A comparative adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is a word for making a comparison between two people, places, things, or ideas, by saying that one has a larger or smaller amount of some quality than the other. Look:
my house
My house is bigger than your house.
Your house is less fancy than my house.
Your house is just as old as my house.
your house
In this post, we’ll be looking at the important points you need to know about comparative adjectives:
how to form a comparative adjective
how to put comparative adjectives into your sentences
how to use comparative adjectives in your day-to-day speech
We’ll also cover some more advanced ways that you can use comparative adjectives to indicate change over time, to compare two qualities of a single thing, and even to pick out the individual with the most of a quality in a group (which is usually what superlative adjectives do!).
Is your understanding of comparative adjectives less than you want it to be? Read on and get a better idea of this useful grammar point.
Comparative adjectives are made from regular English adjectives. There are three main kinds of comparative adjectives:
Comparative of Majority → X > Y
|  |
Comparative of Minority → X < Y
|  |
Comparative of Equality → X = Y
|
Let’s have a closer look at these forms!
English comparative adjectives of majority describe the noun with more of a quality (X > Y). There are two ways to form them:
adjective + -er → for short adjectives
more + adjective → for long adjectives
There are also a few irregular comparative adjectives of majority.
Let’s look more closely at those rules!
You can usually form a comparative adjective using the -er ending when the adjective has one syllableNo definition set for syllableLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or sometimes two syllables.
All adjectives that are one syllable have comparative forms with -er:
big → bigger(more big)
small → smaller(more small)
fast → faster(more fast)
slow → slower(more slow)
A few one-syllable adjectives should be formed with more instead:
Past participles (e.g. bored, lost...)
A few other words: right, wrong, fun, real, worth, ill
For more information on these words, have a look at this table of one-syllable adjectives that have more comparative forms!
Some adjectives with two syllables have a comparative form with -er.
All two-syllable adjectives ending in -y (pronounced “ee”)
happy → ✅ happier
friendly → ✅ friendlier
sleepy → ✅ sleepier
skinny → ✅ skinnier
Some adjectives with other endings as well
little → ✅ littler
yellow → ✅ yellower
handsome → ✅ handsomer
polite → ✅ politer
common → ✅ commoner
For more examples and details, check out this list of two-syllable adjectives with -er comparative forms!
Most two-syllable adjectives will also have a comparative form with more.
🥸 Spelling watch!
When you add an ending that begins with a vowel to an English word, there are some special spelling rules you’ll need to follow. These rules are why you’ll see, for example:
hot → ✅ hotter ❌ hoter
blue → ✅ bluer ❌ blueer
happy → ✅ happier ❌ happyer
Luckily, though, these rules do not affect pronunciation!
Check out this cheat sheet for spelling words with the -er suffix in English to see the detailed list of rules.
When an adjective has two or more syllablesNo definition set for syllablesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (use·ful / im·por·tant), you can usually add the word more before the adjective to create the comparative form. You can think of this as the “two-or-more syllables rule.”
useful → more useful
important → more important
When a two-syllable adjective has an -er comparative form, the more form is often allowed as well, but not always!
happy → ✅ happier / ✅ more happy
sleepy → ✅ sleepier / ✅ more sleepy
Usually, there is no meaning difference between the two options, but one option is usually more common. You can have a look at the list of two-syllable adjectives with -er comparative forms to learn about how to choose between the -er and more comparative when there are two options!
In casual conversation, English speakers probably will not notice if you use the more comparative, even if the -er comparative is actually correct (e.g. more big instead of bigger, more sleepy instead of sleepier...). It is only in more formal situations that using more for a word that should use -er will stand out.
There is a small group of adjectives that are irregular when changed to comparative adjectives. That means they don’t follow the rules! Look:
Adjective | Comparative adjective |
|---|---|
good | better |
well(healthy) | better |
bad | worse |
far | farther / further |
little | less |
much / many | more |
Form a comparative adjective with less when you want to describe the noun that has the smaller amount of a quality, instead of the noun that has a larger amount.
John is more athletic than Peter. ↔ Peter is less athletic than John.
Fido is cuter than Snowy. ↔ Snowy is less cute than Fido.
English speakers usually try to avoid using less, especially with short adjectives. You can avoid using less…
by reversing the sentence (as in the examples above)
by using the -er or more form with the opposite meaning. For example:
🆗 Peter is less big than John.
✅ Peter is smaller than John.
by using a comparative of equality in a negative sentence:
🆗 Fido is less smelly than Snowy.
✅ Fido is not as smelly as Snowy.
Form a comparative adjective with as when you want to describe a noun that has the same amount of a quality. Just use as before any adjective:
John is just as tall as Peter.
Fido is exactly as old as Snowy.
John’s car is as comfortable as Mary’s car.
We often use just before a comparative with as. This is especially common when you are correcting an assumption.
Remember that the negative of a comparative of equality has the same meaning as a comparative of minority:
Fido is not as smelly as Snowy. = Fido is less smelly than Snowy.
Make English comparisons with comparative adjectives by following the formula below:
noun
comparative adjective
noun
Marcus is stronger than Peter (is).
Peter is less athletic than Marcus (is).
Marcus is just as smart as Peter (is).
Use than with comparatives of majority (X > Y) or minority (X < Y) and as with comparatives of equality (X = Y).
Notice the difference between than(for comparisons) and then(for events in a sequence). Many English speakers pronounce these words the same way, but they are spelled differently.
John is stronger than Peter.
John went to the gym then he ate dinner.
If you want to be a little more specific, you can add a noun after the comparative adjective:
comparative adjective
noun
Marcus is a stronger person than Peter (is).
Peter is a less athletic person than Marcus (is).
The formula is a little different for comparisons of equality!
comparative adjective
noun
Peter is just as smart a person as Marcus (is).
Here are a couple more tips:
With context, you can leave out than/as and anything that follows it:
Marcus is stronger than Peter is. = Marcus is stronger than Peter.
Peter is less athletic than Marcus is. = Peter is less athletic than Marcus.
Marcus is just as smart as Peter is. = Marcus is just as smart as Peter.
Which of the two men is stronger (than the other)?
Marcus is stronger (than Peter).
Marcus is very strong, but Peter is less athletic (than Marcus).
Peter is very smart!
Marcus is just as smart (as Peter)!
Now, let’s look at three more rules to remember when making comparisons in English:
When we replace the second item with a pronoun, we sometimes replace the second item with a subject pronoun and we sometimes use an object pronoun. There is a simple rule to remember which one to use:
Use a subject pronoun before is.
Elsewhere, use the object pronoun.
For example:
Brian is taller than he is.
Sam is as old as he is.
Brian is taller than him.
Sam is as old as him.
Brian
5 feet, 2 inches
10 years old
Sam
4 feet, 4 inches
10 years old
In general, using the object pronoun sounds more conversational, and using the subject pronoun + be sounds more formal.
In very formal settings you may hear a subject pronoun used without be, but this is old-fashioned:
He was more forgiving than I.
You can make comparisons between two nouns using verbs other than be. Here are some ways to do this:
Use another linking verb, like have, seem, appear, or look, in the same sentence pattern:
Mary appears smarter than Cathy.
Mary seems more informed than Cathy.
Cathy doesn't look as ready for the test as Mary.
Use comparative adjectives to compare the objects of two different actions:
Mary could speak better English than Cathy.
Mary will study harder problems than Cathy.
Use comparative adjectives in a prepositional phraseNo definition set for prepositional phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
Cathy did not work for as many hours as Mary.
All of the sentences above actually have a full second verb that we do not pronounce. Though we almost never say the full second verb, we do often add the auxiliary verb that goes with the verb. If there is no auxiliary verb, you can add do:
With a full second verb (not common) | With only the auxiliary verb (common) |
|---|---|
Mary seems more informed than Cathy seems. | Mary seems more informed than Cathy does. |
Mary will study harder problems than Cathy will study. | Mary will study harder problems than Cathy will. |
Cathy doesn’t look as ready for the test as Mary looks. | Cathy doesn’t look as ready for the test as Mary does. |
Mary could speak better English than Cathy could speak. | Mary could speak better English than Cathy could. |
Mary will study harder problems than Cathy will study. | Mary will study harder problems than Cathy will. |
Cathy did not work for as many hours as Mary worked. | Cathy did not work for as many hours as Mary did. |
Sometimes the auxiliary verb will change when you are making comparisons across time and with modals:
Cathy should study harder problems than she does.
Sometimes a comparison with a word that takes an object can have two meanings:
Mary has better friends than Cathy.
You can make your meaning clear by adding the second verb:
Mary has better friends than Cathy has / does.
A qualifier (or qualifying adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.) is a word that comes before an adjective and tells you “how much” of a quality something has — is someone very tall or a little bit tall?
When we use a qualifier before a comparative adjective, the qualifier tells you about how big the difference you’re describing is. Is it a bigger difference than someone would guess or a smaller difference?
Here are some examples of how to use qualifiers with a comparative adjective.
He is much taller than his brother.
The situation is far worse than we thought.
My cup is a little fuller than your cup.
This car is slightly less expensive than the first one.
Mary’s cat Fluffy is way fatter than the rest of her cats.
The qualifiers we use for comparative adjectives aren’t always the same as the qualifiers we use for other kinds of adjectives. Have a look at this list of the most common qualifiers you can use with comparative adjectives.
You can now make basic comparisons in English! Want to learn more? Keep reading!
In this section we’ll look at some more advanced ways to use comparative adjectives in English. We’ll talk about:
how to compare two qualities that are on the same scale (e.g. color, length,...)
a few different ways to make comparisons across time
how to use comparative adjectives to compare to the average
how to use a comparative adjective to create a superlative meaning
Let’s have a look!
We can use comparative adjectives to compare two different qualities as long as those qualities are on the same “scale,” for example width (wide) vs. height (tall).
To make this kind of comparison, use this sentence structure:
noun
comparative adjective
noun
second quality
The blue house is wider than the green house is tall.
The blue house is as wide as than the green house is tall.
60 ft. wide, 34 ft. tall
34 ft. tall
We do not generally use less comparatives in this structure.
You can also compare two qualities that belong to the same thing. For example one house may also be both tall and wide. Or one house may be both green and yellow.
The blue house is taller than it is wide.
The small house is greener than it is yellow.
A comparative adjective is a great way to show that something changes over time. There are two main ways to do this:
by comparing something to itself at a different time
by adding the word and between two comparative adjectives
Let’s look at them one at a time.
The simplest way to use a comparative adjective to show a change over time is to just make the tense before than and the tense after than different. Using time markers like today, soon, now, in a few months, etc. will help!
Rafa is a better tennis player than he was.
In two months, Peter will be stronger than he is now.
Once he drives it for a while, John’s car will not be as new as it is now.
You can leave out the second verb if the time marker makes it clear that you are discussing a different time:
Next month, Peter will be stronger.
Frumpy was a fatter cat before she went on a diet.
If you use modal verbs, you can also compare a situation now with a situation at some imagined or hypothetical time:
Peter could be stronger than he is now.
Frumpy might have been thinner than she was.
Cathy should study harder problems than she does.
Here you can also sometimes drop the second part of the comparison. Can you figure out what is happening in this sentence?
If the garden were wetter, the grass would be greener.
This sentence is really:
If the garden were wetter than it is, the grass would be greener than it is.
Another way to show change over time using comparative adjectives is to use the word and between two comparative adjectives. These phrases show gradual change over time: when something slowly becomes more or less than it was before.
For example, Jimmy was bad at math. For three months, he studied a lot. Jimmy is now better at math (than he was three months ago!). You can say:
For three months, Jimmy got better and better at math.
So, if you use the comparative adjective twice, with an and between, you are indicating a gradual change in that quality:
The tree grew taller and taller as the years went by.
Fluffy got fatter and fatter over the years.
Or how about this one:
Cars are becoming more and more expensive these days.
Did you notice that last example? When the comparative is formed with more instead of -er, we use: more and more.
The same is true if something becomes less:
I am less and less interested in cinema.
Sometimes, in casual conversation, English speakers will use a comparative adjective just to say that someone or something has more of a quality than is average.
She is a taller gymnast.
He’s one of the smarter students in my class.
This is most common with comparative adjectives formed with -er, but you can also do it with comparatives with more and less as well.
In general, a comparative adjective makes a comparison between just two individuals. If you want to make a comparison between one individual and a whole group of other people, you use a superlative adjective instead:
The antique car is older than the electric car.
The antique car is the oldest car at the show.
A superlative adjective compares something to a group, rather than to one other individual.
But sometimes you can use a comparative adjective of majority (more / -er) or minority (less) to create a sentence with a superlative meaning. We do this by making a comparison between one thing and every single individual in a group, one-at-a-time:
Use than + an “every” phrase as the second part of the comparison sentence. An “every” phrase picks out all of the members of the group. These are usually phrases that start with every, all, each, or any.
This game was more exciting than any other match this season!
The goalie is faster than all the goalies in the league!
Use a negative verb I never saw / I haven’t seen with a comparative adjective.
I’ve never seen a faster goalie in my entire life!
A more exciting soccer game has not been played before!
These are usually a little more emphatic or expressive than using a regular superlative adjective, but the meaning is the same.
In this post, we talked about how to compare two people, places, or things using comparative adjectives. We learned…
Comparative adjectives compare 2 nouns or noun phrases:
To describe the thing with the large amount of a quality, use adjective + -er or more + adjective
To describe the thing with the small amount of a quality, use: less + adjective
To describe a thing with the same amount of a quality, use: as + adjective
Structure a comparison like this:
first thing + verb + comparative adjective + than / as + second thing + (is)
We’ve also talked about how to use qualifiers like a lot, much, a bit, and slightly to describe the size of the difference.
Finally, we looked at some special kinds of comparisons:
Comparisons between two qualities: This dress is bluer than it is green.
Comparisons across time: This dress is bluer than it was yesterday.
And describing gradual change using comparative adjective + and + comparative adjective: The dress got bluer and bluer.
Now that you’ve got a handle on these comparative adjectives, you can even look at English superlative adjectives and how they can make your conversations the richest and most exciting!
But before you move on, why not take a look at the English comparative adjective activities that I’ve written up? It’s good practice and will help you to have a firm understanding of these uses!
