Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives show difference between two people, places, or things. They often talk about size, age, speed, or quality. A comparative adjective usually comes before a noun or after a verb such as be.

Many short adjectives make the comparative with -er. This pattern is common with one-syllable adjectives and some two-syllable adjectives. The comparative form shows that one thing has more of a quality than another thing.

Many longer adjectives make the comparative with more. This pattern is common with adjectives of two or more syllables. Some two-syllable adjectives can vary, but more is often a safe choice.

Than links the two parts of a comparison. It comes after the comparative adjective. The comparison can be between nouns, pronouns, or longer noun groups.

Some common adjectives do not make the comparative with -er or more. These forms must be learned as special words. A few forms also show real variation in meaning or preference.

Farther and further both work as comparative forms of far. Many speakers use farther for physical distance and further for added distance or a more general idea. In real English, many speakers also use further for physical distance, so this is a preference, not a fixed rule.

Comparative forms often keep the same main stress as the base adjective. The ending -er is usually a weak sound in speech. Spelling changes such as nicer and bigger help show the correct spoken form.

You can now compare two people, places, or things with common comparative adjectives. You can choose between -er forms and more forms, use than, and recognize common irregular forms. You can also understand that some comparative choices, especially farther and further, may vary by speaker or region.