ACT English: Grammar Usage - Comparatives and Superlatives, More/Most, -er/-est, Irregular

What This Is and Why It Matters for the ACT

Comparatives and Superlatives: More/Most, -er/-est, Irregular is a crucial topic in the English section of the ACT. It appears on every English test and accounts for about 15% of the total score. This topic tests your understanding of how to form comparatives and superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, as well as your ability to identify errors in sentences.

Key Concepts (What You Must Know)

• Comparatives are used to compare two things, while superlatives are used to compare three or more things.
• More is used to form comparatives of adjectives and adverbs, while -er is used for one-syllable adjectives and -est is used for superlatives.
• Most is used to form superlatives of adjectives and adverbs.
• Irregular comparatives and superlatives, such as good (better, best) and far (farther, farthest), must be memorized.

Step-by-Step Strategy for This Topic

1. Read the sentence carefully: Identify the underlined portion and determine what type of error (comparative or superlative) is being tested.
2. Identify the error: Check for errors in the formation of comparatives and superlatives, such as using more instead of -er or -est.
3. Eliminate wrong answers: Look for sentences that are grammatically correct or have the same error as the underlined portion.
4. Check your work: Verify that your answer is grammatically correct and makes sense in context.
5. Time management tip: Spend about 1-2 minutes per question, depending on your reading speed and comfort with the topic.

How It's Tested on the ACT

In the English section, this topic is tested through sentence correction questions, where you must identify the error in a sentence and choose the correct correction. In the Reading section, you may encounter questions that test your understanding of comparative and superlative forms in context.

Common Mistakes & Exam Traps

• The mistake: Using more instead of -er or -est.
• Why it happens: Rushing or misreading the sentence.
• How to avoid it: Read the sentence carefully and identify the type of error being tested.
• Exam board insight: The ACT penalizes errors in comparative and superlative forms, so it's essential to get this topic right.
• The mistake: Using most instead of -er or -est.
• Why it happens: Misunderstanding the difference between more and most.
• How to avoid it: Make sure to use more for comparatives and most for superlatives.
• The mistake: Not recognizing irregular comparatives and superlatives.
• Why it happens: Not memorizing the irregular forms.
• How to avoid it: Make sure to memorize the irregular forms, such as good (better, best) and far (farther, farthest).

Practice Questions (3-5 questions)

Question 1: The teacher gave the students more homework than usual. A. The teacher gave the students more homework than usual. B. The teacher gave the students the most homework than usual. C. The teacher gave the students more homework than the usual. D. The teacher gave the students more homework than usual. E. The teacher gave the students the most homework than usual. Answer: D Explanation: The correct answer is D, as the sentence uses the comparative form more correctly.

Question 2: The new policy is the best policy. A. The new policy is the best policy. B. The new policy is better than the old policy. C. The new policy is the best policy. D. The new policy is good. E. The new policy is better. Answer: B Explanation: The correct answer is B, as the sentence uses the comparative form better correctly.

Question 3: The longest book I've ever read is the best. A. The longest book I've ever read is the best. B. The longest book I've ever read is the better. C. The longest book I've ever read is the most interesting. D. The longest book I've ever read is the best. E. The longest book I've ever read is the most interesting. Answer: C Explanation: The correct answer is C, as the sentence uses the superlative form most interesting correctly.

Quick Reference Card (60-Second Summary)

• Comparatives are used to compare two things.
• Superlatives are used to compare three or more things.
• More is used to form comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.
• -er is used for one-syllable adjectives and -est is used for superlatives.
• Most is used to form superlatives of adjectives and adverbs.
• Irregular comparatives and superlatives, such as good (better, best) and far (farther, farthest), must be memorized.

If You Get Stuck on Test Day

• What to do when you don't know the answer: Eliminate obviously incorrect answers and make an educated guess.
• Pacing strategy for this topic: Spend about 1-2 minutes per question, depending on your reading speed and comfort with the topic.
• When to skip and come back: If you're unsure of the answer, skip the question and come back to it later.

Related ACT Topics

• Subject-Verb Agreement: This topic tests your understanding of how to match subjects and verbs in sentences.
• Punctuation: This topic tests your understanding of how to use punctuation marks correctly in sentences.
• Parallel Structure: This topic tests your understanding of how to use parallel structure in sentences.