Episode 21 — 비교급과 최상급: 더하고 빼는 영어의 방식

MisoEnglish Grammar Series

Episode 21 — 비교급과 최상급

더하고 빼는 영어의 방식

"문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" Don't memorize grammar. Feel it.

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🧭 들어가며 | Introduction

"더 크다", "가장 크다" — 영어는 이것을 형용사와 부사의 형태 변화로 표현한다.

"Bigger", "the biggest" — English expresses degree by changing the form of adjectives and adverbs.

비교급(Comparative)은 둘을 비교할 때, 최상급(Superlative)은 셋 이상 중 가장 ~할 때 쓴다.

Comparative = comparing two things. Superlative = the extreme among three or more.

단순해 보이지만, 어떤 형태를 쓰느냐와 불규칙 변화에서 많은 학습자들이 막힌다. 이번 편에서 완전히 정리한다.

It sounds simple — but which form to use and irregular changes trip up many learners. This episode settles it all.

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1. 비교급과 최상급 만들기 | Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

① 짧은 형용사/부사 (1~2음절) | Short Adjectives/Adverbs (1–2 syllables)

-er / -est를 붙인다.

Add -er / -est.

원급 비교급 최상급

tall	taller	the tallest
fast	faster	the fastest
old	older	the oldest
young	younger	the youngest
smart	smarter	the smartest

철자 규칙 | Spelling Rules:

• -e로 끝나면: large → larger / largest
• 자음+모음+자음이면: big → bigger / biggest
• 자음+-y이면: happy → happier / happiest

② 긴 형용사/부사 (3음절 이상) | Long Adjectives/Adverbs (3+ syllables)

more / most를 앞에 붙인다.

Add more / most before the adjective.

원급 비교급 최상급

beautiful	more beautiful	the most beautiful
interesting	more interesting	the most interesting
expensive	more expensive	the most expensive
carefully	more carefully	the most carefully
important	more important	the most important

③ 불규칙 변화 | Irregular Forms

완전히 외워야 한다. 이것들은 패턴이 없다.

These must be memorized. No pattern here.

원급 비교급 최상급

good / well	better	the best
bad / badly	worse	the worst
many / much	more	the most
little	less	the least
far	farther / further	the farthest / furthest
old	older / elder	the oldest / eldest

She is a better cook than I am.
그녀는 나보다 요리를 더 잘한다.
This is the worst movie I've ever seen.
이것은 내가 본 것 중 최악의 영화다.
I need more time.
나는 시간이 더 필요하다.

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2. 비교급 문장 만들기 | Building Comparative Sentences

기본 구조 | Basic Structure

A + be동사 + 비교급 + than + B
A is + comparative + than + B

She is taller than him.
그녀는 그보다 키가 크다.
This book is more interesting than that one.
이 책이 저것보다 더 흥미롭다.
He runs faster than I do.
그는 나보다 빠르게 달린다.
Today is worse than yesterday.
오늘은 어제보다 더 나쁘다.

than 뒤의 형태 | After "than"

She is taller than I (am).
✅ ← 격식체 She is taller than me.
✅ ← 구어체, 둘 다 맞음

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3. 최상급 문장 만들기 | Building Superlative Sentences

기본 구조 | Basic Structure

the + 최상급 + (명사) + in/of + 범위
the + superlative + (noun) + in/of + group

She is the tallest student in the class.
그녀는 반에서 가장 키가 큰 학생이다.

This is the most expensive restaurant in the city.
이것은 도시에서 가장 비싼 식당이다.

He is the best player on the team.
그는 팀에서 가장 훌륭한 선수다.

It was the worst day of my life.
그것은 내 인생에서 최악의 날이었다.

in vs of:

in + 장소/그룹: the best in the class / in the world
of + 복수명사/기간: the best of all / of my life

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4. 비교 표현의 다양한 패턴 | Various Comparison Patterns

① as ~ as — 동등 비교 | Equal Comparison

두 가지가 같은 정도임을 표현. Expressing that two things are equally.

as + 원급 + as

She is as tall as her sister.
그녀는 언니만큼 키가 크다.
He runs as fast as a cheetah.
그는 치타만큼 빠르게 달린다.
This is as good as I expected.
이것은 내가 기대했던 것만큼 좋다.

부정 동등 비교 | Negative Equal Comparison

She is not as tall as her sister.
그녀는 언니만큼 키가 크지 않다.
= She is shorter than her sister.

② 비교급 + and + 비교급 — 점점 더 | Getting More and More

It's getting colder and colder.
점점 더 추워지고 있다.
She became more and more confident.
그녀는 점점 더 자신감 있어졌다.
The problem grew worse and worse.
문제는 점점 더 나빠졌다.

③ the + 비교급, the + 비교급 — ~할수록 더 | The More... The More...

The harder you work, the more you earn.
더 열심히 일할수록, 더 많이 번다.

The more you practice, the better you get.
더 많이 연습할수록, 더 나아진다.

The older I get, the wiser I become.
나이가 들수록, 더 현명해진다.

④ much / far / even / a lot + 비교급 — 훨씬 더 | Much More

비교급을 강조할 때. To emphasize a comparative.

She is much taller than him.
그녀는 그보다 훨씬 키가 크다.
This is far more expensive.
이것은 훨씬 더 비싸다.
He is even better than before.
그는 전보다 훨씬 더 낫다.
Today is a lot worse than yesterday.
오늘은 어제보다 훨씬 더 나쁘다.

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5. 주의해야 할 포인트들 | Points to Watch Out For

① 이중 비교급 금지 | No Double Comparatives

~~more faster~~ ❌ → faster ✅
~~more better~~ ❌ → better ✅
~~more taller~~ ❌ → taller ✅

-er과 more를 동시에 쓰면 안 된다.

Never use -er and more at the same time.

② elder vs older | 어른 vs 나이 든

my elder brother 내 형/오빠 (가족 관계에서)
He is older than me. 그는 나보다 나이가 많다. (일반 비교)

elder는 가족 관계에서 나이 순서를 말할 때만 쓴다.

"Elder" is used only for family birth order.

③ farther vs further | 거리 vs 정도

The store is farther than I thought.
가게는 내가 생각했던 것보다 더 멀다. (물리적 거리)
We need to discuss this further.
우리는 이것을 더 논의해야 한다. (정도, 추가)

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6. 비교 표현 총정리 | Complete Comparison Map

표현 의미 예문

비교급 + than	~보다 더	taller than
as ~ as	~만큼	as tall as
not as ~ as	~만큼 ~하지 않다	not as tall as
the + 최상급	가장 ~	the tallest
비교급 and 비교급	점점 더	taller and taller
the 비교급, the 비교급	~할수록 더	the taller, the better
much/far/even + 비교급	훨씬 더	much taller

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🎉 Level 3 완료! | Level 3 Complete!

Episode 15부터 21까지, 명사·관사·전치사·형용사·부사의 세계를 완성했다.

From Episode 15 to 21, we've completed the world of nouns, articles, prepositions, adjectives, and adverbs.

편 주제

15	관사 a와 the — 새 정보와 아는 정보를 나누는 기준
16	셀 수 있는 명사 vs 셀 수 없는 명사
17	전치사 in·on·at — 공간과 시간을 느끼는 법
18	전치사 심화 — 규칙이 아니라 이미지로
19	형용사 — 명사를 살아있게 만드는 법
20	부사 — 동사와 문장 전체를 조율하는 법
21	비교급과 최상급 — 더하고 빼는 영어의 방식

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🔜 다음 레벨 예고 | Coming Up: Level 4

Level 4 — 문장을 확장하는 법 (Episodes 22–28)

단문에서 복문으로. 조동사, 수동태, to부정사, 동명사, 관계사, 접속사, 가정법 — 영어 표현의 폭을 완전히 넓히는 마지막 레벨이다.

From simple to complex. Modal verbs, passive voice, infinitives, gerunds, relative clauses, conjunctions, conditionals — the final level that fully expands your English expression.

Episode 22 — 조동사 : can·will·must·should가 만드는 뉘앙스 Modal Verbs: The Nuance Behind can, will, must, and should

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 3 — Episode 21 "문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" | "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Comparatives and Superlatives: How English Adds and Subtracts

The Complete System of Comparison — Forms, Patterns, and Irregular Forms

MisoEnglish Grammar Series — Episode 21

"Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Introduction

"Bigger." "The biggest." "As big as." "The bigger, the better."

English has a full system for expressing degree and comparison — and it's more varied than most learners realize. This episode maps it out completely: how to form comparatives and superlatives, how to use them in sentences, and the patterns that make comparisons vivid and precise.

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1. Forming Comparatives and Superlatives

Short adjectives/adverbs (1–2 syllables) → -er / -est

Base Comparative Superlative

tall	taller	the tallest
fast	faster	the fastest
old	older	the oldest
smart	smarter	the smartest

Spelling rules:

• Ends in -e: large → larger / largest
• Consonant + vowel + consonant: big → bigger / biggest
• Consonant + y: happy → happier / happiest

Long adjectives/adverbs (3+ syllables) → more / most

Base Comparative Superlative

beautiful	more beautiful	the most beautiful
interesting	more interesting	the most interesting
expensive	more expensive	the most expensive
carefully	more carefully	the most carefully

Irregular forms — memorize these

Base Comparative Superlative

good / well	better	the best
bad / badly	worse	the worst
many / much	more	the most
little	less	the least
far	farther / further	the farthest / furthest

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2. Comparative Sentences

A + be verb + comparative + than + B

She is taller than him.
This book is more interesting than that one.
He runs faster than I do.
Today is worse than yesterday.

After "than": both subject and object pronouns are acceptable in modern English.

She is taller than I (am). (formal)
She is taller than me. (informal — both correct)

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3. Superlative Sentences

the + superlative + (noun) + in/of + group

She is the tallest student in the class.
This is the most expensive restaurant in the city.
It was the worst day of my life.

in + place/group: the best in the class / in the world

of + plural noun/period: the best of all / of my life

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4. Comparison Patterns

as ~ as — equal comparison

She is as tall as her sister.
He runs as fast as a cheetah.
This is as good as I expected.

Negative:

She is not as tall as her sister.
= She is shorter than her sister.

Comparative + and + comparative — getting more and more

It's getting colder and colder.
She became more and more confident.
The problem grew worse and worse.

The + comparative, the + comparative — the more... the more...

The harder you work, the more you earn.
The more you practice, the better you get.
The older I get, the wiser I become.

much / far / even / a lot + comparative — emphasizing degree

She is much taller than him.
This is far more expensive.
He is even better than before.
Today is a lot worse than yesterday.

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5. Points to Watch Out For

No double comparatives

~~more faster~~ ❌ → faster ✅
~~more better~~ ❌ → better ✅

Never combine -er and more.

elder vs. older

my elder brother (family birth order only)
He is older than me. (general age comparison)

farther vs. further

The store is farther than I thought. (physical distance)
We need to discuss this further. (degree, extent, additional)

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6. Complete Comparison Map

Pattern Meaning Example

comparative + than	more than	taller than
as ~ as	equal to	as tall as
not as ~ as	less than	not as tall as
the + superlative	most	the tallest
comp. and comp.	increasingly	taller and taller
the comp., the comp.	the more... the more	the taller, the better
much/far/even + comp.	much more	much taller

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🎉 Level 3 Complete!

Episode Topic

15	Articles a and the — new vs. known information
16	Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns
17	Prepositions in / on / at
18	Prepositions in Depth
19	Adjectives — position, order, and usage
20	Adverbs — types, position, and tricky pairs
21	Comparatives and Superlatives

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Coming Up: Level 4 — Expanding the Sentence

From simple to complex. Modal verbs, passive voice, infinitives, gerunds, relative clauses, conjunctions, conditionals — the final level that unlocks the full range of English expression.

Episode 22 — Modal Verbs: The Nuance Behind can, will, must, and should

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 3 — Episode 21 "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

 

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