Editing English grammar (section)

====Comparison====
Many adjectives have [[comparative]] and [[superlative]] forms in ''-er'' and ''-est'',<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p309>{{Harvnb|Carter|McCarthy|2006|p=309}}</ref> such as ''faster'' and ''fastest'' (from the positive form ''fast''). Spelling rules which maintain pronunciation apply to suffixing adjectives just as they do for similar treatment of [[English verbs#Past tense|regular past tense formation]]; these cover consonant doubling (as in ''bigger'' and ''biggest'', from ''big'') and the change of ''y'' to ''i'' after consonants (as in ''happier'' and ''happiest'', from ''happy'').

The adjectives ''good'' and ''bad'' have the irregular forms ''better, best'' and ''worse, worst''; also ''far'' becomes ''farther, farthest'' or ''further, furthest''. The adjective ''old'' (for which the regular ''older'' and ''oldest'' are usual) also has the irregular forms ''elder'' and ''eldest'', these generally being restricted to use in comparing [[sibling]]s and in certain independent uses. For the comparison of adverbs, see [[#Adverbs|Adverbs]] below.

Many adjectives, however, particularly those that are longer and less common, do not have inflected comparative and superlative forms. Instead, they can be qualified with ''more'' and ''most'', as in ''beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful'' (this construction is also sometimes used even for adjectives for which inflected forms do exist).

Certain adjectives are classed as [[ungradable adjective|ungradable]].<ref name="carter-mccarthy-p309"/> These represent properties that cannot be compared on a scale; they simply apply or do not, as with ''pregnant'', ''dead'', ''unique''. Consequently, comparative and superlative forms of such adjectives are not normally used, except in a figurative, humorous or imprecise context. Similarly, such adjectives are not normally qualified with modifiers of degree such as ''very'' and ''fairly'', although with some of them it is idiomatic to use adverbs such as ''completely''. Another type of adjective sometimes considered ungradable is those that represent an extreme degree of some property, such as ''delicious'' and ''terrified''.