Grammar Worksheet

Comparative Adjectives: Making Comparisons

A2–B1 -er / more … than

Explanation

Use comparative adjectives to compare two things.

Short adjectives (1 syllable) take -er + than. Long adjectives (2+ syllables) take more … than.

Some adjectives are irregular: good → better, bad → worse, far → further.

Form

Type	Rule	Example
1 syllable	-er + than	old → older than
Ends in -e	-r + than	nice → nicer than
Consonant-vowel-consonant	double + -er + than	big → bigger than
Ends in -y	-ier + than	happy → happier than
2+ syllables	more + adj + than	expensive → more expensive than
Irregular	special form	good → better • bad → worse • far → further

Tip: Always use ‘than’ when comparing two things: She is taller than me.

⚠ Never use ‘more’ AND ‘-er’ together: ✗ more taller → ✓ taller

Examples

Common Mistakes

She is more tall than her sister. → She is taller than her sister. ‘Tall’ is a short adjective — use ‘-er’, not ‘more’.
This is more better than I expected. → This is better than I expected. ‘Better’ is already comparative — never add ‘more’.
It’s more hot today than yesterday. → It’s hotter today than yesterday. ‘Hot’ is a 1-syllable adjective — double the ‘t’ and add ‘-er’.
My phone is expensiver than yours. → My phone is more expensive than yours. Long adjectives (3+ syllables) use ‘more’, not ‘-er’.

Exercises

1 Write the comparative form

Write the comparative form of each adjective.

small → smaller

2 Complete the sentence

Write the correct comparative form of the adjective in brackets.

3 Correct the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.

4 Compare two things

Write four true sentences comparing two things you know. Use a comparative adjective + ‘than’.

5 Write the sentence

Use the prompts to write a comparative sentence.

cats / dogs (independent) → Cats are more independent than dogs.

Speaking Activity

Compare these pairs with your partner. Give a reason for each answer.

Use at least three different comparative adjectives in your discussion.