Comparative adjectives – definition and examples

comparative adjectives meaning

You are bound to have stumbled across a comparative adjective before, even if you don’t know the correct term for them. They do exactly what they say on the tin – compare things (nouns) using adjectives (which are describing words if you didn’t already know!).

 

It’s important to remember that they compare two different people or objects. If you want to compare more than two objects, we use the superlative, which is another lesson entirely.

Adjectives like big and small, or fast and slow are some of the easier ones for you to learn to begin with as they only have one syllable. Then you can move on to some of the more difficult adjectives that exist in English.

forming comparative adjectives with examples

one-syllable adjectives

So, let’s see some examples of comparative adjectives in the real world. Let’s take a nice easy one to start with. The adjective ‘small’ means tiny or little. If you want to explain the difference between two objects using the adjective ‘small’. We simply use the following rule:

• Object A + be + adjective +er + than + object B

As you can see, we’ve added an ‘er’ to the end of the adjective, followed by the word ‘then’. Here are some examples:

• cheap
  example – The burger is cheaper than the hot dog
• high
  example – The trees are higher than my house.
• light
  example – My bedroom is lighter than yours.
• loud
  example – It is louder at the front than at the side.
• old
  example – My grandma is older than my grandad
• short
  example – I am shorter than my son.
• small
  example – One twin is smaller than the other.
• strong
  example – Paul is stronger than Michael.

Here’s a few picture examples to help you understand.

 

A mouse is smaller than an elephant.

A car is faster than a tortoise.

one-syllable adjectives ending in ‘e’

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an ‘e’, we simply have to add an ‘r’. Here’ are the most common ones:

• brave
  example – My big sister is braver than my brother.
• cute
  example – Lisa’s cat is cuter than yours.
• large
  example – His slice of cake is larger than mine.
• nice
  example – My teacher is nicer than yours.
• ripe
  example – The grapes are riper than the plums.
• rude
  example – My son is ruder than his sister.
• safe
  example – Our neighbourhood is safer than Michaels
• strange
  example – The film is stranger than the book.
• wise
  example – My grandad is wiser than a wizard.

one syllable – consonant + vowel + consonant

If a one-syllable adjective ends in a consonant + a vowel + a consonant, simply double the last consonant and add ‘er’.

• big
  example – A camel is bigger than a zebra.
• fat
  example – My hamster is fatter than my guinea pig.
• hot
  example – Today is hotter than yesterday.
• sad
  example – I am sadder now that I have won the lottery.
• thin
  example – I was thinner in my teens than my twenties.
• wet
  example – This year is much wetter than last year.

two-syllable Adjectives ending in y

If a two-syllable adjective ends in a ‘y’, change the ‘y’ to an ‘I’ and add ‘er’.

• busy
  example – Saturdays are always busier than Sundays.
• dirty
  example – My car is dirtier than yesterday.
• easy
  example – The test was easier than yesterday’s test.
• friendly
  example – Max is much friendlier than his twin brother
• funny
  example – The clown is funnier than the jester.
• happy
  example – I’m much happier in this house than my old house.
• noisy
  example – My new freezer is noisier than the old one.
• pretty
  example – Laura is prettier than Sammy.

two or more syllable adjectives

If an adjective has two or more syllables, the adjective stays the same and we add the word ‘more’ before it. For example:

• beautiful
  example – The white cat is more beautiful than the tabby cat
• boring
  example – Maths class is more boring than Science class.
• colourful
  example – The houses on the left are more colourful than the ones on the right.
• dangerous
  example – A crocodile is more dangerous than a swan.
• difficult
  example – The first exam was more difficult than the last one.
• intelligent
  example – My dad is more intelligent than my mum.
• peaceful
  example – It’s more peaceful when the kids are at school than the holidays.

irregular adjectives

As with everything in English, there are always some things that don’t fit the rules. We call these irregular comparative adjectives. There aren’t that many common ones, so here’s a list for you to learn.

• bad
  example – I feel worse than I did yesterday
• far
  example – The lagoon is much further than the lighthouse.
• good
  example – Tim is better than me at basketball.
• little (an amount not a size)
  example – The pink hoody is less expensive than the purple one.
• many/much
  example – I have more money than you.
• old
  example – I have bigger muscles than my elder brother.
• well
  example – I feel much better than I did on Monday.

comparatives test

Practice what you’ve learnt by completing the following activities on comparative adjectives.

First watch these videos and do the short quiz.

Do this speaking exercise by answering the following questions and give your reasons.

Is surfing more difficult than riding a moped?

Is a bull more ferocious than a lion?

Is football better than rugby?

Is a tree more beautiful than a flower?

Is the sun brighter than the moon?

Is chicken tastier than steak?

Is a book more interesting than a film?

Is alcohol more addictive than cigarettes?