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Comparatives

We use comparative adjectives to compare two people, things, or groups.

There are three groups of adjectives:

One-syllable adjectives, and two-syllable adjectives that end in "-y"
Examples:

tall + ertaller

fine + erfiner

big + erbigger

happy + erhappier

In one-syllable adjectives that end with a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, such as "big", we double the final consonant before adding "-er" to form the comparative.

In one-syllable and two-syllable adjectives that end in "y", such as "happy", we change the final "y" to "i" before adding "-er" to form the comparative.

Two-syllable and longer adjectives
Examples:

more + modernmore modern

more + expensivemore expensive

Irregular adjectives
Examples:

goodbetter

badworse

littleless

farfarther / further

We usually use the preposition "than" after a comparative structure.

Examples:

She's taller than her sister.

This book is more interesting than that one.

Exercises

Use the words in each prompt to write a comparative sentence.

1.An elephant / a cow / big

An elephant is bigger than a cow.

2.A lion / a cat / dangerous

A lion is more dangerous than a cat.

3.A mountain / a hill / high

A mountain is higher than a hill.

4.A whale / a dolphin / large

A whale is larger than a dolphin.

5.A train / a car / long

A train is longer than a car.

6.A giraffe / a zebra / tall

A giraffe is taller than a zebra.

7.Gold / silver / expensive

Gold is more expensive than silver.