Comparatives
We use comparative adjectives to compare two people, things, or groups.
There are three groups of adjectives:
Examples:
tall + er
taller
fine + erfiner
big + erbigger
happy + erhappier
In one-syllable adjectives that end with a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, such as "big", we double the final consonant before adding "-er" to form the comparative.
In one-syllable and two-syllable adjectives that end in "y", such as "happy", we change the final "y" to "i" before adding "-er" to form the comparative.
Examples:
more + modernmore modern
more + expensivemore expensive
Examples:
goodbetter
badworse
farfarther / further
littleless
We usually use the preposition "than" after a comparative structure.
Examples:
She's taller than her sister.
This book is more interesting than that one.
Exercises
Use the words in each prompt to write a comparative sentence.
1An elephant / a cow / big
An elephant is bigger than a cow.
2A lion / a cat / dangerous
A lion is more dangerous than a cat.
3A mountain / a hill / high
A mountain is higher than a hill.
4A whale / a dolphin / large
A whale is larger than a dolphin.
5A train / a car / long
A train is longer than a car.
6A giraffe / a zebra / tall
A giraffe is taller than a zebra.
7Gold / silver / expensive
Gold is more expensive than silver.