Comparatives are words used to compare, of course. We use these words to show the difference between things.
There are two main ways of making comparatives:
- add -er to the end of a word
- use the word 'more'
Depending on which word you are using, you have to choose between these two ways.
Comparative Adjectives
When we are comparing adjectives, we have to first think about how many syllables the adjective has. Then, follow these rules:
| One Syllable | Two Syllables | Three or More Syllables | |
| add -er | ending in e or y | all other endings | use 'more' |
| add -er | use 'more' | ||
Here are some examples of words that are changed to become comparative.
| Adjective | Comparative | |
| One Syllable | small | smaller |
| rude | ruder | |
| big | bigger | |
| fat | fatter | |
| Two Syllables | simple | simpler |
| lazy | lazier | |
| careful | more careful | |
| famous | more famous | |
| Three or More Syllables | colourful | more colourful |
| intelligent | more intelligent | |
| important | more important | |
| delightful | more delightful |
When an adjective ends in y, to add -er you must first change the y to an i and add -er to the end.
If an adjective already ends in e, you only have to add r to the end.
When a one-syllable adjective ends in a vowel and then a consonant, like 'big' or 'fat', you must double the consonant first, before adding -er.
Comparative Adverbs
Just like with adjectives, you have to first think about how many syllables are in each word.
| One Syllable | Two or More Syllables |
| add -er | use 'more' |
Here are some examples of comparative adverbs.
| Adverb | Comparative | |
| One Syllable | fast | faster |
| hard | harder | |
| high | higher | |
| low | lower | |
| Two Syllables | quickly | more quickly |
| happily | more happily | |
| strongly | more strongly | |
| smoothly | more smoothly |
Notice that the same rules apply to adverbs regarding word endings and adding -er.
Irregular Comparatives
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