Comparative Forms of Adjectives Practice Tests with A1 Grammar Rules & Examples

Comparative Forms of Adjectives

Sometimes we want to compare two things. We want to say that one thing is bigger, faster, or more beautiful than another thing. To do this in English, we use comparative forms of adjectives.

An adjective is a describing word. It tells us what something is like. For example:

• a tall man
• a small dog
• a happy child

When we compare two things, we change the adjective. This changed form is called the comparative form.

Look at this simple example:

My dog is small. Your dog is smaller. Your dog is smaller than my dog.

We use the word than to connect the two things we are comparing.

How to Make Comparative Forms of Adjectives

There are three main rules for making comparative forms of adjectives. Let us look at each one.

Rule 1: Short Adjectives — Add -er

Short adjectives usually have one syllable. A syllable is a beat in a word. For example, tall has one beat: tall. Small has one beat: small.

For most short adjectives, we simply add -er to the end of the adjective.

Pattern:
adjective + er + than

Examples:

• tall → taller — My brother is taller than me.
• small → smaller — This box is smaller than that box.
• old → older — My cat is older than your cat.
• young → younger — She is younger than her sister.
• fast → faster — A car is faster than a bicycle.
• cheap → cheaper — This bag is cheaper than that bag.
• cold → colder — January is colder than March.

Rule 2: Short Adjectives Ending in a Vowel + Consonant — Double the Last Letter

Sometimes a short adjective ends in a vowel + a consonant. Vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u. Consonants are all the other letters.

When a short adjective ends in one vowel + one consonant, we double the last consonant and then add -er.

Pattern:
adjective (vowel + consonant) → double the consonant + er + than

Examples:

• big → bigger — An elephant is bigger than a horse.
• hot → hotter — Summer is hotter than spring.
• thin → thinner — This book is thinner than that book.
• fat → fatter — My old cat is fatter than my new cat.

Rule 3: Adjectives Ending in -y — Change y to i and Add -er

Some adjectives end in the letter -y. For these adjectives, we change the y to i and then add -er.

Pattern:
adjective ending in y → change y to i + er + than

Examples:

• happy → happier — She is happier than her brother.
• easy → easier — This exercise is easier than that exercise.
• heavy → heavier — My school bag is heavier than your school bag.
• pretty → prettier — This flower is prettier than that flower.
• busy → busier — Monday is busier than Sunday.

Rule 4: Long Adjectives — Use more

Long adjectives usually have two or more syllables. For example, beautiful has three beats: beau-ti-ful. Expensive has three beats: ex-pen-sive.

For long adjectives, we do not add -er. Instead, we put the word more in front of the adjective.

Pattern:
more + adjective + than

Examples:

• beautiful → more beautiful — This painting is more beautiful than that painting.
• expensive → more expensive — A car is more expensive than a bicycle.
• interesting → more interesting — This book is more interesting than that film.
• difficult → more difficult — Maths is more difficult than art.
• comfortable → more comfortable — My new chair is more comfortable than my old chair.

Comparative Forms of Adjectives: Summary Table

Important Special Cases: Irregular Comparative Forms

Some very common adjectives do not follow the normal rules. These are called irregular forms. You need to learn these by heart!

Important: Never say gooder or more good. The correct word is always better.
Never say badder or more bad. The correct word is always worse.

Always Use than When You Compare Two Things

When we compare two things, we use the word than between the comparative adjective and the second thing.

Pattern:
Subject + verb + comparative adjective + than + second thing

Examples:

• My bag is heavier than your bag.
• This café is more expensive than that café.
• My sister is younger than me.
• English is easier than Japanese.

Note: than and then are different words! Than is for comparing. Then is for time (e.g. First I eat, then I sleep.).

Mini Story: Let's Compare!

Anna has two dogs. One dog is called Max. The other dog is called Pip.

Max is bigger than Pip. Pip is smaller than Max. Max is older than Pip. But Pip is faster than Max! Anna loves both dogs. She says that Pip is easier to train than Max, but Max is friendlier than Pip. Anna thinks both dogs are better than any other dogs in the world!

Common Mistakes

❌ She is more tall than her brother.
✅ She is taller than her brother. (Short adjectives use -er, not more.)

❌ This book is interestinger than that book.
✅ This book is more interesting than that book. (Long adjectives use more, not -er.)

❌ My car is more big than your car.
✅ My car is bigger than your car. (Short adjectives use -er.)

❌ Today is more hot then yesterday.
✅ Today is hotter than yesterday. (Double the consonant; use than, not then.)

❌ My marks are more good than before.
✅ My marks are better than before. (Good is irregular — the comparative is better.)

❌ The traffic is more bad today.
✅ The traffic is worse today. (Bad is irregular — the comparative is worse.)

❌ She is happyer than him.
✅ She is happier than him. (Change y to i, then add -er.)

❌ My dog is older then your dog.
✅ My dog is older than your dog. (Use than for comparisons, not then.)

Comparative Forms of Adjectives: Quick Summary

Here are the key rules to remember:

• We use comparative forms of adjectives to compare two things or people.
• We always use the word than to connect the two things we compare.
• For short adjectives (one syllable): add -er → tall → taller
• For short adjectives ending in vowel + consonant: double the consonant and add -er → big → bigger
• For adjectives ending in -y: change y to i and add -er → happy → happier
• For long adjectives (two or more syllables): use more in front → beautiful → more beautiful
• Some adjectives are irregular: good → better, bad → worse

Now practise comparative forms of adjectives in the exercises below.