8.1.1: Comparative of Adjectives
- Page ID
- 256054
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Comparative Adjectives
Compare two nouns using a comparative adjective. Which two nouns are compared in these sentences? What is the comparative adjective?
- San Diego, CA is larger than El Cajon, CA
- Black Mountain is higher than Mount Helix
Answers
- The two nouns are "San Diego, CA" and "El Cajon, CA" and the comparative adjective is "larger"
- The two nouns are "Black Mountain" and "Mount Helix" and the comparative adjective is "higher"
Did you notice what word follows the comparative adjective?
Answer
- Than
How Do We Make Comparative Adjectives?
| One-syllable adjectives | Two-syllable adjectives ending with -y | Two-or-more-syllable adjectives | Irregular adjectives |
| Larger | Easier | More diverse | Good-better |
| Richer | Happier | More difficult | Far-farther/further |
| Deeper | Hungrier | More beautiful | Little-less |
| Higher | Curlier | More populated | Many-more |
| Smaller | Lazier | More interesting | Bad-worse |
| Bigger | Saltier | More delicious |
- If the word is one syllable, add -er to the end of the word
- If the word ends with -e, add -r
- If the word is one syllable and ends with CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant), double the final consonant
- If the word is two syllables, use "more" + adjective
- If the word is two syllables and ends with -y, drop the -y and add -ier
- Comparative adjectives are followed by "than"
Examples
One Syllable
- Both of my sons are taller than I am.
- My brother was much bigger than I was.
- A dog is smaller than an elephant.
- My car is cleaner than my brother's car.
Two-syllable Ending in "y"
- This year, I am busier than I was last year.
- I am happier in the suburbs than I was in the city
More Than One Syllable
- My garden is more beautiful than her garden.
- This apartment is more expensive than the apartment near downtown.
Irregular
- I went further in my education than my brother and sister did.
- California is farther away from Seattle than Oregon is.
- I am a good cook, but my wife is a much better cook than I am.
- My son Alex cooks badly. My son André cooks worse than my son Alex does.
- My wife speaks English fairly well, but I speak much better than she does, of course.
Exercise 1
Answer the following questions.
1. Who are you taller than?
2. Is the United States bigger or smaller than your native country?
3. Is it warmer or colder in your country than in the United States?
4. Where can you find more nutritious food, at home or in a restaurant?
5. Which subject is harder, English or math?
6. Is the weather today better or worse than the weather yesterday?
Exercise 2:
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the comparatives.
1. intelligent My sister is ____________________________my brother is.
2. clearly The woman was speaking _______________________ her friend was.
3. important Love and health are ___________________________money.
4. good The weather in California is ____________________ the weather in Texas.
5. early My Monday class is_________________ my Tuesday class.
6. difficult Flying a plane is_____________________than driving a car.
7. comfortable Couches (sofas) are ____________________chairs in general.
8. expensive City-living is usually _______________________country-living.
9. cheap A long time ago, things were ______________________ they are today.
10. happy Successful people are usually ____________________ unsuccessful people.
16. bad Restaurant food is usually ____________________ home-cooked food.
11. high Buildings in downtown Houston are __________________buildings in Pasadena.
12. windy It is_______________________in fall than summer.
13. fast Planes travel ____________________ trains.
14. far Dallas is _______________________ from Houston than Austin is.
15. friendly Some people are _________________ other people.
Exercise 3:
Write sentences with comparisons using the following pairs.
Examples:
oranges and lemons: Oranges are sweeter than lemons.
elephants and mice Elephants are bigger than mice.
1. the sun and the moon
2. English and math
3. online learning and in-class learning
4. college and high school
5. winter and summer
6. houses and apartments
7. married people and single people
8. fast food and homemade food
9. airplanes and trains
10. American football and soccer
Exercise 4:
Make comparative sentences with the following adjectives/adverbs.
1. rich
2. easily
3. interesting
4. important
5. lazy
6. comfortable
7. healthy
8. smooth
9. slowly
10. fast