How to use comparative adjectives

 

Comparative adjectives

INICIO 

Comparatives are adjectives which are used to compare two things.  Comparatives are used in every day conversations, for example to compare two things with different prices, but same appearance or to compare places to distinguish which one has better characteristics and so on.

Here you will learn the different types of adjectives which are used to make comparisons.

First type

Short adjectives or one syllable comparative adjectives.  

These adjectives are made by adding “er” at the end of the adjective + “than” after the adjective.
For example

• My brother is taller than me.
• My pencil is smaller than yours.

Here the adjectives used are short adjectives also called one syllable comparative adjectives. We also have adjectives that end in consonant + vowel + consonant (CVC) like “big”, with those adjectives is necessary to double the last consonant to make the comparative adjective.

For example

• My cellphone is bigger than your cellphone
• This summer the weather is getting hotter than the last summer.

As we can see in the examples above, “hot” and “big” end in CVC that’s why we need to double the las consonant to make the comparative form.

Second type

Comparative adjectives with two or more syllables ending in “y”.

For these adjectives we need to replace the letter “y” with “ier” + “than”.

For example

• This laptop is heavier than that one. Not: This laptop is heavyer than that one
• This test was easier than the last one. Not: This test was easyer than the last one

Third type

Long adjectives or comparative adjectives with two, three, four or more syllables.

For these adjectives we need to add the word “more” before the adjective and “than” after the adjective.
The structure is the next one; “more + adjective + than”.

For example

• This game is more boring than the one which is about races.
• Not: This game is boringer than the one which is about races
• Action movies are more interesting than horror movies.
• Not: Action movies are interestinger than horror movies.
  
• That painting is less beautiful than the one I painted.
• Not: That painting is less beautifuler than the one I painted.

Remember that you have to follow the spelling rule because if you don’t do this you could make a lot spelling mistakes, for example you may write “she is more taller than me” which is wrong because the first rule written at the beginning tells us that short adjectives or adjectives with just one syllable need only “er” added to them to become in a comparative adjective, therefore the correct way is; “She is taller than me” Not “she is more taller than me”

Finally, we have the irregular adjectives.

These adjectives do not follow any of these rules due to they are irregular, therefore the only way to know how to spell them is to memorize them.

For example, the comparative form for the adjective “good” is “better” and for “bad” is “worse”.

Sentence example for irregular adjectives.

• My computer is better than my classmate’s computer.
• Not: My computer is better than my classmate’s computer.
• To get sick is worse than to get a bad day.
• Not: To get sick is bader than to get a bad day

Here you can see a see a chart with all the rules mentioned here.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE CHART

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