives in English to describe your family and friends? In today’s blog post, we will see some useful adjectives to describe people, and learn how to compare people using comparatives and superlatives.
Comparatives
When comparing two nouns, we use a comparative adjective.
For short adjectives, add -er
Examples:
Jack is taller than Harry. (tall)
I am shorter than my sister. (short)
Katie is older than Mark. (old)
For short adjectives ending in -y, take off the -y and add -ier.
Examples:
Diego is healthier than Erica. (healthy)
My aunt is wealthier than my uncles. (wealthy)
Julian is much happier than his siblings. (happy)
For longer adjectives, use ‘more’ with the simple form of the adjective.
Examples:
My mum is more outgoing than my dad. (outgoing)
Carl is more intelligent than Jerry. (intelligent)
Richard is more generous than Stacey. He is always buying gifts. (generous)
Superlatives
If you want to talk about the top person in a group (such as ‘my family’, ‘my colleagues’ ‘my friends’), use a superlative adjective.
Superlatives always begin with ‘The’.
For short adjectives, add -est
Examples:
My grandma is the oldest person in my family. (old)
Michael is the strongest person on the team. (strong)
Lisa is the kindest of my cousins. (kind)
For short adjectives ending in -y, take off the -y and add -iest.
Examples:
I think my uncle is the funniest person in my family. (funny)
Charlie is the laziest person in the office. (lazy)
Carrie is the moodiest of my friends. (moody)
For longer adjectives, use ‘most’ with the simple form of the adjective.
Examples:
Esme is the most confident person on the team. (confident)
Edgar is the most handsome of the four brothers. (handsome)
My grandma is the most intelligent person in my family. (intelligent)
In the tables below, you will find some useful adjectives to describe people, and their comparative and superlative forms.
Adjectives to describe people (appearance)
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| Old | Older | The oldest |
| Young | Younger | The youngest |
| Short | Shorter | The shortest |
| Tall | Taller | The tallest |
| Athletic | More athletic | The most athletic |
| Smart | Smarter | The smartest |
| Scruffy | Scruffier | The scruffiest |
| Handsome | More handsome | The most handsome |
| Beautiful | More beautiful | The most beautiful |
| Pretty | Prettier | The prettiest |
Adjectives to describe people (personality)
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| Intelligent | More intelligent | The most intelligent |
| Brave | Braver | The bravest |
| Funny | Funnier | The funniest |
| Confident | More confident | The most confident |
| Shy | Shyer* | The shyest* |
| Chatty | Chattier | The chattiest |
| Talkative | More talkative | The most talkative |
| Outgoing | More outgoing | The most outgoing |
| Kind | Kinder | The kindest |
| Generous | More generous | The most generous |
| Serious | More serious | The most serious |
| Moody | Moodier | The moodiest |
| Lazy | Lazier | The laziest |
Practice
Want to practise using these comparative and superlative adjectives? Write a short paragraph describing the people in your family. Who is the oldest? The youngest? The most beautiful? The most intelligent? You can also learn more general comparative and superlative adjectives in our other blog post here.
Learn more online with Intrepid English
Do you want to improve your English vocabulary? Intrepid English Members can check out our vocabulary builder course, Vocabulary: People to learn lots more useful language to talk about the people in your lives! You may also love our Fast Grammar course for more information on comparatives and superlatives, extreme adjectives, and much, much more! Not an Intrepid English Member yet? Membership options start from just £49 a month and include one-to-one sessions with an Intrepid English Teacher, access to the Intrepid English Community, and full access to the Intrepid English Academy, our extensive online library of self-study courses on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, business skills, exam preparation, idioms, and much more. Let’s get started!
