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Comparative Adjectives in English: How to Compare Two Things
Short adjectives add -er, longer ones use more, and both are followed by than.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
Comparatives are used to compare two things: "She is taller than her brother." One-syllable adjectives add -er, adjectives with two or more syllables use more before the adjective.
Rules for forming comparatives
Irregular comparatives
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Practice comparative adjectives with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Using 'than'
When you mention the second thing in the comparison, it's always preceded by than: "She is taller than her brother." If you don't mention the second thing, you don't use than: "This one is better."
Common mistakes learners make
Using "more" with short adjectives that already take -er, like saying "more tall" instead of "taller." In many languages, one word for "more" is used no matter the adjective's length, which leads to applying the same logic to English by mistake.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you form comparatives in English?
One-syllable adjectives add -er (tall → taller), adjectives with two or more syllables use more before the adjective (expensive → more expensive).
When do you use -er and when do you use more?
-er is used with short adjectives (one syllable, or two ending in -y, -er, -ow, -le). More is used with adjectives of two or more syllables.
What are the irregular comparatives in English?
Good → better, bad → worse, far → farther/further. They don't follow any rule, you have to memorize them.
Do you need to use 'than'?
Only when you mention the second thing in the comparison: "She is taller than him." If you don't mention it, you don't use than.
What are some examples of comparatives?
"This book is more interesting than that one." "He is stronger than his brother." "Today is colder than yesterday."
Why do learners say "more tall" instead of "taller"?
Because in many languages one word for "more" is used regardless of the adjective's length, so it's common to copy that logic into English, where short adjectives should use -er, not more.
Practice comparative adjectives with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.