Comparative adjectives
450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten
Short words take -er. Longer words take more. The dividing line is about two syllables.
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Getting your first question ready.
The syllable rule
- one syllable → -er: fast → faster, cold → colder
- two syllables ending in -y → -ier: easy → easier, dizzy → dizzier
- everything longer → more: more careful, more expensive, more interesting
A handful of two-syllable adjectives take either: clever, gentle, narrow, simple, quiet. Both gentler and more gentle are correct.
than, not that
The comparison always uses than:
This one is heavier than that one.
Than that is fine when that is the thing you are comparing with; more cheap that is simply a spelling slip for than.
Making the comparison stronger or weaker
- much bigger, far better, a lot cheaper — a large difference
- a bit colder, slightly longer, a little more expensive — a small one
Note that very does not work here. Very bigger is wrong; say much bigger.
as … as
For things that are equal:
This one is as good as that one. It isn’t as expensive as I expected.
The more, the more
A fixed pattern for two things that rise together:
The sooner you start, the easier it gets.
All forms
| Adjective | Rule | Comparative |
|---|---|---|
| one syllable | + er | tall → taller |
| one syllable, silent -e | + r | large → larger |
| short vowel + consonant | double + er | big → bigger |
| two syllables ending -y | -y → -ier | happy → happier |
| two or more syllables | more | more useful |
| irregular | learn it | good → better, bad → worse |
Examples
Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- fast - faster
- busy - busier
- intelligent - more intelligent
- happy - happier
- careful - more careful
- interesting - more interesting
- slow - slower
- poor - poorer
- funny - funnier
- pretty - prettier
- healthy - healthier
- noisy - noisier
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: This is more better. correct: This is better.
Better is already comparative. Never combine more with an -er form.
Wrong: She is more tall than me. correct: She is taller than me.
Tall has one syllable, so it takes -er.
Wrong: It is more cheap that the other. correct: It is cheaper than the other.
Cheap takes -er, and the comparison word is than, not that.