er...est endings question

Hello. Is there a rule for such words as clever or sober (ending in er) when they are used in the comparative or superlative (?) sense, such as "cleverer" and "cleverest", or does "more clever" and "most clever" work?

[rancher247]

Hi Irome and welcome to the forums!
I think it depends on the number of syllables in the adjective.
I found the following websites that might help you:
Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
1.4d - Comparative and Superlative
Grammar Study and Practice: Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
English grammar lesson - Comparatives
You could also google "Forming the Comparative and Superlative" english for more websites.
Hope this helps!

[Tdol]

It's a bit of a mess; grammars will often say that two-syllable adjectives ending in -er take -er/-est, but usage is often different. In the case of 'clever', though I would say that cleverer/cleverest would be advisable.