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Describing and comparing, part 3 of 5
Comparatives in English: Taller, More Expensive, and Better
To compare two things: a short adjective + -er (taller) or more + a long adjective (more expensive), then than: Ana is taller than me.
The idea
What the comparative is
To compare two things, a short adjective takes -er and a long one takes more; then comes than.
- Short: -er. small > smaller
- Long: more. more popular
- Irregular: a new word. good > better
When to use it
To compare prices, places, people, and things, and say which one you prefer. These expressions go with it:
To compare prices
- cheaper than
- more expensive than
- a better deal
To talk about changes
- it is getting colder
- I feel better
- it is worse now
To choose
- the bigger one
- much easier
- a little faster
- better than nothing
Examples
- A short adjective
The train is faster than the bus.
- A long adjective
This hotel is more modern than that one.
- Ending in y
Spanish is easier for me than French.
- Irregular
Your soup is better than mine.
- With than
My dad is older than my mom.
How to build it
3 steps
- Is it short?One syllable: add -er:cheap > cheaper
- Is it long?Two or more syllables: more before it:more famous
- Add thanFor the second thing:cheaper than a taxi
Short adjective
- ARome
- isis
- adjective + erwarmer
- than Bthan Paris.
Long adjective
- AGold
- isis
- more + adjectivemore valuable
- than Bthan silver.
How to form it
It depends on how the adjective ends
- talltaller
- nicenicer
- youngyounger
- hothotter
- thinthinner
- wetwetter
- easyeasier
- happyhappier
- funnyfunnier
- expensivemore expensive
- carefulmore careful
- modernmore modern
- badworse
- farfarther
How to pronounce it
bigger
/ˈbɪɡər/The final -er is a soft /ər/.
than
/ðæn/The th is /ð/. It is not then.
Check
This chair is (blank) than the sofa. Which one goes in the blank?
Don't confuse it with the superlative
Ana is taller than Luis.
Two: comparative
Ana is the tallest in her class.
All: superlative
The comparative is between two (taller than). The superlative is one against all the rest (the tallest).
SuperlativesIn real life
Two-syllable adjectives ending in y take -ier: easy, easier. Most other two-syllable ones take more: more careful.
Frequently asked questions
Can I say more big?
No. Short adjectives take -er: bigger. More is for long ones.
Which comes after than: I or me?
In speech, me: She is taller than me. In formal writing you see than I am.
How do I say a lot more?
Put much before it: much cheaper, much more expensive.
In short
- Short: -er + than: cheaper than.
- Long: more + adjective: more famous.
- Big, hot: bigger, hotter. Easy: easier.
- Irregular: better, worse, farther.