Level Three
Lesson 39
comparative adjectives
Comparative adjectives reveal differences between two nouns that represent a person, a place, or a thing.
- Pamela is faster than Renee. (comparing two people)
- The northern part of the country is cooler than the southern part. (comparing two places)
- Swimming in a lake is more fun than mowing the grass. (comparing two things–two activities)
Comparing shows differences.
39a. using "er" 
Use “er” with adjectives that are one syllable. You can also use “er” for adjectives that are two syllables but end in “y.” The word “than” follows the adjective.
(be) _________er + than
- Earth is older than the moon. (old → older: The word “old” has one syllable.)
- Bananas are cheaper than oranges. (cheap → cheaper)
- It’s hotter this summer than last summer. (*hot →hotter)
- Airplanes are noisier than hot air balloons. (noisy → noisier)
- She’s happier now than before. (happy → happier)
Spelling rules: 1. When a one-syllable word ends with a single consonant letter, double the letter in the comparative form: hotter, bigger, wetter.
2. When a word ends in “y,” change the “y” to an “i.”: happier, busier, luckier, crazier, spicier, etc.
39a. Examples
- The ice cream cone on the left is bigger than the ice cream cone on the right.
- They’re happier with their current jobs than their previous jobs.
39b. using "more"
Use “more” with adjectives that have two or more syllables. In this case, don’t add “er” to the adjective. The word “than” follows the adjective.
(be) more ___________ than
- Oliver is more comfortable at home than at work.
- It’s more humid in the summer than in the winter.
- A police officer’s job is more dangerous than a teacher’s job.
- It’s more important to be smart than lucky.
- She feels more tired in the afternoon than in the morning. (The word “tired” has two syllables, but you might hear some people say “tireder.”
- That hotel rooms looks more comfortable on the internet than in person.
- It’s more and more clear to me that this is a good idea. (Some one-syllable adjectives might sound better with “more” instead of “er” if they end in an “r” sound. In this case, some people find the word “clearer” difficult to pronounce.)
39b. Examples
- An alligator is more dangerous than a frog.
- A frog less dangerous than an alligator. (Use “less” when the comparative form needs to show a decrease.)
- Pancakes are more *caloric than a bowl of cereal.
- A bowl of cereal is less caloric than a stack of pancakes.
*caloric = full of calories
39c. irregular comparative adjectives
Some adjectives break the rules in the way they are formed as comparatives.
irregular adjectives
good → better
bad → worse
far → farther
fun → more fun
Some decisions for the comparative are based on common usage or sound. A one-syllable adjective such as “clear,” for example, might be more clear simply because it’s easier to say than “clearer.”
39c. Examples
- He feels much better today than yesterday. (The adjective is “good.”)
- He felt worse yesterday. (The adjective is “bad.”)
- It’s more fun to ride on a conference bike than on a regular bike.
comparative adjectives (PDF)
Comparative Adjectives
Part A. Directions: Use the adjectives provided to form comparative adjectives. Don’t forget to use “than” when necessary.
1. Joey’s handwriting is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mine. (neat)
2. Thanks to the support from his family, he can lead a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ life. (good)
3. They feel _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the country _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the city. (safe)
4. Is the restaurant _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on Fridays or Saturdays? (busy)
5. This route is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the one we usually take. (short)
6. She’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ her daughter. (patient)
7. It’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ today _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ yesterday. (cool)
8. The water is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ here _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ over there. (deep)
9. The air traffic is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ now _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it has ever been. (noisy)
10. This job is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I thought it would be. (challenging)
Part B. Directions: End each sentence with the comparative adjective.
1. Between the two boys, who is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _? (tall)
2. Compared to our previous apartment, this one is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. (big)
3. I’ve never seen a fireworks display that was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (spectacular)
4. Of the two refrigerators, this one is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. (efficient)
5. After two days of illness, today he actually feels _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. (bad)
6. Between the two players, Jose is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (experience)
7. I didn’t buy that other shirt because this one is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (cheap)
8. Compared to yesterday, today is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. (humid)
9. Which of these two peppers is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _? (hot)
10. They moved from New York to Iowa because it’s _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. (affordable)
In Lesson Forty, you will learn about superlative adjectives.