Comparative adjectives

Use of comparative adjectives

Use 1

We use comparative adjectives to compare 2 or more things, people or places.
We use “than” after the comparative adjective to say what we are comparing something with.

Example:
The cat is smaller than the dog.

Use 2

We also use comparative adjectives to compare 1 thing, person or place at different times.
We use “than” after the comparative adjective to say what time period we are comparing something with.

Example:
Jane is more active than last year.

Form of comparative adjectives

The form of comparative adjectives depends on the number of syllables of the adjective itself. See the grammar rules below with example sentences.

One-syllable adjectives

For most one-syllable adjectives:

We add -er

Adjective	Comparative adjective
hard	harder
tall	taller
short	shorter
small	smaller

When we use a personal pronoun after a comparative, we use an object personal pronoun. (me, you, her, him, it, us, them)

Example:

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Mr Jones is taller than me.

For one-syllable adjectives ending in “e”:

We add -r

Adjective	Comparative adjective
fine	finer
nice	nicer
rare	rarer

Example:

Gold is rarer than silver.

For one-syllable adjectives ending in a consonant, vowel and consonant:

We double the last consonant and add -er

Adjective	Comparative adjective
big	bigger
fat	fatter
hot	hotter
thin	thinner

Example:

The weather in Spain is hotter than in England.

We usually omit the second preposition “in” before “England” to avoid repetition:

The weather in Spain is hotter than England.

Two-syllable adjectives

For most two-syllable adjectives:

We use “more” + adjective

Adjective	Comparative adjective
careful	more careful
famous	more famous
peaceful	more peaceful
pleasant	more pleasant
useful	more useful

Example:
I lost my keys yesterday. I need to be more careful.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in “y”:

We change the “y” to “i” and add -er

Adjective	Comparative adjective
busy	busier
easy	easier
funny	funnier
happy	happier

Example:
Jane is feeling happier than yesterday.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in “er”, “le” or “ow”:

We usually add -er

Adjective	Comparative adjective
clever	cleverer
gentle	gentler
narrow	narrower

Example:
Mark is cleverer than the other students.

Longer adjectives

Adjectives with three or more syllables:

We always use “more” + adjective

Adjective	Comparative adjective
complicated	more complicated
enjoyable	more enjoyable
interesting	more interesting

Example:
Jane thinks that skiing is more enjoyable than studying.

Irregular comparative adjectives

Some comparative adjectives are irregular:

Adjective	Comparative adjective
bad	worse
far	further or farther
good	better
old	older or elder

Examples:
I think that Messi is a better football player than Ronaldo.
He had lots of energy. He ran further than Mark.
My sister is older than me.
Louise is my elder sister.